Chapter XI: Awaken From Blood

(A/N: I've finished the Mistress song lyrics, by Disturbed, and now these lyrics are from a song called "Scars" by Papa Roach. However, these lyrics may never finish because I plan to use special lyrics from a special song on the last couple of chapters. Anyways enjoy.)

I tear my heart open
I sew myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
And the scars remind us that the past is real

The room hesitated in a moment, and then it was filled with cries and screams as a dead body lay in the center of the room, crimson blood covering the once beautiful woman, who now lay at their feet. Rika was frozen completely, her face paler than snow, and her silver eyes wide like saucer plates. She had now just witnessed a horrible death, a murder. And what's worse…she was the killer this time. Too many people have died already by the hands of Yami no Malik, the one she loved. Now the one she loved has become her. She has become a killer. She caused the disco ball above them to spin wildly and dangerously. She caused it to spin so fast that it unhooked from its holder and fell downward into Anna Marie, smashing her skull in, and killing her. Rika did all this. She was responsible.

"Someone, call an ambulance!" order Kaiba Seto behind her, now realizing that Rika had gone into a horrible state of shock. Jonouchi flecked the glass from his blond hair before kneeling down and taking Anna Marie's body in his arms. She was cold and soaked in her own blood. He couldn't believe it. He hardly knew the woman, and yet he felt like someone very close to him had died. He began to cradle her body, but when he looked up, he was frightened. Rika stood there, staring down at him, her silver eyes wide, and her whole body pale and white in the beautiful, black, Victorian dress. She stood there, and as the people ran and left the auditorium either to run as far away as possible, or to go get help. The only ones left in the room were Yukari Rika, Kaiba Seto, Motou Yugi, Jonouchi Katsuya, Mazaki Anzu, Honda Hiroto, Bakura Ryou, and the DJ, who was staring wide-eye at the group. Glass was scattered everywhere, and for a moment, no one spoke or moved. The next sound came from Rika, and it was a shudder of internal pain.

Eventually, the sound of sirens filled the air, and outside a large white van with a red cross painted along the sides appeared, but still no one said anything. Kaiba then saw Rika hadn't moved once. He approached her, but the moment his hand touched her shoulder, her hands shot up to her head, and she let out a scream. A scream of pain, a scream of fear, a scream of terror. Her scream attracted the attention of the medicals outside, and they rushed right in to find her screaming. At once, they saw Anna Marie's body, and approached it with a stretcher and a black bag.

"THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" Rika began screaming over and over again, attracting more attention. Her friends crowded her, trying to comfort, but she was already on her knees. The pain inside her head filled to an extent that she felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly. "IT'S ALL MY FAULT! IT'S ALL MY FAULT! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

"Hush, Rika! This isn't your fault! Calm down!" Kaiba repeated to her, but she didn't listen. Kaiba grabbed her shoulders, trying to comfort her. He had never seen her this upset before. Never. Anna Marie must have been really close for her death to do this to her.

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I KILLED HER! I KILLED HER!" Rika screamed again. The pain was rising even more. She couldn't breathe, she think, she couldn't see. She could only scream and scream.

Yugi felt his mind being pulled back, and then saw darkness. His yami had taken over. Mou Hitori No Yuugi looked at the screaming and fighting Rika, and at once placed a hand on her shoulder. She froze, feeling his warmth and comforting in his palm. She looked up at him, into his eyes, and couldn't hold in the tears. Soon, her face was as soaked as Anna Marie's body. She had lost complete control, and she threw herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck, her tears flowing directly into his shoulder. Kaiba watched them with jealousy and envy, but hid the feelings from the surface.

"OH, PHARAOH! I KILLED HER! I KILLED HER!" Rika continued to sob. Mou Hitori no Yugi pulled her away and looked into her eyes. He saw the truth, but he wanted to hear it.

"What are you talking about, Rika? How could you have killed her?" he asked.

Rika choked on her tears and explained everything to him. By the time she finished, his eyes were wide. She couldn't take anymore. She looked at the flustered Kaiba and at her confused friends. She turned and ran past them. With amazing strength, she flew open the auditorium doors and ran as fast as she could. Her body felt light in the speed and air that wrapped around her. Her soul felt like it could fly out of her body. But she was too devastated, too confused to notice this. She had just killed someone. She didn't know how, but she did. She had forced someone to die. She had forced the disco ball above to fall and smash into Anna Marie. She had killed her. She had committed murder!

