HCG: *armed with an extraordinarily large case of Vanilla Coke* Ya know what? I think it's time to get back to writing ^_^ Especially after all three of the nice reviews I got, and two of them for Chapter 3 too.
Karma: *glancing at Vanilla Coke* Um...Guardian? It's 8:30 in the morning...don't you think soda is a bad idea?
HCG: No. I need sugar so I can get a big sugar-high...that's when I'll write best.
Karma: I think you bounce off the walls too much to write when you get a sugar high as big as the one you're planning.
HCG: *stares at Vanilla Coke, then sadly shoves it away* You're right...
Slash: *enters, tries to look un-noticeable*
HCG: Slash? Where have you been?
Slash: *grins* Oh, me? I was out with Bakura...we're both thieves, see, and we're both after really powerful magical items--
Karma: *glares daggers at Slash*
Slash: *avoiding daggers* --so we figured we'd make a good "Stealing Stuff" team.
HCG: *groan* I told you, you're not supposed to steal stuff unless I send you out to steal it! *brightens* Just out of curiosity...what did you steal?
Slash: *leaves, comes back driving a small dump truck. Dumps contents out, revealing them as gold, jewels, silver, and other shiny, pretty items* ^_^ This. This is my half.
HCG: O_O!!! ^____^ Purdy!
Karma: *groans* I hope you're going to return that later, Slash. Oh, and HCG, shouldn't you get to the story?
HCG: Oh, yeah, right! Firstly, before we begin...thanks to Black Unicorn, VMR, and Ms. Prongs for giving me reviews ^_^ *Scoops up a ton of Slash's plunder and throws it to the reviewers*
Slash: Hey! *whine*
HCG: Stop whining and do the disclaimer.
Slash: Right....HCG doesn't own Yugioh, though she wishes she did. Me and Karma belong to her though...and considering I'm a much better thief than Bakura, I think it's fair. *evil grin*
HCG: ¬_¬;; right, Slash. Now, notes:
Yugi and Yami, we know that by now.
Ryou is the Light half, Bakura is the dark half.
Finally, italics are thoughts or memories/dreams
Oh, and just to clarify, if Yugi's talking about his friends in this story (usually in his thoughts) unless I write otherwise, he's talking about the version of his friends in his Realm.
And finally, now we see where the "PG" comes in. Some bad language, and...other not-nice stuff. Can't say or I'll give it away...
Shadow Turned Light
Chapter 4: Trust the Traitor
"Yugi...get up."
Yugi awakened slowly to the quiet murmurs of the yami in the room. It took him a second to realize the spirit was gently shaking him as well. He groaned slightly and sat up, half rolling off the bed as he moved to stand.
"I'm up, I'm up, don't worry," he mumbled, prying his eyes open. Sleep still blurred them, making his vision fuzzy. He was amazed that he had slept so hard; he hadn't realized how fatigued he'd been until he was resting deeply.
Apparently Bakura hadn't realized either. "Do you know how hard you are to wake up?!" he hissed quietly, arms crossed over his chest.
"Sorry," Yugi muttered apologetically.
The tomb robber sighed and waved it aside. "Never mind, I just get tense when all I can do is wait. I know how much energy it takes just to pass through a portal to the Shadow Realm; it drains you just getting there. I imagine that traveling to a parallel dimension must be five times as tiring."
The Hikari chuckled slightly at the way the yami had said the words; he had made the idea of traveling to other Realms seem as normal as walking down the street. His laughter was cut short as Bakura continued speaking.
"We should be leaving in about a half hour or so, if everything works out right. By Ra, I hope it works; if I don't get out of here the Opposition is doomed. As I said, I'll try to get you out of here as well, but you must listen to me, under all circumstances. Don't question what I do or what I tell you to do, just do it. Understand?"
"I understand perfectly," Yugi said quietly. He wasn't afraid to trust the yami at all anymore, and he'd do whatever the spirit said in order to survive this Realm.
"Good," Bakura muttered. "Now all we can do is wait."
