Woot! I love this chapter ^^ But just a warning…it's rather odd…..mrrr….
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I own Shinkou and Bakura's song.
"No matter how powerful you become, you are still just a human being, do not try to ever become more than that." -Kenshin's master: Rurouni Kenshin
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I was laying on the ground, a pain in my head and chest. Bakura wasn't here, but our so-called "host" was, standing a foot from me to be exact. He glared down at me as I sat up, immediately putting a hand over my aching torso. What happened? Why am I so sore? Maybe he did something to me.
"What a weak Pharaoh."
"Excuse me?" My eyes turned up at him in a glare.
"Oh, nothing really. Just the fact that you randomly slipped unconscious and minutes later you were tossing and rolling around." He shrugged as I stood, our glares evenly strong. Or…I hope mine is as strong…
But I don't remember going unconscious…
"Where's Bakura?!"
He waved his hand like it was no big deal and pointed behind me. I turned my head to see a white door against all the darkness, not bother to ask how it may have gotten there.
"If he truly loves you, he should be coming out of that door right about….now."
I watched in utter silence, waiting and praying for him just to show up, five minutes of hoping…but he didn't show…
"Well then, it seems like this was a waste of time."
"No," I growled and spun to face him.
"Even if you're right, you love him," he pointed to a spot of darkness and an image of Seto Kaiba appeared.
"I hate him! And Seto doesn't love me - he loves Joey! Even if he has yet to tell him…" The image faded and I fixed an angered stare back to the host. "I love Bakura. And he loves me, otherwise neither of us would be here at all."
"Prove it."
"Nani?"
"Prove to me that Bakura loves you."
"Ah….how…?"
"There will be a door in his soul room that only the one he loves can unlock. Enjoy your stay."
I was about to question him, but the scene around me changed and I was alone in what seemed like a dank kind of dungeon. Was this Bakura's soul room….? I may be here for awhile by the looks of things…Damn.
"Let me see the Pharaoh!"
"Get out of here, rat. The Pharaoh has better things to do then socialize with poor peasants."
Bakura and Seth…stupid guard, I would have loved to see Bakura. Ah…wait, what's going on here? I guess this was one of his memories or something…Bakura's memories must be leaking out now. I shortly smiled and started down a near corridor. I wish I had something to mark everywhere I've been…..oh well…
************
"How do you get into the palace?"
"I don't."
"But Shinkou! You're his cousin for Ra's sake!"
"Wow, Bakura. You sure are smart. Why do you want to get in so badly?"
"To see the Pharaoh…"
"Good luck."
"Shut up! I'll get in. All I have to do is steal a load of shit….then I'll see him."
************
A few memories and opening doors later, I stopped to a small, soft voice in a bit of surprise. Who else could be in here..? "Hewo." I blinked around, feeling a tugging on my leg and glanced downwards. You're kidding me….Really….this has to be some joke… "Will you play with me…? No one else will….they call me a freak…"
I knelt down, smiling at a rather young version of Bakura, a cute matt of fresh silver hair plastered atop his head like always, covering over his eyes for the most part. He had a gray shirt hanging down to his knees, brown pants beneath to cover the rest of him. How could no one want to play with him?
I petted his head softly and he blinked a bit. "You aren't a freak. And I'll play with you. What do you want to play?"
His face lit up, I'd hate to see it if I had told him no. "Dungeon!"
"….Dungeon…?" Whatever that is. "Why dungeon…?"
"Because," he looked down nervously. "I don' like heights…dungeons don' have anything ta fall off of other than stairs…but if you don't want to play…"
"Oh no!" He'd started to turn away and I lightly held him back. "I'll play. But can you help me?" He nodded, face joyful once again. "Do you know of any doors that you can't get open here? That are locked?"
"Uh-huh. There's one on the bottom floor." Perfect! I'll be out of here in no time then!
"Thanks, I'll play with you until we get there, okay?"
"Otay."
************
We had moved down the stairs, the chibi humming something I didn't recognize. Seth seemed to wander down the corridor with a semi-older Bakura in tow and I felt a sudden rush of weight against my legs. "What's wrong?" I looked down, finding my current companion huddling into my legs from behind me.
