Authoress's Note: Did the last chapter confuse you with Bakura? Well, I did that on purpose. Because nobody seems to recognize a difference between the Bakuras, when Yami Bakura is in control and Bakura is NOT there, he'll just be Bakura. I'll only use the full Yami Bakura name when they're both there. Sound simple enough? Okay.
Disclaimer still applies. Warnings still apply.
This chapter will move things along a little bit. I also am switching around tenses and all of that other good stuff to add to the overall confusion of the story. If you aren't reading this, too bad; you'll have to figure what's going on by yourself. HA!
I had this really cool dream last night about Yami Bakura. It also had Pegasus in it! Well, there were a bunch of murders and people hurdling big bricks at other things… Yami Bakura had a lot of friends… Pegasus was inviting people to his house for dinner… well, just one person, but you get the idea… *blush* Well, I should get on with the story before I embarrass myself…
***FIRST PERSON BAKURA, PRESENT TENSE***
I hope I'm not involved with this.
I have a strange feeling that I am.
Yugi is unconscious.
There's someone who is pretending to be me.
What is going on?
I am pacing back and forth in the waiting area. Yugi has been in there for hours. They said something about a blood transfusion. I hope he's okay.
A really pretty nurse comes into the room. She has light brown hair and tired eyes. I wonder how many hours she works. This job must be exhausting.
"Bakura? Yugi would like to talk to you."
I nod. She leads me down a long hallway and stops at a door. There's a soft jingle in her pocket and she unlocks the door several seconds later. I walk in; Yugi is sitting up in bed with one of those trays of hospital food. There is a tube connected to his arm and I see something red inside it.
"So, what happened?" Yugi asks. "I remember seeing you last night. You were out after curfew."
Oh my Gods… what am I supposed to say? Should I tell him about that thing that called himself me? Oh my Gods… Oh my Gods… What am I supposed to do?
Lie. Brilliant plan, and something I have been doing more of lately. "I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't outside last night. I was at home."
"Well, what were you doing?"
I passed out after someone who looks almost exactly like me kissed me. "I was asleep. I was really tired yesterday and I couldn't keep my eyes open."
Yugi sighs. "I don't know who else it could have been. I remember going down for a glass of water." I knew it! "I saw you outside with some other people and I decided to go down and see what you were doing. It must have been an hour or two past curfew."
"What happened then?" I ask. Something tells me that I may not want to hear.
"You grabbed me as soon as I was out the door and everything went black."
"Oh."
"Are you sure you weren't there?" Yugi asks. His eyes are boring into me. I can feel their intensity.
I sigh and rake my hand through my hair. Good, hairspray still holding. "There are a lot of strange things that are going on here. I don't know, it could have been a different me. I saw something really strange last night before I passed out."
"What happened?"
Well, Yugi wants to know…
"It was about sunset and I was getting ready for bed. As I said, I was really tired. My Millennium Ring – yes, I have an Item – started glowing and I went over to the mirror. Someone grabbed me and I turned around and I was looking at myself. I fainted."
"You… fainted?"
"Yes. I fainted."
"Did he frighten you that much?"
"Yes. Especially when he…" I trail off. "He was not the kind of person to mess with. Kind of wild, unrestricted, you know?"
I'm not used to talking this much. I have always been the silent, obfuscated person, even though I get some of the highest grades. A week ago, a paragraph a day was a lot for me to say. I wonder what happened.
"Bakura? The nurse says you and some other people found me. I want to thank you. If you hadn't come, I would be dead."
"When are you getting out of the hospital?"
"They say that if I don't develop a fever, I should be out by tomorrow afternoon. I am stuck in bed for the whole weekend and get out just in time to go to school. Perfect."
I smile. Yugi could be a great friend…
The nurse comes into the room; I hear the door close behind her. "You need to go now, Bakura. Other people want to talk to Yugi, and I don't think you need to be cooped up in a hospital all day long. Go get some exercise."
She escorts me out of the room and tells me how to get back down to the lobby. I look at Yugi, who is lying on the bed with his eyes closed.
I wonder if that needle in his arm hurts.
As I walk down the street, I hear a noise. It sounds like the door of a car closing; I see Pegasus coming out of a car. He's going into a small clothing boutique called Rogue Four, one of the stores that cater toward men who like vintage.
Curiosity is not highly valued in today's society.
Unfortunately, I have that trait.
I kneel down under the window and look inside. Pegasus is talking to a red-haired woman at the register; she's wearing all black and has black lipstick. The lipstick reminds me of last night. I deeply regret not kissing back.
