Book Dragon: "Thanks for the reviews guys, I really appreciate it…"

Bakura: "This is a warning! READ THE WHOLE THING! There is a surprise at the end!"

Tomb Robber: "Yes their's a very pleasing part in the middle…"

Book Dragon:-_-* "More like horrific! This chap is bloody to warn you…"

Bakura: "Doesn't own Yu-gi-oh or Linkin Park Song!"

Chapter 16: Pools of Blood

She froze in his iron grasp, fingers digging painfully into her shoulders, so hard it could have made her bleed. She gritted her teeth, concentrating the waves of pain into them.  The smirk on the Tomb Robber's face grew, enjoying her discomfort, a type of cruel revenge. His voice rolled smoothly into her ears.

"I've finally caught you…mortal..." His grasp tighten suddenly and a few drops of liquid traveled down her pale arms and splatter onto the ground, red circles began to litter the ground. She spoke through gritted teeth.

"Where's Bakura?" She had noticed he was no where to be seen in the small kitchen. He chuckled evilly as his white lightning bolt strands of hair started to ruffle in the newly created whirl of wind. A loud jingling echoed around her as a bright light shown out, making her squint and cloud her vision. The laughter grew as her head began to spin, colors merged together, her hearing dulled, brown eyes started to droop. The light began to fade into a dull gray, black traveled close behind, and like shutting off a television, she blacked out.

            Slowly, ever so slowly, her eyes pealed open. Grays and blacks swirled around her, the whole world spinning. She felt sick, an ill feeling that she was now remembering quite clearly as she fought her stomach.  White fingers grasping wet gushy material under her, small hard round objects scratching under her finger nails. The air smelt of water, an aroma much like after a rain shower but somehow different. Her head lifted gradually at the odor, the world sluggishly halted as she blinked her, eyes soaking in the scenery. Through a thick shroud of mist she could make out white bark of many Birch Trees; black leaves fluttered over her. It was at this moment she realized the presence of her wings had disappeared. Her fingers confirmed it when she felt her back hurriedly; an eerie feeling crawled up her spine, cringing as it left out her mouth making her teeth chatter.  She bolted to her feet quickly and found thick brownish black mud covering her, groaning she stumped forward, sloshing through it while feeling the cold tickling her feet. As she walked through the chalk white tree trunks, she wondered how and where she was, it wasn't a good place; a place more like from someone's nightmare than a real place. She loathed it.

            Time passed unknowingly, it didn't matter because a voice in the back of her mind told her she would be seeing light anytime soon, not from any sun. All she knew was long after her start she leg muscles cramped without warning and she fell, knees first into the mire, grimacing at not only the muck covering her but the sharp throbbing in her legs a brilliant shinning item caught her eye. Her mud caked face turned toward the gleam at something buried slightly by the slimy mud. With out thinking about it, her pale hand dove into the thick goopy mud and she pulled out a long blade by a golden hilt, a sword. The sword felt familiar in her grasp; gripping the glittering handle she remembered it as her sword, her rapier. She plunged it far into the mud, using it to help her up to her feet. In a swift movement she pulled it out easily and started forward, looking like a zombie she passed through trees, now armed with a glorious weapon that she was not afraid to use.  Few minutes passed when she stumped into a clearing, the mud grew suddenly deep. A huge pond lay in front of her wondering eyes, the grayish blue water sparkling through her vaporous surroundings into her brown orbs. Her feet struggled toward the body of water, into the icy yet warm, water ripples that swirled around the base to her waist. She froze there a moment, trying to think clearly. Then, with the dirt covered rapier still in hand she dove forward, into the small waves like an otter hunting for clams. She swam about, ridding her clothes and pale skin of the thick muck. She broke the surface in a gust of force and took in a huge amount of air, finally awake and drenched to the marrow. She immediately started out of the water, waddling away to the shore thinking about how stupid she was for not checking for animals, preferably carnivorous. Fully out of the water she shook herself like a dog coming in from a thunder storm; she no longer cared for manners. In these moments she heard a distant voice, very very far away sound.  Her head swung toward it in surprise and started sprinting to the lulling melody of it, knowing it was some one she knew, it was Bakura. Leaning forward with her arms not moving and stretched out behind her with the sword glittering, she rushed toward the sorrowful sound, wishing to rid the misery from the sound. Jumping over rotting white logs with nostrils flaring, she felt more like a wild animal that a human being. As this thought crept into her mind her leg muscles slowed and stopped in a deep thought state. She was being stupid again; the fog seemed to be getting her in this way. Being reckless would get her and Bakura no where, rushing into a trap oblivious would get them both killed. She hunched down and started to her right curing at a slight angle, staking her way toward the musical melody like an expert hunter in for the kill. Sword extended out and stern eyes moving all around she found another clearing, and found Bakura. Hanging bound to the only oak tree in sight in tight ropes at his shoulders and stomach, his snow soft hair covered his pale face and a soft melody rang out from his throat.

