((I wanted to give a special thanks to 'Shetan' for reviewing almost every chapter so far. As for your question, yes, the explanation of Bria's link with Ryou will be answered later. I'm flattered that I have a few fans. -Smiles.- ))
****Seto's POV****
Trying to get the incident out of my mind, I began to flip through my cards. Glancing up, I saw Trish sitting over in a corner on the floor, reading a comic book. Her deck was on the floor beside her, along with the Duel Disk I lent to her. At times, she acted almost like a younger sibling… I guess this is the reason I've grown to tolerate her. But mostly because Mokuba insists she stays. Besides, she isn't that bad of a duelist, and she promised if she got a God Card, she would give it to me.
Now that I really think about it, I'm really not sure why I've grown to accept her so. I haven't even known her that long. And come to think of it… where did she come from? The first time I met her, she just seemed to appear… That stupid intercom came on, interrupting my thoughts.
"All duelists please report downstairs in the lobby at once. The tournament will start once duelists are chosen. Thank you."
****Normal POV****
By now, everyone was gathered around the Blue-Eyes shaped bingo machine, eagerly waiting for numbers to be called out.
"Gomen guys! We can't start until all 10 duelists are here!" Mokuba announced, seeing Isis nor "Malik and Namu" had appeared.
While the guards were talking with Mokuba, Seto caught Bakura out of the corner of his eye. Bakura was glaring down at Yugi, or Yami rather, who was standing in front of him.
Bakura placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, saying only loud enough for the people around him to hear, "Your damn hair is in the way. I can't see."
With that, Bakura pushed Yami aside, stepping in front of him. Yami gritted his teeth while Bakura grinned in satisfaction. Jounouchi stroked Yami's cheek with his fingers as to calm him, not wanting them to get into a fight. Seto edged closer, just to watch if there had been a commotion.
Bria edged closer to Bakura, her big brown eyes studying him carefully. Bakura, who was still bent on pissing off everyone around him, was flicking bacon bits from the buffet table into Mai's hair. After a moment, he felt a tug from the Millennium Ring. It was glowing…
"Shit!"
Emerging from the crowd of duelists, he ran past the guards and behind a corner.
"What the hell is it doing?!"
Bria, who seemed to be the only other person to see the Ring flicker, smiled to herself. Her plan was working perfectly.
Meanwhile, Bakura was shaking the Millennium Ring. The dangling particles were pointing in the direction of the crowd. Sighing, Bakura stepped from behind the corner, wondering what it was pointing at. It still pointed at the crowd, but more particularly… Seto, who was still a small distance away from them. Trish, who had been perched at his side this whole time, trotted into the crowd, joining Bria's side. After watching them for a moment, he rolled his eyes. Ch. Not like he had a problem with gay people. It just bothered him to see that someone who reminded him of his hikari could find someone, and yet he couldn't. He felt another tug from his Ring.
Seeing no one was paying attention to him, he approached Seto, still wanting to know what the Ring had been trying to tell him. Seto's attention was on Mokuba, who was trying to keep everyone calm and entertained while they were waiting for Isis and the others. But somehow, he knew Seto knew he was there…
"I don't see why you put up with them."
"Hn. I only tolerate them because I want the God Cards. Once I have them, I will once again be the undefeatable duelist I used to be."
"…Is that it? …Sorry. I had expected something else."
Seto lifted a brow at Bakura's comment. Bakura knew he wanted to ask, 'What do you mean by something else?' A laugh escaped Bakura. A feeling cut him off… Why did he suddenly feel like this had happened before…? Another tug from the Ring would answer everything.
****Bakura's POV****
The room faded… I felt like I was falling… This feeling lasted only a moment, although it felt much longer. I felt my feet touch what felt like a soft ground. Looking down, I realized it was sand. Sand? Looking up, I saw I was no longer on the Battle Ship, but beside a pyramid that towered over me. It startled me at first, but it didn't take me long to adjust to the new surroundings. All around me were, what appeared to be, slaves. They were pushing blocks and things of that nature, which quickly bored me.
