BookDragon: "Sorry for the wait… I had a slump and things happened in which I'm partly sorry for, but partly relieved. And other happenings with my family were also at hand."

Bakura: "She couldn't write to well for a while."

TombRobber: "Like now is any better?"

BookDragon: " Well, thank you on the matter of cheering me up…"

Bakura: "Well, it should be somewhat better…" *looks at BookDragon's red face* "…and on with the chapter!!!"

Chapter 18: The binding

Oops was right.  The branches were tapping the ceiling and its trunk was sitting on the wooden floor comfortable. She only wondered if the roots where poking out from the ceiling below or if they burrowed into the wood.  Huge thick branches found their way out the windows, which made her a bit nervous. Clearly someone would notice a huge tree growing out from the top floor of the old library! Ryelle shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Can't deal with this now…" They might even close the library and she could have a place to live. That would be good for her, bad for the Librarian. She shrugged and decided the top floor would be enough space. Knowing she couldn't sit there all day she started to climb down the rough tree bark, that is until something hard hit her in the head out of no where. In her surprise and pain she lost her grip and fell into another protruding branch and hit the floor in a tumbling fashion, back hitting, with a huge amount of loud noise. Lying on the floor, recovering from the shock, she knew she'd have a huge bruise on her back later. After a short period Ryelle sat up slowly and took a look around. She found what she was looking for after a few seconds and picked it up and held it in her hand, studying it. An apple, the darkest red she had ever seen and one of the largest. Getting curious, her eyes stayed upward into the branches where she found round apples of all greens, yellows, and reds. She bit into the fruit while looking and wondering why an apple tree grew. The liquid that drenched the inside corners of her mouth exploded in sweet yet tangy taste, like that existed at home. She smiled at the apple as she took a huge bite out of it and got to her feet. She heard a rolling sound on the floor and looked down to her feet to find the bottle miraculously still intact. In the other hand she remembered her letter that was now crumbled rather badly, she picked up the bottle and jammed the letter into it quickly and croaked it. She then placed it under her arm and found her cloak last night that she pitched aside in the corner that was brightening by the second. It had to be about 8:00 in the morning, and for once it was Sunday, there was no school, or she thought there wasn't. She tied the cloak around her neck loosely and flipped the hood up and used her school button shirt as a bag for her wine bottle, she was going out, flying. She knew this was risky, but it was the only way to get there before night fall, which she wanted.    

            A low annoying buzzing echoed through the room like a thick mist in early morning, that is until a pale hand lightly tapped the button to shut off the alarm clock sitting on the floor and the body on the bed rolled over in weariness, and slumbered back to sleep, or tired to. It was rather hard even after all the night thinking about a problem that was leaving him no peace, which nipped and bit at him all night like a fly you just can't swat no matter how often you try. However, he was still determined to get some sleep. When the shades in his room mysteriously flapped up, letting bright light into the cool darkness, both pale hands immediately threw the blue comforter over the white fizzed out head of their master. Something then set it's self onto the base of his bed and didn't move, as the boy slept for seven hours straight, out of pure exhaustion, but still tossing uneasily. Finally, both brown eyes opened very tiredly to the light shinning his window. Yawning tiredly he rolled over to someone sitting at the base of his bed, looking at their nails in a bored fashion. Slowly familiar eyes glanced away into his own, rather irritated and too very sleepy.

"Took you long enough." Bakura sprang up from out of his bed onto the rough carpet and pressed himself against the wall in surprise.

"YOU!"

"Yes, yes, I know. Me. Can we please skip this apart?" The twin boy with spikier hair yawned at him in a drawling tone, clearly suffering from the lack of sleep too.  Wide-eyed Bakura was no longer felt he would be able to get any more sleep, not with _him_ sitting in the room in plain sight.

