Chapter 14: The Orb Within
"Yami, what are you doing?" Ryou asked exasperatedly. Bakura, currently in control of their body, was sitting cross-legged on the four-poster bed, hidden by crimson curtains drawn around it. His hands were shuffling an elaborately painted deck of cards, and then he suddenly held the deck out to his spiritual host.
"Shut up and tap these with your left hand," he instructed. Ryou did as he was told, though his hand passed right through the cards, and Bakura began to shuffle them again. The light watched as his yami cut the deck with his left hand, and then placed eleven cards down on the bed in a cross and a line next to it. Ryou glanced up at his other.
"Why are we doing this, again?" he asked.
"Because Yugi gave you this lovely set of cards for your birthday and it seems a shame not to use them," Bakura answered sarcastically. "I want to know what the hell is going on in your head, idiot. You really scared me this afternoon."
"I...I did?" Ryou asked skeptically. That afternoon, he'd fainted in the middle of Charms and woken up strapped down to one of the beds in the hospital wing. Yugi told him that both he and Malik had to drag him to the hospital, and he'd put up quite a fight, thus the straps holding him down. Ryou shuttered at the memory.
"Yes, why else would I be doing this? Now be quiet and only comment on what the cards mean to you...please," he added as he flipped over the first three cards. He began to chuckle as he examined them.
"What?" Ryou demanded. Bakura held up the bottom card, depicting a woman holding up a net-like veil. "The Priestess?" Ryou asked incredulously. "What does that one represent?"
"You."
"What?!"
"Well, the position this was in is the Significator, or what you're like now. And actually–" he screwed up his face in thought– "it does work well for you, or what I think you're like. It refers to someone highly tuned in with the mental world and psychic processes; I think that describes you pretty well, hikari."
"You, too," Ryou said reproachfully. Bakura shook his head and looked at the next card.
"No, I've got my own; it'll pop up later. The second card is the current situation, shown here by a reversed Fortune card, which sucks. This says that you've set something in motion that you can't control, probably these fainting spells. Also, this event you somehow started can't be except with drastic action and even death. And this one–" he held up the third card– "is the one that most often represents me."
"What do you mean 'most often'?"
"Well, what do you think I did those days I possessed you? Steal things? That would be stupid in the daylight. I became a sort of wandering prophet during the day, and I got money for it, too. Unfortunately, I lost my original tarot deck when Yami Malik sent our body to the Shadow Realm. Anyway, the Prince of Swords is always my card–"
"Shouldn't that be the King of Swords?" Ryou asked.
"Well, you'd think. But there aren't Kings in this deck, and Princes seem to be the same thing. The third position is something or someone affecting the situation. I didn't really expect my card to land here, but it makes sense."
He flipped over the top card in the spread and frowned.
"Five of Cups. Hikari, what have you been thinking about lately?"
"I was remembering the time when you would possess me and hurt my friends, and how what's happening now is so much like then."
"Well, that explains a lot. This position stand for what's going on in your head, what you're thinking about, what you're conscious of, that sort of thing. Five of Cups represents disappointment, misfortune, disturbance when you don't expect it. That's what you just told me. Now, this is the one I'm hoping will give us some answers," he said as he pointed to the next card; his face paled as he turned it over.
"Shit," Bakura cursed. "That's not good."
"What? What's not good? Come on, yami, you know I can't read the cards yet. What is it?"
"It looks like you've got a another psychopath in the back of your mind," Bakura answered as he held the card up. "Especially since this card is reversed. The Prince of Cups represents a man who is subtle, ruthless, and intensely evil. It's in the position of you unconscious awareness, or what you don't know is in your head."
"You're right, that doesn't sound good. Does that mean there's another spirit living in me that could hurt my friends?" Ryou cried. Bakura sighed and stared sadly at his light.
"Unfortunately. And you thought I was enough. The next card represents an influence in your past...well, that's appropriate."
"That is blood running down those swords," Ryou said shakily.
"Yep, it is, and that's why I've always liked this card. The Nine of Swords nearly always depicts something rather violent and, accordingly, symbolizes suffering, pain, dispair, and pretty much everything I did to you in the past."
"But that's in the past, Bakura," Ryou said quietly. "You don't do things like that anymore. We're friends now."
Bakura growled at him, though he didn't object; instead he turned the next card over.
