Fallen Angels-Chapter Five: Crawling in the Dark
By Lady Armandina
Disclaimer: I said it before, I'll say it again. I only own Adele. Noone else is mine. Raya is property of Anya (go read her fan fics! They are soooooo awesome!) Also, if you want more info on Raya's powers, which are alluded to in this chapter, you will just have to read Family History, by Anya. Trust me, it's long, but well worth the read!
Author's Note: I know the rules in the duel here may be different from the card game/TV series. I combined the rules of the two for my fic. Also, I know that many call Ryou the regular Bakura and Bakura the yami. I have switched it in my story, because that is what I have grown accustomed to. Sorry for any confusion!
Also-Everyone, thanks for the reviews! I love getting them and I really appreciate the encouragement! I hope I don't let you down!
~*~
"Why are you laughing, fool? This is the last move in the game! You're going to lose!"
"Not quite, Kaiba! You forgot about my face down magic card. I flip it now, it's the trap card, Dragon Capture Jar!"
"NO!!!"
"Oh, but yes! Your Blue Eyes cannot attack my field as you so wish to do! Instead, he must go into defense position, unless, of course, you get rid of my capture jar somehow."
"No matter. There is more than one way to skin a cat, right? I can take you down with a different card next turn!"
"There won't be a next turn, Kaiba! I use my Monster Reborn card, and bring back Dark Necrophia!"
"That still can't take out Blue Eyes. His defense is 2500. And Judge Man has equal attack to your Dark Necrophia. They would just destroy each other and no one would take any damage to their life points."
"You tell me something that I already am aware of. But, I also equip my Dark Necrophia with this card, Malevolent Nuzzler! This card increases her attack by 700 points! Go, Dark Necrophia! Attack Judge Man for 700 points of damage!"
"No! This can't be!"
"Yes, Seto, it is. You only had 500 life points left. This attack brings you down to 0! I win! It's over, Kaiba."
Everyone gasped in surprise. It seemed so unlikely that Bakura would be able to take down Kaiba, yet, somehow, he managed to pull it off. Only one person in the group wasn't surprised. His violet eyes sparkled as he glanced over at Yami, who appeared to be just as surprised as the others. Yugi knew what was going on here, and he had to do something to stop it.
"Bakura! That was awesome, man!" yelled Joey.
"Yeah, you really took him by surprise!" said Tristan.
Seto continued to glare at Bakura, clenching his fists in anger over his strange defeat. Amidst all the talking, nobody heard the small chiming sound coming from underneath Bakura's shirt.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a large flash of light, followed by a cold chill in the entire room. A dark smoke filled the room setting off the fire alarm above. Everyone was prompted to run away, but as they started for the door, they were stopped by a frightening presence standing before them-it was Dark Necrophia!!!
"Wha-wha-what is she doing out of her card!? I thought they didn't have the holographic projections!" stuttered Joey, backing away.
"She is not holographic!" announced Bakura. "She is real! And she is here for the soul of Seto Kaiba!"
"My soul!?"
The demonic temptress floated over toward where Seto stood and hovered above him, raising her arms and letting out a loud, evil laugh. Seto looked up at her tall, pointed black boots and golden body armor. Her skin glowed with a malicious dark blue tinge as she glared down at him. Seto screamed. Somewhere across the room, a girl with violet eyes stared intently at the entire scene, not missing a second, not even blinking.
"Raya, what are you doing? You have to get out of here!" screamed Tea.
Raya did not respond, only continued to stare at Seto as he screamed and the Dark Necrophia chanted something in a loud, piercing voice that seemed to strike right through to the soul.
"Stop." Raya muttered, and immediately, Dark Necrophia let out a blood- curdling scream, falling to the ground. Almost instantly afterward, Bakura lost consciousness and fell to the ground, collapsing against the wall with a loud thud.
"Bakura! No!" screamed Adele, rushing to his aid. As she knelt down to try to revive him, he was already gaining consciousness.
"What is going on?" he questioned, looking at the madness going on around him. "Oh, dear God, no."
"Bakura, it's okay. Something happened, but it's all right now. You just need to rest right now. Come on."
"No! No, I can't stay. I-I'm sorry, I must leave!"
Before anyone could stop him, Bakura stood up, stumbling, and rushed out the back door of the house. Yugi quickly followed after him. "Bakura! Wait!"