Turning from the sight, a certain building caught my eye. It seemed to be some sort of arena, although not a very big one. The thing that caught my eye about this structure was the Duel Monster hieroglyphs.
I understood now. The stupid Ring brought me to my past life. But what the hell for?
Entering the arena, I realized it was empty. Except for the voices I heard that echoed down the hallway. It was then I realized one of the voices was my own. Of course I followed it, wanting to see what my past self was up to. I wasn't near ready for what I was about to see.
I peered around the corner. Just as expected, my past self was there, still wearing those old tomb robber clothes. But then I caught sight of the priest that was kneeled down in front of him. I was apparently yelling at him for something…
My past self took the priest by the shoulders, pushing him back a small distance.
Previously, the priest's back was to me. But now he was facing my direction, and I could see clearly it was Seto Kaiba! This was a bit of a shock… I didn't remember Seto being a priest…
I then heard my past self speak up again, the tone of his voice surprising me. It sounded as if he were about to cry…
"Tell me! Why were you in the pharaoh's room?!"
"I swear, I was trying to get the gods' spirits from his room! That's where he keeps them!"
"You're lying!"
My past self stepped toward Priest Seto, his eyes full of wrath. Grabbing Seto by the collar of his robes, he brought him close to his face.
"You are in love with Pharaoh Yugi, aren't you?!"
"No! I'd never-"
With that, I watched my past self strike Seto, leaving a red mark on his right cheek. He wasn't done. Gripping Seto by the shoulders once again, he shoved him against the cold stone wall.
"Why? How could you fall for that idiot Pharaoh?! I swear to Ra, I'll kill him!" I watched, almost upset as I watched my past self's body shake from rage and heartbreak. I saw his eyes water… Was I going to cry? Over what? Why did I care if the stupid priest was in love with a dumbass?
Priest Seto placed his hands on my past self's shoulders, which he immediately shrugged off.
"Bakura… I'm not in love with the Pharaoh… I swear, I was only trying to get the gods' spirits."
Priest Seto looked almost as upset as the tomb robber, his eyes watering. The closest thing I had ever seen to this was when Ryou cried once or twice… But that was it. I was about to throw the stupid Ring in the garbage. There was no purpose to this little field trip into the past. This looked like a fucking soap opera!
My past self seemed to calm down a little, kneeling down in front of Priest Seto.
"I don't see why you stand working for that damned Pharaoh. All he does is whine and cry."
"Bakura, once I have received the gods' spirits, I will call them forth and take over the Pharaoh's position. Then I will become the Pharaoh…"
"Is that really all you were doing in there, Seto?"
"Of course, Bakura. You know I love you, and only you."
"Seto… I'm sorry I assumed things…"
Priest Seto pulled my past self into his arms, as if to say things were alright… Priest Seto's hand traced my past self's chin, tilting his head up. With that, he placed a kiss upon the tomb robber's lips. I watched, not sure exactly what to think of what I just witnessed. By now, I was between crying and throwing up. I didn't remember any of this…
I stepped out from behind the stone wall to both yell at my past self and to get a better look. They, apparently, couldn't see nor hear me, for they continued to kiss. I couldn't believe it… in my past life, I had been in love with Kaiba… So then, might he… No way. That's crap. Turning my back to the scene, the stone walls disappeared, and I was back to the Battle Ship.
I felt as though I were in a daze. That is, until Jounouchi's loud, obnoxious voice jarred me out of it.
"C'mon 'ere! I wanna see a duel!"
"Shut up Jounouchi!" Anzu screeched, slapping him on the back of the head.
It seemed that Isis, Malik, and Rashid had arrived. Those idiots really believed his name was Namu… Pfft.
