Oi! Next chapter is heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere! ::grins maliciously:: I have been thinking this plot through over and over and over again, and have planned quite a few interesting twists and turns and loop-de-loops in the story revolving around Setokku . I hope you all enjoy this chapter; 'tis a bit long and required some research on my part ::eyes threatening to droop shut:: 'twas a little more work than I thought it'd take.

Chapter 7: New Toys

Humming. Incessant humming. It was all that Kinou heard over the next few hours as she sat against the door, hugging her knees to herself. The sun was starting to set, casting an eerie glow over the apartment and its contents. The phone still stood upon the counter and out of reach, casting a long shadow over her face, like a monolith—she wanted so badly to get to it but feared to, and she instead remained still, having given up hope long before.

Why the hell am I doing this? she wondered to herself. He'll get out eventually… he'll either break the door down or just wait for me to fall asleep and then…

She shivered slightly and pushed the thought out of her mind. There was nothing she could do to dig herself out of the pit in which she was stuck, but she didn't want to let Bakura out all the same. She would sit for as long as she needed to.

I'll stay until I fall asleep or something… he wouldn't do anything to me if I fell asleep… would he? Why would he care? He'd probably shake me awake and try to get some more images out of me or some crap like that. What if he doesn't?

What if he's some psychotic—well, he is psychotic either way—molester or something? He was a thief after all, why not the complete package that accompanies it? Raping and pillaging, those two always seem to come together—I can't fall asleep now!

Ok, ok, calm down. He's not a pillager… he was a thief, now he's just some random evil spirit trapped inside a gold ring… besides, raping and pillaging are spoils of war, and we're not exactly in a war here… but wait, aren't we? I can't exactly get out and I've barricaded him in there—stop, stop, stop!

She smacked a palm into her forehead. He is not going to do anything like that. I'm getting myself worked up over nothing, nothing! He's only interested in finding out about the spirit of the Rod. Hey…

Her eyes opened again. There's something else to think about to keep myself awake—why the hell is he so interested in Setokku anyway? It's not like he needs to know anything more; he told me himself that he knows more about the spirit than anyone else. He wants to find out more because he wants to… to harness his power? For what?

He called Seto a betrayer… and seemed pretty resentful when he mentioned almost being sentenced to death by him… maybe he was framed or something? Maybe he and Seto planned something to get into power and Bakura got screwed on his end of the deal… yeah, that makes sense.

I really should stop thinking. Why don't I just ask him?

Silence rose in her mind. …ask him? What the hell kind of idea is that?

One that'll maybe make him open up to me… or something.

"Open up to me"? God, how stupid can one thing sound? 'Hey Bakura, tell me, were you wrongly accused in Egypt and that's why you became an outcast tomb robber?' She nearly felt like laughing. Yeah, that'll make him open up to me. Great plan.

"Bakura?" His name tumbled out of her mouth before she could think twice and restrain it.

The humming stopped.

"Why do you control and scare Ryou like you do?" What the hell… where did that come from?

Silence was the response to her random inquiry, and she closed her eyes, hoping that Bakura had somehow not heard it. Her eyes fluttered closed as she kept her mind from thinking anymore; it was proving to be exhausting. The mysterious Middle Eastern tunes did not begin to flow out of the room again, but after a while, she could have sworn that she heard a small whisper.

"…because it's fun."

Darkness enveloped her as she strode down a long, dark blue pathway, random bursts of cold wind baffling her hair this way and that as she plodded through the mushy ground. A random garden gnome suddenly appeared in front of her and told her to make two very special colors be friends again, and she agreed, accepting a pair of scissors he handed her. She was supposed to do something with them, but the gnome was blown away by a particularly large gust of wind before he could explain. Kinou clutched the scissors to her chest, knowing that the two colors would be saved by her somehow, and that the magical dodo bird would reward her greatly when she did. In some odd way, it all made sense to her. She felt a slight pressure on her forehead and realized that she had somehow pressed a Millennium Eye into it, the pair of scissors long gone on a journey of their own. She poked slightly at the glowing thing now on her forehead, and slowly felt her vision become clearer. Her body leaned forward slightly and was suddenly thrown back, bumping into something quite solid with a loud slam—her eyes snapped open to see Bakura directly in front of her with his hands drawing away from her shoulders, having just woken her up by hitting her against the door he had opened and come out of.

He stood up to look down at her, mock respect etched into his words. "Sorry to disturb you, Anji, but it seems we can only get visions of the past when both of us are awake."

Kinou, still not over the shock that she had fallen asleep so easily, merely stared up at him.

