Malik stumbled backward and his back hit a wall. Violet eyes glared
at him through the darkness. Malik laughed. "Is that the best you can do?"
A hand grabbed the black robe he was wearing. Malik looked up... his eyes
flashed a blood red and narrowed.
What... ? I didn't remember that...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3: I Miss You, Malik...
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I own nothing 'cept Mika Ishtal. And she's all mine, no one else's.
Idiot boi: 'Cept me! Mika's MINE! *glomps Mika*
Silver Wolf: Dammit Idiot boy, get offa Mika! You're supposed to be with Nakare anyway!
Idiot boi: *won't let go*
Silver Wolf: Your funeral. *whistles* Dessy! Sick 'im!
Desdemona: *snarls and leaps at Idiot boi*
Idiot boi: AHHHHHHHHH! NOT THE DOBERMAN NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! OUCH! AHHHHH!
This is gonna be one loooooooooooooooooong chaptah... So don't fall asleep, people! *crickets chirp* *looks around* Damnit!
{Bleh blah blah} hikari to yami
[Blah blah blah DIE!] yami to hikari
*~*~*
Onegai- please
Abunai- dangerous
Aibou- (sure ppl know this, but o well) what yamis call their light halfs; don't know the true meaning to this
Hikari- (this too) Light
Yami- (and this...) Darkness
Hai- yes
Iie- no
Sennen- Japanese name for millennium (sennen items); 'sen' means thousand
Arigatou- Thank you
Gomen nasai- I'm sorry
Ja ne- see you
Yamette- Stop
Mou hitori no boku- my other self
Nani- What
anzu- means 'apricot'! HA HA HA AH HA HA AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
yuugi- means 'game' Heh, suits Yugi perfectly. ^^
*~ Thanx to Akei for the jap words and translations!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yami Bakura
That was definitely not in my dream. So how could I remember it? If I was having flashbacks, then... This was just too weird. Too weird.
I kept running until I reached the Kame Game Store. I didn't pause to even catch my breathe. I ran up the doorstep and flung the door open. 'Yugi... We're going to have a nice little talk... And I'm going to get the information that I need by any means possible...'
Yugi Mutou "Is your yami okay? He usually comes to challenge Yami." I said to Bakura.
"Ah! That's what seemed to be missin'! Bakura, where's your yami?!" Jounouchi finally realized what seemed unusual about Bakura. Bakura frowned as a worried look crossed his face. I glared at Jou.
"Well... Um, it's a long story..." he muttered.
"That's 'kay. We don't have ta do anything or go anywhere. We'll listen." Jou beamed in his way that Bakura never could resist. Feeling assured, he began his story.
*~*~*~
"So... your yami was just lyin' there lookin' real scared? Like he had some kind of nightmare?" Jou questioned Bakura. He nodded. Jou thought for a moment. "What could your yami... the tomb robber who fears NOTHIN'... have dreamed abou' that would scare him that much...?"
"I don't know. He wouldn't talk to me. His only answer was 'I'm fine'."
{Yami, what do you think of all this?}
[I'm not sure, aibou...]
Great, even Yami didn't know what to say. Suddenly I felt a cold chill go down my spine, and the feeling something was terribly wrong. A strange, yet familiar feeling...
[Yugi...Something isn't right...Something very wrong has happened...]
{I know. I just had this weird...but familiar... feeling.}
[......... A disturbance in the Millennium Items!]
{Ah... But... }
[I sense a very strong evil, Yugi...]
{Should we tell the others?}
[No...they have enough to worry about with Bakura. I don't think anything is wrong yet... Besides we cannot do anything until he makes the first move. We cannot charge blindly after something we know nothing about...]
{So we're just going to be sitting ducks and let him hurt us or someone else?!}
[I'm afraid we have no choice, Yugi. Until the enemy reveals himself, we'll be going nowhere.]
I couldn't believe it. A thought then occurred to me.
{Yami...?}
[Yes, aibou?]
{Yami, do you think this has anything to do with...you know, that night-}
[No. Malik is...dead. You know that.]
{But... I just... That night was before Malik died. It's strange.}
[...]
So he wasn't going to answer me. He just seemed... suspicious? I didn't know how to describe it. I decided to put it off my mind for now. I was just hoping this wasn't going to end up like Battle City again... Malik... Isis... Bakura... Jou, Anzu, Honda, Otogi, and Serenity... Mai... even Kaiba didn't throw any huge tournaments for a while. Every one involved never wanted to go through it again. It was hell. And I never want to see Malik again. Not after what he did... It was unforgivable.
I heard the bells on the door jingle that indicated someone came in. I was slightly startled and jumped off the couch I was sitting on. I went down the hallway to the door to see who would come to buy cards in the pouring rain. The door slammed shut and lightning flashed, illuminating the figure in the doorway for a split second. Water dripped from his white hair and he glared down at me through his wet bangs. His hand rested on the door still, as though to hold himself steady as his chest heaved from his hard breathing. He looked ready to faint any second. I was speechless. Without a word, he grabbed the collar of my shirt and lifted me to eye level. Yami Bakura's cold eyes bore into my own. I felt Yami move to take control, but I only told him I could handle it on my own.
"Yami Bakura, are you okay? You look tired." I showed no fear in my eyes. Maybe... this one time I can bring out his soft side... Have a friendly conversation with the cold hearted yami...
"Why would you be concerned about me?" He snapped.
"What do you mean? Of course I'd care. You are, after all, a friend. And you can't deny it anymore." His eyes grew clouded with confusion. Then he snapped out of it and dropped me. I felt my feet hit the floor.
"I just don't...understand you, Yugi." he growled. 'He...didn't hurt me...'
I took his arm and led him through the shop to the to the kitchen. He followed, a bit reluctantly, but still allowed me to lead him. I motioned for him to stay put before I went to the closet and grabbed two towels. I rushed back to the kitchen to find Yami Bakura still there with a patient look on his face. I gave a small smile and handed him a towel. 'If he would only smile back...' I thought. He looked at me for a moment before wiping his face with the towel. Then he rubbed his hair half dry then tossed the towel at me. 'A simple thanks would be nice.' His expression was unreadable as he simply stared at me as though lost in thought.
"Are you... okay?" I asked.
"Did you feel that?" he said softly.
"Feel what... ?"
"A disturbance in the Items..."
"Oh, that...Yeah. I... I did."
Again his eyes were clouded with thought. There was complete silence, then he closed his eyes and shivered. Just then, I felt sympathy for him. His body couldn't help but shake. He had just come out of the storm and dripping with ice cold water, after all. "Come on," I said, starting down the hallway. I looked behind me when he didn't follow. "Well, come on! You can come talk with Jounouchi and Mai!" Yami Bakura blinked. I rolled my eyes, smiling, and grabbed his arm again. I pulled slightly. He finally walked down the hallway. I could hardly believe he was listening to me. 'All he needed was a second chance and someone who is patient with him.' I thought. Half way down the hallway, Yami Bakura stopped abruptly. Then he turned to face me. A small smirk was plastered on his face.
"So, what is it?" he sneered. "What do you want from me? Don't give me that look, Yugi. I know when anyone tries to act kind to me, sweet smiles and offers, 'Here, let me help you.' Like I don't know, Yugi! I have lived long enough in this world to know when people act like sappy suck-ups, all happy and nice, they either want something from you or they're teasing you. They ACT nice, but its just a disguise they put on. Mortals turn around everyday and betray each other! And at first it's amusing, but it really DISGUSTS me at how obvious they make themselves. How pathetic they look." "Yami Bakura, that's not it at all!" He only shook his head, unbelieving, with that infamous taunting smirk.
"If it's not, what else could it be?"
"I'm trying to make you happy, get some kindness out of you...You...You got to have a lighter side. And you don't ever open yourself up to anyone...You're a lone wolf. Now that all these conflicting battles are over, can you be a little nicer? Talk to us?"
Yami Bakura stared at me again. I felt he was testing me for some reason. As if he were trying to figure me out.
