((A/N: Okay, the story's almost over. The next chapter is gonna be the last. So I hope you like it, and there is a sequel in the making, if you guys want it enough.))
****Malik's POV****
It wasn't long after Bakura had left when I began to realize something… I was making things happen all too quickly.
I now had a new plan… One that might actually work.
I needed Kaiba in my possession once again to go though with this plan. And so, the next opportunity I got, I re-captured Seto Kaiba.
It didn't take them long to realize it. Trish, being the first to notice, went to inform Bakura and Bria. My plan was going along just as intended…
Of course, the three plowed into my shadow room, just as they had the last time. But this time, I was ready.
Kaiba was chained to the wall, knocked out from the high pressure of Shadow Realm energy. All humans are weak to this kind of energy… This is where I realized another one of my flaws.
Bria seemed perfectly fine in a shadow room, which meant she was indeed connected to Bakura, as I suspected. Trish, however, was already showing signs of weakness. Why not get rid of both of them now?
Raising the end of my Tinny Stick in their direction, I placed the two in shadow boxes, forcing them to pass out. I only had enough spirit energy to hold two of them, otherwise, I would have captured Bakura as well.
Plus, I needed to speak with that silver-haired beauty. I licked my lips. His eyes were narrowed in my direction, a scowl upon his face. He was questioning me on what I had done to them.
"They're simply in a shadow box, Bakura. They'll be fine, as long as you obey what I say…"
He became silent as he turned away from me in an infuriated manner. Good slave…
****Bakura's POV****
I hate you Malik. I *hate* you. How dare you capture my hikari and Kaiba twice!
He's trapped Bria and Trish into shadow boxes… I'm sure they'll be fine as long as Malik doesn't crush them. Hmph.
To the right of me, Kaiba had been chained up in the same exact place. Couldn't he be a little more creative?
"Stop wasting my time! Why have you brought me here?"
Malik began to laugh, as if he were avoiding my question. That really pissed me off… Now, he was walking over to Kaiba as if he intended to do something to him. Don't you dare touch him…
"Bakura, do you know how horrible this man is? You know, he used his brother when he was younger just so he could get his way. And even now, all he thinks about is himself. He couldn't even stop the airship when your body was wounded. He didn't care."
What the hell was he rambling about?
"Is there a purpose to all this?" I raised an eyebrow. There had to be some meaning behind his actions.
"I propose we kill Seto Kaiba before his hatred spreads to all of us. What do you say?"
"I don't care. Kill him if you want. His worthless soul means nothing to me."
A stab of guilt began to tear away at my heart. No. I wouldn't let this effect me. Kaiba didn't care about me. Why should I care about what happens to him? He didn't even say thank you when I saved his life…
/Yami, what are you doing? You can't let him kill Kaiba like that…/ Ryou was trying to plead to me. It wouldn't help now. Nothing he says could alter my decision.
//Shut up, stupid hikari! He doesn't care!//
/But Yami…/ I could hear a sob rise within my soul's spirit room. That stupid hikari of mine was crying.
//Stop crying! He's not worth it! Don't you see, Ryou? He hates us! He doesn't even know we exist!//
/That's not true… When he was in our room after I woke up from that dream, he held me… I could tell he cared! I just know he does!/
//Ra damn it! Stop trying to fool yourself, Ryou!//
Malik now stood over Kaiba's unconscious body, the Rod's blade tracing his neck as if planning the way he was going to cut it. Ryou's sobs were only growing louder. The guilt was eating me alive…
/Please! No Yami! I… I love him…/
Something inside me seemed to snap upon these words. I flew at Malik, my hands tightly gripping his neck. He had dropped the Rod, and it now rolled off an inch or two out of Malik's reach.
"I thought *cough* I thought you didn't care…" Malik said between gasps for air. I didn't bother to reply. After a moment or two, Malik's lavender hues rolled back into his head, passing out from lack of air.
Malik's body slid from my grasp. Hey wait, I hadn't let him go!
Blinking, I realized it wasn't I that was out there. I was merely watching from my spirit room. Ryou had taken over the body, and was now doing the last thing I'd ever thought he'd do.