Yugi nodded and sat back down on the cot. He wasn't sure what they were waiting for, but it would give him time to think.
After a while, the tomb robber noticed the young Hikari's silence and asked quietly, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, really," the other boy replied. "I'm just trying to think. First all those people out on the streets were looking at me as if I was going to kill them all. And then those men caught me. But why does everybody act differently around me? I mean, if I'm dead here..." he let the sentence hang in the air.
The thief across from him sighed disdainfully. "Many of those idiot mortals out there can't tell a Yami from his Hikari. They both look the same, usually, after all; take a look at Ryou and myself. The ones that looked on you with fright probably thought you were Yami, and if so the fear is explained easily enough. The 'Great Leader' does not take kindly to those who wish to resist against his might, and many of the people out there do not like him at all. Although most of them fear to join the Opposition, afraid of his punishments. You probably gave them quite a scare, walking around the streets like that."
Yugi winced slightly; so that was the reason they all acted terrified of him. They really did think he was going to hurt them. "I didn't mean to scare them; I didn't know. What about the guards? If they serve the 'Great Leader'....if they serve Yami...they wouldn't arrest him."
Bakura growled. "Unfortunately, Yami has made sure his guards can tell the difference between a Light and Dark soul. Some of them--very few, keep in mind--have a weak magical ability, born to them from the start, that can sense the darkness within a soul. Yami discovers these men and trains them to use this power, then places them into his Guard. They are in a special group that the Pharaoh has designed for hunting down Millennium Item users, like myself, or others with ancient Egyptian magic held within, like Seto Kaiba."
Yugi blinked in confusion momentarily. Kaiba? But Kaiba doesn't even have a yami...wait. Kaiba is the reincarnation of an Egyptian priest, isn't he? That's what Yami told me...maybe that's what Bakura means.
The tomb robber continued, unaware of the Hikari's thoughts. "Obviously, they could see the difference between Yami and yourself, and it stands to reason that they would take you here. After all, you are dead in this Realm, and if you suddenly came to life again they would naturally think of you as an imposter. Even I did at first. And imposters are linked to the Opposition, making yet another reason for your capture."
"Oh," Yugi said quietly, before letting silence take over. So people thought he was an imposter.
"There's still something on your mind," Bakura said calmly, staring at the other boy with his soul-penetrating brown eyes.
Funny, how he can act so much like Ryou sometimes, Yugi thought to himself. Ryou had always known when something was wrong with his friends, and he always strove to help them with their problems, even with his troublesome, abusive Yami standing over him.
"Um...well, yeah, there is...but it really doesn't matter," the young Hikari murmured softly, still half-lost in his thoughts.
"I would advise you to ask any questions you have while in this Realm," the tomb robber said, still with a calm tone in his voice. "As I said earlier, you will not survive here if you do not have answers."
Yugi sighed. "Alright. I was just thinking. My Yami...the good one, I guess you could say...didn't come through with me, or at least I think so. He'd be here with me otherwise--and he'd probably be freaking out that I've even talking to you," he added, attempting humor. Bakura did nothing, so Yugi hastily continued. "But there's still a version of Yami here, no matter how bad he is. Shouldn't I be able to mind-link with him?"
The thief thought for a moment before replying. "No," he finally said slowly, "I don't think so. He is your Yami, but then again he is not. You are not from this Realm, so although he is a version of the Yami you know, he is at the same time a completely different person, and therefore he has no connection to you whatsoever." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why would you want to form a mind-link with him anyway?"
"Because if I could, maybe I could make him be less....well, less bad." They boy stared at the tomb robber across from him, violet irises connecting to chocolate-brown orbs. "I know that if I got a mind-link to him, I could change him. I do have a...a Pure Millennium Puzzle...and I'm sure the magic would help me get rid of that evil inside him. But I guess it won't work, if I'm from a different Realm." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish I could help more."
Bakura stared at the innocent eyes locked on his own before turning his head. They were too kind, too trusting; even in this Realm he couldn't stand it. He had seen what innocence had done to his Hikari. Nonetheless, he erased the small trickle of doubt that had formed in his mind at the boy's question.