The spirit chuckled darkly, matching the color of the apartment now that it was nighttime. His white-blonde hair seemed to shimmer slightly in the lighting coming in from the balcony, but it only brought a sharp contrast to his eyes, which were so foreboding that Kinou was having a difficult time staring into them. It all drew her eyes to his mouth, which was twisting into an amused smirk at the cowering girl. If his teeth were sharp, he could have easily faked a vampire.

"What's wrong?" He crouched to be at her eye level again, tilting his head slightly to the side.

She swallowed and flinched as he softly brought his hand up to her face, stopping it right before it touched her. He smirked even more broadly as he watched her follow his slender fingers with her eyes as they came mere centimeters away from her skin, teasing her with every minute movement.

"What's a little peek at the past?" he asked, quite intrigued by how she reacted to him. "You get to look at what you used to be, which was something rather goddess like and appealing if I do say so myself…"

"Stop it," pleaded Kinou, pressing herself as close as possible to the wall behind her and away from his outstretched hand.

"If you have an easier and more amusing way to get a look at the past, by all means, share it." When she did not answer him, he snickered. "You know, you look so delicious when you're afraid… it's a real pity that I can't touch you without being distracted by something far more important." He continued to move his hands around her, and she finally broke under the overwhelming terror that had gripped her by the throat.

"Please, leave me alone," she barely choked out. "I'll—I'll willingly let you see the past if—if you stop." She held out her hand slightly, keeping the rest of her body as it was.

"I don't do conditions," he suddenly said in a harsh tone, and his hand snapped to hers and grasped it in a strong vice. She gasped partially out of surprise at the rash act, and partially because of the sensation that surged through her body at his touch. A tunnel of wind surrounded her and the spirit, and she could barely hear her cries of fright as she once again felt as though her soul were being torn away from her body. Her yells were quickly halted, however, when she heard a noise that was quite unlike that which she had heard in the first vision they had shared—laughter. A grimace forced itself out as she felt herself completely separate, from what she didn't quite know, but she was trying much harder to focus her ears upon the giggles of mirth. The scene that reached her eyes as the light and wind cleared was almost as confusing to her as the last.

Two young children, perhaps about 9 years old, were seated across a small table from each other. They were both red in the face and still trying their hardest to suppress any mirth that they might have had left. One had a soft brown as his hair color, the other a shining ebony, much like that of the plump, infuriated man that suddenly burst into the room, panting. He started shouting at the boys in another language, but Kinou could somehow understand him as though he were speaking English.

"I've got you two now! You've stolen from me for the last time!" he shouted, practically drenching the boys with the spit flying from his mouth in his rage.

"Stolen?" asked the brown-haired boy, turning his light blue eyes up to look at him whilst keeping his face completely straight. "Dear professor, why would we do something like that?"

"Don't try that with me, you snotty little troublemaker!" He thrust a finger out at him. "I know you just took something from me, and I'm not leaving here without it!"

The boy looked at his companion and then back up at the man, faking innocence quite well. "I have been here studying with Makbura, Apophis," he said politely, gesturing to a small piece of parchment. "What is it that you're missing?"

"Eh—" He froze, merely staring at him. "I—I know what you took, just give it to me before I go and tell your mother!"

"I don't know what you mean," the boy said, shaking his head. "If you'd like some help looking for it, Makbura and I would be glad to offer our assistance. We just need to know what to look for."

Apophis bared his teeth. "I know you two took something from me, and you can't hide your guilt anymore than that papyrus can suddenly disappear," he growled. "Now you'd better—"

"Pardon me, is there something wrong?"

A short, slender woman entered the room behind the blustering man, and he turned quickly and bowed down on a knee before her. "A-Anippe, my lady; pardon my intrusion. It was rude of me and disrespectful."

She slightly tilted her head, the fancy jewelry draped about her jingling slightly. "May I ask what you are doing here? Is my boy not keeping up in your studies?"

"N-no my lady. He and his friend there have just taken something from me and are feigning ignorance of it."

Her light purple eyes fell upon the blue ones of her son. "Is this true?" she asked softly.

He shook his head. "No, mother," he said simply.

"Do you swear on your father's tomb and his afterlife in the underworld?" said quite seriously, her eyes boring into his.

"I will swear on the very god Anubis if you wish me to clear any false guilt."

She looked back at Apophis, who was still kneeling, but obviously trying not to burst out. "He has not taken anything from you. You do know that he looks up to you as a scholar, and he has no reason to steal from one whom he idolizes. Perhaps you just misplaced what you claim was taken. What's missing?"

