Moo!! I finally got this chapter out! Yes! -punches the air- I'm glad I did... I had this done on Sunday, but Noooooooooooooooooooo..... Ff .net decided to do an update! Gargh! So, here I am at school, on a Tuesday, hoping that this'll work considering it's so soon after the update. We can hope! I won't be able to update anything next week unless I manage to get another chapter in one of my stories done by this Thursday, which is somewhat possible. I'm going to Hollywood with my school's marching band! Friday till Tuesday. Yep. I will probably post the next chapter of Passing the Time on Thursday if the stupid floppy I'm using decides to cooperate. -grumbles- I might have to rewrite a few pages if they're lost for good. And all of you should go and read Hacker's World! The eyes command you! -points- I I I I. They command you! Anyway, onwards!

Chapter 8

The meal was eaten mostly in silence, occasionally broken by a few requests and offers for food or drinks that were out of reach. Kinou could sense that Ryou was just Ryou, but she still sat somewhat rigidly on the couch. They both seemed to be trying to drag the eating time out as long as they could so that they wouldn't be sitting around awkwardly with nothing to do. It did end after a while, however, and the apartment was still quiet with the occasional squirrel scurrying across the roof of the building. Ryou took in a breath.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked softly, not looking at her.

Kinou slightly turned her head to him and paused before answering. "...not really. He just scared me, that's all."

"What did he do?"

"Well... he woke me up and then... we just took another look at the past," she replied with a laugh.

Ryou faced her suddenly, his eyes somewhat glassy. "Kinou, I'm so sorry," he blurted out almost pleadingly. "I told you I could keep him under control, but--but--"

"Ryou, it's fine," said Kinou, leaning forward, slightly surprised. "All he wants is to see the past and it doesn't hurt me--"

"It frightens you!" he interjected. "He frightens everyone around me! I can't help anyone because he hurts them, and I can't do a damn thing about it!"

His shouts died out, leaving an emptiness in their wake, Kinou unsure as to what to say to him. She hesitantly reached out a hand to place on his shoulder.

"Don't." He turned sharply away from her. "You shouldn't have stayed here, Kinou. You should have not listened to me."

"Ryou, I don't blame you for wanting to give me a place to stay--" Kinou began.

"I'm not saying you do!" he snapped, putting his face in his hands. "...you need to leave before something else happens. Go."

"I--"

"Go!" he cried, his hands starting to shake, his mouth twisting into a grimace. "No... no... I won't let you..." he said under his breath, more to himself. "I won't let you out..."

Kinou sat frozen to her seat, but ready to bolt. "Ryou, I can stay here and help you; if you're alone with him--"

"Y-you can't... no one can help..." He clenched his fists, baring his teeth even more; his eyes were still squeezed shut. "...get out now... I-I can't--" He flinched and tears started to stream down his face, the shakiness in his hands starting to spread through his whole body.

Kinou suddenly realized that he was trying to hold Bakura back until she got out. From the way he was reacting, however, she didn't want to leave him all alone to his darker half's wrath. Before she had any time to debate it, Ryou lurched forward and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"For the love of God get out of here!" he yelled, looking more terrified than she could have ever imagined. She ran toward the door, fumbling slightly with the doorknob before she could open it, Ryou's groans from his inner struggle following her as she rushed into the hallway. In her panic she realized that she had not seen how to get in and out of the building and frantically turned about, her eyes searching for the exit. Her short breaths were the only noise apart from that which was still emanating from Ryou's room; she finally found a door with a stairwell sign and continued through it, her shoes pounding rather heavily on the concrete. In her haste she nearly missed the first floor, only realizing that she had passed it when she took a few steps down into the cold basement; she turned back to burst from the building, tripping slightly over the stairs down to the sidewalk.

She groaned loudly, hunching over and clutching at her sides, remembering the last time she had run at such speeds. Seems like I can only do it when my life's in danger, she thought harshly as she remembered the Rare Hunters that had been on her heels the preceding time. Before her breathing could slow down, a voice awakened in the back of her mind.

Keep running; you're not safe yet.

Goddamnit! Kinou yelled at herself. I don't need to talk to myself at a time like this!

You do, if you want to stay alive, it said.

Since when have you come in handy in this kind of situation! You're only useful when I'm trying to decide if I want cream cheese!

Her busy thoughts were interrupted when a rather loud and anguished yell erupted from the top of the apartment building; Kinou straightened up and gave a frightened gaze up to it, and her legs began to move without her even thinking about it. As she sped down the darkened street, her vision became blurry, her sense of direction fogged, but something was drawing her onward. She had to get... somewhere. Somewhere close there was something she needed to reach.

Keep running, keep running, keep running, keep running...

"Oof!"

The ground rushed up to meet her as she rammed into something and tripped over it to collapse on the other side. It gave a startled yelp and also fell over, though a lot harder than she did. She had tripped over a person.

Tripped...?

She slightly raised her head, squinting an eye against the bright street lamps, and only saw a large feather duster near her foot, but whoever it was wasn't in sight. Shutting her eyes again, she rolled onto her back and clutched at the arm upon which she had fallen, and again heard a little bit of noise from the other person.

"H-hey, are you alright?"

