A/N: AHHH!! Gomen-nasai minna-san! I've been so busy =.= even AFTER mid-terms... *sobs in corner* Fanarts and new animes have caught me... *falls over* @_@ I need to build up my interest in fanfiction again! *is determined* I SHALL right new chapters! - right after I draw more fanart.. *rushes to art supplies*
I'm hopeless T____T.
*sigh* Thank you all for being so patient! I really wish I could update faster. All I have now are appologies. So sorry!
Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. Or I'll hunt you down.
Of Angels and Demons
Chapter 9: More Time
By: Nadako-Mika
A pair of the most unlikely people sat together around a simple coffee table. Both wearing unusually grim and serious faces. Who would have guessed that Mariku and Yami would be discussing something other than world domination or world saviors?
"What do you think of this situation?"
"I'd say it's hopeless."
The undead pharaoh sighed heavily. "Why can't you look on the more positive sides of things?" he asked, quite annoyed with the blond Egyptian's negative attitude.
"Didn't you notice his Hikari's condition? The boy is clearly dying, and the Tomb Robber has too much pride to ask-- much less beg --forgiveness, and put everthing behind them. I doubt there's anything we can do," Mariku explained.
Yami didn't want to admit it, but the other Yami was right. Ryou was in such bad form at the moment. With each passing second, Ryou's condition fell. With each passing minute, the Hikari's coma deepened. With each hour, his breathing became more laboured. Ryou's chance of survival grew very slim with each day that passed.
The two just sat there, mind's churning, desperately wishing there was a way to undo everything. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of sharp brown eyes watched from the shadows of the hallway.
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'What can I do?'
Bakura sauntered slowly and cautiously up the stairs of the Ishtar's residence, and to the guestroom he was currently occupying. His mind was deeply troubled with the thought of his dying hikari.
'Is there anything I can really do? To help save him?'
The image of a frail and sickly looking Ryou shattered him. Was it his doing? He already knew the answer. Of course it was him. It was his fault from the very beginning.
'What went wrong? We were suppose to be friends.'
~
Ryou.. ten years of age.. Such a sweet boy..
"How was your day, Bakura?"
....a threatening growl...
"Bakura? What's wrong?"
"Just leave me alone!"
"But...-"
"I don't need your help, baka!"
What was it? Anger? Anger and frustration. Then the presence of fear. Did he deserve it?...
~
What was it that he did to change their friendship? They had been so close, like brothers. What changed it all?
~
A tall dark skinned man. What was that on his head? A wrap?
"The Sennen Items." He had said.
"What?" the child asked, "That ring that I emerged from?"
"It holds powers, secrets."
"What kind of secrets?" Bakura asked, quite intrigued by the thought of something grand hidden deep within his item.
"Seek the Pharaoh and his court."
"Pharaoh? What Pharaoh?"
"Unlock your memories."
"My.. memories?"
"Find what you seek, Tomb Robber..."
Tomb..Robber? Was he really...? What secrets? Powers? Who was that man?
~
'Shadi.'
It was all his fault! That secretive, mysterious gaurdian of the Sennen Items. It must have been his fault.
'He ruined our friendship.'
If Bakura had never heard about this secret power from within the ring, he would have never sought after such dark energy. Bakura had sacrificed everything to find his power, the ring's power. He had found himself, rather.. his past self. A ruthless murderer. A thief. A tombrobber. And he gave up Ryou's friendship to find all THAT?
'Such a fool.. a fool.'
And what was he to do know? His mind screamed at him. Visit Ryou. Tell him you're sorry. That's what it said. What good was an appoligy at this time? His hikari was dying, and he would soon be dragged along with him.
'Bakura, you fool! Go after him! There's still time!'
Time to what? Tell him he truly loves him, then wait for death? It was too late.
"Go after him!" came an unfamiliar voice from behind.
Bakura whipped around. Who- what was there?
"You fool! Go after him!"
Bakura's eyes narrowed at the woman who stood before him. Was she implying that he, the great tomb robber, was indeed a 'fool'? "Why should I? And who the Hell are you?" he asked, rather demandingly.
The woman seemed to glow with fury, thus exploding in verbal assault. "You blasted tomb robber! Go after your hikari! Unless you want to be dragged down into the depths of Hell! Save my son, or your punishment will be worse than that of the Thousand Year Ring!" she screamed.
There was an awkward silence, in which the woman's breath become laboured with anger. After that outburst, it was a miracle that none of the other people in the house had come up to see the commotion.
"You.." Ryou's deceased mother started, "Are as stubborn as a mule! Can't you see that he's dying?"
"Of course I know he's dying!"
"Then do something about it!"
"What do you want me to do?!" Bakura screamed, "What is there that I CAN do?"
The woman's voice softened, as did her eyes. "There's still time, Bakura. I can't tell you what you need to do, you have to figure it for yourself." Tears began to cascade down her face. "My son's life is in your hands! Please! Do something about it."
From within her glimmering robe, she pulled forth an ancient looking hourglass. The wooden frame was beautifully carved with scriptures unknown to man. The fine grains of sands falling with the time in perfect sync. A large pile of it had already fallen to the bottom of the smooth glass, a small amount left to fall at the top.
"This is how much time is left," the woman explained, "This is how much time is left until his death. Until your Hell spawned days take over. Do something!"
Bakura's anger overtook him. What was he suppose to do? That question had wrung throughout his mind from the very beginning. He couldn't think of the right answer. "What do you suppose I do?! I've tried almost everything, and there your son is, lying in a hospital bed, dying!"