"It doesn't matter," the thief said quietly, "we don't have to worry about that now anyway." He paced back and forth across the cell once, then muttered, "Damn him! Where is that stupid agent anyway?!"
Yugi blinked. "Agent? What agent?"
"The one that the Opposition should have sent," he muttered. "I don't understand what's happened to him, he should have been here by now and--" He was cut short as the heavy steel door to the cell crashed open in a rush, making the floor shake under their feet.
"Wha?!" the young Hikari yelped in surprise, leaping off the cot and hitting the floor to stand, feet planted firmly and the rest of him ready for anything.
Bakura stared at him oddly for a second before turning to the door. There was a person standing in the doorway, Yugi realized, and hastily he drew himself up to simply standing.
"What took you so long?!" the tomb robber snapped irritably. Yugi found himself thinking again of the Bakura he knew from his Realm. His thoughts cut short as the thief continued. "You should have been here a good fifteen minutes ago, I may have lost my chance...what happened?!"
"I'm sorry, sir," the man in the doorway replied. He had to have been at least twice Bakura's apparent age (the spirit had to have been over five thousand years old in reality, but he adopted the age of his host body, as did most of the yami spirits) and yet he was accepting the teen spirit yelling at him as if it was nothing. There wasn't even a twinge of nervousness in the man's voice as he spoke, so it was obvious he was used to the tomb robber's angry tones. He wore all black, as the other guards had, but he was definitely different from the previous men Yugi had seen here. "I only just got the assignment of feeding the prisoners; I had to trade the job with another guard." Yugi noticed for the first time that the man was carrying a tray, which was supporting several bowls of what could only be guessed at as food.
"What's going on, Bakura?" the young Hikari asked, still staring in surprise at the man in the doorway. As he spoke, the man seemed to notice him for the first time; he turned his eyes on Yugi and flinched. An angry stare followed, a stare that would not leave Yugi alone.
"Knock it off," the tomb robber said coldly to the 'guard.' "He isn't Yami, you moron; why else would he be in here?"
The man blinked. "Then...who is he?"
"Who else would he be?" Bakura snapped. "He's Yugi Moto."
"Yugi! But...but I thought he was..." the man glanced uncomfortably at the boy in the corner, frowning.
"He is dead here, but not this version of him," the thief said calmly. "I know it is confusing, but it is not your place. We need to get out of here, and we have not the time for talk."
With one last confused glance at Yugi, the man turned back to the Ring spirit and nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir. I managed to shut down as much security as I could without being noticed, but it's not much. I hope you can get out of here okay."
Bakura nodded. "I should be fine. The problem is whether I can get Yugi out as well." He glanced momentarily at the Hikari, then returned his attention to the man at the doorway. He moved forward, leaving the cell, and motioned for Yugi to follow. When he, too, stood in the doorway, he spoke again. "Any messages from the Head of the Opposition?"
The man nodded. "The Blue Eyes requests that you try and steal a few records on the security in this area. There are many prisoners here that would join the Opposition if they could escape."
The Blue Eyes? Yugi thought to himself. It sounds like a high rank. He sighed. Now I'm even more confused.
"I'll try to, if I can," Bakura said calmly, "but with another person to get out of here it may be difficult."
"Just make sure you get out of here," the man said. "You're too important in the Opposition to get killed or captured."
The tomb robber nodded and grinned despite himself. "I'll get out, don't worry. Now for the tough part."
The man winced. "I hate this part."
The dark spirit shrugged. "I don't like it any more than you do," he said, genuine disgust in his voice, "but we've got to make this escape look convincing."
"Just don't hit me on the head so hard like last time," the fake guard muttered. "I had a headache that lasted for days, then. You've got a hard strike."
Bakura sighed. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises," he said. "Here, give me the tray."
The man did as he was asked, handing the tray and it's 'food' contents to the yami spirit. He then closed his eyes, as if expecting somebody to hit him.
