Xatrina
Bakura bent double, throwing up violently all over the flowerbed that he had managed to crawl into.
The figure was across the huge lawn now, and all that remained between it and Bakura was a small, horizontal gravel path.
With a crunch, it stepped onto the path and stood opposite the quivering boy.
Slowly, Bakura gained the courage to look at its face.
He lifted his head, and its stunning features struck him at once.
'It' was actually a young girl, about sixteen like him. She was wearing an arresting, electric blue kimono and small sandals.
Her thick, pin-straight, liquorice coloured hair gleamed with a blue-ish sheen in the pale moon, held in a perfect ponytail down to her slight waist with not a single hair out of place.
Her cropped fringe hung perfectly above her huge, chocolate brown eyes, which nestled warmly in her colourless face.
'Hello.' Said Bakura unable to stop himself, 'You're very nice.'
'Who are you?' asked the girl urgently and quietly.
'I'm...er... I'm a boy.' Said Bakura, knowing that he was at least being truthful.
'Well, yeah...I kinda figured that one.' Admitted the girl, 'Although, you do look a little bit too sweet for a boy.'
Bakura flushed. Well, it was better than being ugly.
'How did you get there?' asked the girl quickly, as a light clicked on in the mansion.
'I fell.' Said Bakura, still being truthful.
'Well – what are you doing here?' the girl was getting impatient and Bakura winced with embarrassment as his mouth ran away with him again.
'Sitting?'
'I – know!' the girl was fighting to keep calm.
'Er...if you want, I'll call the pixies to take me home again, and I won't come back! I promise!' blabbered Bakura mindlessly.
'You're drunk, aren't you?' sighed the girl.
'No.' said Bakura, fighting to keep the girl's face in focus.
Footsteps came hurrying across the darkened grounds.
'Here comes Ma.' Said the girl, 'She'll be sure to send you back to wherever it is you came from, pixies or no pixies.'
The woman came to a halt on the path, staring furiously.
'Trina, what is this scruffy little nobody doing sitting on my flowerbed?' She looked like an older version of the girl, only her eyes were a spooky, luminous green.
Bakura recognised her immediately. She had been in a movie he'd been to see recently! He was sure. Now, what was her name..?
'He's drunk, Ma.' Said the girl called Trina, 'He was walking along the wall, and he fell off.'
'Vivian!' Bakura cried suddenly, 'Vivian Moncrieff!'
'Yes, I know who I am.' Snapped the woman, 'But who are you?'
'I'm...I'm Bakura.' Said Bakura.
'Go easy on him, Ma.' Said Trina, 'I kinda like him.'
Bakura stared at her.
'I'm really, really sorry.' Said Bakura, raising himself to his knees. Now is the time to grovel, 'I didn't want to drink, it was my friend! He made me! I didn't want to be left out! They called me a coward!'
'Ok, kiddo. Calm it.' Vivian seemed touched.
'Sorry.' Said Bakura, 'I just got a bit carried away. I'll leave now. I just wanted to prove to my friends that I was brave. I wasn't actually going to go into your house or anything.'
'D'you think he'll be Ok walking back, Ma?' asked Trina, 'He's a bit, er, unstable.'
Bakura thought hard, but he found he couldn't even remember the way back.
'Listen, I – I don't want to be any trouble,' began Bakura, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve, 'But I'm sort of lost. If you could just let me stay for the night, I don't care if it's even in a shed, just please!'
'Please, Ma.' Repeated Trina softly, and Vivian caught her eye and nodded.
Then she turned to Bakura.
'The door of your bedroom will be locked.' She said, 'If you need the bathroom, there's an en-suite. Though I don't know what the papers will say if they find out.' She added tersely.
Bakura laughed out loud.
'Oh, thank you so much, ma'am!' he smiled, 'I swear I'll never drink anything stronger than root beer ever again!'
He allowed himself to be led across the pale lawn and into his accommodation for the night.
'Ugh! This ain't good.' Groaned Duke, opening his eyes painfully and peering around the room. One hand to his head, he reached out and shoved Téa from his lap.
Heaven knows what she was doing there.
'Come on, guys!' Joey was already bounding round the room, 'Up, up, up! Busy, busy, busy!'
'How d'you do that, Joey?' mumbled Tristan, his eyes only just adjusting to the head-splitting light.
'People, we've got to get Bakura!' exclaimed Yugi.
'Couldn't you layabouts find him?' asked Mai lazily.
'No.' said Yugi, 'We couldn't catch up with him. He could be anywhere, the state he was in. We looked around half the town! Absolutely no sign. He must be in the mansion.'
'Unless he had an accident.' Suggested Téa blearily.
'Oh.' Joey's pale eyebrows shot up.
'We gotta find him!' said Yugi, already halfway out the door.
Bakura's eyes opened to a phenomenal headache.
He swung a leg out of bed, then pulled it back swiftly as the world swayed dangerously.