He picked up the Rod, his eyes outlining the blade. I could feel it… Hate. My hikari hated someone? I never thought I'd see the day…
Malik's unconscious body was kicked to the floor and rolled over on his back. Kneeling down, I watched as my hikari pulled Malik's violet shirt up, uncovering his tan stomach. The edge of the blade began to carve into the auburn skin of his stomach, drawing blood. What looked like random symbols became three simple words as the blood began to clot.
"I hate you"
I'd better take over before something else happens. We can't have Malik killed just yet… I still have to torture him later for all this crap he's put me through. Taking over the body, I heard Ryou's sobs die down.
/I couldn't help it Yami… I'm sorry… I just couldn't stop myself…/
//It's alright… I'm proud of you, hikari. You've made your yami proud by actually doing something mean!//
/I'll take that as a compliment…?/
I didn't bother to dry my hikari's tears. I'd leave that up to Kaiba. That is, after I rescue him. Again.
****Malik's POV****
I woke up, feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. My hand passed over my stomach, which seemed to hurt… It felt sticky…
Bringing my hand to my face, I saw the crimson liquid that covered my fingertips. Sitting up, I saw my shirt was stained. Lifting the material, I could make out the words 'I hate you.' Bloody hell… I'd been overpowered again. Back to the drawing board…
Wait. My eyes searched the floors of my shadow room, but it was nowhere! I felt my hands tremble as I felt defeat and shame take over my body. My Millennium Tinny Stick was gone!
((A/N: Sorry... bad sub-titles got to me again. x_e; ))
****Ryou's POV****
Seto's face looked like a child's as he slept… A kind and gentle look replaced that eternal frown, his lips slightly parted…
I blushed as I heard my Yami laughing at me.
//Heh heh, is my little hikari kinky?//
/N-no! Yami-/
//Oh, admit it. You know you want to f-//
Kaiba sat up, groaning and rubbing his head. Bria had explained everything to us earlier, so I'm sure seeing me wasn't exactly what he wanted to see. Yet I remained by his side, ready to take any blame for what others had done.
****Seto's POV****
My eyes eased open, weak from the bright light, as Bakura's form came into focus. That hurt feeling crept over me for a moment, remembering all that had happened.
But a small light of hope shone through. My spirit lifted, feeling the grudge slide back into the shadows. When Malik had me "knocked out", I could hear him talking to Rashid. He was telling him how he had certain people on the ship hallucinate to obey his will. Including me. I wasn't able to hear much because of all the pressure from the Shadow Realm, but I do know one thing. What I saw in Bakura's room wasn't real. There was only one more obstacle to hurtle over.
Lifting my head, I saw Bakura. Big, chocolate brown eyes were staring at me, almost as if he were worried. Silence took over the room, neither of us taking our eyes off the other. Not being able to contain myself anymore, I asked my question.
"Bakura… is it true that- That you're in love with Malik?"
Bakura made a face as if he had eaten something sour. Shaking his head, he replied with a quick, "Oh, no!!"
A smile crept across my lips. He seemed to calm down after a minute, but for some reason, he still appeared nervous. He tried to smile back, but it was obviously forced.
"I was… I was worried about you. Are you alright?"
"Of course…"
I never actually understood the whole Shadow Realm thing, but I do know it's not a place a human could survive. It was Bakura's Millennium Ring that made him able to enter it. So maybe the Ring possessed other powers? Like reading minds?
I hoped not. That's probably why he responded the way he did… Shoving the thought aside, I realized I was turning red. How embarrassing… I opened my mouth to say something, but Ryou had gotten to his feet.
"Where are you going?"
"I… You need to rest."
Before he turned away, I noticed his face. It was red… deep red. Had be been blushing? I knew it wasn't just the lighting this time. I knew what I saw…
By the time I reached out my hand to stop him, he had exited the room. And there went, possibly, my last chance to tell him my feelings.
I wanted to curl up and die then and there. Bakura… Don't leave me… I felt so damn helpless! It was eating me alive!
The sound of the door sliding open and closing was the only noise. Funny, I didn't recall telling anyone they could come in and witness my suicide.