They finish talking and Pegasus goes toward the door – no, he's only walking toward one of the racks. He picks up a few ruffled shirts in various colors and places them neatly at the register. She rings them up.
Pegasus is saying something to her, and they both look at the window. I see something glow behind Pegasus's silvery-white hair. Somehow, I know they are looking right at me. How did they know I was here?
I have two options. I can stay here and get caught, or I can run. Getting caught would be humiliating, for Pegasus is one of my teachers. Running would be better, as they wouldn't know who I am, and I might get enough of a head start to make it home before they can catch me.
"Hello," I turn around. Pegasus and that strange girl are standing there. I back against the glass.
"It's funny seeing you here," he continues. "I thought you lived on the other side of town, and why are you hiding out here like some sort of criminal?"
"Someone I know is in the hospital," I mumble. Well, I need to give some sort of answer, don't I? "I was on my way back home. In fact, I think I'll go right now…"
The weird girl grabs my arm. "Not so fast, Bakura."
How does she know my name?
I feel another presence inside my head. I know her, it says. Now please shut up before you make a fool out of both of us. You need to do exactly as I say.
Pegasus is staring right at me. "Saffron, I think you should just let him go. He has no idea what's going on."
The said person opens her big black-rimmed mouth. "I don't want to let him go. I want to know why he is here."
Who are you?
I'm that other person you saw last night. Now, be quiet and wait for them to get into a full-scale verbal argument. Picture yourself at home and run.
Thank you for the advice. Why should I trust you? You hurt one of my friends!
He was one of your friends? I didn't realize he was, but you need to trust me or you'll be put through several hours of mental torture. Now does that sound like something you want to happen?
Um…
Yeah. Not a nice person. You're just going to have to deal with it if you screw up.
"He is one of my students, Saffron. He was probably wondering what I was doing at this establishment. Let him go."
Saffron scowls at me and shoves me away. Pegasus is standing there with his arms crossed and a really disappointed look on his face.
"I'm driving you home," he says.
"I can walk. It's across town, but I need the exercise."
"No. I'm driving you."
He opens the passenger side door for me and I jump in. I buckle the seatbelt and cross my arms. I am so confused, and I'm also angry.
"I'm not an infant," I tell him.
"I know. And I also know you were at the hospital with one of your friends. How is he?" Pegasus asked.
"He'll be out just in time for school."
"There's something else, though, isn't there?" Pegasus gives me a long look. I don't think he's paying much attention to the road. "You should tell me. I am your teacher, after all. You can talk to me."
"I think I had something to do with his accident."
"But you don't remember doing anything."
"No, I don't. I still know I have something to do with it. I want to know what's going on. And… I think you know."
"Was that an accusation?"
"No, but you do know something."
Pegasus parks the car. We're nowhere near my house. He turns toward me and looks into my eyes. "You're saying that you don't remember what goes on at night, but I think something inside you does know. You just might not be ready to understand what is going on during the night. Tell me, when have you last eaten something?"
"Uh…" I can't remember the last time I ate. I'm pretty much left to my own devices, and I never think about food. "It was a long time ago."
He looks at me. "Oh, really?"
"Yes. Is there something you can say to explain that? You don't seem that surprised, so I think you know why."
I hear him laugh. "I'm trying to find the best way to put this without sounding stupid. You see, verbal communication is an art. You have to work at it to produce the right effect."
"I'll remember that. Now I want an explanation."
"You don't eat during the day. You feed at night, or at least a part of you does, the part I know well. Then there is this other you that takes control during the day; you. You don't feel hunger and you keep to yourself. You are totally oblivious to your darker side, and you don't remember anything you've done."
The voice is in my mind again. Oh, that is positively brilliant. Pegasus always was one to make totally simple things really complicated with his verbal art philosophy…
Well, do you have any answers?
Yes.
Then why aren't you telling me anything?
You never asked.
Oh.
"To put it bluntly, you're a vampire." Pegasus looks like he just said the most generic thing in the entire world.
Unfortunately, he is right. That is the stupidest thing I have heard in my entire life. I don't even know what a vampire is. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with blood, though.
"Do you have anything to say about that?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"I don't even know what a vampire is."
"Oh."
"Can you please take me home now?"
***SWITCHING TO PAST TENSE, STILL FIRST PERSON***
He was waiting for me when I walked in my room. The curtains were drawn and he was sitting against my pillow.