"Sorry," the tomb robber muttered. He raised the tray speedily, sending the bowls and their various mushes tumbling to the floor, and with skill smacked the heavy item across the man's head with a crack. The man groaned, sighed, and slumped to the floor, instantly falling unconscious.
"What was that all about?!" Yugi asked as quietly as he could, shocked.
"Follow me," the yami muttered, running off down the hall. He explained as he traveled, glancing down different halls the entire time. "See, we have to make this escape look like it was really just me, with no inside help. If Yami even suspected that we have Opposition agents among his guards, he'd be on us faster than a falcon on a mouse. If that agent back there--" he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the man he had just knocked out with the tray, "--looked as if he got knocked out by me, then the suspicion is taken off of him and Yami won't suspect he helped out. He's safe, then, and free to continue the Opposition's work. A bump on the head is a small price to pay for that."
"Ah," Yugi muttered, still surprised.
"Trust me," Bakura said, "if there was any other way to keep the suspicion off the agents, I'd use that, but there isn't, and we need to get out of here." He steered the young Hikari down a side hall and went on without stopping. He seemed to know his way around the prison pretty well, Yugi mused; he must be used to breaking in and out of the building.
The boy's first shock came when the tomb robber stopped abruptly in front of him, causing him to nearly run into the dark spirit. The yami cautioned him to be quiet and carefully peered around the corner at the end of the hall they were currently in. He drew his head back almost instantly and hissed, "Guards. Two of them. I'll be right back."
Before Yugi could protest, the spirit had whipped around the corner stealthily and was sneaking down the hall. Not wanting to miss out on anything important, Yugi peered around the corner and watched, careful to keep himself from being noticed.
The two guards were huge, nearly twice Bakura's size, and they were covered in knotted muscles. They glared at the Ring spirit in surprise, then quickly anger. One of them spoke. "An escape?"
The tomb robber grinned, an evil, crazed light in his eyes. "Yes, an escape," he hissed menacingly. "An escape you'll never have the chance to report."
Now that's Bakura, Yugi thought to himself quietly, reminded for the hundredth time of the spirit in his Realm.
The thief continued speaking; he was also drawing something from his pocket. Yugi's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized a Duel Monster's card. It was battered and ripped at the top left-hand corner, but the picture was clearly a Man-Eater Bug. "Prepare to visit the Graveyard, you fools...you should have called for help when you had the chance." He raised the card high, and his Millennium Ring glowed eerily. The men, realizing the infamous tomb robber was about to use his summoning magic, prepared themselves to counter it with a few of Yami's own tricks.
So absorbed in calling on the weak magic Yami had trained them to use, they didn't notice Bakura drop his hand and run forward until it was too late. He hit the first one in the stomach, winding the man and making him collapse. The second turned to face him, but not before the tomb robber had grasped the first guard's shirt collar in his fist and threw him bodily into the second. Both groaned and fell unconscious. Bakura surveyed the damage done quietly and placed the Man-Eater Bug, still in his hand, back into his pocket.
"Fools," he hissed. "Too easily tricked." He beckoned to Yugi, signaling him to follow, and turned to continue down the hall, leaving the two guards where they lay.
The young Hikari caught up as fast as his short legs would allow, staring in astonishment. "How...exactly did you do that?"
"Years of training," the tomb robber replied curtly, checking the hallway over repeatedly with sharp, detail-oriented eyes.
"But how come you didn't summon the Man-Eater Bug and send them to the Graveyard?"
Bakura looked surprised. "I don't summon the monsters unless it is absolutely necessary, and as for the Graveyard, why would I send people there? It's not right, and I won't stoop to Yami's level."
Yugi widened his eyes in bewilderment, then lowered his head to stare at the hall. "This is really weird."
"What?"
"Oh, it's just that in my Realm you would have enjoyed sending them all to the Graveyard. You've done it tons of times; you've even sent Tristen and Joey there in a Duel Monsters game."
Bakura flinched, then muttered, "I'm beginning to hate this other me more and more." He shook his head, walked down another hall, and continued talking. "That is not the only reason I didn't use the magic, though."