"No..." he finally said. "Not even you would sink that low."
"Is there a problem or something? I want to know, really!"
"What are you, a shrink?"
"Just talk to me. Tell me anything! Just try it!"
"All right, I will. Hello Yugi. Nice day we're having, isn't it?"
"See, if you could only do it without sarcasm now."
"That's what you want? For me to act like a boring mortal and have pointless conversations with you and your friends? That I would know nothing about because I have absolutely NOTHING in common with them. I don't know anything that goes on in this world!"
"Exactly! They may be boring to you, but you might actually like it better than sitting alone in a corner. 'Lone wolf!'"
"So... you want me... to talk to your friends. Stop being the lone wolf. Open myself to others, right?"
"Yes! That's it!"
"It's totally against my nature."
"Oh, come on! Just sit with us today. It's not like you have anywhere to go."
"And I'd rather eat the Millennium Ring... than to sit talking among fools who act like they feel sympathy for me."
"See, you think everyone hates you. And no one is to be trusted. Just act like one, once! Let's go talk to Jounouchi and Anzu. You know, Bakura doesn't know you're here! Come on!"
"Yugi, I don't know how to act like you or your friends."
"Then act like your hikari!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yami Bakura
Yugi was an enigma to me. He just wouldn't give up on me. And after all I did to him in the past. I knew his friends would act no different. I was surprised, however.
"Hey, Yugi!" a cheerful female voice called out as Yugi and I walked into the living room. I saw the voice belonged to Mai Jounouchi. I didn't do anything and heard a whisper next to me. "Can you not say 'hi'?" I swallowed. What was the point of this? I came here to talk to Yugi, and I find myself obeying him. Why? I couldn't figure it out. So, swallowing my last bit of dignity...
"Hi, Mai."
The blonde smiled at me. "Hello, Yami Bakura. You decide to crash here as well?" 'Crash? Sure, I came here a little disheveled and wet...I certainly didn't crash here though...' "You look tired. You okay, hun?" She ran a hand along my cheek. Again, with that concerned tone. I blinked. I didn't care anymore. "Oh, I'm fine. Despite the fact I'm soaking wet and out of breath from running, and if I were mortal, I'd probably have caught a cold by now, I'm perfectly fine." I said with a smirk. Mai laughed. I never made anyone laugh in my life! Except for Ryou... a few times.
"Well don't worry, hun. We'll take good care of you." she smiled again. Heh. This wasn't that hard. "Everyone's been worried about you." What? Worried... ?
*~*~*~
"...How ironic that we're thirty years old and Duel Monstas is still around!" Jounouchi laughed.
"Yeah! I know!" Yugi said.
"I didn't know Jounouchi was capable of such words. Ironic? When did you pick that one up?" I said, laughing too.
"Learned it from YOU, mate!"
"Really now?"
"Here we are, after all these years, still best friends!" Yugi said.
"Of course, Yug'!"
"You STILL call him 'Yug'?!" Mai said.
"Yeah, some things neva change."
I snorted. "Like your language!"
We all laughed. Yugi caught my eye and smiled. I stopped resisting and smiled back. Then I heard a motorcycle pull up in front of the house. So used to that sound, having been visited by Malik so many times, I half expected the Egyptian to walk up the driveway and open the door, requesting me to play a game of cards or keep in practice with the millennium items with a shadow duel. But part of me was disappointed to know this wouldn't happen. Thirty seven and Malik still owned the motorcycle. It remained untouched now, sitting in Isis's garage. But it wasn't his. The owner's voice was heard clearly as he approached the game store.
"Damnit!"
"Honda, don't get so frustrated. It's a motorcycle!"
"Yeah, but this thing's been breaking down like this all week! Piece of crap! As soon as I get my truck fixed, I know where this thing's going. IN THE TRASH!!!"
"Honda! We're lucky it broke down near Yugi's!"
Hiroto Honda and Shizuka Jounouchi walked into the game store moments later. Honda closed an umbrella after shaking water off and setting it on the floor. He spotted Jounouchi immediately and rushed over to him. "Honda, my man! How ya been? Hey, sis! Has ya boyfriend been treatin' ya right?" he teased. "Of course he has!" Shizuka said. I laughed. "Yami Bakura!" Honda cried. "The one and only." I replied.
"Weeeeeelllllll, lookie here. The gang's all back together again!" Jounouchi said. He was right. If only there was one more... If he was here... 'If he was here! Everyone would be having a blast!'
"All we need is Malik!" Honda said. Mai gave a worried look and glanced at me to see my reaction. Shizuka and Jounouchi glared at Honda. Yugi also glanced at me.
"If Malik was here, we'd all be drunk and we'd be on the floor rolling over and laughing our asses off!" I said to get rid of the tense atmosphere. Then Jounouchi started laughing, uneasily. Honda joined in, a mischievous glint in his eyes and a broad grin on his face.
"And how about the Christmas party? Merry Kissmas to you!" he said in a singsong voice. I blushed furiously.
"I was drunk! It was Malik's fault, he switched the soda!" I defended.
"It wasn't no kiss on the cheek, it was unda the mistletoe!" Jounouchi remembered too.
"And it wasn't no girl, either!"
"Mai tried to kiss me!"
"We were all high! But, really Bakura, you seem ta have a poor memory!"
"Yeah, I remember perfectly. We got it on tape too! A nice photo... You guys were dirty dancing and it looked all wrong..."
"Oh, shut up! He switched the cans when I wasn't looking! He did it to everyone! How was I supposed to know it wasn't my soda?"
"Yami, you don't even drink soda!"
"True, we all weren't thinking straight."
"Oh, look who's talking Yugi! You and the Pharaoh were having a ball!"
"Well, I- I..."
"Oh, admit it! Yami Bakura, Malik passed you a drink and ya switched his Dr. Pepper with beer! And he dumped it on your head when he caught you. Then you grabbed 'im an' practic'ly forced him to drink so much he got all drunk too! Then, one t'ing led to anotha and then he grabbed you and kissed ya on da lips. An' YOU KISSED BACK! Unda' the mistletoe an' all!"
"'Oh yeah! Come here, you sexay bitch!' "
Everyone burst out laughing.
"But that's NOTHING compared to what happened at the New Year's Eve party years ago!" Ryou laughed. "Jou, do you remember when you made Yugi try some beer for the first time! And he was legally UNDERAGE at the time!"
"Ha ha! I remember tha'! He had a time before he went ou' like a light!"
"Poor Yugi just fainted!"
"He sure wasn' like tha' when you gave 'im sugar! He'd bounce around the house, uncontrollable and whipped his shirt over his head, singin' dirty, embarrassin' songs! And when ya stuck 'im in a pillowcase he'd go an' sing 'I'm A Genie In A Bottle!'" We laughed harder.
"But still, what was even funnier on New Ye-ah's was Kaiba! HA HA HA HA HA!"
Everyone recalled the image of Kaiba in nothing but his custom made Blue Eyes White Dragon boxers with a Blue Eyes plush, dancing to 'Fifty Cent' and singing in a horrible, off key voice. This caused Ryou to laugh so hard he looked as if he were in pain, Yugi fell backwards over his chair (I don't think he noticed, for he just kept laughing) and Jounouchi did likewise, only he fell off the couch. Suddenly the world flipped upside down and I saw Mai's face over mine. I tried to stop laughing and got up weakly off the floor. "S-Sorry, hun." she choked with laughter. I threw a pillow at her without thinking twice... or just not thinking at all. Then an immature pillow fight broke out. The Pharaoh woke up from his soul room, feeling such excitement coming from Yugi, and joined in. We were all teenagers again. Yugi found an old CD and thrust it in the CD player hit a few buttons. The music from back when they were all much younger came on. I think it was something like 'Great Charlot'...'Good Char... 'Good...Good Charlotte.' That was it. They all seemed to know the words to 'Boys and Girls'. I caught on and we were all singing to the song. At the end we all fell backwards on the floor, laughing.