He closed his eyes again, trying to wish himself back to sleep.
But then a wave of sickness washed over him, and he leapt out of bed, hurrying to the en-suite.
Returning, he heard a knock on the door.
Straining to remember last night's events and exactly what he was doing here, he wandered over to open it.
The girl, Trina, was standing there.
Her face brought back all his misplaced memories, and he blushed and apologised sincerely.
'I'm so sorry, Miss Moncrieff, I didn't mean to give you and your mother so much trouble last night. I offer you my humblest apologies.' He almost bowed, but thought better of it.
'It's fine, Bakura.' She said, 'To be perfectly honest, it was quite interesting. I've never met another teenager before, you know.'
Bakura swallowed.
'You haven't? That's quite intriguing.'
'Well, you know,' shrugged Trina, 'What with my mother being a movie star, I'm not allowed out much. You see, her agent doesn't want people to know she's got a family, or it'll make her sound old, you know?'
'I understand completely.' Nodded Bakura, 'So you're home schooled, eh?'
'Yup.' Grinned Trina, 'Ma wants me to be an actress like her, but-'
She stopped, blushing.
'Go on!' insisted Bakura, 'What would you rather be?'
'I want to sing.' Said Trina quietly.
'That sounds great.' Smiled Bakura, 'I hope to see you again sometime, Miss Moncrieff. MTV, perhaps?' he laughed as light-heartedly as he could. 'But I suppose I'd better be going. My friends will be worried sick.'
He turned to go.
'Listen,' said Trina, halting him, 'I'd like to see you again sometime. Maybe we could be friends. Maybe you could introduce me to your friends.'
Bakura smiled at her. 'Sounds good.' He said, 'Well, goodbye, Miss Moncrieff. Maybe I could call tomorrow? Introduce my friends? Sorry if I'm inviting myself. Well, goodbye.'
He opened the door and stepped out.
'And Bakura?'
He stopped again.
'From now on, none of this 'Miss Moncrieff' nonsense. Call me Trina, Ok?'
Bakura blushed, and turned back to her.
'Trina. Is that short for something?'
It was Trina's turn to blush.
'Xatrina.' She said, 'With an X, not a Z.'
'I've never heard that name before.' Admitted Bakura, 'Does it mean something?'
'My Ma kind of, well, made it up.' She said, turning even deeper magenta.
'Well, I'll be honoured to see you again sometime, Trina.' Said Bakura quickly, 'Goodbye.'
He hurried out of the door, blushing like a prune.
Bakura bent double, throwing up violently all over the flowerbed that he had managed to crawl into.
The figure was across the huge lawn now, and all that remained between it and Bakura was a small, horizontal gravel path.
With a crunch, it stepped onto the path and stood opposite the quivering boy.
Slowly, Bakura gained the courage to look at its face.
He lifted his head, and its stunning features struck him at once.
'It' was actually a young girl, about sixteen like him. She was wearing an arresting, electric blue kimono and small sandals.
Her thick, pin-straight, liquorice coloured hair gleamed with a blue-ish sheen in the pale moon, held in a perfect ponytail down to her slight waist with not a single hair out of place.
Her cropped fringe hung perfectly above her huge, chocolate brown eyes, which nestled warmly in her colourless face.
'Hello.' Said Bakura unable to stop himself, 'You're very nice.'
'Who are you?' asked the girl urgently and quietly.
'I'm...er... I'm a boy.' Said Bakura, knowing that he was at least being truthful.
'Well, yeah...I kinda figured that one.' Admitted the girl, 'Although, you do look a little bit too sweet for a boy.'
Bakura flushed. Well, it was better than being ugly.
'How did you get there?' asked the girl quickly, as a light clicked on in the mansion.
'I fell.' Said Bakura, still being truthful.
'Well – what are you doing here?' the girl was getting impatient and Bakura winced with embarrassment as his mouth ran away with him again.
'Sitting?'
'I – know!' the girl was fighting to keep calm.
'Er...if you want, I'll call the pixies to take me home again, and I won't come back! I promise!' blabbered Bakura mindlessly.
'You're drunk, aren't you?' sighed the girl.
'No.' said Bakura, fighting to keep the girl's face in focus.
Footsteps came hurrying across the darkened grounds.
'Here comes Ma.' Said the girl, 'She'll be sure to send you back to wherever it is you came from, pixies or no pixies.'
The woman came to a halt on the path, staring furiously.
'Trina, what is this scruffy little nobody doing sitting on my flowerbed?' She looked like an older version of the girl, only her eyes were a spooky, luminous green.
Bakura recognised her immediately. She had been in a movie he'd been to see recently! He was sure. Now, what was her name..?
'He's drunk, Ma.' Said the girl called Trina, 'He was walking along the wall, and he fell off.'
'Vivian!' Bakura cried suddenly, 'Vivian Moncrieff!'
'Yes, I know who I am.' Snapped the woman, 'But who are you?'