"I told you, I can not give you the answer!" her voice matched the volume of Bakura's, "Find the answer in your heart, in your soul!"
"Bull."
"Bakura! Please! You're the only one who can stop this! Otherwise, the last grain of sand will kill both of you!"
Her last statement had strung a cord of irony. The grains of sand that Bakura had grown so fond of in his past life; the sands that have been an everyday occurance for him; would be his enemy. It would be his demise. He stared with such intensity at the object, with such anger. He despised the hourglass with a passion.
A swift hand made for the object. Bakura skillfully stole the dreaded clock of death away from the beautiful woman. In all his anger, he threw it at the wall, where it merely thumped and fell to the floor. Why hadn't it smashed?
"Bakura!" the woman cried out, "Stop it! It won't solve your problems!"
The tomb robber didn't hear her. Instead, he picked it up off the floor and threw it- with all his might -at the floor below him. Surely this would shatter the fragile glass.
"Stop It, Bakura!"
~
"Stop it, Bakura!"
Bakura looked up as glass shattered, only to stare into the faces of concerned friends. At the doorway stood everyone in the household. Malik and his Yami, Yuugi, heck even the Pharaoh was there.
Malik stared worridly at Ryou's Yami. The tomb robber's eyes were filled with confusion and anger. He looked distressed, as if his sanity had been sucked out. "Bakura!" he called out.
"What?" the tomb robber snapped back.
"Snap out of it! I just called you down for dinner! You don't have to chuck things at me!"
"What are you talking about?"
"That." the blonde Egyptian pointed down at the pile of smashed glass. "You didn't have to break the lamp, you know."
"Lamp?" Bakura asked stupidly. 'But I thought... wasn't there... an hourglass?'
Malik shook his head as he stared disapprovingly at an object on the nightstand. "You even smashed the clock," he said, picking up the mechanical parts to the timer. Something on the nightstand caught the Egyptian's eyes. "Huh?"
Bakura followed the boy's gaze and became startled at what he saw. The hourglass. The little trinket that would time his hikari's life, along with his own. The deadly grains of sand were forever falling, landing in the ever growing heap at the bottom. The beautifully carved frame seemed to gleam at him. It glowed mockingly, knowing there was nothing Bakura could do to stop the flow of death.
'Just try it.' it screamed at him. 'Go ahead! Try to turn me over. The sands will only turn themselves around...'
It beckoned to him. Enticed him. His hands reached out slowly. Maybe turning the glass around would allow him more time. More time. He needed time. His hikari was dying, and he had no time left to save him.
"Where did you get this Bakura?" Malik asked, unaware of the Tomb Robber's intense gaze. "The sands are almost out," he said suddenly. Malik quickly grabbed the small hourglass and turned it to the opposite side.
Bakura immediately snapped out of his trance-like state. "Wha-?"
Malik gasped and pointed at the hourglass set before them on the nightstand. Bakura diverted his attention back to the deadly sands. Even though Malik had turned it over, the heap of sand had miraculously flipped itself to the bottom once again.
"How? But.. I thought... Bakura? Is this a trick hourglass?" Malik asked stupidly.
"A what?"
"It's rigged isn't it? No hourglass can fill the bottom half in just seconds."
Bakura didn't answer. He just continued to stare at the ornament. Time was running out. And there was no way he would have extra time. No matter how many times he could try to turn the hour glass (in hopes of gaining time), the sands would just fall quickly to the bottom again. He needed to do something about his hikari. With every wasted second, Ryou was dying, and he would never be able to retrieve those vital seconds again.
Without thinking, Bakura swiped the hourglass off the nightstand and rushed out of the bedroom. Malik was in close pursuit.
"Bakura! What are you doing? Where are you going?" Malik cried out.
"Somewhere," was Bakura's only reply, before running out the door.
'Just wait for me, Ryou...'
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A/N: Sorry it's so short. I've got the plot down a bit, but it's hard to put it into words. I'm trying my best here ~_~ This chapter wasn't supposed to be finished, but I didn't want to make you guys wait such a long time (could have been another month or so). See how nice I am? XD
I've been so caught up with art. I love to draw now ^^. I love drawing fanarts of Ryou and Bakura (of course). =3
Hm.. does this story seem very predictable right now? Well.. something big is going to happen in the next chapter, so wait up for it ^_~. Again, I'm sorry for the long wait.
Responses:
Mina-chan AMD : I don't like to torture Ryou so much anymore x_x I think I prefer drawing him X3. Ah.. I've been away from ff.net for quite a while now. ~~ stupid deviantART. I'm going to try my best to find some time to read your new stories. I'm so sorry I haven't read them yet. ~__~ I have so much reading to catch up with.
Piggu-Bru : Ah yes.. thanks for telling me. XD I took that into consideration and fixed the plot. I hope it's not too predictable later on.. =.= oh well..
Windswift : yeah.. one disclaimer is enough.. but those lawyers keep poking me and bugging me.. so I had to put more.. ;_; it's so painful! Mwuahaha.. That's right! You better not crucify me.. er.. *gulp*.. *hides away*
Thanks also to: Mujaki no Meido , Elli the Ghostie , Princess Krystal01 , person6 , ryou-rabid-fangirl , mooncinder , fatlazikat , koosei , vixinkitsune , Tadashi , UltimateKane99 , Hedi Dracona