"Damn," he hissed. "This position is the probable future; what will happen if we don't do anything to change it. The card there; Ten of Swords, refers to death, failure, and disruption, though it could also mean the end of spiritual delusion. Meaning we could find out who's possessing you other than me. The next one is how you relate to your future...The Star tells us you a lot of hope for the future, as well as spiritual insight to what might happen."
"Well, I did," Ryou muttered. He made himself more corporeal, grabbed a small booklet of the bed, and began to look through it.
"The next," Bakura continued, "is how friends and family will affect the future–"
" 'The Magus: Skill, wisdom...cunning...theft, sometimes occult wisdom or power...'" Ryou read. "Sounds like you and Yami." He smiled apologetically when he saw Bakura's expression. "I have to book that says what everything means," he explained.
Bakura grabbed the booklet from his light. "Well that's one way to learn. A better one is listening to me."
"All right, what's the next one, then?"
"Your hopes and fears," the yami answered as he turned the card over. "Great, Five of Swords. Loss, weakness, defeat, failure; you're pretty much afraid of losing to this thing in your head. And the next one–the long term results–is the Hanged Man, representing enforced sacrifice and suffering. Wonderful, looks like we'll be having a happy future."
"So we've learned that I'm being possessed by a psycho, and we don't know how to stop him or who he is. And if we don't figure it out, that future's full of pain and sorrow, probably not just for me. Well, nothing I'm not used to, I suppose."
"That was...blunt, hikari."
"Yeah, I'm good at that."
"Well, we might find out more if I had a set of runes or an Ouija board, but–"
"How do you know this stuff anyway. I always planned to learn, but I never had a chance."
"Wandering prophet, remember? Like Paul Muad'dib from Children of Dune. Besides, I'm thousands of years old. You just–"
"Hey! Ryou! Are you up here?"
Yugi voice carried up the stairs to where they were sitting, and they heard several footsteps coming up the stone steps. The footsteps stopped as they reached the door, and the white-haired boys heard a different voice.
"Ryou? Are you okay?" asked Harry's voice. "You've been avoiding us for hours, and you didn't come to dinner."
"I'm fine," Bakura answered, his voice slightly muffled through the curtains.
"Are you still worried about what happened in Charms?" Yugi asked, now aware of whom he was talking to.
"No, it's all right. I'm fine, really."
"Could you at least come down to the common room with us?" Harry asked. "Ron wanted me to prove you're still alive up here."
"Which is just his way of saying he's concerned about you, too," Yugi went on.
Bakura glanced at Ryou, fully aware that the others couldn't see them; the light nodded and disappeared to his soul room. Bakura sighed and pulled open the curtains.
"Phantom, guard my bed, please," he said as he jumped off the bed. The cat appeared from under it and rubbed approvingly up against his legs. Bakura blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room.
"Is your cat any good at guarding?" Harry asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He couldn't believe that such a small cat could do much at all.
"You've never seen him in action. He's not de-clawed, you know, and he's fiercely loyal to me," Bakura answered as he approached the door. He suddenly doubled over in pain; his very soul felt like it was on fire, and he was starting to lose control of his body. He squeezed his eyes shit and tried to block out the pain.
"Ryou! Are you all right?!" Yugi exclaimed.
"Stupid...question," Bakura gasped. He glanced down and froze. "Yugi...go...Shadi...need...now..."
"What–"
Bakura reached up and roughly grabbed the front of Yugi's robes, pulling the boy's face near his own.
"My hikari is dying," he hissed. "We need...to go...to Shadi...now."
"B-Bakura, the locket," Yugi muttered, his eyes reflecting a crimson light. Bakura glanced down again; the locket was partially open, and just inside it was a small glowing orb of crimson energy.
"I...know about that. That's why...Shadi..."
"Harry, are we allowed to go out this late?" Yugi asked as he tried to steady Bakura.
"Sixth years are allowed in the halls 'til nine-thirty," Harry answered. "But it's after that; you can't leave now. I mean, I've done it before, but–"
"Good...you can come with...and show us...how not to get caught," Bakura said, struggling to his feet and leaning heavily on Yugi; the smaller boy shrugged as Bakura dragged him down the stairs and Harry followed. He had to hold the portrait hole open for Yugi and Bakura so they could struggle through it, and they headed off.
