A/N: Thanks Misura for all your reviews. :-)
I kept my footsteps quiet, my breathing hushed. I knew Bakura would not be an easy target. After all, he possesses a Yami too (or, shall I say, his Yami possesses him?), a very resourceful one, not to mention suspicious and cruel. But the sensation it gave me, sneaking up on him, in the deafening silence of the night, under the cover of the burning starlight, made it all worthwhile. I had always been a night person.
The rustle of the bushes, the thumping of my heart, the murmurs of the breeze, they all bombarded me with vibrations, filling me with a thrill so pulsating it was indescribable. For the longest time I simply stood, inert and unmoving, outside his window, just enjoying the tingling of my spine, the feeling of danger massaging my skin.
His dim bedroom light made its way to me, illuminating my weapon of choice. What was he doing up so late? It was so unlike Bakura, unless his Yami had use of his body. But then, why was he still at home? Yami Bakura wasn't one to enjoy a late night movie whilst munching popcorn.
Curiosity overcame me, as I tiptoed nearer to the curtained window. All sounds halted, even the ticking of the clock. Then suddenly, an owl hooted. I cursed it under my breath, but it kept on hooting, oblivious to my threats. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I was forced to rub my arms to get rid of the sudden attack of Goosebumps.
"I guess you know that when owls hoot, they are really counting the eyebrow hairs of a dying mortal. The man's life end just as the owl finish counting [6]. I suppose one of us will meet our end tonight. But the question is, how?" I jumped back, superstition forgotten, and returned Bakura's glare.
"Well? Are you coming in, or standing there like a lost soul when I have opened my front door in welcome?" He mocked. Any Yami was dangerous when provoked, but, light was not always warm and pleasant, as some people believed. Light can be just as harsh, just as unforgiving as darkness, if not more, and light, any light, had the advantage of expected gullibility, the element of surprise.
I decided to follow him inside, and found myself settled comfortably upon his untouched bed.
"I know why you are here mortal. You are foolishly throwing away your life, for compared with mine your Shadow Powers are pathetic indeed." He tempted me. A frontal assault would certainly have ended in complete disaster. I closed my eyes, partly to shut out his smirk that didn't rightfully belong upon Bakura's face, partly to throw him off the game slightly.
Instead of setting his challenge, he simply strode over to his bedside table, and pulled a pack of cards out from the back pocket of his jeans. With a few seemingly careless shuffles, he had tossed seven cards face down upon the smooth surface. I noticed the tip of his fingers caressing a blackened, most likely burnt, edge of the table tenderly, as if reliving some delightful memory. He then moved with his steady grace to the window, and allowed the cool breeze to visit the room, and refresh my head.
Then I knew what he was planning. I pretended to stretch my muscles lazily, but even before my fingers touched my card pouch, it felt strangely empty. I had to hand it to the thief, he certainly knew his occupation well, even after all those Millennia of remaining dormant.
[7] "The Pot of Greed?" He mused, after his hand had flicked over the first pair of cards, "Seem like you were rather selfish in your past. Your deadly sin was obviously gluttony. Quite a collector you were, I have to say." His lips curved slightly, showing his amusement, "Trial of Hell. Looks to me like you did not have a very desirable childhood. Something happened that you couldn't control, and now you cannot allow yourself to forget!" I remained passive. I could deal with my childhood. I always could.
"Well, the Masked Sorcerer and Soul Release [8]. I'd say they sum up your recent actions quite adequately." He continued, flicking over the trio of cards in the middle, "You have been attacking Yugi's friends, one by one, removing them from the game, whilst hiding behind a mask of perfection only a sorcerer could master. But what is this? The Flame Swordsman? What can that card possibly signify? Unless you......wouldn't Final Flame be more appropriate?" He glanced at my face sideways, the smirk turning into a laugh. I could feel the blood draining away from my face, leaving my muscles cramped as if I had contacted tetanus.
"It's not true." I denied.
"Unlike with Pegasus, you cannot hide anything from me. The last pair of cards should show me more about your future. Violet Crystals [9]? Fitting, for when I decide to punish you for rudely intruding upon my privacy. You mean to cause me bodily harm, and I do not wish for anybody except me to cause damage to my vessel. Now, let's see what Fate has in store for you...."
He proceeded to flip the last card, the card that would decide my future, and I couldn't withhold my attack any longer. He was caught completely off guard, being absorbed within my life, and the dagger flashed through flesh, digging into freshly healed tissues that were unprotected. Tendons tore. The dagger hit naked bone. He growled and dropped the card back down. Slight pressure on a certain spot of the handle sent him into a pain fuelled frenzy, and I let out a short gasp as he grabbed my own injured arm and twisted it to impossible angles.
"You will pay mortal! I shall send your soul to eternal torture in the Shadow Realm! Muhahahaha!" He cackled, and I knew I was doomed. The pressure increased to unbearably levels. A splatter of his blood hit me directly in the mouth, and its tangy, metallic flavour drowned out everything, except the pain. The excruciating pain.
But, just as my mind was crushed by his brutal assault and my vision was swimming with the image of his mocking smirk, the pressure eased. I glanced up in surprise, expecting some other sadistically themed amusement, but large chocolate eyes blinked back tears of agony and pleaded with me. Bakura battled with himself, and was losing ground fast.
"M.......run....mov....!!!" He managed to utter, before choking on his own spit. I stared at the scene for a spilt-second, before self preservation took over. Grabbing the nearest object to hand, which was the small table, I brought it down hard upon his head, and his body collapsed, a small patch of sticky substance appearing to contrast with his pure white hair.
"Thank you Bakura." I whispered before I ran into the starlight until my lungs threatened to explode, running, running away from the card that would foretell the rest of my life.
I should never have underestimated Yami Bakura.
~~~~
[6] That legend actually exists. Weird huh?
[7] It is the names of the cards that count, not their effects, mostly.
[8] Soul Release – Select up to 5 cards from either you or your opponent's Graveyard and remove them from your current game.
[9] Violet Crystals – A Zombie-Type monster equipped with this card increases its ATK and DEF by 300 points.