Yugi blinked, confused. "What other reasons could you have?"
The thief smiled grimly. "I'm hiding behind a disguise, I guess you could say. Yami thinks that I'm weak, and I plan to keep him thinking that. He threw me into the Shadow Realm once, you see, and thought I was as good as destroyed. I managed to find a way back, with Ryou's help, and since then Yami believes I've been weakened too much to pose a threat to him anymore. I'm far from weak, but if he knew that the Opposition would be in much more danger than it's in even now; he'd try to hunt me down to destroy me completely. So I have to refrain from using magic that is too powerful in cases like these, or he'd get suspictious. And summoning Shadow Realm creatures is very powerful magic."
"I see," the young Hikari said. "Pretty smart. You and this Opposition have thought of every angle."
"You have to, if it's the only way to survive."
They wandered down another corridor before Yugi asked his next question. "What's 'The Blue Eyes?' I'm guessing it's some rank in this Opposition, but who is it?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Bakura said calmly, guiding Yugi around another corner into a new hall devoid of life. "At least, not until he decides to reveal himself. I may be high-ranking, but even I can't say that."
"Ah," the boy said, a little sadly. They needed so much security, so many disguises, so many lies...it was a horrible life they lead in this Realm. "That's okay, I understand."
They continued on in silence for what seemed like hours. Bakura knew his way around the prison easily, and lead the Hikari through a maze of corridors and hallways that would have otherwise been impossible to keep track of. He didn't even use the Millennium Ring to guide him, which came as a surprise for Yugi at first, until he remembered that the spirit was a tomb robber and was quite used to the situation he was in.
At least five other times they discovered guards patrolling the halls, usually in twos or threes. Bakura disposed of them easily enough, leaving a clear trail as to where he was going. When Yugi asked him about this, he replied calmly, "We need to leave a trail of evidence. They have to know I fought my way out of here, and by hand. It'll ease the Pharaoh's suspicious mind."
Eventually, the ancient dark spirit lead him to a wide room, large and with several boxes and chairs around the sides, near the walls. It looked a bit like a warehouse or something of the sort to Yugi, but he didn't ask about it. They crouched, hidden, in the shadows the hall cast as it entered the room.
"The back exit," the Ring-spirit hissed quietly, pointing to a door across the room. "If we can make it there, we're safe."
The 'if' was soon apparent to Yugi. The room was not empty; there were guards here, and quite a few of them. Bakura wouldn't be able to get rid of them all with his simple tactics, and if he used magic he'd be bringing Hell down on the Opposition...
"How do we get out?" Yugi whispered back, studying the guards. There had to be at least ten, maybe more, and he was sure he could see the glitter of knives at at least half of the men's belts.
The tomb robber was also studying the guards, squinting as if he was looking for something. Finally he nodded with satisfaction. "None of the men there are from the Special Guard Yami uses. They shouldn't be able to tell the difference between you and your dark spirit, if we work at it a bit."
Yugi stared at the tomb robber in shock. "You don't mean..."
Bakura grinned. "That's right. You're playing the Pharaoh, who has come to pick up the Traitor of the Ring for questioning."
"Do you think I can pull it off?" the Hikari asked nervously. "I mean, I don't even know how he acts here!"
The thief thought for a second, then said quietly, "You know how I act in your Realm?"
"Yeah..."
"Act like that."
"Okay..." the boy said, unhappiness showing plainly in his voice and expression.
The Ring spirit stood back and stared at Yugi with a frown. "You still look too innocent," he muttered. He brightened suddenly. "I can fix that," he said, moving forward.
"What are you--" Yugi began, but he was cut off as Bakura reached out and started messing with his tri-colored hair. "Hey!" he gasped quietly in protest.
"Come on, you gotta look like Yami somehow," the tomb robber muttered. "Haven't you noticed in your Realm that every time you combine souls with Yami, the energy the Puzzle releases musses up your hair a little bit? Mostly your bangs," he said calmly, grabbing one of the golden locks and sweeping it upward to prove his point.