'I'm...I'm Bakura.' Said Bakura.
'Go easy on him, Ma.' Said Trina, 'I kinda like him.'
Bakura stared at her.
'I'm really, really sorry.' Said Bakura, raising himself to his knees. Now is the time to grovel, 'I didn't want to drink, it was my friend! He made me! I didn't want to be left out! They called me a coward!'
'Ok, kiddo. Calm it.' Vivian seemed touched.
'Sorry.' Said Bakura, 'I just got a bit carried away. I'll leave now. I just wanted to prove to my friends that I was brave. I wasn't actually going to go into your house or anything.'
'D'you think he'll be Ok walking back, Ma?' asked Trina, 'He's a bit, er, unstable.'
Bakura thought hard, but he found he couldn't even remember the way back.
'Listen, I – I don't want to be any trouble,' began Bakura, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve, 'But I'm sort of lost. If you could just let me stay for the night, I don't care if it's even in a shed, just please!'
'Please, Ma.' Repeated Trina softly, and Vivian caught her eye and nodded.
Then she turned to Bakura.
'The door of your bedroom will be locked.' She said, 'If you need the bathroom, there's an en-suite. Though I don't know what the papers will say if they find out.' She added tersely.
Bakura laughed out loud.
'Oh, thank you so much, ma'am!' he smiled, 'I swear I'll never drink anything stronger than root beer ever again!'
He allowed himself to be led across the pale lawn and into his accommodation for the night.
'Ugh! This ain't good.' Groaned Duke, opening his eyes painfully and peering around the room. One hand to his head, he reached out and shoved Téa from his lap.
Heaven knows what she was doing there.
'Come on, guys!' Joey was already bounding round the room, 'Up, up, up! Busy, busy, busy!'
'How d'you do that, Joey?' mumbled Tristan, his eyes only just adjusting to the head-splitting light.
'People, we've got to get Bakura!' exclaimed Yugi.
'Couldn't you layabouts find him?' asked Mai lazily.
'No.' said Yugi, 'We couldn't catch up with him. He could be anywhere, the state he was in. We looked around half the town! Absolutely no sign. He must be in the mansion.'
'Unless he had an accident.' Suggested Téa blearily.
'Oh.' Joey's pale eyebrows shot up.
'We gotta find him!' said Yugi, already halfway out the door.
Bakura's eyes opened to a phenomenal headache.
He swung a leg out of bed, then pulled it back swiftly as the world swayed dangerously.
He closed his eyes again, trying to wish himself back to sleep.
But then a wave of sickness washed over him, and he leapt out of bed, hurrying to the en-suite.
Returning, he heard a knock on the door.
Straining to remember last night's events and exactly what he was doing here, he wandered over to open it.
The girl, Trina, was standing there.
Her face brought back all his misplaced memories, and he blushed and apologised sincerely.
'I'm so sorry, Miss Moncrieff, I didn't mean to give you and your mother so much trouble last night. I offer you my humblest apologies.' He almost bowed, but thought better of it.
'It's fine, Bakura.' She said, 'To be perfectly honest, it was quite interesting. I've never met another teenager before, you know.'
Bakura swallowed.
'You haven't? That's quite intriguing.'
'Well, you know,' shrugged Trina, 'What with my mother being a movie star, I'm not allowed out much. You see, her agent doesn't want people to know she's got a family, or it'll make her sound old, you know?'
'I understand completely.' Nodded Bakura, 'So you're home schooled, eh?'
'Yup.' Grinned Trina, 'Ma wants me to be an actress like her, but-'
She stopped, blushing.
'Go on!' insisted Bakura, 'What would you rather be?'
'I want to sing.' Said Trina quietly.
'That sounds great.' Smiled Bakura, 'I hope to see you again sometime, Miss Moncrieff. MTV, perhaps?' he laughed as light-heartedly as he could. 'But I suppose I'd better be going. My friends will be worried sick.'
He turned to go.
'Listen,' said Trina, halting him, 'I'd like to see you again sometime. Maybe we could be friends. Maybe you could introduce me to your friends.'
Bakura smiled at her. 'Sounds good.' He said, 'Well, goodbye, Miss Moncrieff. Maybe I could call tomorrow? Introduce my friends? Sorry if I'm inviting myself. Well, goodbye.'
He opened the door and stepped out.
'And Bakura?'
He stopped again.
'From now on, none of this 'Miss Moncrieff' nonsense. Call me Trina, Ok?'
Bakura blushed, and turned back to her.
'Trina. Is that short for something?'
It was Trina's turn to blush.
'Xatrina.' She said, 'With an X, not a Z.'
'I've never heard that name before.' Admitted Bakura, 'Does it mean something?'
'My Ma kind of, well, made it up.' She said, turning even deeper magenta.
'Well, I'll be honoured to see you again sometime, Trina.' Said Bakura quickly, 'Goodbye.'
He hurried out of the door, blushing like a prune.