A/N: No, contrary to popular belief, this fic is not over! Also contrary to
popular belief, I LIVE!!!! *ahem* It's been rather hectic... I had to go down
to Winslow, Arizona (you know, from the Eagles song) which is a ways away,
'cause I live in Missouri, because we found out that my grandpa has a brain
tumor. Just before that, two boys at my high school died in a car crash,
which happened to be on the same day as my sixteenth birthday. So, yeah,
forgive me if the updating seems slow and if the chapter seems short and a
little below par this time around. Thank you so much to everyone who
reviewed, you can't have any idea how much it means to me.
Bakuras-Hell: Thank you very much! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
SilverWing147: I thank you for your thanks of my thank you! ...Um, yeah...Ooh, yummy coffee! ^_^ Happy, um, belated Easter to you, as this is, like... *looks at calendar* May 2nd already. Thanks for the review!
Weird0: No, it isn't over! I should've made a note at the end of the last chapter... but anyways, this will continue for a few more chapters. I'm glad you like the fic, thanks for the review! ^_^
Dreigon: Hurray for Mariku! Heh, I'm glad I gave him a part in this fic, it's gotten a pretty good reception. I'm glad you like my ficcy so much, thanks for the review!
Person6: *whew* No more sharp objects. Well, except for that Latin book, but it's not sharp, it's just... hard... *hides* If you want to know what happens, read on! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
Freai: No, it's not the end! I'm not just going to leave it there. I really should've made a note at the end of the last chapter... But anyways! Thanks for the review!
Ciu Sune: Gah! It's not the end! *falls out of chair* I didn't think people would see that chapter as the end so much... I'm glad you liked the chapter, though, and thanks for the review! ^_^
Dragon Pearl1: *ducks questions* Yeah, um, well, I'm sure those questions will be answered in time. I don't think we'll be seeing Malik and Mariku again, and as for the rest, you'll have to read on to find out. *grin* Thanks for the review!
BlingBling021: I'm glad you liked the chapter! ^_^ Ah, over a hundred reviews... *sits happily in pile of reviews* Um, yeah, thanks for the review!
A Thousand Paper Cranes: Ooh, I have an excellent fic! *does happy dance* And yeah, I could picture that scene happening, and I want to get my sister to draw it for me. ^_^ Fun stuff. I'm glad you like my writing, thanks for the review!
Citcat-chan: Nope, I decided not to make Mariku evil! 'Cause whoever was evil was going to have to be killed by Bakura, and I like Mariku too much to kill him. And no, it isn't over! I wouldn't dare end it there. Thanks for the review!
Digimagic: Yay! I got glomped! *glomps back* Thanks for the review!
Kurama Ryou: *jaw drops* Bakura gave a compliment? Is the world ending? *ahem* No, I am not stopping! Gosh, I've had to say that a lot... I should've said something in the last chapter's author notes, but I didn't think that so many people would think of it as a stopping point. I still have to be mean to you and your yami a little longer, though. I hope you post your stuff soon, I'd love to read it! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
Angel Reaper: Meh, a lot of people thought that Yopparai was the demon prince, so don't worry about it. That was the intended effect! Heh, I'm so sneaky... Mwahahaha-*cough* Anyways, thanks so much for all the fanart, I loved the drawing that you did from Little Angel! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
AllMetalTarnishes: Yay! Fluff! *huggles fluff* I'm glad you like the chapter, thanks for the review!
Gemini Star01: Whee, I'm glad you liked the chapter! ^_^ By the way, do you have an account on go-gaia.com? I thought I saw you on there somewhere, but I wasn't sure... Anyway, if you do, PM me! My username is Lizzie the Meow. Thanks for the review!
Bunnies-and-voldie-and-pink: Yup, he sure does! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
*is overwhelmed by reviews* It took me almost two pages to reply to all of them! Wow... Anyway, on to Chapter 9!
Disclaimer: Meh, I suppose I ought to put another one of these in just in case someone does see it in the first chapter... I do not own YuGiOh, its plot, its characters, or any other such related things! I may wish that I do, but that doesn't make any difference!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/Okay... Maybe this isn't going to be as easy as I thought.../
Bakura winced and ground his teeth together as his shoulder protested to movement once again; every time that his wings moved, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. /Damn whoever hit me there... I hope he chokes himself to death/ It had started bleeding again, but Bakura didn't dare stop. There was no telling how close or how far away the Demon Lord's guards were, and he didn't want to take any chances of them getting caught.
