Fun, for once
Bakura and Xatrina sat themselves down on a bench, sheltered beneath the snow-thick branches of a tall evergreen.
'Bakura, do you think it could have been one of your friends?' asked Trina after a while.
'Out of the question.' Bakura barely waited till she had finished, 'You know that as well as I do, and you've only known them a few days. Of course, Tristan has his funny moments, and Joey can get a little carried away, and maybe even Duke can blow his top on the occasion, but none of them would send you death threats.'
Trina nodded, understanding.
'Maybe it was a servant here.' She thought, 'I mean, we've recently employed some new staff – they could be working undercover for the media or something.'
Bakura nodded this time, guiltily knowing that they were all innocent.
'Well, perhaps one of them was just trying their hand at some poetry.' He suggested, 'I think that we're getting a little bit paranoid. Perhaps it really is nothing.'
'Hmm.' Agreed Trina, 'Maybe we should wait until tomorrow. If nothing else comes up, we'll just forget about it.'
She stood up and wandered a little way down the path.
Bakura smiled. She just wanted to get on with life. She'd missed out on so much of it so far.
He lay back on the bench, smiling stupidly at the snow laden canopy.
SWOOSH!
Bakura scrambled spluttering from the pile of snow that had just collapsed upon him.
Trina stood cackling, still gripping the branch she'd shaken to cause the avalanche. She'd snuck up on him!
'Right you!' Bakura picked himself up, shaking the moist, white powder from his clothes.
Trina shrieked and ran, and Bakura followed.
They ploughed across the white lawn, Bakura gaining on Xatrina all the while.
Finally he leapt for her, grabbing her around the waist in a football tackle.
They both fell into the snow with a muffled thud.
Trina grabbed a fistful of snow and splattered it in Bakura's face. Bakura did the same to her and soon a wild snowball fight was unleashed.
A few minutes later, Bakura lay back, exhausted, in the cold snow.
To his surprise, Trina lay down beside him.
'You know,' she began, 'We should take pictures. It's such a nice day. I want something to remember it by.'
Bakura nodded.
'Yes. I'm rather fond of photography.' He admitted.
'We could borrow Ma's camera.' Suggested Trina.
'I'll get the other fellows out here.' Said Bakura, 'We could all have fun in the snow and take some photographs.'
'Fine, but I want a picture of just you and me as well.' Insisted Trina.
'You're not exactly subtle, are you?' teased Bakura. Trina slapped more snow in his face.
A little while later, Joey, Yugi, Tristan, Téa, Serenity, Duke, Mai, Bakura and Xatrina were all messing about outside, each of them, to Duke's disgust especially, plastered with snow.
'Everybody say cheese!' shouted Bakura.
The gang froze and looked up in surprise, only to be blinded by a flash from Vivian's digital camera that Bakura now held in his icy hands.
'Oooh! This is certainly one for your eighteenth birthday, Joey!' he laughed at the photograph that was now on display on the screen.
'Wha'? Gimme that!' Joey snatched the camera. 'Oh, man! You are so deleting that one!'
Téa, Serenity and Duke turned back to the 'snowMai' that they were making. It was actually quite skilfully built, although certain parts were slightly out of proportion ('I'm not that big there!' blushed Mai).
Bakura took a shot of them laughing at the resemblance between her and it, then turned to Téa.
'I've got a favour to ask of you.' He said quietly to her, 'And don't say 'why me?'. I'd like you to take a picture of Xatrina and I, without anyone else. It was her idea.' He added.
'How about a couple of you guys on the bench?' Téa asked loudly.
'Yeah!' laughed Duke, 'The cute couple, Bakura and Xatrina!'
Sly old Téa, thought Bakura to himself, She knew Duke would come out with that.
'Fine.' He sighed, 'Come on, Trina. They want a picture of us.'
Trina immediately stopped laughing at the completed 'snowMai' and bounded through the snow to join him.
They sat down together on the wooden bench, and Bakura blushed as Trina looped an arm round his shoulders.