I think Yugi had talked to the Pharaoh, for Yami threw a pillow at me when I was lying on the ground, tired(Not having any action lately, no millennium items to chase after, no bad villain role to play, I was grew tired quickly.). He probably wouldn't have dared play with me otherwise. To throw a pillow at my head! The one whom he loathed and despised, and hated... a pillow! I'd think he'd throw something much harder. I believe some of Yugi was rubbing off on him.
But did he think me that naive? Ha!
"Pillow fight's over, Pharaoh." I grunted. He looked slightly disappointed. As if I had said 'You're not my friend, and therefore, I won't play with you.'
'But honestly, does he think he'd get the same response I would have given him had he been Malik? Of course, if he were Malik, I'd be saying 'Forget the child's play, Malik...and bring out the beers!'' Why did I keep thinking of Malik? Because I was reminded of him...? I shook my head. 'Stop thinking of Malik, damnit!' I told myself angrily. 'He'll never come back!'
'But I miss him...'
What was wrong with me?! Memories of me with Malik were whizzing around in my head. I couldn't think of anything else... but Malik.
Malik and I were playing duel monsters on a tree stump in the woods. Malik laughed when I asked him by what freak of a chance he was here, in the same forest where Ryou had brought me with him to go camping. He replied 'Isis said I couldn't survive in the woods alone with no mind slaves or servants... I told her I could and here I am, proving it. And dreading I ever opened my mouth in the first place. It's so boring here. What is there to do? Stare at the squirrels? Throw acorns at them? Control them with the rod? And do what? Make them kill other squirrels?' 'And roast mushalows in the fire and smush them together with chalklate in between two crackers. Tell fake ghost stories. And take photos of the squirrels.' I replied. Malik laughed. 'You mean smores?'
Malik smirked as he switched Ryou's glass of apple juice with a glass of Bud Light. Ryou smiled at a Jounouchi's joke and Malik watched him anxiously as his fingers enclosed around the glass...the cup raised to his lips...tilted...the liquid almost went down his throat...then Anzu called him. He set the glass down and went over to her. Malik cursed under his breathe. Jounouchi came up to him asking what was wrong. Malik continued to fume. Jou shrugged and took Ryou's glass, mistaking it for his own, and drank it in one gulp. His eyes widened and he choked. Malik clutched his stomach and laughed harder than he had laughed in a long time. I laughed too, watching from across the room. Malik fell to his knees with laughter when he saw Ryou pick up Malik's can of beer thinking it was a soda, and choke.
We were on top of a blimp on a dueling field. Yami Malik stood watching us on one end of the field. Malik argued with me. 'Play the damn card! Do you even have any idea what you're doing?!'
'I know exactly what I'm doing!'
'You obviously don't! You're destroying our lifepoints! And your own body as well! Don't you care?! Be more cautious! He is capable of anything! And your recklessness with our lifepoints is going to be our downfall if you're not careful! Remember our plan!'
'Our? OUR?! I'm the one dueling here!'
'Well, fix your dueling skills and quit destroying your own lifepoints! Remember I know everything he knows! I'm his other half!'
Yami Malik looked on amused and gave a low chuckle. A light danced in his red eyes. We turned in unison to glare at him. I knew everything rode on this duel. And so my strategy involved sacrificing some of my own lifepoints...but look where it had gotten us! And, if the worst came to worst and I lost, I would not disappear forever. Part of my own soul resided in Yugi's millennium puzzle. Malik had broken his pact with me, and so I should be able to cheat a bit as well...
'This is Mika.' Malik said to me. I watched as a two year old girl toddled over to Malik. She could hardly walk. And...so tiny... I could crush her with a stroke of my hand. To do such a thing to something so helpless though was a terrible wrong. It was said in Ancient Egypt that to hurt a baby was to be punished by the Gods. I felt a tug at my jeans and looked down. Mika stood staring up at me. My hard brown eyes softened. She looked just like Malik. 'Well, congratulations, Malik. You're a father.' I smiled at him. The only friendly smile I gave to anyone. 'And she'll grow up to be just as strong as you. And you won't have to worry about her having a painful childhood...as you and I have gone through.'
'That is where you're wrong.'
I whirled around and faced Isis. 'My millennium tauk...predicts a painful past for her to live with... and Malik, little brother, your future is unclear...and faint...' Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. 'Her future is filled with pain...chaos...suffering...and many people are dead...because of her...she loses a close friend... and the Great King of Egypt is cowering before her...bleeding...she seeks to kill him to avenge you, Malik... yet she drowns in darkness... is swallowed up by shadows in the end...' Her face was wet now. Glistening tears on her cheeks. Isis was crying...
'You see a dark future for Mika and me?' Malik was shaking now. Isis nodded. 'I have seen it... your death...' she said. Isis looked straight at me. 'Yami Bakura?' Malik gasped.
The memories came faster now, in flashes. I was oblivious to all that was going on in the room. I couldn't stop them coming and didn't feel my knees hit the floor. Parts of memories flashed before my eyes. All of them of me and Malik at different times, different ages.
Then, I saw Malik, terrified and hanging on a ledge beneath me. We were in Egypt, and Malik hung from a sharp rock sticking out of the cliff. "Malik!" I cried. I reached a hand out to him. The memory faded away and I found myself on the ground before Malik. He glared down at me. I noted the millennium ankh hanging around his neck. I remembered this... he was guarding Shadi's tomb. Shadi had left him responsible for the king's tomb. I had come to Egypt to try to try out my skills as a tomb robber in the modern day. Shadi had called me a 'theif king'. Malik looked down at me with such hatred... I glared back and stood to my feet. "You fell me." I murmured. I put a hand to my chest and pulled it away. Blood dripped from my hand and dropped to the floor of the shadow realm. I watched it fall, and continue falling beneath me. The realm had no boundaries, no limits, or laws. And so the drops of red liquid continued falling endlessly, forever, until I could not see it anymore. Malik had gotten a direct hit. Oh, how I remember how the attack had stung, and pain traveled in powerful waves throughout my body. How the numbness spread throughout me. A blast from a sennen item was different from a cut from a knife, or a punch to the jaw. It set your blood on fire, so great it stung that your body grew numb from a direct hit. That memory too faded away. "My will to live? It has gone down the Nile." I said. (A/N: Remember, they didn't have drains in Ancient Egypt. ^^ Doubt our little 'theif king' knows anything about drains. So in my fic, he says 'it has gone down the Nile' and so be it! =P It's mai fic, mai rulz. *watches a paper that says 'Yami Bakura's will to live' float down a random river* Woah, that wasn't supposed to happen...So, anyway, back to the story...) I took the dagger in my hand and in one swift motion plunged the cold blade into my chest directly above my heart. Only it stopped before it broke the skin."Hey! You can't do this..." Malik held my arm back. "Are you forgetting this is Ryou's body?" I growled and tried to fight Malik off. "One more shadow duel..." I said. We were in a different room now, and Malik was older. "Iie. I can't do this anymore... Not after the last time. It is too dangerous." I pleaded with Malik, something I never resorted to. "Abunai? Since when have you been afraid to play a shadow game? One game... Who am I to duel? Isis will not play me, you know I do not like the pharaoh, and Shadi is half way across the world. Plus, I do not even know if he will play a shadow game for fun. Sure, alright, I'll go rob a tomb and see if he'll come after me. Oh, he'll be pleased to know I didn't mean it. Hai..." "I told you, no." "Onegai... one duel..." He snapped his head around at 'onegai'. "Hai... alright." Then it faded... I leaned against an alley wall. Malik turned around. I watched him fingering the millennium rod. The rod I wanted... Malik thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes and spoke to me. He then faded away and his eyes glowed crimson red in the darkness. He glared up at the pair of violet eyes and laughed bitterly. Then I saw Malik on the floor in his living room, blood spilling onto the carpet, as he crawled forward. His hands, covered in blood, reached out and left red handprints on the floor. His platinum blonde hair was tinged a light red. He strove to move forward.