"I don' like him…"
"Well, he's not exactly one I'd be fond of too…but don't worry, he can't hurt you," I whispered, stroking his hair softly and he seemed to calm down a bit. I looked back up at the images, but they had already turned the corner. The chibi seemed to whimper again as if he knew what was happening and I finally picked him up in my arms, cradling his small form close. "It's ok, really." I continued walking, turning the corner myself and gasping a bit - caught off guard at the sight.
The images of Bakura and Seth had stopped moving, well, walking any further. The Bakura in my arms buried himself against me, shaking as I watched as Seth forced Bakura against a wall, savagely kissing the other and moving his head down to bite at his neck. "Stop it!" I hissed, kicking the image - but as it was just a memory, just seemingly air….I fell over through it, catching my footing somehow and staying standing.
"Evil man! I hates you!" The small Bakura hissed, looking up at the image of Seth with watering eyes. I found now to be the best time to keep moving. I wonder how much longer until we get to the last floor…
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"The next floor….I tink that's where the door you're talking about is…"
I nod, still holding his shaking form. I looked down at him, keeping my voice soft. "We never played any of your game.."
"I don' really want to play…" He held to me tighter. I actually don't think he wanted to play in the first place. I think he just wanted company down here. It must be hard living through all his memories, but I wonder if he holds all of them in him anyway, even though he's just a child? Maybe he holds all of Bakura's emotions within him? If so…that has to be hard…
"That's alright," I gave him a smile, embracing him lightly. I thought he was humming again, but he was silent in my arms and I blinked in confusion, moving to one of the normal doors. I reached out a hand, tossing it open with ease and blinking once again when the doorway was suddenly barred over so I couldn't go in. Shit…I wonder if my mind is this screwed up…
The room had formed itself up like a cell, rather dark too. Bakura was in the back of it, sprawled tiredly with his head tilted back. He was the teen that was humming this time, but slightly after he started to sing to himself. "Keep me alive….keep my soul free…..seems how this life will always be…get me out….keeping me from crying…..I don't want to end up dying and now….help me, take me away and keep me from falling and now…save me and hide me away…..keep me from dying…. I can't pick it up, strumming on these bars I think I'm bleeding and I can't move away, thinking about all these things I want to say, but now, I can hardly move an inch, but now, I'm praying, let me live a life worth living…"
I stared at his form a bit longer, suddenly hearing the chibi in my arms start to hum with him and I realized it was the same tune he was using earlier. I never realized Bakura could sing….he's not bad…
….Focus, Yami, focus! I told myself and moved away from the cell, blinking when the breathing of the child was lighter and I took note that the small Bakura was sleeping. I hope maybe….I'll be able to see the future him asleep in my arms…
************
"Come on! It's dis' way!" The other was back on his feet, running down the corridor and towards a stairway. Hell, he's fast! Wait…I should know that anyway.
"Wait up, Bakura!"
He keeps running and my eyes widen horrified as he trips and I increase my speed, watching him fall through the air, hearing him cry and I can't understand why - after all, it's just stairs…
"Don't worry, I got you!" I cried out, falling over myself just to grab his arm with a single hand. I gasp, sweat running down my face as I look down. The stairs had crumbled away at some point, leaving a large gap between floors that I can't even jump. This Bakura is curled around my arm, crying loudly and it echoed through the soul room. "Shh…..it's ok…." I pulled him up and he hid away against me, trembling greatly and all I could do was hold him for a few minutes, trying to think how to get across that gap….with the chibi as well…
I started at a rustled sound behind us and looked over my shoulder, flashing a look of surprise across my face to see my Kuriboh sitting there with a bit of a bounce. I looked beneath his feet, cursing quietly as I realized my deck must have slid from my pocket when I dived to grab Bakura… The cards were spread out all over the floor and I made a bit of movement to start picking them up, setting down the small Bakura who immediately glomped to my Kuriboh. Wait…. I touched the monster's head, noting how solid it was and smiled. We can fly over the gap. I gathered up most of my cards, leaving out the Winged Dragon to use later, but I was feeling unsettled and looked towards the pit, noting some of my cards made it near that as well and slowly added them to my deck. I still couldn't find my magician…..