She couldn't breathe! She couldn't think! She was barely hanging on to little control she had. Her emotions were taking over once more. Soon, it will all end. She'll take her last breath and fall to the soil below. She wanted more than anything to die. She wanted to run in front of a raging, speeding car and be hit hard. She wanted to fall off a large, steep cliff and pummel to her death. She wanted to die now! She didn't want anyone to comfort her! She didn't want anyone to see her! To see this low-life, murdering girl she was! To even look at her! She just wanted to disappear completely. To disappear into the darkness. The darkness…where she was safe…where she was alone…where no one could get hurt…where she wouldn't get hurt….

The pain suddenly vanished and she could see where she was running. She was running into the empty and deserted fields outside of the school. She was running away, away from her friends, away from her deeds, away from her sins. She needed to get away. She needed to run. To run far away. Into the cold, empty night. If only there was someway she could make all of this disappear forever. If only she had never lived in the first place. Then maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe no one would be hurt. Kaiba Seto and Mokuba would've been far happier if they had never met her. Bakura Ryou wouldn't have been heart broken on this night. Motou Yugi wouldn't have felt rejected by her. And Anna Marie wouldn't be dead. She'd still be dancing with Jonouchi. This was all her fault. Because of her, no one will be the same.

As she ran, something was caught on her dress, and she fell to the ground below. Her body hit it hard, and she tried to pull free. Tears streamed from her face as she lay there, realizing her sad and depressing life was coming to an end. She had to run farther away. She needed to make sure she didn't anyone else ever again. But whatever was caught had torn the hem of her dress completely, revealing her legs. She got back up, tearing more of her dress, and ran ahead. Into the trees surrounding the fields, and into the dark woods. As she ran, tears burned her eyes. Tears that haven't been shed in more than three years. Tears that have longed to be free, so see the light of life. Tears that have been held inside, tearing at her soul, at her heart. Branches and bushes crowded her path, tearing more at her dress, and at her flesh. Her arms were cut by the branches of the trees, covered by small cuts and wounds. The bandage on her shoulder had torn away, revealing the open wound caused one night by one serial killer.

She sobbed as she ran, running deeper into the darkness. She had to run farther now, farther from everyone. From all life, from all light, from all hope. There was none left for her. She had killed an innocent person. She was going to die a murderer. She was going to die alone. She always was alone. Her parents died, and they left her to stupid and incompetent people who didn't care about her at all. And she didn't care about anyone else. She was meant to be alone. She wasn't meant to be with Kaiba. She would only hurt him and Mokuba, like how she's hurt everyone else. And Yami no Malik didn't care about her. He didn't even know her. This was her fate. A depressed, injured, and rejected young girl, running away into the darkness forever. She needed to run far from everyone now. This way, no one would get hurt. No one she knew would be hurt by her hands.

She stopped running briefly, her body soar from the new and open wounds on her body, and looked up to see a figure standing in the darkness of the trees. The figure was hidden by shadows, hiding itself. Yet it couldn't hide the familiar aura leashing from it. The moonlight shined down on the figure, revealing his golden blond spiky hair, his dark, cold amethyst eyes, and his handsome, elegant posture. Yami no Malik was there and he smiled sympathetically in her direction. Through his smile, she felt safe and secure. He smiled and held out a hand. Tears poured from her silver eyes as she ran. She ran directly into his arms, which wrapped around her body, their warmth surrounding her.

"Don't worry, Rika. I'll make sure no one hurts you…ever again," he hissed maliciously in her ear, and she fell into a total dark abyss. Finally, you're mine at last. No one will hurt you again…if you are no longer in this world.

I tear my heart open just to feel
Drunk and I'm feeling down
I'm pisses cause you came around
Why don't you just go home?

I can't believe it! Rika is Horus!

Yami no Yugi was staring out into the night, his friends inside. He needed to do something. He now had put all the puzzle pieces together. It's the reason why Bakura was so interested in her. The reason why something was never right about her. The reason why she called him "pharaoh." She had used Horus' powers tonight. She didn't mean to commit the murder. It was an accident. Horus was taking over, and he needed to use Rika as a hoste. Now, Yami no Malik was after her. He had to find her and make sure she was okay.

He turned to his friends, crowded and talking. Suddenly, they approached him, and Jonouchi asked the question they all were thinking, even Kaiba, who was standing alone, leaning against the wall of the auditorium a few feet away, eavesdropping.

"So, Yuge, why do you think Rika said all that stuff? Do you think she's losing her mind?" Jonouchi asked.

"No, no, I don't think so. I think that…. Remember what Isis told us at the museum? About Horus and Yami no Malik? Well, Rika is the reincarnation of Horus." This caused all of them to gasp, even Yami no Bakura, who had resurfaced. He now understood everything. The very power he sensed in Rika was the power of the ancient god of the skies, the warrior of the sun, Horus. He needed to gain that power before Yami no Malik does.