Fifteen minutes later, his resolution wasn't quite as strong, and he was starting to reconsider that decision. Blood was running down his back, and his head as well as his shoulder was throbbing painfully. He battled between stopping to rest and going on, his energy falling shorter and shorter with every passing minute. The demon cursed himself for being so weak; this was no way for the greatest thief in all of the Black Lands to be. Looking down at the face of the sleeping angel resting against his good shoulder, he reminded himself of why he was going through this.
/But, if you keep going like this, you might be too tired to make it all the way/ a sensible voice told him. But Ryou... He was so deep in his argument with himself that he jumped slightly in surprise when he heard a sudden gasp.
"Bakura!"
Ryou had woken up, and was staring at the bright red blood and Bakura's tired face in horror. He touched Bakura's cheek gently, saying, "You need to rest. You're tired..."
The demon shook his head in reply. "No, I'm fine," he said in the most emotionless voice he could muster, trying to keep himself from looking at those soft, pleading eyes of Ryou's. He knew that if he did, he'd give in, even though he wasn't exactly making much progress on the decision by himself.
"Please, Bakura? We need to stop; you must rest." Bakura couldn't resist it; he looked into Ryou's eyes, and they were wide and shining and beautiful in the moonlight. "Please?" he said softly, the gentle word falling from his lips and making Bakura crumble on the spot.
And, five minutes later, they were hidden beneath the branches of several shrubs and a low, wide tree, Ryou bandaging Bakura's shoulder with a torn strip of fabric from his tunic as the demon leaned back against the tree trunk. When the angel was finished, he laid his head on Bakura's chest and stared down at the ground beneath them with a weary sigh.
"Do you think we can make it?" he asked in a whisper, half-hopeful and half-despairing. Bakura almost shrugged, but caught himself before he made his shoulder any worse than it already was.
"I'll make sure that we do," he said, determination in his voice. If Ryou wanted to go to Earth, then they would go to Earth, no matter what stood in their way. Still, the odds weren't exactly in their favor... Ryou couldn't fly, and Bakura's wound and loss of blood had cut his stamina extremely short. If they did somehow manage to make it, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
His ears perked up suddenly; something was moving to their right. Bakura's eyes narrowed as he listened intently, Ryou looking up at Bakura with a curious frown on his face. There was someone else there. Bakura rose into a half-crouch in front of Ryou protectively, staring out into the dimness of the forest around them. There was a rustling sound, and the noise of the footsteps of one trying to be stealthy and not succeeding. Bakura held his breath as a demon wearing the uniform of the Demon Lord's elite guard half-stumbled into view.
The guard glanced around rather self-consciously after he regained his balance, a spear in his hand and an unhappy look on his face. He looked around carefully, stepping slowly forward towards the tree that hid Ryou and Bakura. Within moments, he stood directly in front of them, still not able to see the hidden fugitives.
Ryou bit down hard on his lip and clenched his hands into fists, desperately trying to keep his shaking under control. The guard looked around the area once more, then moved away from the tree and in the opposite direction. Bakura silently let out the breath that he had been holding, and Ryou let himself relax. Unfortunately, the angel had momentarily forgotten about his injured wing, and as he relaxed he leaned back against the tree and a knot in the trunk jabbed right into his broken wing. He jerked forward abruptly, and a small pained cry escaped his lips before he could stop himself, his hands flying to his mouth a moment too late.
The guard spun around, stared at the small tree for a bare second, then moved toward it quickly. Bakura clenched his fists, then pushed off the ground and shot forward to take the guard by surprise. The guard, however, reacted more quickly than Bakura had expected, and he wasn't at all prepared for when the guard jabbed his spear forward and directly into the center of Bakura's left wing.
Garnet eyes widened suddenly, searing pain spreading through every nerve in his wing, then narrowed into slits as he continued his attack in spite of the injury. The guard had expected the spear in the demon's wing to stop him, or at least slow him down, but a moment later knew no more as his neck was snapped and he fell lifeless to the ground. Bakura stood where he was for a moment, trying to get his breath back, then he staggered and fell to one knee.