My eyes shifted to my left. Seto still stood there, his attention back on Mokuba, who was about to call the numbers. Deep blue hues glanced down at me, a smile almost forming on his lips. I stood there like an idiot staring at him with my mouth halfway open. Something inside me felt… warm… I now remembered my love for Seto…
"They called your number. Good luck." He said, just as Mokuba bounced up beside him.
"C'mon, nii-sama!"
I felt like my hikari. My cheeks felt hot, although I don't believe Seto caught the blush. I was relieved he, nor anyone, had seen the sight. I only wanted to forget what I had seen… I am in love with Seto Kaiba…
****Ref's POV**** (Kinda)
As they enter the arena, Yami Yugi demands Bakura reveal his true identity, as he suspects that Bakura is not himself. Bakura reveals himself and claims he wants Yugi's god cards. So the duel begins and Bakura just plays weak cards in attack mode until he has three cards in the grave. Then, he plays Dark Necrofear, who is also destroyed. But with it's destruction comes a new field. A dark field which is taking over the arena and who's hidden powers are unknown to Yami.
Bakura explains that with the new field comes it's own "resident spirit" who can possess on opponents monster secretly each turn. If that monster is chosen to attack, it will backfire against the owner and give half the monster's ATK points from Yami's life points to Bakura's. While Yami loses more and more life points by choosing the wrong monsters, Bakura gains. Yugi manages to destroy the spirit by playing a card that forces all equip cards, including the spirit, to go to his Kuriboh, then he destroys Kuriboh. But Bakura plays a card that will add a letter of the word DEATH to his magic and trap card zone after every opponents turn.
Yami temporarily gets rid of the field by reviving Dark Necrofear, but he is quickly destroyed again and not only does the field return, but the resident spirit.
Bakura, playing magic cards on his monster zone as well due to another field effect, has summoned all but the letter H. Yami draws Osiris, tributes all his monsters and summons him. The resident spirit cannot affect him, so Bakura will lose in one attack.
((Yeah yeah, I know. The duel scenes are a bit lazy and vague... Ah well. Next chapter up soon! Please review! ))
****Seto's POV****
Trying to get the incident out of my mind, I began to flip through my cards. Glancing up, I saw Trish sitting over in a corner on the floor, reading a comic book. Her deck was on the floor beside her, along with the Duel Disk I lent to her. At times, she acted almost like a younger sibling… I guess this is the reason I've grown to tolerate her. But mostly because Mokuba insists she stays. Besides, she isn't that bad of a duelist, and she promised if she got a God Card, she would give it to me.
Now that I really think about it, I'm really not sure why I've grown to accept her so. I haven't even known her that long. And come to think of it… where did she come from? The first time I met her, she just seemed to appear… That stupid intercom came on, interrupting my thoughts.
"All duelists please report downstairs in the lobby at once. The tournament will start once duelists are chosen. Thank you."
****Normal POV****
By now, everyone was gathered around the Blue-Eyes shaped bingo machine, eagerly waiting for numbers to be called out.
"Gomen guys! We can't start until all 10 duelists are here!" Mokuba announced, seeing Isis nor "Malik and Namu" had appeared.
While the guards were talking with Mokuba, Seto caught Bakura out of the corner of his eye. Bakura was glaring down at Yugi, or Yami rather, who was standing in front of him.
Bakura placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, saying only loud enough for the people around him to hear, "Your damn hair is in the way. I can't see."
With that, Bakura pushed Yami aside, stepping in front of him. Yami gritted his teeth while Bakura grinned in satisfaction. Jounouchi stroked Yami's cheek with his fingers as to calm him, not wanting them to get into a fight. Seto edged closer, just to watch if there had been a commotion.
Bria edged closer to Bakura, her big brown eyes studying him carefully. Bakura, who was still bent on pissing off everyone around him, was flicking bacon bits from the buffet table into Mai's hair. After a moment, he felt a tug from the Millennium Ring. It was glowing…
"Shit!"