"Please, tell me you're kidding!" Jonouchi begged, but Yami no Yugi shook his head. He was very serious. Rika was the hoste of Horus, his reincarnation. Why didn't he see it before? Why couldn't he figure it out? This was all confusing, and he needed to find Rika before Yami no Malik does. But where could she be?

"Then that means we have to find her! She could be in some serious trouble! What if Yami no Malik had already gotten to her?" Anzu cried.

"Let's pray he hasn't. I wish there was a way to find her, though," Yami no Yugi spoke. He looked up at the night sky, praying for a sign to where she was. He stared over the deserted, open grass fields and the trees surrounding them. But at that moment, he felt a warm, comforting aura surround him. He felt so relaxed, he felt so safe and secure. He moaned, remembering this feeling from long ago, but he couldn't point out where or when. He looked up over the treetops as Jonouchi spoke.

"You guys feel that?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's so warm, so…." Anzu let her sentence trailed off.

Yami no Yugi looked at Kaiba and saw that he was feeling the exact same thing. He knew Kaiba and Rika were close, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. He didn't understand why Kaiba had come there, especially with Rika. He didn't know how they knew each other. He just hoped Kaiba was willing to assist in finding her, unlike the several other times where Yami no Yugi went to Kaiba for help, but he refused, denying all the facts before him and being stubborn and skeptical. He hoped this time, for the sake of an innocent life, Kaiba will change his mind and help save her.

At that moment, though, a light blinded all of them. A light so brilliant, so bright, that it shined in the pitch blackness of the sky. Yami no Yugi, shielding his eyes, looked up over the treetops, and saw it. A beautiful, gold bird flying high into the sky, echoing a beautiful sound from within its throat. Yami no Yugi recognized that sound, and the creature. That was the gold phoenix, the legendary servant to Horus. Horus has awakened, and that's where they'll find Rika. Rika was in those trees, hiding, and hopefully safe from Yami no Malik.

The phoenix flew high into the sky, and then vanished completely into the stars, the light disappearing. They all looked at the spot where it had appeared, and smile crossed Yami no Yugi's face. "That's where she is. She's in those trees," he spoke to them. He turned to Kaiba, who returned the glare. "This time, will you help us? Will you help us safe an innocent girl?"

Kaiba sneered, but then he spoke. "I don't believe in all that crap you losers talk about. But I will help. I don't want to see Rika hurt at all," he said coldly and sternly. Yami no Yugi nodded in acceptance, and then turned to his friends before exiting the auditorium.

"We have to go into those woods. We have to find Rika…before Yami no Malik does..."

Cause you channel all your pain
And I can't help you fix yourself
You're making me insane

"Rika, wake up…wake up or all is lost…."

Rika felt like she was falling through an endless darkness. She felt her body being pulled away, being torn from her soul while her heart stopped completely. Suddenly, the darkness vanished, and she was standing in a large room decorated with pictures of a happy family, and antiques on the walls like faux flowers and faux animal furs. A large dining table stood in the center of the room, surrounding the table were five oak chairs, matching the furniture in the room. Setting the table was a beautiful woman, average height, with bouncy, lovely caramel curls framing her perfectly framed and light skin, her beautiful, dazzling mermaid green eyes smiling up at Rika as she placed a hot plate over a small towel on the table filled with delicious looking edibles. Seated at the table, watching the woman, was a broad, older looking man, a clean, shaven face and head and serious, dark brown eyes. Leaning over the table, trying to look at the delicacies and smell the extravagant aroma, was a child no smaller than a foot of her height, his long, wild, shining pitch-black hair falling over his shoulders, carefully separated from the plates, his dark eyes filled with excitement and hunger.

"Mokuba, sit down," spoke a stern, familiar voice. Rika's heart raced as she looked to see a familiar boy sit close to the end of the table, his maple brown hair framing his fairly light face and cold, serious sapphire eyes. Rika stared at this picture of the family, and she realized she was back home. Her parents were there, and so were Mokuba and Seto Kaiba. This was her wish for two years, maybe even more. How could it have come true? The woman, her mother, May Shunai-Yukari, and her father, Sojo Yukari, were alive, and they were there, at home. She was at last at home where she truly belonged. Her mother looked up at her, and smiled elegantly at her.

"There you are, Rika-chan! We've been waiting," she said.