"Bakura!" Ryou stood and ran to him, kneeling down beside the demon. Bakura gritted his teeth, grabbed hold of the spear in his wing, and in one movement ripped it out. He shut his eyes tightly for a moment, gripping the spear so hard that the wood snapped in two. Taking a shuddering breath, he glanced up at Ryou.
"Let's go," he said, and attempted to stand. The demon found himself having to lean on Ryou a little; he berated himself for being so weak. Glancing up at the sky, Bakura saw that there weren't any other guards above them. He had expected this little scuffle to be noticed by someone. But, it was just as well that it wasn't, since neither Ryou nor Bakura could fly anymore.
Leaning on each other, Bakura and Ryou continued on their way towards the mists at the edge of the lands. The demon had estimated earlier that it would take maybe a day's flying; on foot and injured, it could take up to three or four.
Bakura gritted his teeth, trying to make his uncooperative brain start working. There had to be some kind of shortcut, a faster and easier way to get to the mists. If they weren't able to move fast enough, they would be caught, and he wasn't strong enough to protect Ryou... he didn't follow that particular train of thought any farther, not wanting to know where it would lead.
Suddenly, it came to him. In his mental map of the caves in the area, he found a long tunnel leading towards the southwest: the direction to the edge of the lands. They would be completely hidden underground, and even if the guards did find the entrance to the tunnel, he seriously doubted that they would search any farther than the first few meters. Bakura had explored it once a few years ago, and it traveled in an almost straight line to the southwest and eventually opened up where the Black River flowed out into the nothingness of the mists.
Ryou leaned over to look into Bakura's face. The demon had been silent for what seemed like a long time, and the angel was becoming worried. His garnet eyes were distant and staring down at nothing, and his entire body was completely still.
"Bakura?" Ryou asked gently, and jumped slightly when Bakura suddenly turned his head to look into the angel's soft eyes. The demon blinked a few times, seeming to come back to the present. After staring at the angel for a moment, he jerked his head to their left.
"We're going that way. I have a plan."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: *whew* That took a while to get done... especially the replies for all of those reviews! *huggles reviewers* Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than this one was, and the story will eventually being to wrap up here somewhere soon. I've got some other fic ideas that I want to start working on... Please review! ^_^
Bakuras-Hell: Thank you very much! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
SilverWing147: I thank you for your thanks of my thank you! ...Um, yeah...Ooh, yummy coffee! ^_^ Happy, um, belated Easter to you, as this is, like... *looks at calendar* May 2nd already. Thanks for the review!
Weird0: No, it isn't over! I should've made a note at the end of the last chapter... but anyways, this will continue for a few more chapters. I'm glad you like the fic, thanks for the review! ^_^
Dreigon: Hurray for Mariku! Heh, I'm glad I gave him a part in this fic, it's gotten a pretty good reception. I'm glad you like my ficcy so much, thanks for the review!
Person6: *whew* No more sharp objects. Well, except for that Latin book, but it's not sharp, it's just... hard... *hides* If you want to know what happens, read on! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
Freai: No, it's not the end! I'm not just going to leave it there. I really should've made a note at the end of the last chapter... But anyways! Thanks for the review!
Ciu Sune: Gah! It's not the end! *falls out of chair* I didn't think people would see that chapter as the end so much... I'm glad you liked the chapter, though, and thanks for the review! ^_^
Dragon Pearl1: *ducks questions* Yeah, um, well, I'm sure those questions will be answered in time. I don't think we'll be seeing Malik and Mariku again, and as for the rest, you'll have to read on to find out. *grin* Thanks for the review!
BlingBling021: I'm glad you liked the chapter! ^_^ Ah, over a hundred reviews... *sits happily in pile of reviews* Um, yeah, thanks for the review!
A Thousand Paper Cranes: Ooh, I have an excellent fic! *does happy dance* And yeah, I could picture that scene happening, and I want to get my sister to draw it for me. ^_^ Fun stuff. I'm glad you like my writing, thanks for the review!