"So, he finally decided it was worth the effort to find your house."
"Who are you?"
My look-alike smiled. "I thought we have already gone through this. I am Yami Bakura, your dark side. And no, you're not a schizophrenic with multiple personality disorder. I am my own entity."
"If you are my dark side and I am your light side, why are you there instead of in here?" I pointed to myself. "Why aren't we together?"
"I think it has something to do with the Millennium Ring."
Most things that happen to me involve that Item, I thought glumly. "Why are you here?"
A blow to the side of my head caught me by surprise. I found myself on the ground. There was blood running into my mouth.
"What," I choked, "was that," gargle, "for?"
"Being such a curious little kitty." He started to clean his nails. "I have neglected you for far too long. You've got to get in shape. Hit me back."
"What?" I gasped.
"Are you deaf, too? Hit me back."
"But… I'm hurt. The wound could be fatal."
"What wound?"
I felt my head and found the area with the most blood, but there wasn't a wound it could have come from. My eyes widened and I looked at my violent dark side. I stood up and gave him a smack. I closed my eyes.
"That was pathetic."
At least he wasn't mad at me…
The next hit put me on my back. He was on me, holding my arm in a very uncomfortable position. I felt the tears start to well in my eyes. I didn't want to cry, but it hurt so much. Maybe I could get him off me.
I rolled over, awarded by a sharp pain in my right arm, and kicked him in the stomach. He started to laugh.
"Much better! I like you when you're ticked!"
He threw a punch at me and I grabbed it, which hurt, and I was astonished at the speed I could move at. I didn't see the hit coming from his other arm, which sent me flying. I narrowly missed the mirror that was on the outside of my closet door. I slid down the wall and looked up at my dark side.
"Watch your back. That's the best advice I have for you." He slapped me on the cheek, which made my head snap to the left. I rubbed it, surprised by how sensitive it was. He sat down next to me and smiled.
"How can you be my dark half and be separate from me? How can you have your own body if we are the same?"
Yami Bakura laughed at me. "I don't have my own body. This is a manifestation. I am using our collective energy to sustain a fake body. I am not real. I have my own mind, even though I am your dark half. I was originally a spirit trapped in the Millennium Ring." He came in closer, and I noticed the black lipstick on his lips. My own lips ached, reminded of the forced kiss of last night.
As if sensing my need, he came in and locked his lips with mine. I kissed back, which mildly shocked him. It was over in less than a minute, but my lips still ached.
I walked away from him and looked through the curtains. The sun was beginning to sink over the horizon. I turned away from the window. The curtain fell back into place with a soft swish. I wasn't surprised I could hear it; my senses heightened as the sun sank lower and lower.
Yami Bakura was gone.
I was awakened by the phone just as my alarm clock started to ring. It was the beginning of the last week of school. We had all our exams Thursday, and most of the school was in a cram-panic. Teachers were finishing their classes in a panicked state so they would be ready for the final.
As soon as I picked the phone up, I heard the other line go dead.
Sickened, I put it down.
I got dressed in half the time it normally took and raced to school. Whatever was going on would be explained there in the before-school conversations. I found Yugi. Aside from being a little pale, he looked okay. He was standing next to Fate, the girl who had been waiting for him on Saturday.
"What's going on?"
Yugi looked at me. "Tristan got taken last night. I tried to call you this morning, but someone cut our phone lines. I don't understand why Tristan was taken away. Téa was really spiritual and Joey was in one of those gangs, but Tristan hadn't done anything. Do you know why they could have taken him?"
I shook my head. "No."
Yugi started to cry. Fate and I tried to keep him from hysterical yelling, and other people in the halls were giving us strange looks. "I hate them! Why are they ruining my life? Is there something about me that makes people want to hurt me?"
Yes, there is, I heard Yami Bakura mutter. They're going to come after him if he doesn't keep quiet about his disagreements with the government. This is where it all starts. He shouldn't hang out with that crowd of people.
"Yugi, I know you're very disturbed, but could you please be quiet?" Fate said.
I nodded. Fate was starting to look really good in my eyes; she always knew the right thing to say. "She's right. You can't help your friends if they take you away, too. It is okay to hate them. Just don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing."
Did I goof up that saying? I asked myself.
Yes, now shut your mouth before someone recognizes you.
Huh?
"I'll see you people in class," I heard myself say.
Pegasus, as usual, seemed to notice when the class wasn't paying attention. He gave us a fifteen-minute lecture on why we needed stop thinking about Tristan. He was a very well liked person, and everyone in the class had at least something good to say about him.