'I have to make him see! I have to make him understand!' thought Adele. She swiftly followed behind Yugi, in pursuit of Bakura. As she caught up to Yugi, she noticed that Bakura was nowhere in sight. 'Let me see.'
"He's this way!" Adele called to Yugi.
"How do you know?"
"I just do! Come on!"
They took a right out of Adele's back yard into the nearby forest which was thickly overgrown with bushes. "How could he possibly have made it through here already?" asked Yugi. "It's taking forever to get through!"
"He took the other path, over there. But this way is a short cut and we can catch up to him more quickly."
"Wow, you know a lot about the forest back here, don't you?"
"I come out here often to think. It's so peaceful."
As Yugi pushed his way through some more branches, he saw a flash of white hair only feet away. "Bakura!" he yelled, falling into the path and landing right on Bakura, who was now breathing heavily from running, a panicked expression on his face.
"Yugi! What are you doing?"
Adele pushed through the bushes and helped Yugi to his feet. "We were trying to find you, Bakura." She said, holding out her hand. "We're worried about you."
Bakura would not take her hand. Instead, he remained sitting on the ground, catching his breath and staring down at the rocks and dirt of the path. He looked so helpless, so sad, sitting there. "I am all right, thank you. I don't want to hurt anyone so I want to be alone right now."
Oh no, please don't hurt her. No, don't hurt anybody. Not anymore.
"No, you don't." Adele said. Yugi stared at her in wonder. Why would she say something like that?
"Yes, Adele, I do! Now, please, leave me be."
"No, you don't, Bakura. You don't want to be alone anymore than you want to be possessed by that spirit. Let us help you. We're your friends."
Bakura flinched and shut his eyes tight.
It was cold and dark here. Cold like death. Dark like the very deepest night.
"You barely know me!" Bakura said, glaring up at her. "Why on earth would you want to help me?"
"Because, Bakura." she said, kneeling down next to him so that their faces were even with each other. "I know how you feel. More than you realize."
No, no, this cannot be. You cannot do this. Stay back! Stay away! If you hurt her, I swear, I'll-
Bakura looked at the pained expression in her eyes and could swear that somehow she was feeling exactly as he was right now. She looked panicked, worried, scared, and very lonely. But was he only imagining these things? How could she possibly be feeling the same way he felt?!
"Take my hand, Bakura. Let me help you. Let me be your friend."
Friend.
Yugi watched in amazement as Bakura slowly, seemingly unsure of himself, placed his hand in Adele's and she helped him off the ground. They stood up together, still holding hands, looking at each other intently. Bakura seemed as though he was daydreaming. Adele appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"Hey, guys, we should get back to the others, don't you think?" asked Yugi.
"Yes.yes, we should, Yugi." Said Bakura, finally releasing his hand from Adele's. "I want to make sure everyone is all right."
Go, you fool. But don't expect redemption.
Bakura turned to Adele. "Can we talk for a bit?"
"Of course."
"I'll run ahead to see the others." Said Yugi. "You guys catch up when you're done."
"Thanks, Yugi." Bakura said, brushing off a few leaves from his jeans as Yugi walked away.
"What's on your mind, Bakura?" asked Adele.
"I want to explain something to you."
"Yes?"
"I consider you my friend. But I can't be your friend in the way that you expect."
"I expect nothing from you, Bakura."
"No, I mean, I'm not like other people are."
"Nobody is the same as anyone else. Your point, Bakura?"
"I don't get close friends! I mean, it's just not possible! I'm simply not capable of it."
"You don't or you won't? You are very capable of it, Bakura, yet you hold yourself back. I'm here to show you that you don't have to do that. It doesn't have to be that way."
"What can you possibly know about it? You know nothing about me!"
"No, not yet. But I would love to know more. I understand your need for distance, but I refuse to let you isolate yourself to the point of loneliness. You don't have to be afraid. I'm not."
"You're stubborn."
"No, just headstrong."
"Well, I can be headstrong too."
"Yes, but I'll beat you at it any day."
Bakura looked at her and noticed the expression of complete determination on her face. She was dead serious about this. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Bring it on."
"You've got yourself a deal!" Adele laughed. "But I warn you, I put up quite a fight!"
"I'm prepared to handle anything!" Bakura responded, finding himself also laughing.
"I don't know what it is about you, Bakura, but something tells me there is much more to you than what you show others."
"Isn't that how everyone is?"
"To a point, yes. But with you, it's different. You have so much that you hold back. So many wonderful things."