"Yeah, I've noticed, but it's not like you can get them to stay up," Yugi mumbled, standing still and grudgingly allowing the darker spirit to mess with his hair.
He was proved wrong, however, as a few minutes later he stood with his hair in the same way that it usually appeared when he fused with Yami. Bakura muttered about the obvious height difference between the Pharaoh and his Light--Yugi complained at this--but in the end they could do nothing about it, and decided that the Hikari's height would just have to do.
"How are you going to look like a prisoner, though?" Yugi asked, staring up at the dark spirit carefully, so as not to upset the few bangs balancing in an upright position. "We don't have any chains or anything."
"Do you honestly think that chains would hold a Yami?" the tomb robber asked disdainfully. "No, I'm going to act like I'm bound with Shadow Realm powers." As if to prove his point, the Ring around his neck glowed softly, and a darkness seemed to seep around him.
"Ah," Yugi said nervously.
"Let's go," Bakura said, moving forward slightly. "You've got to be in front. And remember, act a bit insane--not too much--but just as if there are things they don't understand, that you don't even understand."
"Right," the Hikari said quietly, as he stepped from the hallway, the tomb robber quickly following.
As soon as he stepped from his hiding position, he assumed a calm and confident stride, as if he knew he was in control and expected others to know the same. He walked towards the guards quietly, narrowing his large, innocent-looking eyes to make them look more calculating. He tried not to look behind him, but he knew that Bakura was walking with a stagger, as if he was being tugged along by some invisible leash. He also knew that the thief's face wore his well-known scowl, as if he was angry about being "caught" by his "worst enemy."
One of the guards approached Yugi carefully, bowing respectfully. "G-Great Leader, we did not expect you here," the man said, cringing as if he was going to be hit.
Yugi mentally took a deep breath before beginning his act. Trying to deepen his voice, he scoffed, "I didn't expect idiot mortals like yourselves to know my ways."
The man looked startled when he realized he wasn't going to be hit, and he hastily backed away. Another guard glanced at Bakura, wrapped in shadowy substances, and asked meekly, "What are you doing with Traitor?"
The tomb robber in his prison leered at the man, making him back up a step, but it was "Yami" he was most afraid of, as he had begun to speak. "What I do is none of your business, is it? I have my reasons to bring in this fool," Yugi said, forcing himself to laugh harshly, "and when I am done with him the Opposition will be dead."
The man nodded respectfully, but still questioned the 'Great Leader.' "But sir," he said, shaking, "we must know where all the prisoners are headed, to ensure the safety of your power."
Yugi snorted, glaring at the guard as if he were a piece of trash. "You are a fool, to think that my own rules apply to me. Very well, if it will put your pathetic mind at ease, I will tell you what I plan to do with him." He heard Bakura stiffen behind him; the spirit was probably nervous that Yugi was about to say something that would mess up the whole act, but the young Hikari had been ready with an excuse since he had begun to walk up to the guards. "You see," he said, an air of evil amusement presenting itself in his voice, "I am going to bring him out into the open, and question him there. A very painful experience, this questioning is; I've heard some people accuse me of torture, but of course they are wrong." He flashed a cruel grin and continued. "If any members of the Opposition are watching, they will learn their lesson dearly by watching one of their best members die slowly. And if any commoners are about, they will learn not to oppose me, under fear of death." He laughed, a dark, sinister laugh that scared even the Hikari as it escaped his throat.
"V-very well, G-great L-l-leader," the man said, trembling. "L-leave if you w-wish."
Yugi smirked at him as he passed by, his arrogant walk never faltering. Bakura, behind him, continued his slow, stumbling walk, as if he were fighting something the eye could not see. When they were out of hearing range from the guards, the tomb robber muttered through the corner of his mouth, "Nice job."
"I hated that," Yugi hissed back, still walking in his in-control stride.
"Never said you had to like it; but we did survive, and that's all that matters," the spirit behind him said quietly. "Now all we have to do is get through those doors and--"
His hurried whisper was broken by the sudden shout behind him. "That's not the Great Leader!"