"As much mourning as there is, we still need to think about the exams that are coming up. I will go easy on you this year, as you Freshmen have taken enough bashing as it is, but don't expect me to cut you slack your Sophomore year. Everyone in this room should be starting to decide what they want to do in their life." I could have sworn he turned toward me. "Some more than others."
I gulped and turned away. He started talking about something that involved evidence of trading between Africa and Egypt a few thousand years ago. The eyes of every kid in the class drooped. I found it hard to stay awake as well. It was like something was trying to pull me away from consciousness.
Pretty soon, everyone in the class was asleep. I turned this way and that, and as I did I noticed Pegasus had stopped lecturing. He was leaning against the desk; I thought I saw a gold light behind his hair.
I heard Yugi begin to stir. Something under his shirt was glowing, and he sat up like an electric current had just gone through him. He looked around at the sleeping forms of the other students, widened his eyes as he looked from Pegasus to Bakura, and decided it had been a really bad idea to wake up.
"Bakura, what's going on?"
"I don't know. It has to do something with our teacher."
Pegasus smiled at us. "What's wrong?"
"The other students are all asleep," Yugi answered in a low murmur. Then his voice took on a more confident tone. He looked like he was internally debating a course of action with himself; I wonder if I get that look on my face when I'm talking to Yami Bakura. "What have you done to them?"
"They fell asleep. I hope they're okay. Not everyone can handle the dryness of a lecture about ancient trade routes between continents. You boys could. You should be rewarded. What do you want?"
I kept my eyes on Pegasus, but I could feel Yugi fight. "You have done something to them and I want you to make it stop."
"Can't you think of anything better than that? What do you want, Ryou Bakura?" Pegasus seemed bored…
I looked down at my hands. I really hated to be the center of attention. It was like some twisted game. There were two strings hanging off a cliff. One held the lives or consciousness, whatever you wanted to call it, and the other held whatever relationship I had with Pegasus. I turned to Yugi. The thing under his shirt started to glow again. I felt my own item begin to slither underneath my uniform.
He let out a yell, and I turned away as there was this blinding flash of light. There was a strange entity standing in the room. I looked at Pegasus, who seemed a little surprised, and I heard the outraged cries of my dark half inside me. I couldn't make decisions that held lives at stake. I wasn't born to be a leader.
We have a long way to go, my dark half whispered to me. That kid doesn't even know I am here with you. The Pharaoh cannot conceive what I am doing to you.
You sound jealous.
No. I just hate him.
What Pharaoh?
Long story.
Could you please tell me?
You'll find out for yourself unless you're dense, and in that case, I don't think anyone in the world could make you see what's going on.
I realized I had been mumbling out loud. That weird person Yugi turned into and Pegasus were both staring at me. I looked up innocently.
"Who are you?"
"My name is no concern of yours."
"Yes, it is my concern. I want to know who you are!" I flashed him the most innocent look I could manage. I felt him begin to melt. His lower lip trembled.
"I can't take it anymore!" he screamed. "My name is Yami."
He turned to Pegasus. "It's time to play a little game. We each draw a card. The person with the highest points wins."
He held up a deck of Duel Monster cards. Pegasus looked a little bored. "Is that all we're supposed to do? I think you're overreacting."
Pegasus took a card and looked at it. It was Exodia's left leg. He handed it to Yami and Yami drew… the Dark Magician. Pegasus resumed talking.
"I just wanted to take a break in teaching to tell both of you that you are being watched. Yugi or whoever you go by more than you, Bakura; you are slightly out of their reach. Yugi, however, is human, and the consequences could be fatal if he slips up one more time. Are you listening to me, Yugi, or are you going to stand there with that eye on your forehead glowing?"
"What do they want with us?" Yami asked.
Pegasus flexed his fingers. I could tell he was thinking about his wine glass collection. I don't know how I knew, but he was. "You were out past curfew."
I decided that it was time for my intellectual capabilities to come into the picture. "Well, isn't there a way for him to get away from that?"
Yami seemed distressed. There he was, ready for a fight, and it wasn't really that serious. I started to laugh and he looked at me. "Why are you laughing at me?"
I decided it was better if I didn't answer his question. He looked like he was going to kill me.
Pegasus seemed oblivious to all of it. "There is a way, but he's too innocent."
Something stirred in the room, and there was sudden silence.
I awoke to the bell going off. Everyone, including the teacher, had fallen asleep.
That was weird.