Bakura laughed. "How can you tell?"
"It's in your eyes."
"My eyes?"
"Yes," she said, smiling at him as she pulled a leaf out of his hair. "There's so much there that you let nobody see."
"Well, I could say the same for you, Adele. I know hardly anything about you."
"We have all the time in the world to get to know each other better."
"You're right."
"Yes, I know. I always am!" she teased.
"Hey! That's not fair!" He said, quickly grabbing a handful of fallen leaves from the ground and throwing them at her.
"Very funny! Come on, Bakura. Let's get back to the others."
"Good idea."
As they walked back to the house, Bakura felt a strange sense of wonder like he hadn't felt since he was a child. He felt childlike and pure, and couldn't place why. He kept looking over at Adele, who seemed to be off in her own world as they walked. The autumn breeze blew softly through her hair and Bakura noticed that she shivered a little as the chill of it ran across her back.
"Let's just make sure everyone is all right and then we can have some hot chocolate or something, okay?"
"Adele, you really don't have to be so-"
"I want to. I want to help you in any way I can."
"But I don't need any help."
"All right then, I just want to be your friend. Can you deal with that?"
Bakura smiled. "Yes, yes, I can. I'd like that very much."
Adele smiled in response. "Good. So would I."
Walking inside, they saw Raya, Yami, and Yugi gathered near the fireplace and Joey, Tristan, and Tea sitting on the couch. Seto was nowhere to be seen, but Mai stood against the wall near where Seto had fallen. There was a large black burn stain on the rug where Dark Necrophia had fallen, yet the demon was no longer there. Everyone turned to look at Bakura and Adele as they entered.
"Bakura! Are you all right!?" asked Tea.
"Yeah, buddy," remarked Tristan. "You were acting all freaky on us again."
"I'm fine, now." Responded Bakura. "I just want to make sure no one is hurt. Where is Seto?"
"He left." Answered Mai. "He was fine, though. Muttered something about never wanting to speak to any of you again."
"As if that would be a bad thing!" said Joey.
"So how did Seto escape that freaky Necrophia thing, anyway?" asked Tristan. "Did anybody see?"
Raya smiled. "I think that someone was protecting his soul."
"What do you mean, Raya?"
"Nothing, really. I'm just suggesting that maybe Necrophia couldn't steal his soul because something was protecting Kaiba."
"Like what?" asked Tea.
"What Raya is saying," started Yami. "Is that she used her powers to protect Seto from having his soul stolen. You know that Raya possesses great powers that pertain to the souls of human beings. Something in her will to protect Kaiba actually helped him. It's unexplainable, but that is what happened. I saw it in her eyes as it was happening."
Raya looked at Yami and they shared a momentary knowing glance. "He's right. I wanted Kaiba to be okay and as I was concentrating on that thought, somehow, Necrophia fell to the ground."
"That's really amazing," remarked Adele. "I mean, about your powers. I'm just really glad that Seto was not hurt."
"Looks like the only thing that is hurt by this whole thing is Adele's poor carpet!" remarked Mai.
"And Seto's ego!" laughed Joey.
"True, Joey," said Bakura. "But Adele, I want to help you clean this place up. I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of it. I'd also like to replace your carpet for you."
"Don't be ridiculous." Adele answered. "I can get a new one, no problem at all."
"No way," said Joey. "We all want to help, right guys? We were just talking about it before you came back. We were thinking about fixing up the place for you. You know, give the place a new paint job, rake the leaves. We might as well clean up the rug for you, too!"
"That is very sweet of you all, but I assure you, it is not necessary!"
"I'm afraid we've given you no choice." Remarked Yami, with a smile.
"Why don't we start tomorrow after school?" said Yugi. "We should try to get some of it done before it's too cold outside."
"Good idea, Yug." Joey said, standing up and walking to the spot on the rug. He knelt down and examined it. "This should be done right away, though. I'm sure Adele doesn't want her place smelling like smoke. Besides, I'm sure her parents won't be too excited about it, either!"
Adele looked sad, suddenly. "That won't be a problem, Joey. My parents aren't here."
"They're not?"
"No, my mother died years ago and my father, well, he still lives in England."
"I understand," said Raya. "You are independent just as I am."
"I guess you could say that." Adele answered, smiling. "Yeah, sure, you could put it that way."
"All the more reason for us to help you out, Adele. Do you mind if we start tomorrow?" said Tristan.