Trish stood above me, her glasses gleaming in the light. Flopping down beside me, she quaked the bed, causing me to lose my position. At the time, I didn't care that she saw me this way. Although I knew very well it bothered her. I usually didn't allow people to know I was depressed.
I felt her hand on my forehead.
"You don't look so well… Is something bothering you?"
I didn't bother to answer. 'Fuck off' were the first words to come to my mind, but I was too weak to say them. My heart felt like it was swelling up like a raisin frying in the sun. It felt so bad knowing you just threw away your chance to telling someone something important.
"Kaiba…"
Trish spoke up again. I wanted to shout at her and tell her to get the hell out of my room, but the pain hurt so much…
Her fingers brushed the bangs out of my eyes, the light above me only getting brighter.
"You know, you'll have more chances…"
I froze. My whole body seemed to shut down as those words escaped her mouth. How did she-?
"You can always tell him later. Now might not be the time…"
My brain turned back on as I began to breathe again. My eyes were now wide, curious to know how she found out. It was almost as if she could read my mind. I didn't need to say anything… She already knew what I was about to explain.
"It doesn't matter who knows, Kaiba. It shouldn't matter. You can feel it, can't you? You love him. You've admitted it before…"
My traumatized and mystified look gave away that I was completely lost. Once again, she knew about my feelings and decided to enlighten me.
"I guess I should have explained this a long time ago… Kaiba, the reason you think I'm so much like you is because… I am you. In a way. You see, after you left the Duelist Kingdom, you became so caught up in your work, you forgot about your love of Bakura.
And so, that part of you that loved Bakura became separate from you, and became me. It's the same with Bakura. He became so caught up in his schoolwork and other things that he had forgotten that he even fell in love with someone… And so, Bria was formed.
We came here to rejoin our bodies, and become the affectionate part of you two again."
Well, that was it, huh? She knew all along. And she never said anything about it. I was torn between irritation and realization… Why hadn't I seen it before? It was so obvious…
She leaned toward me, her eyes meeting with mine.
"There's only one way for us to become one with you…"
((A/N: And what will that something be? -Cheesy grin.- Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. Next chapter's the last! Please review!))
****Malik's POV****
It wasn't long after Bakura had left when I began to realize something… I was making things happen all too quickly.
I now had a new plan… One that might actually work.
I needed Kaiba in my possession once again to go though with this plan. And so, the next opportunity I got, I re-captured Seto Kaiba.
It didn't take them long to realize it. Trish, being the first to notice, went to inform Bakura and Bria. My plan was going along just as intended…
Of course, the three plowed into my shadow room, just as they had the last time. But this time, I was ready.
Kaiba was chained to the wall, knocked out from the high pressure of Shadow Realm energy. All humans are weak to this kind of energy… This is where I realized another one of my flaws.
Bria seemed perfectly fine in a shadow room, which meant she was indeed connected to Bakura, as I suspected. Trish, however, was already showing signs of weakness. Why not get rid of both of them now?
Raising the end of my Tinny Stick in their direction, I placed the two in shadow boxes, forcing them to pass out. I only had enough spirit energy to hold two of them, otherwise, I would have captured Bakura as well.
Plus, I needed to speak with that silver-haired beauty. I licked my lips. His eyes were narrowed in my direction, a scowl upon his face. He was questioning me on what I had done to them.
"They're simply in a shadow box, Bakura. They'll be fine, as long as you obey what I say…"
He became silent as he turned away from me in an infuriated manner. Good slave…
****Bakura's POV****
I hate you Malik. I *hate* you. How dare you capture my hikari and Kaiba twice!
He's trapped Bria and Trish into shadow boxes… I'm sure they'll be fine as long as Malik doesn't crush them. Hmph.
To the right of me, Kaiba had been chained up in the same exact place. Couldn't he be a little more creative?
"Stop wasting my time! Why have you brought me here?"
Malik began to laugh, as if he were avoiding my question. That really pissed me off… Now, he was walking over to Kaiba as if he intended to do something to him. Don't you dare touch him…
"Bakura, do you know how horrible this man is? You know, he used his brother when he was younger just so he could get his way. And even now, all he thinks about is himself. He couldn't even stop the airship when your body was wounded. He didn't care."