Emerging from the crowd of duelists, he ran past the guards and behind a corner.
"What the hell is it doing?!"
Bria, who seemed to be the only other person to see the Ring flicker, smiled to herself. Her plan was working perfectly.
Meanwhile, Bakura was shaking the Millennium Ring. The dangling particles were pointing in the direction of the crowd. Sighing, Bakura stepped from behind the corner, wondering what it was pointing at. It still pointed at the crowd, but more particularly… Seto, who was still a small distance away from them. Trish, who had been perched at his side this whole time, trotted into the crowd, joining Bria's side. After watching them for a moment, he rolled his eyes. Ch. Not like he had a problem with gay people. It just bothered him to see that someone who reminded him of his hikari could find someone, and yet he couldn't. He felt another tug from his Ring.
Seeing no one was paying attention to him, he approached Seto, still wanting to know what the Ring had been trying to tell him. Seto's attention was on Mokuba, who was trying to keep everyone calm and entertained while they were waiting for Isis and the others. But somehow, he knew Seto knew he was there…
"I don't see why you put up with them."
"Hn. I only tolerate them because I want the God Cards. Once I have them, I will once again be the undefeatable duelist I used to be."
"…Is that it? …Sorry. I had expected something else."
Seto lifted a brow at Bakura's comment. Bakura knew he wanted to ask, 'What do you mean by something else?' A laugh escaped Bakura. A feeling cut him off… Why did he suddenly feel like this had happened before…? Another tug from the Ring would answer everything.
****Bakura's POV****
The room faded… I felt like I was falling… This feeling lasted only a moment, although it felt much longer. I felt my feet touch what felt like a soft ground. Looking down, I realized it was sand. Sand? Looking up, I saw I was no longer on the Battle Ship, but beside a pyramid that towered over me. It startled me at first, but it didn't take me long to adjust to the new surroundings. All around me were, what appeared to be, slaves. They were pushing blocks and things of that nature, which quickly bored me.
Turning from the sight, a certain building caught my eye. It seemed to be some sort of arena, although not a very big one. The thing that caught my eye about this structure was the Duel Monster hieroglyphs.
I understood now. The stupid Ring brought me to my past life. But what the hell for?
Entering the arena, I realized it was empty. Except for the voices I heard that echoed down the hallway. It was then I realized one of the voices was my own. Of course I followed it, wanting to see what my past self was up to. I wasn't near ready for what I was about to see.
I peered around the corner. Just as expected, my past self was there, still wearing those old tomb robber clothes. But then I caught sight of the priest that was kneeled down in front of him. I was apparently yelling at him for something…
My past self took the priest by the shoulders, pushing him back a small distance.
Previously, the priest's back was to me. But now he was facing my direction, and I could see clearly it was Seto Kaiba! This was a bit of a shock… I didn't remember Seto being a priest…
I then heard my past self speak up again, the tone of his voice surprising me. It sounded as if he were about to cry…
"Tell me! Why were you in the pharaoh's room?!"
"I swear, I was trying to get the gods' spirits from his room! That's where he keeps them!"
"You're lying!"
My past self stepped toward Priest Seto, his eyes full of wrath. Grabbing Seto by the collar of his robes, he brought him close to his face.
"You are in love with Pharaoh Yugi, aren't you?!"
"No! I'd never-"
With that, I watched my past self strike Seto, leaving a red mark on his right cheek. He wasn't done. Gripping Seto by the shoulders once again, he shoved him against the cold stone wall.
"Why? How could you fall for that idiot Pharaoh?! I swear to Ra, I'll kill him!" I watched, almost upset as I watched my past self's body shake from rage and heartbreak. I saw his eyes water… Was I going to cry? Over what? Why did I care if the stupid priest was in love with a dumbass?
Priest Seto placed his hands on my past self's shoulders, which he immediately shrugged off.