"Not at all. This is so sweet, everyone. No one has ever done anything like this for me before."
"We like to help out our friends." Said Bakura, turning to face Adele. They smiled at one another.
~*~*~*~
Bakura was grateful that everyone had been all right. They were all so understanding with him and he couldn't understand why. How could they possibly forgive him for what he had done? If they only knew.
He pulled down the sheets to his bed and crawled inside, eager to get some sleep after such an insane day. He appreciated all the kindness his new friend Adele had shown him, but there was still something eerie about her. He couldn't place it. How could someone so kind and so caring be frightening to him? He had no idea why. It was better just to close his eyes and drift off to sleep. Think about it another day.
*~*~*
It was dark, so dark here. And cold, too. Where was this place, anyway? He had had this dream often lately, never knowing really where he was or why he had been dreaming he was there. And most of the time he couldn't remember falling asleep either. It was so very strange.
It was cold like death, dark like the deepest night.
The shadows seemed to creep around him, sucking him in until there was nothing left but the cold darkness. It almost seemed as if he were in a dark, damp cave. The only thing discernible was a few muffled sounds he could hear in the distance. He couldn't tell what was going on, or who was speaking, but he heard a woman's voice, and she sounded panicked for some reason.
Wait! There was a scream! It was deafeningly loud, and seemed to be getting louder and louder, until.
He woke up out of his 'dream', staring down at the terrifying scene before him. There she laid, his best friend, Celesta, curled up on the ground in fetal position. She was unconscious and shaking violently, covered in a cold sweat. Bakura felt his heart drop. What happened to her!? Was this still part of his dream? It felt more like a nightmare!
"Celesta! Celesta, what happened?" Bakura tried to awaken her, pushing back the few pieces of golden hair that were sticking to the sweat on her forehead. "Celesta, please! Can you hear me?"
There was no movement, no sign of life in the fallen girl. Bakura had no idea what he was going to do. How did he get here? Oh God, please, please tell him he wasn't responsible for whatever happened to his dear friend. He quickly retrieved a cold washrag to put on her forehead, hoping to help her in some way. That's when he noticed the deathly pale color of her once rose-petal lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~
That's it for now! Please read and review! Love you all! --LA
By Lady Armandina
Disclaimer: I said it before, I'll say it again. I only own Adele. Noone else is mine. Raya is property of Anya (go read her fan fics! They are soooooo awesome!) Also, if you want more info on Raya's powers, which are alluded to in this chapter, you will just have to read Family History, by Anya. Trust me, it's long, but well worth the read!
Author's Note: I know the rules in the duel here may be different from the card game/TV series. I combined the rules of the two for my fic. Also, I know that many call Ryou the regular Bakura and Bakura the yami. I have switched it in my story, because that is what I have grown accustomed to. Sorry for any confusion!
Also-Everyone, thanks for the reviews! I love getting them and I really appreciate the encouragement! I hope I don't let you down!
~*~
"Why are you laughing, fool? This is the last move in the game! You're going to lose!"
"Not quite, Kaiba! You forgot about my face down magic card. I flip it now, it's the trap card, Dragon Capture Jar!"
"NO!!!"
"Oh, but yes! Your Blue Eyes cannot attack my field as you so wish to do! Instead, he must go into defense position, unless, of course, you get rid of my capture jar somehow."
"No matter. There is more than one way to skin a cat, right? I can take you down with a different card next turn!"
"There won't be a next turn, Kaiba! I use my Monster Reborn card, and bring back Dark Necrophia!"
"That still can't take out Blue Eyes. His defense is 2500. And Judge Man has equal attack to your Dark Necrophia. They would just destroy each other and no one would take any damage to their life points."
"You tell me something that I already am aware of. But, I also equip my Dark Necrophia with this card, Malevolent Nuzzler! This card increases her attack by 700 points! Go, Dark Necrophia! Attack Judge Man for 700 points of damage!"
"No! This can't be!"
"Yes, Seto, it is. You only had 500 life points left. This attack brings you down to 0! I win! It's over, Kaiba."
Everyone gasped in surprise. It seemed so unlikely that Bakura would be able to take down Kaiba, yet, somehow, he managed to pull it off. Only one person in the group wasn't surprised. His violet eyes sparkled as he glanced over at Yami, who appeared to be just as surprised as the others. Yugi knew what was going on here, and he had to do something to stop it.