"I woke up in a dream today
To the cold of the static, and put my cold feet on the floor…"  Ryelle's ears perked up at the sorrowful melody and recognized Bakura's soft flowing voice streaming toward her. But still she wouldn't be so trusting and started a route to him through small growing Birches, still listening his harmonic tune.

"Forgot all about yesterday
Remembering I'm pretending to be where I'm not anymore…" She started to remember humming the familiar tune while sitting on the rooftop of this very long night, almost never ending.

"A little taste of hypocrisy
And I'm left in the wake of the mistake, slow to react
Even though you're so close to me
You're still so distant, and I can't bring you back…"  She could feel the sorrow in his fragile voice, and his voice was becoming louder and she ducked and weaved through small trees silently. The soft sweet melody continued to ring out, as his soul seemed to sink more into despair.

"It's true
The way I feel
Was promised by your face
The sound of your voice
Painted on my memories
Even if you're not with me
I'm with you…"   Bakura sound far away from this reality, his voice smooth and clear but mindlessly singing out the words. Ryelle felt concern deep down somewhere she did not know existed, a place that had just seemed to bloom inside.

"You
Now I see
Keeping everything inside
You
Now I see
Even when I close my eyes…" She was feet away from his body when loud foot steps echoed to her ears, coming at her slowly, she immediately ducked down and hid in the over grown trees. Looking through very dark green leaves White lightning bolts beamed as a pale face shown out, glaring cream brown eyes on Bakura clouding a little in rising anger.

"Stop before I must hurt you." The Tomb Robber said coldly.

"I hit you and you hit me back
We fall to the floor, the rest of the day stands still…" Tomb Robber's jaw tighten in growing annoyance.

"You WILL stop if you want to see the light of day again…" He threatened viciously.

"Fine line between this and that
When things go wrong I pretend the past isn't real…"  Ryelle was mentally kicking herself for thinking this was a trap. Her fingers gripped the blade nervously as she waited, posed for attack.

" Now I'm trapped in this memory
And I'm left in the wake of the mistake, slow to react
Even though you're close to me
You're still so distant, and I can't bring you back…"  Brown eyes narrowed in annoyance as a fist rose, ready to strike. There was a pause, a moment's thought, and the hand retreated.

"No, not now, soon though…" A smirk appeared on his sly face that was so a like, yet so different from Bakura's.

"You got yourself into this mortal, you did ask for a friend so long ago." The melody died away at this comment. Bakura's head lifted, unmasking his soaked face, and hurting eyes, almost glaring.

"You're not the friend I had wished for…"

"Well, beggars can't be choosers… besides; I think you wanted something else…" Bakura's eyes turned to the left, away from his other and in the opposite direction of Ryelle's hiding place.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" His head tilted slightly, hiding his pale brown eyes with white strands of hair.  Tomb Robber's eyes haft closed as his smug voice echoed out.

"Oh come now, you can't believe I _don't_ know. I know everything that goes on in that pathetic mind of yours… that's why it was so easy to hide inside…" After saying, this Tomb Robber walked up slowly and leaned toward Bakura until nose-to-nose. Bakura couldn't resist and looked at him; exact brown eyes started into one another.

