QoH: Oi... I'm now workin both 1st AND 2nd shift, since a couple ppl quit _ Geez, I hardly have any time 2 write at all! (ie the reason 4 the late update... gomen) Wish they'd make up their minds which shift they need me on... This is drivin me batty! @_@
Chapter 10: Protector
"Ba... Bakura..." Serenity choked, struggling to free herself from her captor's strong grip, who didn't seem intent on following her friend's order. She was astounded; she'd never seen him like this. This is our gentle, quiet Bakura...?
He strode forward purposefully, his brown eyes blazing in anger, "You heard what I said. Let her go!"
Tea smirked, stepping between them, "You're wasting your time, you know."
He gave her a scathing glare, "And your point is? Not that I care, anyway," he pushed her aside to stand in front of them, "I won't repeat myself." Was it just her imagination, or was he glowing? Serenity shifted slightly, trying to draw a breath. No, I think he really is... But how?
Tea broke in, slightly worried for the first time, "We should go. He's not one to mess with when he gets mad, either..." The man who'd tried to throttle her tossed her to the floor at his feet, giving her a kick for good measure while she was down there before walking out the door after the other girl.
Serenity gasped in pain, clutching her stomach as Bakura knelt quickly at her side, his voice soft again in his concern, "He didn't hurt you badly, did he?"
"I'm all right..." she winced as she tried to sit up.
"No, you're not," he frowned, putting his hands on her shoulders to make her lie down again before he stood again, "I'll go find something to help you. Maybe they'll have an asprin or whatever in the medicine cabinet. Kami knows, they'd need them after the hang-overs they probably get constantly."
Serenity laughed weakly, watching him turn the place upside down in his search, "A real mess, isn't it?"
He glanced back at her, an amused glint in his eye as he tried to stop the bathroom door from falling on his head as he entered, "Calling it a 'sty' would be a mortal insult to the pigs who rightfully live in them." When he returned with his goal, he saw her trying to get up again, "Serenity, I don't believe it's good idea for you to move too much after what's just happened."
She smiled a little, glancing up at him as she continued her endeavor, "I appreciate the advice, but I really would prefer to come in contact with our disgusting surroundings as little as possible."
He gazed silently at her for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face, "Hold that thought," he stepped out the door and put his assorted supplies on the concrete porch in front, then came back in and picked her up.
She stared at him, more amazed by the moment, "Wha....?"
Bakura smiled at her, carrying her through the broken-down portal, "You didn't want to stay there anymore, and I didn't think you should be moving, so I solved the problem by doing it for you," he glanced around ironically, "This isn't much better, I know, but at least it's not like it was in there," he jerked his head backward, grinning.
"Too true." Serenity laughed again as he set her down, "How did you come in, just in time, like you did?"
He looked away, a pensive cast to his eyes, "I've suspected something was wrong for some time with our little 'group,' really. I didn't have any proof, so I took to following her on occasion," he turned back to her, "I didn't expect to see you, though. What did you think you were doing, confronting her on your own like that?"
She blinked, confused, "Wait, how do you know? Yami told me that nobody knew but him, her, and just recently, me."
"Ah...." he shuddered, closing his eyes, "You see, about that... Yugi's not the only holder of a Millenium Item..."
The air seemed to shimmer around him, and Serenity didn't know what to do. Her instincts told her to run for her life, but how was that logical? Bakura just saved my life, more than likely. Why should I be scared of him?
Of course, that was before his entire presence changed. Suddenly, he seemed older, ruthless... evil. He opened his eyes and smirked at her, "Well, well... so you're Serenity, are you? We meet at last."
His voice... it's so different, so cruel now... She backed away warily, her heartbeat now frantic in her chest, "How do you know me? Where's Bakura? What did you do with him?"
He chuckled darkly as he advanced slowly on her, "Oh, he's here, trying to regain control over me, naturally. And as for how I know you, I know everything he does, and more."
"What do you want?" Serenity tried to keep her voice steady as she bumped into a support post.
Smirking, he came within inches of her, confident that she was trapped. For a moment or two, he didn't say anything; he just stood there, studying her as though she were some fascinating, valuable discovery. She didn't like that look; it made her feel like she about to be sold to the highest bidder. Then, suddenly, he blinked and his smile widened, which scared her even more, "Yes, I see now. How very interesting. You could be quite useful, indeed..."
"No!"
Her breath caught as she heard Bakura's voice again, though the other guy, whoever he was, was still there. Her friend was back, but he couldn't seem to hold his tenuous grasp on control, as the other one took over again. She stared, stuck somewhere between fear and morbid fascination, as they began to argue heatedly in another language as they switched back and forth. The huge necklace-thing he wore, which she assumed was the "Millenium Item" he spoke of, flashed somewhat angrily for a moment and Bakura was standing there once more, breathing heavily, his eyes worried, "Are you all right, Serenity? He didn't hurt you at all, did he?"
She shook her head and smiled reassuringly, "No, he just scared the bejesus out of me, that's all. Just who was that?"
Bakura sat down on the edge of the cement step, leaning his arms on his knees as he stared at the brown grass, "My yami, unfortunately. That's about all I know, aside from the fact that he wants to take over the world. As to who he really is, I don't know. No one does. He's not what one would call 'talkative,' particularly about his past."
Serenity nodded, sitting next to him, "It must be horrible, having to play host to a major-league creep like that."
His hands balled tensely as he gritted his teeth, "I hate him, I really do. Yet, there doesn't seem to be a blasted thing I can do about it."
"I take it he does that a lot? Take over whenever he feels like it, I mean."
"Yes, and it's never for a good reason. He's a power-mad freak who toys with people as a hobby." Bakura lifted his head, his face the very picture of self-disgust, "The pathetic thing is, he's me, or a part of me, anyway."
She put her hand on his arm seriously, "No, not in a million years."
His eyes widened in shock as he stared at her, "How can you know for sure?"
"I know a little about this 'yami/hikari' business from Yugi and Yami, though, granted, that's very little. It seems to me that while you might be reincarnations, even sharing a body, you're still separate people. You, for example, would never act like that, I know that for sure."
"I suppose so..." He looked up at the cloudy sky, clearly unconvinced, "It's just I worry that, someday, he'll do something that can't be reversed, you know? As far as I know, that hasn't happened yet, but how long until it does? Until someone dies..."
"I don't know." Serenity shook her head wearily and stayed silent for a moment, thinking. Then, she stood up and grinned down at him, "I do know this, however! Sitting around here stewing over it isn't doing either of us a bit of good, particularly when it's almost suppertime," she held her hand out to help him up, "Come on. It looks like it might storm, and we wouldn't want to get caught in the middle of, I wouldn't think."
Bakura smiled and took it as they walked to her house, "Thank you, Serenity."
QoH: *giggles madly* Oh, I am sooo completely evil..... :D teehee!