"W-What are you doing here?!" Bakura stammered in a low voice. He was going for fierce but all that he could muster was a low squeamish growl. At first _he_ said nothing, until he started to shake violently and was holding his breath, as if battling the urge not to speak. Bakura flattened himself out on the wall at this reaction and felt a rage coming on as his counterpart battled, now turning blue from not breathing. Seconds pasted slowly, and nothing was said at all, as Bakura watched frightenly at _his_ face changing colors.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Bakura shouted scared and wanting to get the battle and beating over with. For some reason his counterpart couldn't stop himself from answering, and took a huge breath.

"I…AM… BINDED… TO…YOUR…WILL." He said, clearly irritated by his red face, and furious at loosing the fight in himself, but relieved by the way his eyes looked down. Bakura blinked a few times trying to fathom what he had just said.

"…WHAT…did you just say?!?" _He_ shook a bit.

"I…SAID… THAT…I WAS…BINDED TO YOUR WILL…YOU… STUPID FOOL!" He said through gritted teeth with burning anger that lashed out. Bakura ducked in response but found he was not being attacked, but found _him_ ripping at something in his hair irritably shouting extremely filthy words at it. Bakura looked up through the clawing mess a few spots of green in his hair. Blinking with curiously he found himself thinking about what it could be, and in the next moment _he_ froze like he was paralyzed.

His face turned blood red in some much anger he would have sent Bakura's soul to the shadow realm without a thought and would have left him there for a thousand years, but that would be impossible because of the crown sitting on his head in the messed up thunderbolts of snow white hair, and Bakura saw it. Sitting in the chaos of white was a loose band of branches weaved together in a tight bind, with smaller branches sticking out and blossoming light green maple leaves; Bakura was amazed by it.

"EXCUSE ME! LET ME GO NOW!!!"

"Oh… er… you can move now…" Bakura said slowly and unsure _he_ maws really talking to him of all people. He moved slowly back to normal and flexed his arms a bit to ware off the affect and tilted the crown back a little to set it comfortably on his head.

"Er…do… do you… do you have to do what I say?" Bakura mumbled slowly at him.

"You win the riches." TombRobber said. Clearly he was giving in to the bind on him.

"Really?"

"Yes. Really…" TombRobber said boredly and almost sorrowfully.

"That is until you or your bloodline sets me free…" He grinned at him. Bakura crossed his arms.

"I'm not THAT stupid… what do you mean my bloodline?"

"Any one of your descends can set me free."

"Descents?"

"Yes, I am at the binding of your family tree until either the end of time, the end of your family tree, or one of you blood sets me free, you stupid mortal, lets move on." He stood up slowly and carefully picked up a small item off of the floor and studied it.

"Now, I'm going to make you an offer…"

"An offer?" Bakura asked confused.

"Yes an offer, in which would… remove me from your… troubles." Bakura raised an eyebrow as he slowly shifted the object in his grip, letting it glitter in the sun light.

"Right now, I am unable to leave your side… unless told… which means I would be in your hair for all your life and your children's, children's, children's lives for who knows." He paused for a breath.

"I'm somewhat sure... you wouldn't want me in your children's lives at such an impressionable age…"

"Are you threatening me?" TombRobber's eyes flashed at him as he set the golden ball down smoothly.

"Now why would I do a thing like that?"

"Because you'd kill me on the spot when I'd set you free…" He thought a moment. "Isn't that right… old friend?" His counterpart twitched violently.

"Yes."

"And I'm also supposing that you are also unable to lie to me?"

"Yes." Bakura smiled a little. The first smile at his evil part in at least a decade. He pulled up the nearest chair and sat down.

"Make yourself comfortable… 'cause this is going to be a long day…"   

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BookDragon: "Okay I _thought_ that would be the last one… but I don't think I want anyone to try and take what I was gonna write for one chapter all at once."

TombRobber: "I already think the idea of me being bond is somewhat stupid."

BookDragon: -_-* "Err…"

Bakura: -_-u "You just can't stop them…" *Sighs* "Leave a review, she gonna finish it, she swears."