Yugi and Bakura left Harry in the DADA classroom and struggled into Shadi's office alone, to find that they really were alone. The yami quietly shut the door and sank to the floor in pain and worry.
"That damn...and right when...get out here you damn priest!" he shouted angrily.
"I thought you didn't like me," Shadi said as he appeared behind his desk. Bakura glared at him.
"I don't...I despise you. But you told Ryou...that if this damn locket...opened, he should see you...immediately. Luckily for all of us...I was...in control...when the damn thing opened."
"Can you stand?" Shadi asked, concern in his voice.
"No...why the hell...do you think...I'm down here?" Bakura growled. "To the point...somehow...Ryou's dying...taking me with him...and it started...when this locket opened." He tried to push himself to his feet; a hand caught his arm to help as he fell.
"What do you mean, 'Ryou's dying'?" Yami asked calmly.
"Exactly...what I said. It's like...we're being separated...like when that...Malfoy...stole the Ring from us. He's growing weaker...and fading..."
"One of you close that locket immediately," Shadi demanded. Yami nodded from under Bakura's arm and struggled to reach up and snap the locket closed. His charge instantly collapsed, and they both dropped to the floor.
"He's back...he's okay," Bakura breathed. He suddenly broke into a fit of sobs, obviously not aware of the other inhabitants of the room. Yami stood up and walked over to where Shadi was standing.
"He really loves Ryou, doesn't he?" Shadi commented.
"Probably more than anyone realizes," Yami answered. "But I'm like that too; I'd do anything for Yugi, even if it meant my own death." They stared at Bakura for a few moments before Yami went on, "I think Malik should know about this, as soon as possible. It was his gift after all."
"Then you will have to tell him about it. I doubt he will listen to me."
"That's understandable. I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow, then." Yami fiddled nervously with the Puzzle and stared up at Shadi. "I was wondering, since I already had plans for next Wednesday, if I could see you on Monday. You know, so you can tell me about my past."
"What plans were those?"
Yami smiled. "Quidditch tryouts. It's a wizard game, and I'd like to participate."
"Monday is fine, my Pharaoh. I just hope you'll be okay with what I tell you."
"Eh-hem, when you're done," said Bakura from by the door. Yami and Shadi turned to see a very strange sight; Ryou was in control of his body again, and Bakura had his arms wrapped almost protectively around the hikari.
"I bet you didn't know his," Bakura went on, plucking at the golden necklace, "but this damn necklace won't come off."
"It won't?" Yami asked incredulously. He walked over, but try as he might, the golden chain wouldn't leave Ryou's neck. Yami frowned and stared at Bakura, as if he thought the other dark might be putting him on.
"What if it opens again?" Ryou asked worriedly. "We were lucky this time. What if it doesn't close next time or, if it does, if I'm already gone?"
"Let's see if we can prevent that," Shadi answered as he walked up to them. He pulled out a piece of silver thread and swiftly tied it in a bow just above the locket.
"What was that for?" Bakura inquired, poking at the bow.
"That is a Sealer. It will seal that locket shut as long as it is tied to it," Shadi answered. He walked to the door and turned the handle. "Now, if I am correct, you shouldn't be here this late. You should go back to your dormitories and get some sleep."
Yami nodded and walked out the door, but Ryou ran up and embraced Shadi, almost taking Bakura with him.
"Thank you. If it weren't for you, Bakura and I would be dead now."
"You're welcome, Ryou," Shadi said as he pushed the teen off of him. "Why don't you go get some sleep?"
Ryou bowed and ran out the door; Bakura nodded once and disappeared.
That night, if the curtains hadn't been drawn around Ryou's bed, the other boys in the dorm would have seen two white-haired teens sleeping there.
Notes: (sorry I have to do this)
First of all, I am perfectly aware that right now this is a lot like The New Students. My apologies.
Anyway, the tarot deck I used here is the Crowley Thoth deck, which is the one I own, and the spread is the Celtic Cross spread, a very common one actually.
I don't own any of the Dune series, Yugioh, or Harry Potter. Or Inuyasha (did you notice the locket is like Inuyasha's necklace? It won't come off!)
And I want to leave you with one last image: Ryou was in control of his body again, and Bakura had his arms wrapped almost protectively around the hikari.
Ahhhh, it's so cute! Kyaa!