He kept his head down and his eyes averted to the floor. "Well… nothing in particular, my lady… I just heard noises in my potions chamber and swore that I saw these two running out." He looked up at her. "I'm certain it was them," he said fervently.

"Yet you don't know what you are missing, dear professor. Please do not accuse my child of stealing; our family has always been kind to you, and you to us, especially after my husband passed on. There should be no mistrust between anyone. Please stand."

He did so, and she gently took him by the hand and led him out, which looked rather strange, as they were total opposites in shape and height. "Set, you may go out to play with Makbura if you want. Be back before the sun touches the tops of the pyramids." With that, she walked Apophis out.

The two boys looked at each other and ran out through the other doorway, Set clutching a brown cloth bag. They didn't stop until they reached the end of the sanded road, where a small mill stood. Laughter once again emitted from the two, and they collapsed into heaps behind the wall, shielded from the sun. Sitting up, Set shook his head slightly to get the sand out of it, Makbura doing the same. They sat up and leaned their backs against the stone, Set gently making sure he didn't get his elegant garbs and beaded sandals too dirty, while Makbura dug his bare feet into the sand and tied a short, ragged belt a little tighter around his waist.

"So what did ya manage to nab?" the black-haired boy asked eagerly, leaning over as Set opened up the bag between them.

"I don't know, actually." He plunged his hand into the depths of the cloth and drew out a palm-sized ankh made of green feldspar and frowned slightly. "Ah that won't get much," he muttered. It was dropped carelessly into the sand and picked up by Makbura as Set rummaged around a little more. A silver vulture was next in line, engraved with words to chant and protect Upper Egypt, a little bigger than the ankh.

"Hey, Nekhbet!" said Makbura excitedly, snatching it out of Set's hands. "The cobra-loving people down south'll like this one. Anything else?"

"I think there's one more," he said. As he pulled his hand out again, he slowly opened it up to reveal the last item—a red heart amulet no bigger than the top digit of his thumb. His eyes went wide as he saw it, and Makbura peered at it as well.

"Whoa… you don't see an AB that often anymore…" he whispered.

"This will sell for enough to sustain you and your family for at least a fortnight," Set said, not having taken his eyes off the acorn-shaped stone.

"But… you've wanted one of those for a really long time, haven't you?"

"I have, but you need—"

Makbura cut him off with a fervent shake of his head. "Naah, I don't need it. This Nekhbet will sell for a lot," he said, slightly brandishing it.

"This will sell for more," Set said, finally looking at his friend and holding it out.

"I don't want it, alright? Just keep the darn thing," he said sternly. "And this too." He picked up the ankh and put it in Set's hand. "It's a worthless piece of crap, so you can have it."

They grinned at each other and laughed slightly. Holding up his two new possessions, Set murmured somewhat to himself. "The symbol of life…" His eyes turned to the red amulet. "…and something to preserve my soul. How foolish."

The boys burst out laughing again, and the image of them began to swirl and mix. Kinou suddenly became aware again of Bakura's grip on her arm, but it had softened slightly. As she felt herself appear in the apartment, she could barely see. It was now deeper into the night and pitch-black, and her eyes had been well-adjusted to the bright sunlight of the vision. The hand on her arm dropped off, but she remained still, oddly frightened by the sudden change in atmosphere. No sound came from the other in the room for what seemed a long time, and she warily shifted her weight.

"…B-Bakura?" she asked softly.

Her ears picked up some soft chuckling, and it sent shivers down her spine. "Yes, Kinou, I haven't disappeared yet. I'm going to sleep and suggest you do the same." With that, she heard his body slump over with a muffled thud on the hardwood floor, quickly followed by a startled yelp.

Now able to see somewhat in the dark, Kinou squinted slightly to see his form rise up again slightly and clutch at its head. "Whoa… where am I?"

Kinou remained silent, and he turned his eyes upon her—even in the dark she could see a softer quality about them. "Kinou? Why are we on the floor?"

"Ryou?" she asked apprehensively, still unable to discern too well when he was in control and when he was not.

"I believe so, unless we traveled to another dimension or something," he said, laughing softly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… I think I'm ok."

"Good heavens it's dark," he said, turning to face the glass door of the patio. "That means we must have skipped dinner. Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Not really."

"Well I know I am. If you want any, just let me know." He stood up and stretched, walking into the kitchen, Kinou remaining on the floor. As Ryou began to rummage through the cupboards, Kinou curled up slightly and rested her chin on her knees, trying to discern what she had just seen and how it related to the spirit of the Rod. She decided a few minutes later that Ryou's cooking was too much to ignore, and went to sit with him on the couch to eat, quietly reminding herself to keep herself wary in case the yami tried to catch her off-guard again.