I didn't see where, because I felt cold water splashed on my face. I slowly came to, coughing. Another splash and I my face and hair were drenched in water. This didn't bother me, but what I was feeling. Pain and... something else... filled my heart. I felt a warm liquid trickle down my cheek. What was it... ?
Yami Yugi
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
A scream attracted everyone's attention to Yami Bakura. The tomb robber was lying on his back in the same position he had been in since the immature pillow fight. He put his hands to his head as if he had a headache. I heard a loud thud behind me and Jounouchi came running to Yami Bakura, who was still screaming. "RA, MAKE IT STOP! STOP!" Anzu and Yugi rushed to Yami Bakura, followed by light Bakura and Mai. Honda ran into the kitchen with Shizuka. "I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER! YAMETTE! NOOO-OOOOO!" I moved closer to the tomb robber and shook his shoulder. Yami Bakura had rolled over on his side and drawn his knees up to his chest, his hands still on his head. I could see the tufts of his white hair stick out between his fingers. His face was screwed up in pain. I said his name over and over. "Yami Bakura... Yami Bakura... wake up... Yami Bakura... Come on, tomb robber, wake up..." Then I noticed something. My eyes widened in shock. Yami Bakura never... "Yugi, where's Bakura?" "Here." came the answer. Ryou Bakura squeezed between me and Yugi to kneel on the ground next to his yami. "Yami... ?" The white haired hikari tapped his dark on the shoulder. "Yami... what's wrong? Why are you... crying... ?" Warm tears streamed down the theif's cheeks. "Nani... Yami Bakura... cryin'...?" Jounouchi muttered. Then Bakura was shoved aside and water was splashed on his face. Honda stood with a glass filled with water. "Snap out of it." he said. Yami Bakura coughed. Honda threw the rest of the water at him with an uncharacterly smirk. Shizuka glared at Honda. Yami Bakura finally opened his eyes. They were glassy with tears and wide... what was wrong with him?
Yami Bakura scooted away from everyone until his back hit the overturned chair Jounouchi had tripped over. "Leave me be." Yami Bakura said when Jou made to follow him. He half closed his eyes and then pulled his knees up, wrapped his arms around his legs, and buried his head in his jeans. Thick white hair fell over his face. And he sat there and cried.
Ryou Bakura
I moved over to my yami and sat by him. He was crying...
[Ryou...] he called weakly through the mental link. I looked at him. He hadn't moved a muscle. Must have sensed me through the millennium ring.
{Hai, yami. I'm here. Why are you crying?}
[Ah, that's what it is? I... why do I feel this way?]
{You tell me...}
[What do you sense from me? Tap into the powers of the ring...what do you feel...?]
I didn't know how to control the powers of the millennium ring. I tried, however I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn't surprised when nothing happened.
{I can't, yami.}
[Yes you can!] he tried to sound threatening, and failed miserably.
I tried again, without the faintest idea of what to do. I closed my eyes and held the millennium ring. When still nothing happened I reached out to my yami and grasped his arm in a light grip. The ring began to feel warm beneath my fingers.
Then it came over me, with full force. Such a strong feeling of anguish... he missed someone... so much... yami was filled with great pain, despair, and anguish... such a sad feeling washed over me... I didn't want to feel this anymore... it was so painful... to feel such sorrow... pure anguish...
I let go of the ring and it stopped glowing. I opened my eyes and looked at yami.
[You felt it...? Did you?]
{Hai...}
[Well then? What is it?!]
{Anguish... and sadness... you miss someone...}
[That is true... So, is it anguish, then? I... never felt this way... it's awful... Memories... flooded back to me...... I c-couldn't stop th-them... could-dn't stop what I f-felt... ]
'Memories?' More tears streamed down his face as he lifted his head to look at me. I saw the pain reflected clearly in his eyes. Something needed to be done to help him. He couldn't go on like this, suffering and drowning in tears alone, and not allow any help.
"Come here, yami." I said. Hesitantly, yami leaned forward. I pulled his arm gently and he fell forward completely, his body collapsing into my lap. I suppose his body completely revolted against being in such a helpless position, and therefore, he tried to move away from me. But I held him firmly, my hands grasping his shirt tightly. Yami froze, didn't move a muscle.
[What... are you doing? Let. Go. Of. Me.]
{No. You need to stop shutting everyone out, including me. You called for me, and I am here to help you. I understand you don't want to talk to the others, but you can't ignore me. I am going to help you.}
[Iie.]
{Do you want to feel better?}
[Hai... b- but-]
{Then quit objecting. Here, put your head on my shoulder.}
[Why should I...?]
{Just... do it.}
Yami knew he was in no position to argue, so, feeling a bit awkward, he rested his head on my shoulder, closed his eyes, and leaned against me. I felt his muscles relax beneath my hand. A sigh of contentment escaped him. I wished I knew what was wrong... what caused him to feel this way... Ah, that was it! 'The millennium ring!' I could use it to see his memories.
"Yami..." I said. He made no response. His breathing had softened and was going at a slow rhythm; he was sleeping. I shouldn't wake him... But I didn't want to get a nasty shock when he got angry at me for going through his memories. Then again... I could probably find what the dream earlier was about... and he had said before that 'when the victim is unconscious or asleep it is easier to search their mind.' And so I tried again with the millennium ring. 'Ring... show me the memories of mou hitori boku... onegai... I want to know what is wrong with him... show me what is bothering him so... why he feels such anguish...show me, ring...'
It was useless. 'Come on... work... you work for my darker half... it's about time you work for me...' Maybe I should try a more commanding voice... 'Ring! Show me yami's memories. What causes his anguish. Show me!' Finally I felt the warm glow on my chest.
They came to me with such vividness and intensity it was like watching a movie! Like I was actually there, in the memory.
Eerie, dark shadows danced about me. I walked forward into the darkness. A chill went down my spine. The darkness was so pitch black and dark... it was unreal. How could I be here... ? In the shadow realm... ? No... I didn't want to be here. I hate the shadow realm... I heard a cry of pain and instinct compelled me to run away from the source of the shout. Well, my sense of direction wasn't... very great... I ran almost right into a shadow duel. I stopped abruptly, almost falling forward. I regained my balance and steadied myself. I looked up into the angry face of... Malik.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Silver Wolf: Oh, another cliffie. Oops. *laughs evilly* This is a... very... long... chapter... Heh. Originally, it was combined with chapter 4, but that would just be waaaaayyyyy too long. It's already good enough. So, I leave you to suffer a cliffie. *smirk* For anyone who's reading this, anyway... *cough* REVIEW DAMNIT *cough* Ra, I sound almost as evil as Akei. -_- It's like she has a yami... *shivers* SO ANYWAY...
Had to cut it short. Sorry. I guess I better tell ya now that chapter 4 will be shorter. ^^; Just don't come after me with a chainsaw for saying that; chapter 5 will be longer...with lots of suspense. I'll say no more.
Thanks again Akei, for your help! ^^
I appreciate those who reviewed the last chapters. ^^ A lot, really. I welcome any suggestions and tell me where I can improve!
Remember, check out my artwork at
Go check out Akei's too *cough* update *cough* wink ;)
Review and you get... a cookie! ^^
Malik: A cookie...? Sure, that'll get reviews. -_-
Silver Wolf: Made by our volunteer, Malik! *smirks* Go bake the cookies, Malik.
Malik: WHAT?! O_O
Silver Wolf: You heard me. Go! Take Yami Bakura with you. He's trying to set the neighbor's cat on fire.
Malik: Cool, maybe we can burn the kitchen down. ^^
Next chapter: Ryou has plunged into the large pool of Yami Bakura's realistic memories. He realizes how much a friend Malik was to Yami Bakura and himself. Until he sees something else... the dream Yami Bakura had awoken, shaken and almost terrified, earlier in the day.
Furious Ryou had raided his soul room and looked at his memories and the dream, the tomb robber yanks Ryou back to the present and threatens the hikari. Ryou finds his yami's threats should be taken more seriously...