'Sit on his knee!' whooped Tristan, but Téa disagreed with him.
'I think that's fine.' She said.
'How about this?' Trina rested her head on Bakura's shoulder, and Bakura felt his cheeks flush even darker.
'Aww, cute!' giggled Serenity.
Bakura sensed all the eyes on him.
'Come on, smile, Bakura!' laughed Yugi.
Bakura smiled, and suddenly the embarrassment was in the past. Téa clicked the camera a couple of times, and they were done.
'So you two are an item now, huh?' Joey nudged Bakura in the ribs.
'No!' laughed Xatrina, 'He's just my best friend in the whole world!'
Bakura hid his head in his sweater.
They took a group photograph, having to stop twice to tell Joey to 'make nice gestures', then retired to the mansion, all shivering.
That night, back home, Bakura's room was freezing. He sat alone on the window seat, watching new flecks of snow settle on the pane.
He couldn't go to sleep. The spirit could take over again. He was surprised he hadn't done it when he was awake.
'Of course I didn't, fool. I want you to suffer. You are weak, and yet every time I try to find a new body, my plans are thwarted. Why is this so?'
'Well, I have a question for you.' Began Bakura, 'Why are you picking on Xatrina? Why are you threatening her?'
'Fool boy! She is a distraction. She sparks positive emotions in you, more than your pitiful friends do. This I cannot allow, as it blocks me out. I cannot take over your body if your mind is somewhere else, can I? And besides, I want to punish you for your impudence. This is the only way I can hurt your soul. Painful, isn't it?'
'Just leave her out of it. You've hurt me before! You've nearly killed me! How is this any different?'
'Ah, more pain is felt in the soul than in the body.'
'Just leave me alone!' hissed Bakura.
'No!'
Bakura cried out, trying to fight the presence that was filling him up, blotting him out. But it was too late.
Out into the dark streets.
Snow glittering like diamond.
Again the oaken doors.
Again they fly open at my will.
'Not again! Please!'
I will never listen.
In a battle of strength, I am the victor.
Bakura and Xatrina sat themselves down on a bench, sheltered beneath the snow-thick branches of a tall evergreen.
'Bakura, do you think it could have been one of your friends?' asked Trina after a while.
'Out of the question.' Bakura barely waited till she had finished, 'You know that as well as I do, and you've only known them a few days. Of course, Tristan has his funny moments, and Joey can get a little carried away, and maybe even Duke can blow his top on the occasion, but none of them would send you death threats.'
Trina nodded, understanding.
'Maybe it was a servant here.' She thought, 'I mean, we've recently employed some new staff – they could be working undercover for the media or something.'
Bakura nodded this time, guiltily knowing that they were all innocent.
'Well, perhaps one of them was just trying their hand at some poetry.' He suggested, 'I think that we're getting a little bit paranoid. Perhaps it really is nothing.'
'Hmm.' Agreed Trina, 'Maybe we should wait until tomorrow. If nothing else comes up, we'll just forget about it.'
She stood up and wandered a little way down the path.
Bakura smiled. She just wanted to get on with life. She'd missed out on so much of it so far.
He lay back on the bench, smiling stupidly at the snow laden canopy.
SWOOSH!
Bakura scrambled spluttering from the pile of snow that had just collapsed upon him.
Trina stood cackling, still gripping the branch she'd shaken to cause the avalanche. She'd snuck up on him!
'Right you!' Bakura picked himself up, shaking the moist, white powder from his clothes.
Trina shrieked and ran, and Bakura followed.
They ploughed across the white lawn, Bakura gaining on Xatrina all the while.
Finally he leapt for her, grabbing her around the waist in a football tackle.
They both fell into the snow with a muffled thud.
Trina grabbed a fistful of snow and splattered it in Bakura's face. Bakura did the same to her and soon a wild snowball fight was unleashed.
A few minutes later, Bakura lay back, exhausted, in the cold snow.
To his surprise, Trina lay down beside him.
'You know,' she began, 'We should take pictures. It's such a nice day. I want something to remember it by.'