Until I noticed that one card had just slid over the edge and started to float its way through the darkness. "No!" I yelled, startling Bakura and the Kurioboh as I stared in a panic through the darkness as my prized card was far from my reach. Dammit! I don't care if it's just a card! It's my card!
"You otay?" I glanced back at Bakura and forced a smile. "You look upset."
"No, I'm fine, really. Come on - let's go. Have you ever seen a dragon?" He shook his head as a 'no' frantically, though seemed excited. "Then this, I suppose, is your lucky day." He blinked in confusion as I slid my deck into my pocket, tossing out the Winged Dragon as it started to glow and the card shifted into a large, blue dragon. Bakura seemed ecstatic, clapping his hands as I picked him up and hopped onto the dragon's back, Kuriboh followed (much to Bakura's joy).
It was a rather pathetic flight, I must say… We flew about two inches before getting off and I summoned the monster back as a card. I left the Kuriboh out to walk along side Bakura and we continued down the corridor. "Where's this door you can't open?"
"At ta end of the hall."
I gave a slow nod and we continued in silence.
************
"It's right - uh-oh…" I looked down at him and he hid behind me and I asked him what was wrong. He pointed ahead and it seemed another memory was forming right before us, making it almost look like we were standing in a doorway. "Shh, it's the Pharaoh….he's mean…" I bit my lip, already knowing what the memory was before it fully came into formation. The new doorway that we were in opened up to a large room, the throne room in the palace in Egypt to be exact. There were guards lined up on each side of an aisle way all the way to the throne where - ah….I sat. Seth standing besides me and a priestess as well on the other side. I could notice there were spectators that slid in, one of them being Shinkou.
The child version of Bakura shivered against me as we watched and I sighed, shifting uneasily.
Bakura was forced onto his knees in the vision, right before the throne and now that I noticed it - he seemed to be terribly shaking, casting a glance to Seth who was sneering at him, but also had licked his lips and Bakura quickly returned his glance to the ground.
"The Pharaoh was mean….he didn't give me a second chance….but I still got my wish to see him…..though I couldn't see him any more afterwards…I was sealed away…" I shifted my weight of my feet again, not liking the position I'd fallen into suddenly.
"Come on, we have a door to get to," I murmured hastily and started into the memory with the chibi following after my heels.
"But what if they see us!"
"They can't," I muttered and continued, though paused when I was behind the image of the shaken Bakura and knelt down, wrapping my arms around his neck. I know he can't see me, and hardly even feel me for that matter…but I know he can at least the slightest hear me… "It'll all be ok, I promise, you're future may start out bad, but I promise it'll improve…" I released my grip on him and straightened, quickly moving passed….ah….my throne and making sure the chibi was with me just as I heard screams of pain and chanting behind me. The image faded and we stood by the door.
The chibi turned from where the image had been and was now facing me. Damn. I was hoping this wouldn't have happened….
"Y-You're…..the Pharaoh….."
"Hai…" I don't stare at him, but the door.
"You're the one who's given me pain all my life!"
"……This is true…."
"Why?!"
"I can't….answer that…." I gulped, laying my hand on the door…I could just get out of here in one swift opening of the door and everything would be fine…But he had other ideas and pushed me away from it.
"I won't let you open that until you answer me!"
"Bakura," I breathed, trying to think what I even wanted to tell him. "I'm in your soul room, I know you realize this. You're a ghost, I'm doing everything I can to bring you back because I love you….There are people not here, not in the Shadow Realm, but on Earth that are helping as well, you aren't alone! We just want to help you….You have to understand, I need to get to that door, Bakura! I'm sorry what I've done to you…and maybe I thought that the you outside of here knew that….but maybe he doesn't……I still have to try though!" He blinks at me, his rage seeming to fade and he stepped aside, allowing me to the door.
"Then let's see your answer…" He whispered, then blinked when Kuriboh ran up behind him and tackled him to the ground. I chuckled shortly, realizing it must have gotten left behind when we went through the memory. I took a breath, resting my hand back on the knob and smiling to the warmth that radiated from it. Only the one he loves can open it…I repeated to myself and closed my eyes as I forced myself into the room, but before I could see what's in it, the air started to pull me back. I heard the chibi Bakura gasp and pull on my pant leg before I felt him push me forward.