Stay tuned for Chapter 4: You Can Never Trust a Tomb Robber ^^ Alright, I'll shut up now.
What... ? I didn't remember that...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3: I Miss You, Malik...
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I own nothing 'cept Mika Ishtal. And she's all mine, no one else's.
Idiot boi: 'Cept me! Mika's MINE! *glomps Mika*
Silver Wolf: Dammit Idiot boy, get offa Mika! You're supposed to be with Nakare anyway!
Idiot boi: *won't let go*
Silver Wolf: Your funeral. *whistles* Dessy! Sick 'im!
Desdemona: *snarls and leaps at Idiot boi*
Idiot boi: AHHHHHHHHH! NOT THE DOBERMAN NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! OUCH! AHHHHH!
This is gonna be one loooooooooooooooooong chaptah... So don't fall asleep, people! *crickets chirp* *looks around* Damnit!
{Bleh blah blah} hikari to yami
[Blah blah blah DIE!] yami to hikari
*~*~*
Onegai- please
Abunai- dangerous
Aibou- (sure ppl know this, but o well) what yamis call their light halfs; don't know the true meaning to this
Hikari- (this too) Light
Yami- (and this...) Darkness
Hai- yes
Iie- no
Sennen- Japanese name for millennium (sennen items); 'sen' means thousand
Arigatou- Thank you
Gomen nasai- I'm sorry
Ja ne- see you
Yamette- Stop
Mou hitori no boku- my other self
Nani- What
anzu- means 'apricot'! HA HA HA AH HA HA AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
yuugi- means 'game' Heh, suits Yugi perfectly. ^^
*~ Thanx to Akei for the jap words and translations!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yami Bakura
That was definitely not in my dream. So how could I remember it? If I was having flashbacks, then... This was just too weird. Too weird.
I kept running until I reached the Kame Game Store. I didn't pause to even catch my breathe. I ran up the doorstep and flung the door open. 'Yugi... We're going to have a nice little talk... And I'm going to get the information that I need by any means possible...'
Yugi Mutou "Is your yami okay? He usually comes to challenge Yami." I said to Bakura.
"Ah! That's what seemed to be missin'! Bakura, where's your yami?!" Jounouchi finally realized what seemed unusual about Bakura. Bakura frowned as a worried look crossed his face. I glared at Jou.
"Well... Um, it's a long story..." he muttered.
"That's 'kay. We don't have ta do anything or go anywhere. We'll listen." Jou beamed in his way that Bakura never could resist. Feeling assured, he began his story.
*~*~*~
"So... your yami was just lyin' there lookin' real scared? Like he had some kind of nightmare?" Jou questioned Bakura. He nodded. Jou thought for a moment. "What could your yami... the tomb robber who fears NOTHIN'... have dreamed abou' that would scare him that much...?"
"I don't know. He wouldn't talk to me. His only answer was 'I'm fine'."
{Yami, what do you think of all this?}
[I'm not sure, aibou...]
Great, even Yami didn't know what to say. Suddenly I felt a cold chill go down my spine, and the feeling something was terribly wrong. A strange, yet familiar feeling...
[Yugi...Something isn't right...Something very wrong has happened...]
{I know. I just had this weird...but familiar... feeling.}
[......... A disturbance in the Millennium Items!]
{Ah... But... }
[I sense a very strong evil, Yugi...]
{Should we tell the others?}
[No...they have enough to worry about with Bakura. I don't think anything is wrong yet... Besides we cannot do anything until he makes the first move. We cannot charge blindly after something we know nothing about...]
{So we're just going to be sitting ducks and let him hurt us or someone else?!}
[I'm afraid we have no choice, Yugi. Until the enemy reveals himself, we'll be going nowhere.]
I couldn't believe it. A thought then occurred to me.
{Yami...?}
[Yes, aibou?]
{Yami, do you think this has anything to do with...you know, that night-}
[No. Malik is...dead. You know that.]
{But... I just... That night was before Malik died. It's strange.}
[...]
So he wasn't going to answer me. He just seemed... suspicious? I didn't know how to describe it. I decided to put it off my mind for now. I was just hoping this wasn't going to end up like Battle City again... Malik... Isis... Bakura... Jou, Anzu, Honda, Otogi, and Serenity... Mai... even Kaiba didn't throw any huge tournaments for a while. Every one involved never wanted to go through it again. It was hell. And I never want to see Malik again. Not after what he did... It was unforgivable.
I heard the bells on the door jingle that indicated someone came in. I was slightly startled and jumped off the couch I was sitting on. I went down the hallway to the door to see who would come to buy cards in the pouring rain. The door slammed shut and lightning flashed, illuminating the figure in the doorway for a split second. Water dripped from his white hair and he glared down at me through his wet bangs. His hand rested on the door still, as though to hold himself steady as his chest heaved from his hard breathing. He looked ready to faint any second. I was speechless. Without a word, he grabbed the collar of my shirt and lifted me to eye level. Yami Bakura's cold eyes bore into my own. I felt Yami move to take control, but I only told him I could handle it on my own.
"Yami Bakura, are you okay? You look tired." I showed no fear in my eyes. Maybe... this one time I can bring out his soft side... Have a friendly conversation with the cold hearted yami...
"Why would you be concerned about me?" He snapped.
"What do you mean? Of course I'd care. You are, after all, a friend. And you can't deny it anymore." His eyes grew clouded with confusion. Then he snapped out of it and dropped me. I felt my feet hit the floor.
"I just don't...understand you, Yugi." he growled. 'He...didn't hurt me...'
I took his arm and led him through the shop to the to the kitchen. He followed, a bit reluctantly, but still allowed me to lead him. I motioned for him to stay put before I went to the closet and grabbed two towels. I rushed back to the kitchen to find Yami Bakura still there with a patient look on his face. I gave a small smile and handed him a towel. 'If he would only smile back...' I thought. He looked at me for a moment before wiping his face with the towel. Then he rubbed his hair half dry then tossed the towel at me. 'A simple thanks would be nice.' His expression was unreadable as he simply stared at me as though lost in thought.
"Are you... okay?" I asked.
"Did you feel that?" he said softly.
"Feel what... ?"
"A disturbance in the Items..."
"Oh, that...Yeah. I... I did."
Again his eyes were clouded with thought. There was complete silence, then he closed his eyes and shivered. Just then, I felt sympathy for him. His body couldn't help but shake. He had just come out of the storm and dripping with ice cold water, after all. "Come on," I said, starting down the hallway. I looked behind me when he didn't follow. "Well, come on! You can come talk with Jounouchi and Mai!" Yami Bakura blinked. I rolled my eyes, smiling, and grabbed his arm again. I pulled slightly. He finally walked down the hallway. I could hardly believe he was listening to me. 'All he needed was a second chance and someone who is patient with him.' I thought. Half way down the hallway, Yami Bakura stopped abruptly. Then he turned to face me. A small smirk was plastered on his face.
"So, what is it?" he sneered. "What do you want from me? Don't give me that look, Yugi. I know when anyone tries to act kind to me, sweet smiles and offers, 'Here, let me help you.' Like I don't know, Yugi! I have lived long enough in this world to know when people act like sappy suck-ups, all happy and nice, they either want something from you or they're teasing you. They ACT nice, but its just a disguise they put on. Mortals turn around everyday and betray each other! And at first it's amusing, but it really DISGUSTS me at how obvious they make themselves. How pathetic they look." "Yami Bakura, that's not it at all!" He only shook his head, unbelieving, with that infamous taunting smirk.
"If it's not, what else could it be?"
"I'm trying to make you happy, get some kindness out of you...You...You got to have a lighter side. And you don't ever open yourself up to anyone...You're a lone wolf. Now that all these conflicting battles are over, can you be a little nicer? Talk to us?"
Yami Bakura stared at me again. I felt he was testing me for some reason. As if he were trying to figure me out.
"No..." he finally said. "Not even you would sink that low."
"Is there a problem or something? I want to know, really!"