Bakura nodded.
'Yes. I'm rather fond of photography.' He admitted.
'We could borrow Ma's camera.' Suggested Trina.
'I'll get the other fellows out here.' Said Bakura, 'We could all have fun in the snow and take some photographs.'
'Fine, but I want a picture of just you and me as well.' Insisted Trina.
'You're not exactly subtle, are you?' teased Bakura. Trina slapped more snow in his face.
A little while later, Joey, Yugi, Tristan, Téa, Serenity, Duke, Mai, Bakura and Xatrina were all messing about outside, each of them, to Duke's disgust especially, plastered with snow.
'Everybody say cheese!' shouted Bakura.
The gang froze and looked up in surprise, only to be blinded by a flash from Vivian's digital camera that Bakura now held in his icy hands.
'Oooh! This is certainly one for your eighteenth birthday, Joey!' he laughed at the photograph that was now on display on the screen.
'Wha'? Gimme that!' Joey snatched the camera. 'Oh, man! You are so deleting that one!'
Téa, Serenity and Duke turned back to the 'snowMai' that they were making. It was actually quite skilfully built, although certain parts were slightly out of proportion ('I'm not that big there!' blushed Mai).
Bakura took a shot of them laughing at the resemblance between her and it, then turned to Téa.
'I've got a favour to ask of you.' He said quietly to her, 'And don't say 'why me?'. I'd like you to take a picture of Xatrina and I, without anyone else. It was her idea.' He added.
'How about a couple of you guys on the bench?' Téa asked loudly.
'Yeah!' laughed Duke, 'The cute couple, Bakura and Xatrina!'
Sly old Téa, thought Bakura to himself, She knew Duke would come out with that.
'Fine.' He sighed, 'Come on, Trina. They want a picture of us.'
Trina immediately stopped laughing at the completed 'snowMai' and bounded through the snow to join him.
They sat down together on the wooden bench, and Bakura blushed as Trina looped an arm round his shoulders.
'Sit on his knee!' whooped Tristan, but Téa disagreed with him.
'I think that's fine.' She said.
'How about this?' Trina rested her head on Bakura's shoulder, and Bakura felt his cheeks flush even darker.
'Aww, cute!' giggled Serenity.
Bakura sensed all the eyes on him.
'Come on, smile, Bakura!' laughed Yugi.
Bakura smiled, and suddenly the embarrassment was in the past. Téa clicked the camera a couple of times, and they were done.
'So you two are an item now, huh?' Joey nudged Bakura in the ribs.
'No!' laughed Xatrina, 'He's just my best friend in the whole world!'
Bakura hid his head in his sweater.
They took a group photograph, having to stop twice to tell Joey to 'make nice gestures', then retired to the mansion, all shivering.
That night, back home, Bakura's room was freezing. He sat alone on the window seat, watching new flecks of snow settle on the pane.
He couldn't go to sleep. The spirit could take over again. He was surprised he hadn't done it when he was awake.
'Of course I didn't, fool. I want you to suffer. You are weak, and yet every time I try to find a new body, my plans are thwarted. Why is this so?'
'Well, I have a question for you.' Began Bakura, 'Why are you picking on Xatrina? Why are you threatening her?'
'Fool boy! She is a distraction. She sparks positive emotions in you, more than your pitiful friends do. This I cannot allow, as it blocks me out. I cannot take over your body if your mind is somewhere else, can I? And besides, I want to punish you for your impudence. This is the only way I can hurt your soul. Painful, isn't it?'
'Just leave her out of it. You've hurt me before! You've nearly killed me! How is this any different?'
'Ah, more pain is felt in the soul than in the body.'
'Just leave me alone!' hissed Bakura.
'No!'
Bakura cried out, trying to fight the presence that was filling him up, blotting him out. But it was too late.
Out into the dark streets.
Snow glittering like diamond.
Again the oaken doors.
Again they fly open at my will.
'Not again! Please!'
I will never listen.
In a battle of strength, I am the victor.