Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I don't need to say that I've been away for awhile, that's for sure. I was recently reunited with my best friend, and I haven't seen her in a few years so we've been hanging out a lot lately. Her and her husband have been running into some bad times and I've been helping them out any way I can. Anyway, enough with my sob story! Here's the next chapter, for those of you who haven't given up on me yet. Enjoy!
The Heart of Eternity by Shelly
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Shari found another bench to sit on not far from where she had left everyone, tears dampening her cheeks that she brushed away with her fingers. She didn't care what Tea said, but she did care what happened to Yugi since he was her friend as well as the bearer of the Puzzle that housed Yami's spirit. So far Kaiba had been nothing but cordial to Yugi so it was hard for her to see him treating the younger boy so cruelly. She already had a bone to pick with him over how he treated Joey so maybe Tea's words held a grain of truth in them.
'Don't let another person's perspective ruin what you know about him, Shari,' came a voice from inside her, seeming to echo throughout her mind.
She looked around suddenly, wondering where the voice came from. But then she realized who the voice belonged to and relaxed somewhat. 'That's just it, Makare,' she replied, thinking her words instead of speaking them. 'I don't know anything about him, only what Mokuba has told me.'
Makare chuckled dryly. 'Maybe it's about time that you get to know him then.'
Shari smiled. 'Maybe you're right.'
'Of course, I'm always right,' the spirit returned amusedly. Then it seemed as if her humor suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by something close to caution.
'What is it, Makare?' she asked anxiously, not liking what she felt.
Makare was silent a moment as if she was trying to concentrate on something. 'Shari, you should get out of here right now. I don't like what I'm sensing.'
She didn't understand what was going on, but put her trust in that voice. Rising to her feet, she risked a quick glance and saw Ryou standing not far away. He must've noticed her absence and come looking for her. She started walking towards him but stopped when she heard Makare's voice scream a warning inside her mind.
'Shari, look out! That evil presence I sensed is coming from him!'
The young girl wondered what the spirit was talking about. Ryou was so quiet and polite in school that she couldn't imagine him hurting anybody. But then she saw his Ring glowing at his chest and it seemed that all of a sudden he did seem menacing...and very much wanted to hurt her. "Ryou?" she whispered.
He chuckled. "Please. Just call me Bakura."
She took a step back as fear crept up her spine with icy fingers. "What do you want?"
"I've come for your Millennium Item, Shari," he replied, his eyes narrowing onto her Item.
"You'll never get it without a fight," she retorted as she closed her hand around her necklace. She wanted to run away, but it seemed as if they were the only two people in the whole mall. Everyone else passed by them without a glance, like they didn't care what was going on around them.
"Precisely what I had in mind," Bakura gloated, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a card. "I knew you weren't going to just hand it over after all. So I came prepared." He turned it so that it faced forward. "How would you like to meet my Man Eater Bug? Few can withstand his assault, but I don't want him to finish you just yet. I want to hear you beg first." The card glowed in his hand and out sprung a hideous creature, waiting to spring at Bakura's command.
Shari's fear was coming in waves now, and she found she couldn't move no matter how badly she wanted to. Then she sensed Makare's spirit merging with her own and gave herself up fully to the ancient spirit. This time was vastly different than what had happened before with Yami since Shari had still been aware of what was going on then. This time Makare was completely in control, and Shari felt something about her that she had never felt before. There was a certain power there that flowed through her, and she used it to destroy her opponent before it could even strike.
"Maybe you should find out who you're up against before attempting to take anything," the spirit spoke.
Not far away, Yami felt Makare's power and sensed that she was in danger by the same spirit that had tried to take his Puzzle at Duelist Kingdom. 'Yugi, Shari's in trouble,' was all he needed to say. Yugi turned and bolted out of the store he was in, Joey and Tristan following close behind. Tea, after seeing them both running, took off after them.
When they arrived, they all stopped at what they saw before them. Bakura and Shari standing there facing one another, Bakura with another card in his hand as he called upon its power. "No, it's a Morphing Jar!" Yugi cried, knowing all too well how it worked. "Shari, look out!"
Makare heard the voice and looked to see Yugi standing there, and with her concentration broken all her power faded and drained out of her, leaving her weak as she fell to the floor on her hands and knees. Breathing heavily, she knew that she didn't have the energy to withstand another attack and waited for her fate to be thrust upon her. She heard it coming and closed her eyes against it, but when nothing happened she looked up to see the Dark Magician standing in front of her.
'Wait...the Dark Magician?' she thought, and it seemed as if she remembered another time like this. But then it was gone as quickly as it had come, and the Shadow Monster nodded to her once in farewell before disappearing into the Graveyard. Then she felt a presence at her side and knew it to be Yami without looking.
"Makare, are you all right?" he asked her in concern.
She nodded weakly. "I'm fine, Yami, just weak."
Bakura laughed at them both. "Well, well. It's not everyday that I get to have two for the price of one. I shall enjoy taking yours as well, Yugi."
Yami rose to his feet, anger smoldering in his heart that Bakura had tried to harm his beloved. "You'll do no such thing today, I can assure you of that. Now be gone from here, evil spirit!" Stretching out his hand, he used the power of his Puzzle to banish Bakura to the Shadow Realm where he belonged, leaving a shaken Ryou to wonder what had happened.
The Pharaoh turned his attention back to Makare, taking her in his arms and supporting her as she leaned against him. Brushing his hand across her cheek, he placed a kiss on her forehead, himself afraid at how close he had come to losing her. Then he felt Makare's spirit fade back into the necklace and he did the same into his own Item, leaving Yugi to take over from here.