"How does it feel… to know you could die and no one know you were dead? To die knowing someone else was being you…" His voice slithered out of his throat slowly in a whisper that Ryelle's ears could hear.  At the ending of his sentence, her legs spurred and she found herself screaming and running out, gleaming blade extended forward at him. Unfortunately, he was ready for her. His head turned like lightning in her direction as he weaved out of the way of the sharp blade and grabbed her wrist and threw her away to the ground. The sword flew high up and fell somewhere unknown as Ryelle hit the on grassy circle they were in. Her bones were rattled at collision but her adrenaline was still pumping through her as she jumped to her feet and started charging at him, yelling an unknown battle cry. She saw the smirk widen on his face as his fingers snapped and a pair of hands grasped her from her right and left and she was forced chest down to the ground in a sickening crack. Her arms were held behind her and she was lifted to her knees easily, everything slightly blurred from the shock of the collision. Blinking a little her eyes took in the Tomb Robber's shape standing over her wagging his finger at her with a hideous grin on his face.  She tried to lunge at him but she was forced down on her knees by huge amounts of strength. She snarled and glared at the two people holding her down when the same look became huge waves of fear. Mailk, on her left,  grinned at her insanely wearing this robes with the hood down and dirty blonde hair as calm as possible, with his tan hands digging his nails into her arm, not as nearly as frightening as the male on her right. With peachy hands with the strength of bear traps, a face loomed over her with a swaggering grin beaming, purple orbs full of madness glaring, and tri colored hair ruffling out toward the sky was Yami's appearance. He wore his usual clothes and knelt by her side, his fingers clawing their way in to her flesh, the exasperating grin growing. Her eyes widen in fright at this mad man, which haunted her dreams, changing them into horrible nightmares. She was unable to move and could only concentrate on Tomb Robber's voice to keep her from total panic.

"I'm amazed, and not easily by mortals mind you, that you made it this far… which will only benefit me more…" A blade suddenly slid in front of her face and pressed against her check, turning her head forward while his voice crept out into the air slowly.

"Look…Here."  Her eyes caught the hilt in his white hand, the hilt that had always been in her hand, her sword. Looking up, his eyes were huge in pleasure at her predicament and in gripping her rapier. His eyes casted a downward glance and then backs her, his face grinning wider with every second.

"Such a magnificent weapon… and with such power…" He waved the sword a little and placed it on her right shoulder carefully. Then, very slowly, the blade sliced into her skin a small amount, making her grimace at the huge pain in her shoulder, a warm sticky liquid poured out. Bakura's voice cried out in pain, emotional pain.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" His head turned toward Bakura, still bound on the tree totally helpless, like Ryelle. She eyes widened and wished he hadn't spoken as she saw Tomb Robber approach Bakura in slow strides, blade unmoving in his clutch, his smile a bit smaller from before. He stared lightly upward at Bakura, bound high enough that his feet couldn't touch the ground. Bakura's eyes glared down at him, a look Ryelle had never seen, and apparently Tomb Robber. His eyes wide in anger and slight shock glowing out, but the smile grinned and a chill was sent up her spine, what happened next was horrible.

In a swift movement Ryelle saw her sword rise high into the gray sky in the spider like fingers of one that was defiantly opposite of Bakura.  In total silence, the sword came down like lightning, and plunged deep into the warm white sweater slightly dirty now with a red stain growing. Blood flew in the Tomb Robber's direction; his eyes wide and full of raging madness, his jaw clenched putting all strength into the blow. All Ryelle could hear was a piercing scream filling the whole gray void above, a scream that travel through the trees, the scream that hit Ryelle like a bomb. Bright blood fell to the ground in huge globs as the sword was pulled out of the body hanging on the tree. Ryelle staring at Bakura's face, bright brown eyes glittering in her direction as a clear tear slipped down his face and dark blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth. It curved into a small smile and the brightness faded from his eyes and his body fell limp, hung on the tree, he was dead. Ryelle's eyes started to water, just like that, he was dead, and she couldn't do anything, not a thing. Sorrow claimed her as her head lowered in the pain deep inside spreading through her, her eyes wide in shock, and her throat so tight she couldn't speak. The second time she had seen a life taken by her own blade, one she cared for. The same blade appeared under her nose, drenched in blood dripping from the blade. A voice filled her head, she could not recognize the words correctly she was so stunned, but they were just there.