"What are you, a shrink?"
"Just talk to me. Tell me anything! Just try it!"
"All right, I will. Hello Yugi. Nice day we're having, isn't it?"
"See, if you could only do it without sarcasm now."
"That's what you want? For me to act like a boring mortal and have pointless conversations with you and your friends? That I would know nothing about because I have absolutely NOTHING in common with them. I don't know anything that goes on in this world!"
"Exactly! They may be boring to you, but you might actually like it better than sitting alone in a corner. 'Lone wolf!'"
"So... you want me... to talk to your friends. Stop being the lone wolf. Open myself to others, right?"
"Yes! That's it!"
"It's totally against my nature."
"Oh, come on! Just sit with us today. It's not like you have anywhere to go."
"And I'd rather eat the Millennium Ring... than to sit talking among fools who act like they feel sympathy for me."
"See, you think everyone hates you. And no one is to be trusted. Just act like one, once! Let's go talk to Jounouchi and Anzu. You know, Bakura doesn't know you're here! Come on!"
"Yugi, I don't know how to act like you or your friends."
"Then act like your hikari!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yami Bakura
Yugi was an enigma to me. He just wouldn't give up on me. And after all I did to him in the past. I knew his friends would act no different. I was surprised, however.
"Hey, Yugi!" a cheerful female voice called out as Yugi and I walked into the living room. I saw the voice belonged to Mai Jounouchi. I didn't do anything and heard a whisper next to me. "Can you not say 'hi'?" I swallowed. What was the point of this? I came here to talk to Yugi, and I find myself obeying him. Why? I couldn't figure it out. So, swallowing my last bit of dignity...
"Hi, Mai."
The blonde smiled at me. "Hello, Yami Bakura. You decide to crash here as well?" 'Crash? Sure, I came here a little disheveled and wet...I certainly didn't crash here though...' "You look tired. You okay, hun?" She ran a hand along my cheek. Again, with that concerned tone. I blinked. I didn't care anymore. "Oh, I'm fine. Despite the fact I'm soaking wet and out of breath from running, and if I were mortal, I'd probably have caught a cold by now, I'm perfectly fine." I said with a smirk. Mai laughed. I never made anyone laugh in my life! Except for Ryou... a few times.
"Well don't worry, hun. We'll take good care of you." she smiled again. Heh. This wasn't that hard. "Everyone's been worried about you." What? Worried... ?
*~*~*~
"...How ironic that we're thirty years old and Duel Monstas is still around!" Jounouchi laughed.
"Yeah! I know!" Yugi said.
"I didn't know Jounouchi was capable of such words. Ironic? When did you pick that one up?" I said, laughing too.
"Learned it from YOU, mate!"
"Really now?"
"Here we are, after all these years, still best friends!" Yugi said.
"Of course, Yug'!"
"You STILL call him 'Yug'?!" Mai said.
"Yeah, some things neva change."
I snorted. "Like your language!"
We all laughed. Yugi caught my eye and smiled. I stopped resisting and smiled back. Then I heard a motorcycle pull up in front of the house. So used to that sound, having been visited by Malik so many times, I half expected the Egyptian to walk up the driveway and open the door, requesting me to play a game of cards or keep in practice with the millennium items with a shadow duel. But part of me was disappointed to know this wouldn't happen. Thirty seven and Malik still owned the motorcycle. It remained untouched now, sitting in Isis's garage. But it wasn't his. The owner's voice was heard clearly as he approached the game store.
"Damnit!"
"Honda, don't get so frustrated. It's a motorcycle!"
"Yeah, but this thing's been breaking down like this all week! Piece of crap! As soon as I get my truck fixed, I know where this thing's going. IN THE TRASH!!!"
"Honda! We're lucky it broke down near Yugi's!"
Hiroto Honda and Shizuka Jounouchi walked into the game store moments later. Honda closed an umbrella after shaking water off and setting it on the floor. He spotted Jounouchi immediately and rushed over to him. "Honda, my man! How ya been? Hey, sis! Has ya boyfriend been treatin' ya right?" he teased. "Of course he has!" Shizuka said. I laughed. "Yami Bakura!" Honda cried. "The one and only." I replied.
"Weeeeeelllllll, lookie here. The gang's all back together again!" Jounouchi said. He was right. If only there was one more... If he was here... 'If he was here! Everyone would be having a blast!'
"All we need is Malik!" Honda said. Mai gave a worried look and glanced at me to see my reaction. Shizuka and Jounouchi glared at Honda. Yugi also glanced at me.
"If Malik was here, we'd all be drunk and we'd be on the floor rolling over and laughing our asses off!" I said to get rid of the tense atmosphere. Then Jounouchi started laughing, uneasily. Honda joined in, a mischievous glint in his eyes and a broad grin on his face.
"And how about the Christmas party? Merry Kissmas to you!" he said in a singsong voice. I blushed furiously.
"I was drunk! It was Malik's fault, he switched the soda!" I defended.
"It wasn't no kiss on the cheek, it was unda the mistletoe!" Jounouchi remembered too.
"And it wasn't no girl, either!"
"Mai tried to kiss me!"
"We were all high! But, really Bakura, you seem ta have a poor memory!"
"Yeah, I remember perfectly. We got it on tape too! A nice photo... You guys were dirty dancing and it looked all wrong..."
"Oh, shut up! He switched the cans when I wasn't looking! He did it to everyone! How was I supposed to know it wasn't my soda?"
"Yami, you don't even drink soda!"
"True, we all weren't thinking straight."
"Oh, look who's talking Yugi! You and the Pharaoh were having a ball!"
"Well, I- I..."
"Oh, admit it! Yami Bakura, Malik passed you a drink and ya switched his Dr. Pepper with beer! And he dumped it on your head when he caught you. Then you grabbed 'im an' practic'ly forced him to drink so much he got all drunk too! Then, one t'ing led to anotha and then he grabbed you and kissed ya on da lips. An' YOU KISSED BACK! Unda' the mistletoe an' all!"
"'Oh yeah! Come here, you sexay bitch!' "
Everyone burst out laughing.
"But that's NOTHING compared to what happened at the New Year's Eve party years ago!" Ryou laughed. "Jou, do you remember when you made Yugi try some beer for the first time! And he was legally UNDERAGE at the time!"
"Ha ha! I remember tha'! He had a time before he went ou' like a light!"
"Poor Yugi just fainted!"
"He sure wasn' like tha' when you gave 'im sugar! He'd bounce around the house, uncontrollable and whipped his shirt over his head, singin' dirty, embarrassin' songs! And when ya stuck 'im in a pillowcase he'd go an' sing 'I'm A Genie In A Bottle!'" We laughed harder.
"But still, what was even funnier on New Ye-ah's was Kaiba! HA HA HA HA HA!"
Everyone recalled the image of Kaiba in nothing but his custom made Blue Eyes White Dragon boxers with a Blue Eyes plush, dancing to 'Fifty Cent' and singing in a horrible, off key voice. This caused Ryou to laugh so hard he looked as if he were in pain, Yugi fell backwards over his chair (I don't think he noticed, for he just kept laughing) and Jounouchi did likewise, only he fell off the couch. Suddenly the world flipped upside down and I saw Mai's face over mine. I tried to stop laughing and got up weakly off the floor. "S-Sorry, hun." she choked with laughter. I threw a pillow at her without thinking twice... or just not thinking at all. Then an immature pillow fight broke out. The Pharaoh woke up from his soul room, feeling such excitement coming from Yugi, and joined in. We were all teenagers again. Yugi found an old CD and thrust it in the CD player hit a few buttons. The music from back when they were all much younger came on. I think it was something like 'Great Charlot'...'Good Char... 'Good...Good Charlotte.' That was it. They all seemed to know the words to 'Boys and Girls'. I caught on and we were all singing to the song. At the end we all fell backwards on the floor, laughing.