What the hell was he rambling about?
"Is there a purpose to all this?" I raised an eyebrow. There had to be some meaning behind his actions.
"I propose we kill Seto Kaiba before his hatred spreads to all of us. What do you say?"
"I don't care. Kill him if you want. His worthless soul means nothing to me."
A stab of guilt began to tear away at my heart. No. I wouldn't let this effect me. Kaiba didn't care about me. Why should I care about what happens to him? He didn't even say thank you when I saved his life…
/Yami, what are you doing? You can't let him kill Kaiba like that…/ Ryou was trying to plead to me. It wouldn't help now. Nothing he says could alter my decision.
//Shut up, stupid hikari! He doesn't care!//
/But Yami…/ I could hear a sob rise within my soul's spirit room. That stupid hikari of mine was crying.
//Stop crying! He's not worth it! Don't you see, Ryou? He hates us! He doesn't even know we exist!//
/That's not true… When he was in our room after I woke up from that dream, he held me… I could tell he cared! I just know he does!/
//Ra damn it! Stop trying to fool yourself, Ryou!//
Malik now stood over Kaiba's unconscious body, the Rod's blade tracing his neck as if planning the way he was going to cut it. Ryou's sobs were only growing louder. The guilt was eating me alive…
/Please! No Yami! I… I love him…/
Something inside me seemed to snap upon these words. I flew at Malik, my hands tightly gripping his neck. He had dropped the Rod, and it now rolled off an inch or two out of Malik's reach.
"I thought *cough* I thought you didn't care…" Malik said between gasps for air. I didn't bother to reply. After a moment or two, Malik's lavender hues rolled back into his head, passing out from lack of air.
Malik's body slid from my grasp. Hey wait, I hadn't let him go!
Blinking, I realized it wasn't I that was out there. I was merely watching from my spirit room. Ryou had taken over the body, and was now doing the last thing I'd ever thought he'd do.
He picked up the Rod, his eyes outlining the blade. I could feel it… Hate. My hikari hated someone? I never thought I'd see the day…
Malik's unconscious body was kicked to the floor and rolled over on his back. Kneeling down, I watched as my hikari pulled Malik's violet shirt up, uncovering his tan stomach. The edge of the blade began to carve into the auburn skin of his stomach, drawing blood. What looked like random symbols became three simple words as the blood began to clot.
"I hate you"
I'd better take over before something else happens. We can't have Malik killed just yet… I still have to torture him later for all this crap he's put me through. Taking over the body, I heard Ryou's sobs die down.
/I couldn't help it Yami… I'm sorry… I just couldn't stop myself…/
//It's alright… I'm proud of you, hikari. You've made your yami proud by actually doing something mean!//
/I'll take that as a compliment…?/
I didn't bother to dry my hikari's tears. I'd leave that up to Kaiba. That is, after I rescue him. Again.
****Malik's POV****
I woke up, feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. My hand passed over my stomach, which seemed to hurt… It felt sticky…
Bringing my hand to my face, I saw the crimson liquid that covered my fingertips. Sitting up, I saw my shirt was stained. Lifting the material, I could make out the words 'I hate you.' Bloody hell… I'd been overpowered again. Back to the drawing board…
Wait. My eyes searched the floors of my shadow room, but it was nowhere! I felt my hands tremble as I felt defeat and shame take over my body. My Millennium Tinny Stick was gone!
((A/N: Sorry... bad sub-titles got to me again. x_e; ))
****Ryou's POV****
Seto's face looked like a child's as he slept… A kind and gentle look replaced that eternal frown, his lips slightly parted…
I blushed as I heard my Yami laughing at me.
//Heh heh, is my little hikari kinky?//
/N-no! Yami-/
//Oh, admit it. You know you want to f-//
Kaiba sat up, groaning and rubbing his head. Bria had explained everything to us earlier, so I'm sure seeing me wasn't exactly what he wanted to see. Yet I remained by his side, ready to take any blame for what others had done.