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I wonder if some of you guessed that Bakura might make a try for her Item? Let's just say he's not through yet.... Thanks for reading! C-ya!
The Heart of Eternity by Shelly
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Shari found another bench to sit on not far from where she had left everyone, tears dampening her cheeks that she brushed away with her fingers. She didn't care what Tea said, but she did care what happened to Yugi since he was her friend as well as the bearer of the Puzzle that housed Yami's spirit. So far Kaiba had been nothing but cordial to Yugi so it was hard for her to see him treating the younger boy so cruelly. She already had a bone to pick with him over how he treated Joey so maybe Tea's words held a grain of truth in them.
'Don't let another person's perspective ruin what you know about him, Shari,' came a voice from inside her, seeming to echo throughout her mind.
She looked around suddenly, wondering where the voice came from. But then she realized who the voice belonged to and relaxed somewhat. 'That's just it, Makare,' she replied, thinking her words instead of speaking them. 'I don't know anything about him, only what Mokuba has told me.'
Makare chuckled dryly. 'Maybe it's about time that you get to know him then.'
Shari smiled. 'Maybe you're right.'
'Of course, I'm always right,' the spirit returned amusedly. Then it seemed as if her humor suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by something close to caution.
'What is it, Makare?' she asked anxiously, not liking what she felt.
Makare was silent a moment as if she was trying to concentrate on something. 'Shari, you should get out of here right now. I don't like what I'm sensing.'
She didn't understand what was going on, but put her trust in that voice. Rising to her feet, she risked a quick glance and saw Ryou standing not far away. He must've noticed her absence and come looking for her. She started walking towards him but stopped when she heard Makare's voice scream a warning inside her mind.
'Shari, look out! That evil presence I sensed is coming from him!'
The young girl wondered what the spirit was talking about. Ryou was so quiet and polite in school that she couldn't imagine him hurting anybody. But then she saw his Ring glowing at his chest and it seemed that all of a sudden he did seem menacing...and very much wanted to hurt her. "Ryou?" she whispered.
He chuckled. "Please. Just call me Bakura."
She took a step back as fear crept up her spine with icy fingers. "What do you want?"
"I've come for your Millennium Item, Shari," he replied, his eyes narrowing onto her Item.
"You'll never get it without a fight," she retorted as she closed her hand around her necklace. She wanted to run away, but it seemed as if they were the only two people in the whole mall. Everyone else passed by them without a glance, like they didn't care what was going on around them.
"Precisely what I had in mind," Bakura gloated, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a card. "I knew you weren't going to just hand it over after all. So I came prepared." He turned it so that it faced forward. "How would you like to meet my Man Eater Bug? Few can withstand his assault, but I don't want him to finish you just yet. I want to hear you beg first." The card glowed in his hand and out sprung a hideous creature, waiting to spring at Bakura's command.
Shari's fear was coming in waves now, and she found she couldn't move no matter how badly she wanted to. Then she sensed Makare's spirit merging with her own and gave herself up fully to the ancient spirit. This time was vastly different than what had happened before with Yami since Shari had still been aware of what was going on then. This time Makare was completely in control, and Shari felt something about her that she had never felt before. There was a certain power there that flowed through her, and she used it to destroy her opponent before it could even strike.
"Maybe you should find out who you're up against before attempting to take anything," the spirit spoke.
Not far away, Yami felt Makare's power and sensed that she was in danger by the same spirit that had tried to take his Puzzle at Duelist Kingdom. 'Yugi, Shari's in trouble,' was all he needed to say. Yugi turned and bolted out of the store he was in, Joey and Tristan following close behind. Tea, after seeing them both running, took off after them.
When they arrived, they all stopped at what they saw before them. Bakura and Shari standing there facing one another, Bakura with another card in his hand as he called upon its power. "No, it's a Morphing Jar!" Yugi cried, knowing all too well how it worked. "Shari, look out!"
Makare heard the voice and looked to see Yugi standing there, and with her concentration broken all her power faded and drained out of her, leaving her weak as she fell to the floor on her hands and knees. Breathing heavily, she knew that she didn't have the energy to withstand another attack and waited for her fate to be thrust upon her. She heard it coming and closed her eyes against it, but when nothing happened she looked up to see the Dark Magician standing in front of her.
'Wait...the Dark Magician?' she thought, and it seemed as if she remembered another time like this. But then it was gone as quickly as it had come, and the Shadow Monster nodded to her once in farewell before disappearing into the Graveyard. Then she felt a presence at her side and knew it to be Yami without looking.
"Makare, are you all right?" he asked her in concern.
She nodded weakly. "I'm fine, Yami, just weak."
Bakura laughed at them both. "Well, well. It's not everyday that I get to have two for the price of one. I shall enjoy taking yours as well, Yugi."
Yami rose to his feet, anger smoldering in his heart that Bakura had tried to harm his beloved. "You'll do no such thing today, I can assure you of that. Now be gone from here, evil spirit!" Stretching out his hand, he used the power of his Puzzle to banish Bakura to the Shadow Realm where he belonged, leaving a shaken Ryou to wonder what had happened.
The Pharaoh turned his attention back to Makare, taking her in his arms and supporting her as she leaned against him. Brushing his hand across her cheek, he placed a kiss on her forehead, himself afraid at how close he had come to losing her. Then he felt Makare's spirit fade back into the necklace and he did the same into his own Item, leaving Yugi to take over from here.
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I wonder if some of you guessed that Bakura might make a try for her Item? Let's just say he's not through yet.... Thanks for reading! C-ya!