I think Yugi had talked to the Pharaoh, for Yami threw a pillow at me when I was lying on the ground, tired(Not having any action lately, no millennium items to chase after, no bad villain role to play, I was grew tired quickly.). He probably wouldn't have dared play with me otherwise. To throw a pillow at my head! The one whom he loathed and despised, and hated... a pillow! I'd think he'd throw something much harder. I believe some of Yugi was rubbing off on him.
But did he think me that naive? Ha!
"Pillow fight's over, Pharaoh." I grunted. He looked slightly disappointed. As if I had said 'You're not my friend, and therefore, I won't play with you.'
'But honestly, does he think he'd get the same response I would have given him had he been Malik? Of course, if he were Malik, I'd be saying 'Forget the child's play, Malik...and bring out the beers!'' Why did I keep thinking of Malik? Because I was reminded of him...? I shook my head. 'Stop thinking of Malik, damnit!' I told myself angrily. 'He'll never come back!'
'But I miss him...'
What was wrong with me?! Memories of me with Malik were whizzing around in my head. I couldn't think of anything else... but Malik.
Malik and I were playing duel monsters on a tree stump in the woods. Malik laughed when I asked him by what freak of a chance he was here, in the same forest where Ryou had brought me with him to go camping. He replied 'Isis said I couldn't survive in the woods alone with no mind slaves or servants... I told her I could and here I am, proving it. And dreading I ever opened my mouth in the first place. It's so boring here. What is there to do? Stare at the squirrels? Throw acorns at them? Control them with the rod? And do what? Make them kill other squirrels?' 'And roast mushalows in the fire and smush them together with chalklate in between two crackers. Tell fake ghost stories. And take photos of the squirrels.' I replied. Malik laughed. 'You mean smores?'
Malik smirked as he switched Ryou's glass of apple juice with a glass of Bud Light. Ryou smiled at a Jounouchi's joke and Malik watched him anxiously as his fingers enclosed around the glass...the cup raised to his lips...tilted...the liquid almost went down his throat...then Anzu called him. He set the glass down and went over to her. Malik cursed under his breathe. Jounouchi came up to him asking what was wrong. Malik continued to fume. Jou shrugged and took Ryou's glass, mistaking it for his own, and drank it in one gulp. His eyes widened and he choked. Malik clutched his stomach and laughed harder than he had laughed in a long time. I laughed too, watching from across the room. Malik fell to his knees with laughter when he saw Ryou pick up Malik's can of beer thinking it was a soda, and choke.
We were on top of a blimp on a dueling field. Yami Malik stood watching us on one end of the field. Malik argued with me. 'Play the damn card! Do you even have any idea what you're doing?!'
'I know exactly what I'm doing!'
'You obviously don't! You're destroying our lifepoints! And your own body as well! Don't you care?! Be more cautious! He is capable of anything! And your recklessness with our lifepoints is going to be our downfall if you're not careful! Remember our plan!'
'Our? OUR?! I'm the one dueling here!'
'Well, fix your dueling skills and quit destroying your own lifepoints! Remember I know everything he knows! I'm his other half!'
Yami Malik looked on amused and gave a low chuckle. A light danced in his red eyes. We turned in unison to glare at him. I knew everything rode on this duel. And so my strategy involved sacrificing some of my own lifepoints...but look where it had gotten us! And, if the worst came to worst and I lost, I would not disappear forever. Part of my own soul resided in Yugi's millennium puzzle. Malik had broken his pact with me, and so I should be able to cheat a bit as well...
'This is Mika.' Malik said to me. I watched as a two year old girl toddled over to Malik. She could hardly walk. And...so tiny... I could crush her with a stroke of my hand. To do such a thing to something so helpless though was a terrible wrong. It was said in Ancient Egypt that to hurt a baby was to be punished by the Gods. I felt a tug at my jeans and looked down. Mika stood staring up at me. My hard brown eyes softened. She looked just like Malik. 'Well, congratulations, Malik. You're a father.' I smiled at him. The only friendly smile I gave to anyone. 'And she'll grow up to be just as strong as you. And you won't have to worry about her having a painful childhood...as you and I have gone through.'
'That is where you're wrong.'
I whirled around and faced Isis. 'My millennium tauk...predicts a painful past for her to live with... and Malik, little brother, your future is unclear...and faint...' Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. 'Her future is filled with pain...chaos...suffering...and many people are dead...because of her...she loses a close friend... and the Great King of Egypt is cowering before her...bleeding...she seeks to kill him to avenge you, Malik... yet she drowns in darkness... is swallowed up by shadows in the end...' Her face was wet now. Glistening tears on her cheeks. Isis was crying...
'You see a dark future for Mika and me?' Malik was shaking now. Isis nodded. 'I have seen it... your death...' she said. Isis looked straight at me. 'Yami Bakura?' Malik gasped.
The memories came faster now, in flashes. I was oblivious to all that was going on in the room. I couldn't stop them coming and didn't feel my knees hit the floor. Parts of memories flashed before my eyes. All of them of me and Malik at different times, different ages.
Then, I saw Malik, terrified and hanging on a ledge beneath me. We were in Egypt, and Malik hung from a sharp rock sticking out of the cliff. "Malik!" I cried. I reached a hand out to him. The memory faded away and I found myself on the ground before Malik. He glared down at me. I noted the millennium ankh hanging around his neck. I remembered this... he was guarding Shadi's tomb. Shadi had left him responsible for the king's tomb. I had come to Egypt to try to try out my skills as a tomb robber in the modern day. Shadi had called me a 'theif king'. Malik looked down at me with such hatred... I glared back and stood to my feet. "You fell me." I murmured. I put a hand to my chest and pulled it away. Blood dripped from my hand and dropped to the floor of the shadow realm. I watched it fall, and continue falling beneath me. The realm had no boundaries, no limits, or laws. And so the drops of red liquid continued falling endlessly, forever, until I could not see it anymore. Malik had gotten a direct hit. Oh, how I remember how the attack had stung, and pain traveled in powerful waves throughout my body. How the numbness spread throughout me. A blast from a sennen item was different from a cut from a knife, or a punch to the jaw. It set your blood on fire, so great it stung that your body grew numb from a direct hit. That memory too faded away. "My will to live? It has gone down the Nile." I said. (A/N: Remember, they didn't have drains in Ancient Egypt. ^^ Doubt our little 'theif king' knows anything about drains. So in my fic, he says 'it has gone down the Nile' and so be it! =P It's mai fic, mai rulz. *watches a paper that says 'Yami Bakura's will to live' float down a random river* Woah, that wasn't supposed to happen...So, anyway, back to the story...) I took the dagger in my hand and in one swift motion plunged the cold blade into my chest directly above my heart. Only it stopped before it broke the skin."Hey! You can't do this..." Malik held my arm back. "Are you forgetting this is Ryou's body?" I growled and tried to fight Malik off. "One more shadow duel..." I said. We were in a different room now, and Malik was older. "Iie. I can't do this anymore... Not after the last time. It is too dangerous." I pleaded with Malik, something I never resorted to. "Abunai? Since when have you been afraid to play a shadow game? One game... Who am I to duel? Isis will not play me, you know I do not like the pharaoh, and Shadi is half way across the world. Plus, I do not even know if he will play a shadow game for fun. Sure, alright, I'll go rob a tomb and see if he'll come after me. Oh, he'll be pleased to know I didn't mean it. Hai..." "I told you, no." "Onegai... one duel..." He snapped his head around at 'onegai'. "Hai... alright." Then it faded... I leaned against an alley wall. Malik turned around. I watched him fingering the millennium rod. The rod I wanted... Malik thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes and spoke to me. He then faded away and his eyes glowed crimson red in the darkness. He glared up at the pair of violet eyes and laughed bitterly. Then I saw Malik on the floor in his living room, blood spilling onto the carpet, as he crawled forward. His hands, covered in blood, reached out and left red handprints on the floor. His platinum blonde hair was tinged a light red. He strove to move forward.
I didn't see where, because I felt cold water splashed on my face. I slowly came to, coughing. Another splash and I my face and hair were drenched in water. This didn't bother me, but what I was feeling. Pain and... something else... filled my heart. I felt a warm liquid trickle down my cheek. What was it... ?