Bakura whirled around instantly, facing the ten guards pounding towards them. "Hell," he hissed loudly. "Yugi, run! Run for the door!"
The Hikari did as he was told, breaking for the door as fast as his short legs would let him. He knew that the tomb robber had not begun to follow him, and he would have turned around to help, but he remembered what the spirit had said. Don't question what I do or what I tell you to do, just do it. He intended to stick by every word.
He was about ten yards from the door when he heard the commotion behind him. He turned to get a look at what was going on despite himself, and stared in surprise.
Bakura had run forward to meet the charging guards, attacking the first one and throwing him unconscious within a matter of seconds. There were two more on the floor at his feet, also knocked out, and in his hands he held two long, glittering knives.
"Those who come closer die," he stated warningly, with shocking calm in his voice. Just as surprisingly, none of the remaining seven guards dared to move forward.
Suddenly two of the guards rushed forwards at once, attempting to throw the ancient spirit off by running at him from two sides. The tomb robber was unfazed; he slid towards one with grace, thrusting the knife into the man's shoulder and causing him to scream. The man fell as Bakura pulled the knife free; the spirit immediately whirled and jammed the blade into the stomach of his opponent, who had reached him. He, too, collapsed, leaving five guards remaining.
As if suddenly reaching a decision, Bakura slowly began to glide backwards, raising the bloody knives warningly. When none of the men followed, he turned his back and ran towards Yugi.
"Keep going!" he hissed, forcing the young Hikari out of his paralyzed state and making him turn and run.
They had reached the door when one other guard, obviously the one in charge, pounded forward in a fury. "They cannot be allowed to escape!" he screamed in rage, as he decreased the distance between himself and the prisoners.
"You do not allow a yami anything," Bakura snarled. He raised his right hand, taking the knife's hilt carefully. He flipped it into the air skillfully, moving it to grasp the blade by the point instead of the handle. With a grim expression, he drew back his hand and made a throwing motion, flicking his wrist as he did so.
The knife sliced through the air like a missile, it's aim true. It embedded itself in the man's chest, and with a gasp and a gurgle of blood, he sank to the ground.
Yugi stood, paralyzed with horror. Before he could do anything, Bakura turned and shoved him out the door into the cool night air.
The next hour or so was nothing but a few dim flashes of memory in the young Hikari's memory. He could vaguely remember running through shadowy alleys, up streets with dim lights shining through the gloom, and voices behind him, shouting angrily. Eventually, even the voices faded, and Yugi was left alone with the ancient tomb robber.
He found himself standing in an alley, the only light being the stars above and one dim street-light nearby. He could see Bakura's face and not much more; even his hair was dim and hard to recognize.
"Why...did...you...do that?" Yugi panted, clutching at a sharp pain in his side from all the running.
The thief did not seem tired from all the running; he wasn't even breathing hard. Nevertheless, the young Hikari could hear a break in his voice as he spoke. "Do what? Kill...them?" He sighed, and there was a definite note of shame in his tone. "I did what I had to. I had to get you out of there, and I had to protect the Opposition. But I don't enjoy killing; I don't aim for it if I can. One or two of the guards may survive my knife thrusts, but that one that charged us at the end..." he sighed and let it drop. Yugi looked at the ancient tomb robber and was surprised to see tears flowing silently down his face.
"I'm sorry," Yugi said apologetically, not sure what else he could do. Out of habit he brushed his golden bangs out of his eyes, and noticed that the ones that had earlier been upright had fallen back down into their normal positions from the long run.
"It is my burden to bear," Bakura said harshly, as if he didn't want to admit what he had done. He's so different from the Bakura of my Realm, and yet so similar...
Yugi wisely stayed silent and let the ancient thief grieve for what he had done. Eventually, though, he quietly asked, "Now what do we do?"
The tomb robber sighed. "I suppose I had better take you to the Opposition's main base. You said you wanted to help us if you could before, yes? Perhaps you can be more helpful than you thought."
Yugi nodded, glad he could at last help the people he knew in this Realm. "Great!"
