Chapter Fourteen - Secrets Revealed
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh (though I own the unfamiliar characters and the whole plot of this story), and I'm not making any money from this fic
Author's Note: I apologise for any mistakes with the cards and the characters that I may have made... The only cards I've really been paying attention to are the ones Bakura uses, and I'm sure you know why that is
Also, you may have noticed that, although Battle City hasn't actually happened in this fic, some of the things I've mentioned or used actually happened during the Battle City tournament. This is because it makes the fic easier to write, and I apologise again.
Happy reading!
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Well, you certainly did a good job of pretending that that kiss never happened, Nareen commented to Kyla.
Oh, shut up, Kyla grumbled. I love Ryou. I can't just ignore him and act all cold around him now that I know how I feel.
Well, you're just going to have to keep away from Ryou, Nareen responded sharply.
And how are you going to achieve that Kyla demanded.
Nareen didn't reply to that. Instead, she said, Bakura!
Kyla stopped as the evil spirit of the millennium ring stepped in front of her. "Hello, Bakura," she said coolly. "Can I help you?"
You know, he hasn't questioned you knowing about him, Nareen suddenly commented. I wonder why that could be?
Maybe he's just really cocky, Kyla replied, her mental tone sweet but deadly.
Kyla... Nareen said warningly. Don't you dare even think about making Bakura mad!
Why not? Kyla asked.
Remember what your foster father does to you? Nareen answered. What Bakura can do to you would be so much worse.
"What did my hikari and his friends want?" Bakura demanded.
His hikari? Kyla thought. Who's that? Oh, yeah. It's Ryou, she remembered.
"They wanted to know if I knew anything about an evil spirit who's been trapping people in the Shadow Realm," Kyla replied, deliberately trying to goad Bakura.
Oh, Kyla, Nareen groaned.
It worked. Bakura slammed Kyla up hard against a tree, his face right up close to hers. "Don't try to push me!" he snarled. "You're playing with fire, Kyla... And fire always melts ice."
"But what if the ice is already melting?" was Kyla's response.
Bakura slapped Kyla hard across the face with enough force to split her lip. Then, he pulled her head forward by her hair, and hissed, "Don't push me. I can do a lot worse to you than this." Then, he started to turn away.
"Sadist," Kyla muttered.
Bakura immediately turned on her again.
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Later, Kyla limped her way over to Liz, Sylvia, and Joanne, who fell silent as she approached.
"What happened to you?" Joanne gasped while Sylvia ran to get bandages and salve.
"I had a little run-in with Bakura," Kyla answered, half-falling, half-sitting on the ground.
Well, I did warn you not to make him angry, Nareen reminded Kyla. It's not my fault that you refused to listen.
That is not what I need to hear right now, Kyla muttered.
At just that moment, Sylvia came back. She and Joanne started cleaning up Kyla's cuts and bruises while Liz paced up and down. "He can't do this to you," she muttered. "He's already getting what he wants."
"Well... I did sort of goad him," Kyla replied, biting back a groan as Joanne's fingers encountered a particularly sensitive bruise.
"That's still uncalled for," Sylvia said severely. "He's going to duel you for your soul, Kyla."
Unknown to the four girls, Joey was just walking past at that moment. He was going to meet Tristan outside the school gates. But something about the girls' conversation caught and held his attention. In fact, he was beginning to see what was really going on, and he felt that he should got and get Yugi. Or Yami. But he didn't want to risk missing any important parts of the conversation.
Seems like someone beat Kyla up, Joey thought, clenching his fists. I want to get my hands on the creep who did that... I don't care if she deserved it. You don't go around hitting girls!
The girls were talking again, and Joey automatically strained his ears to listen. He turned a little pale at what he heard.
"If only you could ask Yugi for help," Sylvia sighed. "I mean, he won the tournament at Duelist Kingdom."
"But she can't ask Yugi for help!" Liz snapped. "Remember what Bakura said? That Kyla can't tell Yugi or any of his friends about the duel, or she'll automatically forfeit it and lose both hers and Nia's souls?"
Well, she's not really telling me, Joey thought, ignoring the faint stab of guilt he felt. I guess I can't tell Yugi and the others about this... At least, not yet.
"Talking about this main duel," Joanne commented in a thoughtful tone. "I've spoken to Mokuba Kaiba... There's a building he says we can use to practise in. And he says he can also get us a couple of dueling disks to use."
Liz gave a slight frown. "So... When can we start?" she demanded.
"My mother's coming to pick us up in a little while," Joanne replied. "We can actually start today."
"But..." Kyla began.
"It's all right," Joanne reassured Kyla. "We'll be back well before the end of school."
The end of school? Joey frowned. What's that supposed to mean? Almost unconsciously, he started to edge nearer, then stopped as a middle-aged woman with short brown hair stepped up to the girls.
"Hi, mum," Joanne smiled. She gestured towards Kyla. "This is Kyla... Kyla, this is my mum, Lita."
Lita looked steadily at Kyla, taking in her disheveled appearance. "Did your foster father do that to you?" she demanded.
Kyla blinked, and moved back slightly. "What?"
Her foster father? Joey thought, his eyes narrowed slightly. Well, that explains a lot... Like why Kyla acts the way she does, for example.
"I've met your foster father," Lita explained to Kyla. "I have some idea of what he's like. Which is why I think you should come and live with us."
"Hey, that would be so cool!" Joanne exclaimed.
"But..." Kyla began.
"I think that you should go," Joey said, walking over to them.
Sylvia and Joanne stared at Joey, while Liz demanded, "How long have you been listening for?"
"Oh, long enough," Joey answered as Kyla's face drained of colour. "I think I have a pretty good idea of what's going on. But don't worry. I won't tell Yugi or any of the others."
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