****Seto's POV****
My eyes eased open, weak from the bright light, as Bakura's form came into focus. That hurt feeling crept over me for a moment, remembering all that had happened.
But a small light of hope shone through. My spirit lifted, feeling the grudge slide back into the shadows. When Malik had me "knocked out", I could hear him talking to Rashid. He was telling him how he had certain people on the ship hallucinate to obey his will. Including me. I wasn't able to hear much because of all the pressure from the Shadow Realm, but I do know one thing. What I saw in Bakura's room wasn't real. There was only one more obstacle to hurtle over.
Lifting my head, I saw Bakura. Big, chocolate brown eyes were staring at me, almost as if he were worried. Silence took over the room, neither of us taking our eyes off the other. Not being able to contain myself anymore, I asked my question.
"Bakura… is it true that- That you're in love with Malik?"
Bakura made a face as if he had eaten something sour. Shaking his head, he replied with a quick, "Oh, no!!"
A smile crept across my lips. He seemed to calm down after a minute, but for some reason, he still appeared nervous. He tried to smile back, but it was obviously forced.
"I was… I was worried about you. Are you alright?"
"Of course…"
I never actually understood the whole Shadow Realm thing, but I do know it's not a place a human could survive. It was Bakura's Millennium Ring that made him able to enter it. So maybe the Ring possessed other powers? Like reading minds?
I hoped not. That's probably why he responded the way he did… Shoving the thought aside, I realized I was turning red. How embarrassing… I opened my mouth to say something, but Ryou had gotten to his feet.
"Where are you going?"
"I… You need to rest."
Before he turned away, I noticed his face. It was red… deep red. Had be been blushing? I knew it wasn't just the lighting this time. I knew what I saw…
By the time I reached out my hand to stop him, he had exited the room. And there went, possibly, my last chance to tell him my feelings.
I wanted to curl up and die then and there. Bakura… Don't leave me… I felt so damn helpless! It was eating me alive!
The sound of the door sliding open and closing was the only noise. Funny, I didn't recall telling anyone they could come in and witness my suicide.
Trish stood above me, her glasses gleaming in the light. Flopping down beside me, she quaked the bed, causing me to lose my position. At the time, I didn't care that she saw me this way. Although I knew very well it bothered her. I usually didn't allow people to know I was depressed.
I felt her hand on my forehead.
"You don't look so well… Is something bothering you?"
I didn't bother to answer. 'Fuck off' were the first words to come to my mind, but I was too weak to say them. My heart felt like it was swelling up like a raisin frying in the sun. It felt so bad knowing you just threw away your chance to telling someone something important.
"Kaiba…"
Trish spoke up again. I wanted to shout at her and tell her to get the hell out of my room, but the pain hurt so much…
Her fingers brushed the bangs out of my eyes, the light above me only getting brighter.
"You know, you'll have more chances…"
I froze. My whole body seemed to shut down as those words escaped her mouth. How did she-?
"You can always tell him later. Now might not be the time…"
My brain turned back on as I began to breathe again. My eyes were now wide, curious to know how she found out. It was almost as if she could read my mind. I didn't need to say anything… She already knew what I was about to explain.
"It doesn't matter who knows, Kaiba. It shouldn't matter. You can feel it, can't you? You love him. You've admitted it before…"
My traumatized and mystified look gave away that I was completely lost. Once again, she knew about my feelings and decided to enlighten me.
"I guess I should have explained this a long time ago… Kaiba, the reason you think I'm so much like you is because… I am you. In a way. You see, after you left the Duelist Kingdom, you became so caught up in your work, you forgot about your love of Bakura.
And so, that part of you that loved Bakura became separate from you, and became me. It's the same with Bakura. He became so caught up in his schoolwork and other things that he had forgotten that he even fell in love with someone… And so, Bria was formed.
We came here to rejoin our bodies, and become the affectionate part of you two again."
Well, that was it, huh? She knew all along. And she never said anything about it. I was torn between irritation and realization… Why hadn't I seen it before? It was so obvious…
She leaned toward me, her eyes meeting with mine.
"There's only one way for us to become one with you…"
((A/N: And what will that something be? -Cheesy grin.- Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. Next chapter's the last! Please review!))