"Bakura… I'm not in love with the Pharaoh… I swear, I was only trying to get the gods' spirits."
Priest Seto looked almost as upset as the tomb robber, his eyes watering. The closest thing I had ever seen to this was when Ryou cried once or twice… But that was it. I was about to throw the stupid Ring in the garbage. There was no purpose to this little field trip into the past. This looked like a fucking soap opera!
My past self seemed to calm down a little, kneeling down in front of Priest Seto.
"I don't see why you stand working for that damned Pharaoh. All he does is whine and cry."
"Bakura, once I have received the gods' spirits, I will call them forth and take over the Pharaoh's position. Then I will become the Pharaoh…"
"Is that really all you were doing in there, Seto?"
"Of course, Bakura. You know I love you, and only you."
"Seto… I'm sorry I assumed things…"
Priest Seto pulled my past self into his arms, as if to say things were alright… Priest Seto's hand traced my past self's chin, tilting his head up. With that, he placed a kiss upon the tomb robber's lips. I watched, not sure exactly what to think of what I just witnessed. By now, I was between crying and throwing up. I didn't remember any of this…
I stepped out from behind the stone wall to both yell at my past self and to get a better look. They, apparently, couldn't see nor hear me, for they continued to kiss. I couldn't believe it… in my past life, I had been in love with Kaiba… So then, might he… No way. That's crap. Turning my back to the scene, the stone walls disappeared, and I was back to the Battle Ship.
I felt as though I were in a daze. That is, until Jounouchi's loud, obnoxious voice jarred me out of it.
"C'mon 'ere! I wanna see a duel!"
"Shut up Jounouchi!" Anzu screeched, slapping him on the back of the head.
It seemed that Isis, Malik, and Rashid had arrived. Those idiots really believed his name was Namu… Pfft.
My eyes shifted to my left. Seto still stood there, his attention back on Mokuba, who was about to call the numbers. Deep blue hues glanced down at me, a smile almost forming on his lips. I stood there like an idiot staring at him with my mouth halfway open. Something inside me felt… warm… I now remembered my love for Seto…
"They called your number. Good luck." He said, just as Mokuba bounced up beside him.
"C'mon, nii-sama!"
I felt like my hikari. My cheeks felt hot, although I don't believe Seto caught the blush. I was relieved he, nor anyone, had seen the sight. I only wanted to forget what I had seen… I am in love with Seto Kaiba…
****Ref's POV**** (Kinda)
As they enter the arena, Yami Yugi demands Bakura reveal his true identity, as he suspects that Bakura is not himself. Bakura reveals himself and claims he wants Yugi's god cards. So the duel begins and Bakura just plays weak cards in attack mode until he has three cards in the grave. Then, he plays Dark Necrofear, who is also destroyed. But with it's destruction comes a new field. A dark field which is taking over the arena and who's hidden powers are unknown to Yami.
Bakura explains that with the new field comes it's own "resident spirit" who can possess on opponents monster secretly each turn. If that monster is chosen to attack, it will backfire against the owner and give half the monster's ATK points from Yami's life points to Bakura's. While Yami loses more and more life points by choosing the wrong monsters, Bakura gains. Yugi manages to destroy the spirit by playing a card that forces all equip cards, including the spirit, to go to his Kuriboh, then he destroys Kuriboh. But Bakura plays a card that will add a letter of the word DEATH to his magic and trap card zone after every opponents turn.
Yami temporarily gets rid of the field by reviving Dark Necrofear, but he is quickly destroyed again and not only does the field return, but the resident spirit.
Bakura, playing magic cards on his monster zone as well due to another field effect, has summoned all but the letter H. Yami draws Osiris, tributes all his monsters and summons him. The resident spirit cannot affect him, so Bakura will lose in one attack.
((Yeah yeah, I know. The duel scenes are a bit lazy and vague... Ah well. Next chapter up soon! Please review! ))