Opening her eyes again, she squeaked when she saw a large pair of violet eyes staring down at her. She sat up again and put a hand to her head, realizing that the feather duster had in fact been the hair of none other than Yugi Moto.

"Whoa, it's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you," he said, leaning forward slightly and putting a hand out. "Are you alright?" he asked again.

She quirked an eyebrow, not really believing he happened to be the person fate decided to run her into in her flee.

"Hm? Something the matter?"

"Ah--n-no, I'm sorry, I just--"

"Ki-nou..."

The girl froze as the cold voice washed over her, and her eyes looked up to see Bakura standing over her and Yugi, a cruel smile playing across his lips. "You seem to have an unnatural talent of finding people by running into them; are you going to pass out again this time?"

"Bakura!" Yugi said happily, standing up and smiling. "Why are you out so late?" Oblivious to the fact that the spirit was the one speaking, he reached out and clapped him on the shoulder.

Snarling, Bakura grabbed the boy's hand and threw him away from himself. "Do not touch me, Yugi. This doesn't concern you."

"Bakura, what--" He suddenly straightened up, his eyes going wide. "You're the spirit of the ring!"

"Ts." He turned his head to the side. "I'm surprised the all-mighty pharaoh isn't on my ass by now; get out of here, will you?"

Getting shakily to her feet, Kinou took a slight step back. Yugi stepped forward bravely. "Why don't you get out of my friend's mind instead? What did he ever--" He was cut off as Bakura roughly shoved him to the side into the wall of the building next to them; he slammed into it with a loud grunt and slid to the ground, coughing because of how hard he hit it. The spirit turned to Kinou again and came towards her.

"B-Bakura, what did you do to--"

"My hikari?" he finished for her. "Nothing really. Let's just say he's locked away in my soulroom at the moment; I'm sure he'll make friends with all of the mutilated animals and monsters in there," he said with a twisted smile.

"You're sick," Kinou hissed. "Let him out." Her hands were balling into fists, her anger reaching a peak right away.

Bakura laughed at her. "What, you want to fight me now? How stupid. This would all be a lot easier if you would just come back with me now. If you're unconscious, you're of no use to me."

"You'll be the one who's unconscious!" she yelled. "You think that just because you're some whacked out old spirit, you can go around hurting Ryou over and over again without anyone getting pissed off enough about it to kick your ass?"

"Why, yes."

Growling, Kinou advanced a step, but jumped as a slight golden glow emanated from her right. As the light slightly diminished, Kinou realized that she had completely forgotten that Yugi was there; he stood up again, slightly taller than before and glared at Bakura.

"I don't know what you think you can do, but I know I can stop you from it," he growled in his deepened voice; something tweaked in the back of Kinou's mind, but she couldn't tell what it was, so she ignored it.

"How? Are you going to challenge me to a shadow duel?" sneered the spirit. "I have no time for you, pharaoh; this is between me and the girl."

Yami turned his eyes to her and froze for a moment, his eyes trailing down to the bird charm around her neck. His gaze only lasted for a second, but he faced Bakura again, moving slightly in front of her. "You have no right to abuse anyone, Bakura. If she's just a random girl you met in the street, all the more reason for you to leave her alone."

The spirit gave a hearty laugh. "You know, I will never tire of this 'all-righteous' crap; get out of here before I seal you away in the foolish child's game around your neck."

"You know just as well as I do that you can't do that."

Bakura growled. "Perhaps not as easily as you would think, but I know what I can do now!" The golden ring around his neck suddenly brightened and shot out a beam of light at the pharaoh.

Kinou cried out and threw her hands in front of her to shield herself, but Yami reacted just as quickly as his Millennium Puzzle exploded back with a radiant energy, hitting Bakura's midway. Kinou straightened up hesitantly, immediately feeling a strange sensation in the back of her mind again as the sidewalk was illuminated around the two ancient spirits. She began to feel dizzy, but her eyes somehow kept themselves focused on Yami; she felt a pang of worry leap into her stomach as she saw him breaking into a sweat, clenching his fists as he fought Bakura's power. Bakura was tiring as well, though not as quickly.

Taking a step to the side, her balance started wavering; something in her mind was keeping her from losing sight of Yami. The light suddenly surged brighter, and Yami stumbled back a few steps, just barely managing to hold Bakura at bay. Something snapped in Kinou.

"Atem!" she cried, her vision suddenly clear. Without thinking, the necklace around her neck shined out and her hands rose up in front of her, reaching out for the pharaoh. She got a hold on his shoulders and immediately a stream of energy flowed from herself.

Yami flinched, but did not look at her as the light from the puzzle became much stronger; Kinou gave an enraged yell and shut her eyes--the light flew towards Bakura and knocked him off his feet. Letting go of Yami, Kinou's legs began to shake so much that she collapsed onto her hands and knees, panting. She suddenly felt ill; her head was throbbing and her stomach was in turmoil. With a giant lurch, she hurled onto the sidewalk, coughing and choking as acid burned the back of her throat.

When she looked back up, she glimpsed Bakura running off into the darkness; Yami came over to her and knelt down beside her, gently placing a hand on her back. "Are you all right?" Kinou clutched at her necklace, wiping the last of the previous meal from her mouth.

As her eyes turned to his, she felt the little twinge in the back of her mind again, and watched as his lips opened again.

"...Anji?"