Citcat-chan: Nope, I decided not to make Mariku evil! 'Cause whoever was evil was going to have to be killed by Bakura, and I like Mariku too much to kill him. And no, it isn't over! I wouldn't dare end it there. Thanks for the review!
Digimagic: Yay! I got glomped! *glomps back* Thanks for the review!
Kurama Ryou: *jaw drops* Bakura gave a compliment? Is the world ending? *ahem* No, I am not stopping! Gosh, I've had to say that a lot... I should've said something in the last chapter's author notes, but I didn't think that so many people would think of it as a stopping point. I still have to be mean to you and your yami a little longer, though. I hope you post your stuff soon, I'd love to read it! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
Angel Reaper: Meh, a lot of people thought that Yopparai was the demon prince, so don't worry about it. That was the intended effect! Heh, I'm so sneaky... Mwahahaha-*cough* Anyways, thanks so much for all the fanart, I loved the drawing that you did from Little Angel! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
AllMetalTarnishes: Yay! Fluff! *huggles fluff* I'm glad you like the chapter, thanks for the review!
Gemini Star01: Whee, I'm glad you liked the chapter! ^_^ By the way, do you have an account on go-gaia.com? I thought I saw you on there somewhere, but I wasn't sure... Anyway, if you do, PM me! My username is Lizzie the Meow. Thanks for the review!
Bunnies-and-voldie-and-pink: Yup, he sure does! ^_^ Thanks for the review!
*is overwhelmed by reviews* It took me almost two pages to reply to all of them! Wow... Anyway, on to Chapter 9!
Disclaimer: Meh, I suppose I ought to put another one of these in just in case someone does see it in the first chapter... I do not own YuGiOh, its plot, its characters, or any other such related things! I may wish that I do, but that doesn't make any difference!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/Okay... Maybe this isn't going to be as easy as I thought.../
Bakura winced and ground his teeth together as his shoulder protested to movement once again; every time that his wings moved, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. /Damn whoever hit me there... I hope he chokes himself to death/ It had started bleeding again, but Bakura didn't dare stop. There was no telling how close or how far away the Demon Lord's guards were, and he didn't want to take any chances of them getting caught.
Fifteen minutes later, his resolution wasn't quite as strong, and he was starting to reconsider that decision. Blood was running down his back, and his head as well as his shoulder was throbbing painfully. He battled between stopping to rest and going on, his energy falling shorter and shorter with every passing minute. The demon cursed himself for being so weak; this was no way for the greatest thief in all of the Black Lands to be. Looking down at the face of the sleeping angel resting against his good shoulder, he reminded himself of why he was going through this.
/But, if you keep going like this, you might be too tired to make it all the way/ a sensible voice told him. But Ryou... He was so deep in his argument with himself that he jumped slightly in surprise when he heard a sudden gasp.
"Bakura!"
Ryou had woken up, and was staring at the bright red blood and Bakura's tired face in horror. He touched Bakura's cheek gently, saying, "You need to rest. You're tired..."
The demon shook his head in reply. "No, I'm fine," he said in the most emotionless voice he could muster, trying to keep himself from looking at those soft, pleading eyes of Ryou's. He knew that if he did, he'd give in, even though he wasn't exactly making much progress on the decision by himself.
"Please, Bakura? We need to stop; you must rest." Bakura couldn't resist it; he looked into Ryou's eyes, and they were wide and shining and beautiful in the moonlight. "Please?" he said softly, the gentle word falling from his lips and making Bakura crumble on the spot.
And, five minutes later, they were hidden beneath the branches of several shrubs and a low, wide tree, Ryou bandaging Bakura's shoulder with a torn strip of fabric from his tunic as the demon leaned back against the tree trunk. When the angel was finished, he laid his head on Bakura's chest and stared down at the ground beneath them with a weary sigh.
"Do you think we can make it?" he asked in a whisper, half-hopeful and half-despairing. Bakura almost shrugged, but caught himself before he made his shoulder any worse than it already was.