I groan, landing flat on the ground and looking up as the door closed behind me. I looked around, starting to wonder if this was the wrong room….Nothing was here…
Except…
….There was something in the center that I crawled out towards, a small box encrusted in gold designs. I blinked down at it, running a hand over its surface before slowly opening it. Within lay in crimson velvet, a dagger with a thin, black blade, its hilt golden with a small silver sphere at the end. I reached in and pulled it out, surprised on how light it was and almost dropped it when the blade started to look like it was burning. A flame encased it, slowly passing to leave the letters glowering in ashen fire: Y A M I.
I put the blade back and closed the box, hearing it seal shut and illuminate a holy white glow overcastting in the room. Words burnt all around, covering the walls with my name and words like love….nothing resembling hate.
I smiled, not caring when I stood up and the room was dispersing from around my body. So maybe this was the right room after all..
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"Of course it was the right room, idiot," I blinked up, looking around for the soft voice and noting I was back in the darkness. I felt a sudden weight on my back and it was definitely not the chibi. "Who else did you think would be able to open it?" I smiled, whispering with a sigh 'Bakura' and felt the arms of the other around my neck, clutching to my body as if I were giving him a ride on my back. Which wasn't working too well…as I was shorter than him. "Mmm….hm…" He whispered, nuzzling against my head like he were never going to see me again.
"Oh please…" I glanced up at the host as Bakura rested his head to my shoulder.
"You're not exactly one who lives up to his word, are you?" I heard Bakura say with annoyance towards the host.
"Are you still going on about that?"
"Yes!"
I feel so confused.
"Bakura, what are you talking about?"
"He sealed me in a room and locked the door!" Bakura snapped, his sudden change of attitude nearly causing me to fall over. But I suddenly see just why he was angered, and I felt it too.
"The same door you said he was supposed to come out of?!"
"Ah, well, yes," the boy rubbed his chin, though seemed to be smirking a bit. "It was the only way that worked to really - introduce the second test…" I growled in annoyance, but he waved it off. "But don't worry, I'll make sure to go right into the last one, if it makes you feel any better…"
"Fine with me," I murmured, folding my arms after Bakura finally let me go.
"Hai, I agree," Bakura nodded and we waited side by side.
"You two should be happy this time, you actually get to be together," he spoke loudly, voice echoing and the area felt like it was starting to get colder. "I must say it is no surprise that you have both lasted so long with your ideals that you would be with one another forever. But let's see how well you can uphold your little…..bond that you have formed with one another. I introduce myself at last to you both and wish you the best of luck. My name is Fukusuke Assi, until we meet in the future…." He started to raise his arms, one hand poised as if he were waiting to snap his fingers. I inched closer to Bakura when I noticed I could see my breath because it was so cold. Fukusuke's voice had been echoing all around us, volume increasing as he spoke, and now we were hanging to his last word, waiting for him to do something. He brought his arms down quickly, snapping his fingers as everything began to swirl and break away from us. "…..Goodbye."
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Ok. Yeah. So I'm figuring one more real chapter left and then an Epilogue. I'm calling it an epilogue only because the PoV's change XD Oh well. It makes sense to me anyway. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter ^^ I liked the chibi….he was cute I thought….the core of Bakura's mind, the one thing that held to all of Bakura's emotions was the chibi.
But there wasn't that much angst in this chapter….neh….well. I'll make up for it next chapter.
Be forewarned.
Ah! And this is Bakura's song in a more easier to read format ^^ It's also on FictionPress.com along with allll my poems and stuff that you should all go read right now XD Well….you don't have to…..they're all angst really….and then there's my Two Worlds story that I should work on and soon to be up my Fatal Blows story which is an original slash piece of work…. Yeah…anyway, the song.
Keep Me Alive by ShadowSpirit (duh)
Keep me alive….
Keep my soul free…..
Seems how this life will always be…
Get me out….
Keeping me from crying…..
I don't want to end up dying and now….
Help me, take me away and keep me from falling and now…
Save me and hide me away…..
Keep me from dying….
I can't pick it up, strumming on these bars I think I'm bleeding
And I can't move away, thinking about all these things I want to say,
But now, I can hardly move an inch,
But now, I'm praying, let me live a life worth living