"Bakura! That was awesome, man!" yelled Joey.
"Yeah, you really took him by surprise!" said Tristan.
Seto continued to glare at Bakura, clenching his fists in anger over his strange defeat. Amidst all the talking, nobody heard the small chiming sound coming from underneath Bakura's shirt.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a large flash of light, followed by a cold chill in the entire room. A dark smoke filled the room setting off the fire alarm above. Everyone was prompted to run away, but as they started for the door, they were stopped by a frightening presence standing before them-it was Dark Necrophia!!!
"Wha-wha-what is she doing out of her card!? I thought they didn't have the holographic projections!" stuttered Joey, backing away.
"She is not holographic!" announced Bakura. "She is real! And she is here for the soul of Seto Kaiba!"
"My soul!?"
The demonic temptress floated over toward where Seto stood and hovered above him, raising her arms and letting out a loud, evil laugh. Seto looked up at her tall, pointed black boots and golden body armor. Her skin glowed with a malicious dark blue tinge as she glared down at him. Seto screamed. Somewhere across the room, a girl with violet eyes stared intently at the entire scene, not missing a second, not even blinking.
"Raya, what are you doing? You have to get out of here!" screamed Tea.
Raya did not respond, only continued to stare at Seto as he screamed and the Dark Necrophia chanted something in a loud, piercing voice that seemed to strike right through to the soul.
"Stop." Raya muttered, and immediately, Dark Necrophia let out a blood- curdling scream, falling to the ground. Almost instantly afterward, Bakura lost consciousness and fell to the ground, collapsing against the wall with a loud thud.
"Bakura! No!" screamed Adele, rushing to his aid. As she knelt down to try to revive him, he was already gaining consciousness.
"What is going on?" he questioned, looking at the madness going on around him. "Oh, dear God, no."
"Bakura, it's okay. Something happened, but it's all right now. You just need to rest right now. Come on."
"No! No, I can't stay. I-I'm sorry, I must leave!"
Before anyone could stop him, Bakura stood up, stumbling, and rushed out the back door of the house. Yugi quickly followed after him. "Bakura! Wait!"
'I have to make him see! I have to make him understand!' thought Adele. She swiftly followed behind Yugi, in pursuit of Bakura. As she caught up to Yugi, she noticed that Bakura was nowhere in sight. 'Let me see.'
"He's this way!" Adele called to Yugi.
"How do you know?"
"I just do! Come on!"
They took a right out of Adele's back yard into the nearby forest which was thickly overgrown with bushes. "How could he possibly have made it through here already?" asked Yugi. "It's taking forever to get through!"
"He took the other path, over there. But this way is a short cut and we can catch up to him more quickly."
"Wow, you know a lot about the forest back here, don't you?"
"I come out here often to think. It's so peaceful."
As Yugi pushed his way through some more branches, he saw a flash of white hair only feet away. "Bakura!" he yelled, falling into the path and landing right on Bakura, who was now breathing heavily from running, a panicked expression on his face.
"Yugi! What are you doing?"
Adele pushed through the bushes and helped Yugi to his feet. "We were trying to find you, Bakura." She said, holding out her hand. "We're worried about you."
Bakura would not take her hand. Instead, he remained sitting on the ground, catching his breath and staring down at the rocks and dirt of the path. He looked so helpless, so sad, sitting there. "I am all right, thank you. I don't want to hurt anyone so I want to be alone right now."
Oh no, please don't hurt her. No, don't hurt anybody. Not anymore.
"No, you don't." Adele said. Yugi stared at her in wonder. Why would she say something like that?
"Yes, Adele, I do! Now, please, leave me be."
"No, you don't, Bakura. You don't want to be alone anymore than you want to be possessed by that spirit. Let us help you. We're your friends."
Bakura flinched and shut his eyes tight.
It was cold and dark here. Cold like death. Dark like the very deepest night.
"You barely know me!" Bakura said, glaring up at her. "Why on earth would you want to help me?"
"Because, Bakura." she said, kneeling down next to him so that their faces were even with each other. "I know how you feel. More than you realize."
No, no, this cannot be. You cannot do this. Stay back! Stay away! If you hurt her, I swear, I'll-
Bakura looked at the pained expression in her eyes and could swear that somehow she was feeling exactly as he was right now. She looked panicked, worried, scared, and very lonely. But was he only imagining these things? How could she possibly be feeling the same way he felt?!