"I'll make sure that we do," he said, determination in his voice. If Ryou wanted to go to Earth, then they would go to Earth, no matter what stood in their way. Still, the odds weren't exactly in their favor... Ryou couldn't fly, and Bakura's wound and loss of blood had cut his stamina extremely short. If they did somehow manage to make it, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
His ears perked up suddenly; something was moving to their right. Bakura's eyes narrowed as he listened intently, Ryou looking up at Bakura with a curious frown on his face. There was someone else there. Bakura rose into a half-crouch in front of Ryou protectively, staring out into the dimness of the forest around them. There was a rustling sound, and the noise of the footsteps of one trying to be stealthy and not succeeding. Bakura held his breath as a demon wearing the uniform of the Demon Lord's elite guard half-stumbled into view.
The guard glanced around rather self-consciously after he regained his balance, a spear in his hand and an unhappy look on his face. He looked around carefully, stepping slowly forward towards the tree that hid Ryou and Bakura. Within moments, he stood directly in front of them, still not able to see the hidden fugitives.
Ryou bit down hard on his lip and clenched his hands into fists, desperately trying to keep his shaking under control. The guard looked around the area once more, then moved away from the tree and in the opposite direction. Bakura silently let out the breath that he had been holding, and Ryou let himself relax. Unfortunately, the angel had momentarily forgotten about his injured wing, and as he relaxed he leaned back against the tree and a knot in the trunk jabbed right into his broken wing. He jerked forward abruptly, and a small pained cry escaped his lips before he could stop himself, his hands flying to his mouth a moment too late.
The guard spun around, stared at the small tree for a bare second, then moved toward it quickly. Bakura clenched his fists, then pushed off the ground and shot forward to take the guard by surprise. The guard, however, reacted more quickly than Bakura had expected, and he wasn't at all prepared for when the guard jabbed his spear forward and directly into the center of Bakura's left wing.
Garnet eyes widened suddenly, searing pain spreading through every nerve in his wing, then narrowed into slits as he continued his attack in spite of the injury. The guard had expected the spear in the demon's wing to stop him, or at least slow him down, but a moment later knew no more as his neck was snapped and he fell lifeless to the ground. Bakura stood where he was for a moment, trying to get his breath back, then he staggered and fell to one knee.
"Bakura!" Ryou stood and ran to him, kneeling down beside the demon. Bakura gritted his teeth, grabbed hold of the spear in his wing, and in one movement ripped it out. He shut his eyes tightly for a moment, gripping the spear so hard that the wood snapped in two. Taking a shuddering breath, he glanced up at Ryou.
"Let's go," he said, and attempted to stand. The demon found himself having to lean on Ryou a little; he berated himself for being so weak. Glancing up at the sky, Bakura saw that there weren't any other guards above them. He had expected this little scuffle to be noticed by someone. But, it was just as well that it wasn't, since neither Ryou nor Bakura could fly anymore.
Leaning on each other, Bakura and Ryou continued on their way towards the mists at the edge of the lands. The demon had estimated earlier that it would take maybe a day's flying; on foot and injured, it could take up to three or four.
Bakura gritted his teeth, trying to make his uncooperative brain start working. There had to be some kind of shortcut, a faster and easier way to get to the mists. If they weren't able to move fast enough, they would be caught, and he wasn't strong enough to protect Ryou... he didn't follow that particular train of thought any farther, not wanting to know where it would lead.
Suddenly, it came to him. In his mental map of the caves in the area, he found a long tunnel leading towards the southwest: the direction to the edge of the lands. They would be completely hidden underground, and even if the guards did find the entrance to the tunnel, he seriously doubted that they would search any farther than the first few meters. Bakura had explored it once a few years ago, and it traveled in an almost straight line to the southwest and eventually opened up where the Black River flowed out into the nothingness of the mists.
Ryou leaned over to look into Bakura's face. The demon had been silent for what seemed like a long time, and the angel was becoming worried. His garnet eyes were distant and staring down at nothing, and his entire body was completely still.
"Bakura?" Ryou asked gently, and jumped slightly when Bakura suddenly turned his head to look into the angel's soft eyes. The demon blinked a few times, seeming to come back to the present. After staring at the angel for a moment, he jerked his head to their left.
"We're going that way. I have a plan."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: *whew* That took a while to get done... especially the replies for all of those reviews! *huggles reviewers* Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than this one was, and the story will eventually being to wrap up here somewhere soon. I've got some other fic ideas that I want to start working on... Please review! ^_^