"He's dead, your dead, and you will die again…" Her eyes rose up at and looked at his face with one tear rolling slowly down pale cheek. His eyes calm and face stern looming down at her. Her eyes lighted with confusion of what he meant, what he was saying, and why he hated them so.

"Don't you see? You touch. You taste. You see. You hear. You smell... all the things a living body does. Nevertheless, your only here in spirit. You're dead, your body is dead, but your spirit lives on. You are a ghost in your own world. All that exist here would be ghosts with out bodies in your world. Since you are from a different realm, next door to the right of ours, you have power. Like we have power over the shadow realm that is to the left of my world, only some that can grasp it. You, always dreaming, were a huge beacon for me, and I tracked you and brought you here. Here, in the depths of my mind, you have no power, I control what happens here… and your death is inevitable, your destiny…"    At his ending speech the blade raised out of sight and her neck was held down and she saw the blood dripping down her arm. A bright metallic thin liquid, watery almost, shinning like the sun at her. Her power, it flowed in her blood, or her spirit's blood. Voices filled her head and streamed through her quickly. Does the Walker choose path? Path chooses Walker? One thing suddenly flared deep with in, and traveled into her mind in a flash. Both both occur at once. Intertwined closely together and tied in a knot at the bottom. Her mind cleared as the confusion seep through the corners of her mind, away from her present thinking. Then it was replaced in rage, a rage that rattled her marrow and gritted her teeth, which were knives in her mouth. Her fingers turned talon like, nails like daggers grew out. Her eyes pointed as her pupils became black slits, and brown eyes turned the color of the blood mixed mud on the corners of the lush green grass. She lost all control and the huge waves of rage filled her head. In a huge amount of pain her green wings shot out, little splats of metallic blood flying threw the air, both bodies holding her down were slammed together and turned to dust in a might flap. She lifted to her feet and roared like thunder and glared at the white haired boy standing in front of her, rapier raised in white hands, but eyes wide in fright and surprise. She immediately snarled like a wild animal and lunged at him, with the force of a rapid wolf, the sword was sent flying somewhere unknown again while Ryelle sent her talons clawing at his chest in vicious moments, metallic and bright red blood flying all around, clothing ripping, and her squawking shouts.

"NO ONE CHOSES A PERSON'S DESTINY!!! NO ONE NO ONE NO ONE! YOU TOOK HIS LIFE, AND I SHOULD TAKE YOUR'S!" Over and over her yells echoed as both bodies hit the ground in a crack; Ryelle was lifted up immediately and placed on her feet by her silver blood dripping wings. She grabbed him again and lifted him in front of her easily. The boy's face pierced in surprise, blood trickling down the corner of his pale mouth, bruised in black marks, none blue, and severely cut in the chest with blood staining his ripped to shreds sweater, eyes blurred and unable to see right. She squawked again and started to strike him to trees, so angry she wanted him to die a painful death at her hands. Tomb Robber was knocked out at the third tree and became limp rather quickly; her grin grew like a mad man, eyes wide glaring, and huge short breaths sounding. She raised one claw and placed it to his neck lightly, and before she made her kill a voice came to her mind.

//I… give you my word… and my word is my bond. I will not harm anyone unless it is necessary.// her own voice sounded softly in her mind, her promise. Her eyes normalized in a flash and her talon lowered. Her eyes closed annoyed and with a flick of her wrist she threw his body away like a piece of garbage, letting it hit the ground with a loud thump.  She stood motionless for a moment, letting her teeth dull and fingers change to normal. When all was normal, or as normal as possible she strode forward and picked up her blade as paced toward the oak tree.