"Take my hand, Bakura. Let me help you. Let me be your friend."
Friend.
Yugi watched in amazement as Bakura slowly, seemingly unsure of himself, placed his hand in Adele's and she helped him off the ground. They stood up together, still holding hands, looking at each other intently. Bakura seemed as though he was daydreaming. Adele appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"Hey, guys, we should get back to the others, don't you think?" asked Yugi.
"Yes.yes, we should, Yugi." Said Bakura, finally releasing his hand from Adele's. "I want to make sure everyone is all right."
Go, you fool. But don't expect redemption.
Bakura turned to Adele. "Can we talk for a bit?"
"Of course."
"I'll run ahead to see the others." Said Yugi. "You guys catch up when you're done."
"Thanks, Yugi." Bakura said, brushing off a few leaves from his jeans as Yugi walked away.
"What's on your mind, Bakura?" asked Adele.
"I want to explain something to you."
"Yes?"
"I consider you my friend. But I can't be your friend in the way that you expect."
"I expect nothing from you, Bakura."
"No, I mean, I'm not like other people are."
"Nobody is the same as anyone else. Your point, Bakura?"
"I don't get close friends! I mean, it's just not possible! I'm simply not capable of it."
"You don't or you won't? You are very capable of it, Bakura, yet you hold yourself back. I'm here to show you that you don't have to do that. It doesn't have to be that way."
"What can you possibly know about it? You know nothing about me!"
"No, not yet. But I would love to know more. I understand your need for distance, but I refuse to let you isolate yourself to the point of loneliness. You don't have to be afraid. I'm not."
"You're stubborn."
"No, just headstrong."
"Well, I can be headstrong too."
"Yes, but I'll beat you at it any day."
Bakura looked at her and noticed the expression of complete determination on her face. She was dead serious about this. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Bring it on."
"You've got yourself a deal!" Adele laughed. "But I warn you, I put up quite a fight!"
"I'm prepared to handle anything!" Bakura responded, finding himself also laughing.
"I don't know what it is about you, Bakura, but something tells me there is much more to you than what you show others."
"Isn't that how everyone is?"
"To a point, yes. But with you, it's different. You have so much that you hold back. So many wonderful things."
Bakura laughed. "How can you tell?"
"It's in your eyes."
"My eyes?"
"Yes," she said, smiling at him as she pulled a leaf out of his hair. "There's so much there that you let nobody see."
"Well, I could say the same for you, Adele. I know hardly anything about you."
"We have all the time in the world to get to know each other better."
"You're right."
"Yes, I know. I always am!" she teased.
"Hey! That's not fair!" He said, quickly grabbing a handful of fallen leaves from the ground and throwing them at her.
"Very funny! Come on, Bakura. Let's get back to the others."
"Good idea."
As they walked back to the house, Bakura felt a strange sense of wonder like he hadn't felt since he was a child. He felt childlike and pure, and couldn't place why. He kept looking over at Adele, who seemed to be off in her own world as they walked. The autumn breeze blew softly through her hair and Bakura noticed that she shivered a little as the chill of it ran across her back.
"Let's just make sure everyone is all right and then we can have some hot chocolate or something, okay?"
"Adele, you really don't have to be so-"
"I want to. I want to help you in any way I can."
"But I don't need any help."
"All right then, I just want to be your friend. Can you deal with that?"
Bakura smiled. "Yes, yes, I can. I'd like that very much."
Adele smiled in response. "Good. So would I."
Walking inside, they saw Raya, Yami, and Yugi gathered near the fireplace and Joey, Tristan, and Tea sitting on the couch. Seto was nowhere to be seen, but Mai stood against the wall near where Seto had fallen. There was a large black burn stain on the rug where Dark Necrophia had fallen, yet the demon was no longer there. Everyone turned to look at Bakura and Adele as they entered.
"Bakura! Are you all right!?" asked Tea.
"Yeah, buddy," remarked Tristan. "You were acting all freaky on us again."
"I'm fine, now." Responded Bakura. "I just want to make sure no one is hurt. Where is Seto?"
"He left." Answered Mai. "He was fine, though. Muttered something about never wanting to speak to any of you again."
"As if that would be a bad thing!" said Joey.
"So how did Seto escape that freaky Necrophia thing, anyway?" asked Tristan. "Did anybody see?"
Raya smiled. "I think that someone was protecting his soul."
"What do you mean, Raya?"