Yami Yugi
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
A scream attracted everyone's attention to Yami Bakura. The tomb robber was lying on his back in the same position he had been in since the immature pillow fight. He put his hands to his head as if he had a headache. I heard a loud thud behind me and Jounouchi came running to Yami Bakura, who was still screaming. "RA, MAKE IT STOP! STOP!" Anzu and Yugi rushed to Yami Bakura, followed by light Bakura and Mai. Honda ran into the kitchen with Shizuka. "I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER! YAMETTE! NOOO-OOOOO!" I moved closer to the tomb robber and shook his shoulder. Yami Bakura had rolled over on his side and drawn his knees up to his chest, his hands still on his head. I could see the tufts of his white hair stick out between his fingers. His face was screwed up in pain. I said his name over and over. "Yami Bakura... Yami Bakura... wake up... Yami Bakura... Come on, tomb robber, wake up..." Then I noticed something. My eyes widened in shock. Yami Bakura never... "Yugi, where's Bakura?" "Here." came the answer. Ryou Bakura squeezed between me and Yugi to kneel on the ground next to his yami. "Yami... ?" The white haired hikari tapped his dark on the shoulder. "Yami... what's wrong? Why are you... crying... ?" Warm tears streamed down the theif's cheeks. "Nani... Yami Bakura... cryin'...?" Jounouchi muttered. Then Bakura was shoved aside and water was splashed on his face. Honda stood with a glass filled with water. "Snap out of it." he said. Yami Bakura coughed. Honda threw the rest of the water at him with an uncharacterly smirk. Shizuka glared at Honda. Yami Bakura finally opened his eyes. They were glassy with tears and wide... what was wrong with him?
Yami Bakura scooted away from everyone until his back hit the overturned chair Jounouchi had tripped over. "Leave me be." Yami Bakura said when Jou made to follow him. He half closed his eyes and then pulled his knees up, wrapped his arms around his legs, and buried his head in his jeans. Thick white hair fell over his face. And he sat there and cried.
Ryou Bakura
I moved over to my yami and sat by him. He was crying...
[Ryou...] he called weakly through the mental link. I looked at him. He hadn't moved a muscle. Must have sensed me through the millennium ring.
{Hai, yami. I'm here. Why are you crying?}
[Ah, that's what it is? I... why do I feel this way?]
{You tell me...}
[What do you sense from me? Tap into the powers of the ring...what do you feel...?]
I didn't know how to control the powers of the millennium ring. I tried, however I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn't surprised when nothing happened.
{I can't, yami.}
[Yes you can!] he tried to sound threatening, and failed miserably.
I tried again, without the faintest idea of what to do. I closed my eyes and held the millennium ring. When still nothing happened I reached out to my yami and grasped his arm in a light grip. The ring began to feel warm beneath my fingers.
Then it came over me, with full force. Such a strong feeling of anguish... he missed someone... so much... yami was filled with great pain, despair, and anguish... such a sad feeling washed over me... I didn't want to feel this anymore... it was so painful... to feel such sorrow... pure anguish...
I let go of the ring and it stopped glowing. I opened my eyes and looked at yami.
[You felt it...? Did you?]
{Hai...}
[Well then? What is it?!]
{Anguish... and sadness... you miss someone...}
[That is true... So, is it anguish, then? I... never felt this way... it's awful... Memories... flooded back to me...... I c-couldn't stop th-them... could-dn't stop what I f-felt... ]
'Memories?' More tears streamed down his face as he lifted his head to look at me. I saw the pain reflected clearly in his eyes. Something needed to be done to help him. He couldn't go on like this, suffering and drowning in tears alone, and not allow any help.
"Come here, yami." I said. Hesitantly, yami leaned forward. I pulled his arm gently and he fell forward completely, his body collapsing into my lap. I suppose his body completely revolted against being in such a helpless position, and therefore, he tried to move away from me. But I held him firmly, my hands grasping his shirt tightly. Yami froze, didn't move a muscle.
[What... are you doing? Let. Go. Of. Me.]
{No. You need to stop shutting everyone out, including me. You called for me, and I am here to help you. I understand you don't want to talk to the others, but you can't ignore me. I am going to help you.}
[Iie.]
{Do you want to feel better?}
[Hai... b- but-]
{Then quit objecting. Here, put your head on my shoulder.}
[Why should I...?]
{Just... do it.}
Yami knew he was in no position to argue, so, feeling a bit awkward, he rested his head on my shoulder, closed his eyes, and leaned against me. I felt his muscles relax beneath my hand. A sigh of contentment escaped him. I wished I knew what was wrong... what caused him to feel this way... Ah, that was it! 'The millennium ring!' I could use it to see his memories.
"Yami..." I said. He made no response. His breathing had softened and was going at a slow rhythm; he was sleeping. I shouldn't wake him... But I didn't want to get a nasty shock when he got angry at me for going through his memories. Then again... I could probably find what the dream earlier was about... and he had said before that 'when the victim is unconscious or asleep it is easier to search their mind.' And so I tried again with the millennium ring. 'Ring... show me the memories of mou hitori boku... onegai... I want to know what is wrong with him... show me what is bothering him so... why he feels such anguish...show me, ring...'
It was useless. 'Come on... work... you work for my darker half... it's about time you work for me...' Maybe I should try a more commanding voice... 'Ring! Show me yami's memories. What causes his anguish. Show me!' Finally I felt the warm glow on my chest.
They came to me with such vividness and intensity it was like watching a movie! Like I was actually there, in the memory.
Eerie, dark shadows danced about me. I walked forward into the darkness. A chill went down my spine. The darkness was so pitch black and dark... it was unreal. How could I be here... ? In the shadow realm... ? No... I didn't want to be here. I hate the shadow realm... I heard a cry of pain and instinct compelled me to run away from the source of the shout. Well, my sense of direction wasn't... very great... I ran almost right into a shadow duel. I stopped abruptly, almost falling forward. I regained my balance and steadied myself. I looked up into the angry face of... Malik.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Silver Wolf: Oh, another cliffie. Oops. *laughs evilly* This is a... very... long... chapter... Heh. Originally, it was combined with chapter 4, but that would just be waaaaayyyyy too long. It's already good enough. So, I leave you to suffer a cliffie. *smirk* For anyone who's reading this, anyway... *cough* REVIEW DAMNIT *cough* Ra, I sound almost as evil as Akei. -_- It's like she has a yami... *shivers* SO ANYWAY...
Had to cut it short. Sorry. I guess I better tell ya now that chapter 4 will be shorter. ^^; Just don't come after me with a chainsaw for saying that; chapter 5 will be longer...with lots of suspense. I'll say no more.
Thanks again Akei, for your help! ^^
I appreciate those who reviewed the last chapters. ^^ A lot, really. I welcome any suggestions and tell me where I can improve!
Remember, check out my artwork at
Go check out Akei's too *cough* update *cough* wink ;)
Review and you get... a cookie! ^^
Malik: A cookie...? Sure, that'll get reviews. -_-
Silver Wolf: Made by our volunteer, Malik! *smirks* Go bake the cookies, Malik.
Malik: WHAT?! O_O
Silver Wolf: You heard me. Go! Take Yami Bakura with you. He's trying to set the neighbor's cat on fire.
Malik: Cool, maybe we can burn the kitchen down. ^^
Next chapter: Ryou has plunged into the large pool of Yami Bakura's realistic memories. He realizes how much a friend Malik was to Yami Bakura and himself. Until he sees something else... the dream Yami Bakura had awoken, shaken and almost terrified, earlier in the day.
Furious Ryou had raided his soul room and looked at his memories and the dream, the tomb robber yanks Ryou back to the present and threatens the hikari. Ryou finds his yami's threats should be taken more seriously...
Stay tuned for Chapter 4: You Can Never Trust a Tomb Robber ^^ Alright, I'll shut up now.