The Ring spirit turned and, without a word, lead the young Hikari out of the alley they were in. He wandered down several streets, cutting through alleys and open spaces. Soon, however, he stopped.
"I'm sorry if it seems like I still don't trust you," Bakura said calmly, "but I have to ask you to wear a blindfold while I lead you the rest of the way. It's a rule that even I can't break." He held out a clean cloth to Yugi, who willingly put it around his eyes.
He felt blinded, and it made him a bit nervous, but nevertheless he put up with it. He felt Bakura gently take his wrist and lead him, murmuring soft instructions when there was an obstacle in the way.
After what seemed like hours, but could not have been more than fifteen minutes, the tomb robber told Yugi to stop and remove the blindfold. Without hesitation the boy reached behind his head and undid the knots holding the cloth across his eyes, tearing the fabric away from his face in a flourish.
He blinked as he glanced around; he was in a corridor, which was dim and small. Bakura was standing at his side and a little behind, his hand on Yugi's shoulder in a reassuring way. What Yugi noticed most, though, was that there was a person standing in front of him.
The person had to have been around seventeen years of age, but he looked far older. Deep brown hair complemented his ice blue eyes nicely. He had a strong look about him, a warning look, making one think that he was not a person to deal with. He wore a deep blue vest, absent of sleeves that looked as though they had been ripped off from the torn seams. Deep blue, almost black pants and black boots finished his clothing. There was a Duel Monsters card hanging from a thin cord around his neck--no, not a card, a locket-type necklace shaped to look like one. Yugi recognized him instantly.
"Kaiba?" he yelped in surprise. "You're with the Opposition?!"
Seto Kaiba growled softly as he glared at Yugi in pure hate. It startled even the Hikari; in his Realm, Kaiba had always hated him, but not like this.
He had no more time to think; Kaiba had moved his hand down to his waist in a flash. Yugi had time to notice a holster hanging on his belt before he heard a click. Startled, he looked up to Kaiba's face again and found himself staring down the nose of a hand gun. His eyes flew open as he traced the hand holding the gun to the company-owning teen.
"Kaiba, what are you doing?!" He shrieked, gulping.
Seto wasn't listening to the Hikari, however; he was talking to Bakura. "I don't know what's up with you, but I don't admit traitors into the Opposition," he said coldly.
"But--" the tomb robber began, but he was cut off.
"I don't take pity on fellow spirits, Bakura," he said, his voice like ice. "I don't shelter them. I kill them."
* * * * *
HCG: ^_^ Hah hah hah, evil cliff-hanger!
Karma: Very evil indeed.
HCG: *nods* Hmm...a bit longer than I planned...I mean, it's as long as Chapter 3! I planned on Ch. 3 being long, but not Ch. 4 here...I thought it'd be pretty short, actually.
Karma: So we know you're writing skills are getting better.
HCG: Yeah, I guess so ^_^ Oh, and sorry about that rather bloody scene with Bakura o_O;; I went a little overboard, I wanted to show that Yami Bakura is still Yami Bakura no matter what Realm he's in.
Slash: ^_^ I thought it was cool.
Karma: ¬_¬;; you think anything having to do with pain is cool.
Slash: .....shut up.
HCG: Wow, I spent a long time writing this....*glances at clock* It's 2:00 in the afternoon!
Karma: Oh, no....
HCG: VANILLA COOOOOOOOKE!!! *dashes off to kitchen*
Karma: *sigh* Oh dear god, please spare me from whatever torment you have for me today that comes from Guardian.
HCG: *comes back with a big bottle of Vanilla Coke* I don't see why you're complaining. The sugar rush makes me write better and then you don't have to do your job.
Karma: Oh...right...*sigh*
HCG: Alrighty people, I'm going to brainstorm for my next chapter now. Please, please, PLEASE review! I've only got 6 at the moment, I really need more, please! *Karma whispers in her ear* Oh...and Karma and Slash would appreciate early Christmas presents? *shrugs* Slash likes dangerous things and Karma...doesn't...o_O;; *drinks more Vanilla Coke* See ya!