"Nothing, really. I'm just suggesting that maybe Necrophia couldn't steal his soul because something was protecting Kaiba."
"Like what?" asked Tea.
"What Raya is saying," started Yami. "Is that she used her powers to protect Seto from having his soul stolen. You know that Raya possesses great powers that pertain to the souls of human beings. Something in her will to protect Kaiba actually helped him. It's unexplainable, but that is what happened. I saw it in her eyes as it was happening."
Raya looked at Yami and they shared a momentary knowing glance. "He's right. I wanted Kaiba to be okay and as I was concentrating on that thought, somehow, Necrophia fell to the ground."
"That's really amazing," remarked Adele. "I mean, about your powers. I'm just really glad that Seto was not hurt."
"Looks like the only thing that is hurt by this whole thing is Adele's poor carpet!" remarked Mai.
"And Seto's ego!" laughed Joey.
"True, Joey," said Bakura. "But Adele, I want to help you clean this place up. I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of it. I'd also like to replace your carpet for you."
"Don't be ridiculous." Adele answered. "I can get a new one, no problem at all."
"No way," said Joey. "We all want to help, right guys? We were just talking about it before you came back. We were thinking about fixing up the place for you. You know, give the place a new paint job, rake the leaves. We might as well clean up the rug for you, too!"
"That is very sweet of you all, but I assure you, it is not necessary!"
"I'm afraid we've given you no choice." Remarked Yami, with a smile.
"Why don't we start tomorrow after school?" said Yugi. "We should try to get some of it done before it's too cold outside."
"Good idea, Yug." Joey said, standing up and walking to the spot on the rug. He knelt down and examined it. "This should be done right away, though. I'm sure Adele doesn't want her place smelling like smoke. Besides, I'm sure her parents won't be too excited about it, either!"
Adele looked sad, suddenly. "That won't be a problem, Joey. My parents aren't here."
"They're not?"
"No, my mother died years ago and my father, well, he still lives in England."
"I understand," said Raya. "You are independent just as I am."
"I guess you could say that." Adele answered, smiling. "Yeah, sure, you could put it that way."
"All the more reason for us to help you out, Adele. Do you mind if we start tomorrow?" said Tristan.
"Not at all. This is so sweet, everyone. No one has ever done anything like this for me before."
"We like to help out our friends." Said Bakura, turning to face Adele. They smiled at one another.
~*~*~*~
Bakura was grateful that everyone had been all right. They were all so understanding with him and he couldn't understand why. How could they possibly forgive him for what he had done? If they only knew.
He pulled down the sheets to his bed and crawled inside, eager to get some sleep after such an insane day. He appreciated all the kindness his new friend Adele had shown him, but there was still something eerie about her. He couldn't place it. How could someone so kind and so caring be frightening to him? He had no idea why. It was better just to close his eyes and drift off to sleep. Think about it another day.
*~*~*
It was dark, so dark here. And cold, too. Where was this place, anyway? He had had this dream often lately, never knowing really where he was or why he had been dreaming he was there. And most of the time he couldn't remember falling asleep either. It was so very strange.
It was cold like death, dark like the deepest night.
The shadows seemed to creep around him, sucking him in until there was nothing left but the cold darkness. It almost seemed as if he were in a dark, damp cave. The only thing discernible was a few muffled sounds he could hear in the distance. He couldn't tell what was going on, or who was speaking, but he heard a woman's voice, and she sounded panicked for some reason.
Wait! There was a scream! It was deafeningly loud, and seemed to be getting louder and louder, until.
He woke up out of his 'dream', staring down at the terrifying scene before him. There she laid, his best friend, Celesta, curled up on the ground in fetal position. She was unconscious and shaking violently, covered in a cold sweat. Bakura felt his heart drop. What happened to her!? Was this still part of his dream? It felt more like a nightmare!
"Celesta! Celesta, what happened?" Bakura tried to awaken her, pushing back the few pieces of golden hair that were sticking to the sweat on her forehead. "Celesta, please! Can you hear me?"
There was no movement, no sign of life in the fallen girl. Bakura had no idea what he was going to do. How did he get here? Oh God, please, please tell him he wasn't responsible for whatever happened to his dear friend. He quickly retrieved a cold washrag to put on her forehead, hoping to help her in some way. That's when he noticed the deathly pale color of her once rose-petal lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~
That's it for now! Please read and review! Love you all! --LA