She stood at the base of the tree in a matter of seconds, looking up at Bakura's limp corpse, a smile still printed on his face. In a swift movement her sword lifted and sliced threw the air. It struck fast and cut the ropes binding his body, letting it fall freely from the rough bark. She caught the body easily and carried it over to the middle of the circle, and finally fell to her knees, hugging his head to her and letting the tears stream forth, unable to notice her stinging cuts, bleeding and mixing with the blood on Bakura's body, feeling the emotion burning inside. She cried, long and hard for an unknown amount of time, letting out all the pain that could never be totally gone. Blood all over her hands, blood everywhere, on her sword plunged deep in the earth. She cried so long she had no tears to shade and her sops became silent, letting footsteps fall in her ears. She lifted her red watered eyes up and saw Yami a short distance away, watching her weep. A wave of anger filled her heart and mind and she stood up quickly and shouted at him loudly.

"YOU TOO? WELL TAKE IT! TAKE IT AWAY! KILL ME!" She screamed throwing her own blood at him, all of it falling short and splatting on the ground until her arm muscles had no more strength, ceasing to her sides she waited. He approached her slowly, walking carefully until he stood in front of her. They stared at one another a moment, wordless, staring into purple and brown orbs. Then he suddenly ripped his sleeve and reached forward and tied it around her arm, covering the huge gash in her shoulder with blue cloth, his eyes on the wound. She didn't move as he bandaged her arm, taking his time to treat the cut, her head swimming with confusion. When finished he backed away to talking distance, and watched her test it. When she looked back at him, his eyes where different, softer, that reminded of his laughter in Yugi's soul room, his good side. A small smile appeared out of the stern face, a nice smile. He chuckled at her and shook his head a little.

"You never had anything to fear from me, Ryelle, when you entered my soul room that caused alarm, I had no idea you meant good then, but I do now." His eyes looked at her face, her reddened eyes and wet checks glistening, a very small smile on her face. It disappeared and looked back to Bakura's body at her feet; Yami's eyes looked down on him. She knelt down and touched his chest with her sliver blood coated hands, speaking words that came from far inside.

"You showed me something I never knew… something I thought I could never understand. I thank you. But I wish you were here to know, I think, no I know I loved you… good bye my love…" Her hand lifted from him and she turned away and started in away when a voice whispered into the air and almost swirl around her.

"There is never a good bye…" She turned started to tear again. Except in joy. A pale hand raised to her, the mouth open and coughing a little, the silver missing from the white sweater and his eyes bright and shinning, differently. They shined out like eyes she had missed from the very beginning, her siblings' eyes. A smile crept up on his face but he spurred into a coughing fit and she immediately lifted him off the ground hugging him tightly. She felt warm hands on her back and cuddled into his white sweater, the red fading from the cloth, thinking aloud she questioned repeatedly.

"How are you alive?" Yami's voice filled both their ears in answering for Bakura didn't know, he just awoke.

"Her blood. Tomb Robber did say it had powers, powers used by emotions, the only thing not taken from you that will always travel with one's soul forever. Your blood mixed into one another's, enough to give him the power of life…" Ryelle's head lifted and blinked at him.

"How do you know so much about this?" Yami shrugged.

"I have no memory where it came from, probably as a child I went somewhere I wasn't suppose to and read it off… and listening to Tomb Robber making his long speech from behind a tree."

"You were hiding behind a TREE? Then who was-"

"A copy from your nightmare; nothing like me." Ryelle blushed at her silly nightmare. Bakura spoke up, still croaking a little.

"Why didn't you help us?"

"Because you didn't need help…" Ryelle blinked a little but caught Yami staring at Tomb Robber's body a far and back at Ryelle. She blushed a dark red and picked up Bakura slowly.

"Hey! I think I can walk!"

"Well, I don't…" Ryelle replied slowly and started walking with Yami northward.

"Where are we going?" She asked quickly.

"Out of this mind and into Yugi's kitchen were we'll probably all fall to the floor from our statue states…" Bakura and Ryelle decided not to ask and just followed Yami, to a place they recognized, a home.

Book Dragon: "I couldn't really kill Bakura! He's too cool!"

Bakura: *face white from gore*

Tomb Robber: *wide grin* "Yes! Blood! So much pain! Hey want to practice mortal?"

Bakura: * white a chalk* "I think I'll pass…"

Book Dragon: 0_0u "Uh…review and tell me watcha think!"