"Mother…" Rika couldn't believe it. This was her mother. No one else called her Rika-chan. Her father called her by her real name, though, Rikara. Never Rika. Never Rika-chan. These people were her parents. This wasn't an illusion. It was real. Her dream had finally come true.

"Rikara, don't be rude. Sit!" her father ordered in his stern and commanding voice. She obeyed, sitting beside Seto, who had his normal, stern, yet sweet smile on his face. She returned it, and watched Mokuba stare at the delicacies hungrily. She now realized that she had a whole family, now. Her mother, her father, Seto Kaiba, and Mokuba Kaiba. This was her family, and she held in the tears that were forcing to be revealed.

Rika enjoyed a lovely dinner with her family, enjoying the delicious taste of her mother's cooking that she's missed for two years. Enjoying listening to her father and Kaiba talk about business and military topics that she hadn't heard in two years. She enjoyed laughing at Mokuba's jokes and teasing towards his brother, which she missed quite a bit. Every time her mother spoke, her heart would flutter, and she would always hold back the tears. She's missed them so much, she couldn't believe she was being so emotional. She made sure not to show it before Kaiba and Mokuba, but it was hard, and it hurt. After dinner was finished, Mokuba teased her father and his brother into a game of racing into the living room to watch a movie, and they vanished into the den. Her mother was picking up the dishes, and Rika didn't know why, but she started doing the same.

She met her mother in the kitchen, placing the china into the dishwasher, and Rika hesitated for a moment, making sure it wasn't fake. When her mother stood back up and smiled at her, Rika lost it. She threw her arms around her mother's neck, and sniffled into her shoulder. Her mother was taken aback by this, but returned the embrace.

"Mama…I missed you…so…." Rika choked on her own tears. Mrs. Yukari's green eyes widened slightly and she pulled her daughter away, smiling softly at her.

"What's wrong with you, Rika-chan? You haven't called me Mama since you were six," she teased. Rika giggled slightly, and smiled at her mother, happy to see her again. She embraced her once more and then pulled away to enter the den. She found the men sitting on the sofa, in a conversation about Kaiba's company, while Mokuba was sprawled out on the floor before the large plasma television, watching the previews of the movie. Rika smiled at this image, walking up to Mokuba and running her fingers lovingly through his hair, and then sitting on the arm of the sofa beside her dad, waiting for him to finish talking before leaning in and whispering into his ear.

"I love you, Daddy," she spoke. Her father turned, surprised to hear this, and then reached up to tussle her pitch-black and crimson streaked hair.

"When was the last time we got you your shots?" he teased, and she laughed in response to it. She sat up and moved to Kaiba, sitting next to him to watch the movie. He kept looking at her, and at one point she couldn't help but place a soft kiss on his cheek, causing him to turn red around his face.

"Thanks for everything, Seto," she said to him. He smiled at her, and then placed a hand gently on hers. She should have known that. He didn't like to show affections around company, but he was acting a lot sweeter now than he normally did. Soon, her mother joined them in the den and they watched the movie. It was a horror movie that was pretty good, the movie called Constantine, and Rika rather enjoyed it. Mokuba got scared in it, and was soon hiding by the side of the sofa, a pillow up to his face. Rika smiled at this and stroked his hair. It comforted him a bit.

However, for some reason, there wasn't a scene in the movie that caused Rika to jump. It was weird and strange, but nothing scared her. However, half-way into the movie, Rika felt something weird. Something inside her was growing. It was like a happiness and safety that would last forever. Rika tilted her head back, embracing this wonderful feeling. It was so amazing. A warm, safe, comforting feeling that increased inside her, and the more it increased, the happier she became. She couldn't believe she was this happy, she just couldn't even explain it. It was like a fire burning inside her, a fire that burned brightly and powerfully.

"Wake up, Rika…wake up or you'll die…."

Where did that voice come from? It sounded…so familiar. Like it had come from inside her. But how was that possible? Rika then felt something else. She felt someone sit on her lap. She blinked on saw that little Mokuba had decided to sit on her legs for comfort. She sighed in comfort and wrapped her arms around the little boy's neck in an embrace. Though they watched the rest of the movie, Mokuba hiding in her arms most of the time, Rika wasn't really paying much attention. She seemed distant and too lost in thought. The moment that voice was heard, that feeling was gone. Why? It was such a pleasant feeling. Like being embraced by the sun. Why did it go away?

The movie soon ended and Rika suddenly realized her parents had disappeared. Mokuba had fallen asleep in her arms. She laid him on the sofa and covered him up with the blanket hanging over the side of the couch. But as she rose back up, someone grabbed her hand. She looked to find Kaiba smiling at her, and then he pulled her to the hallway. Rika was surprised for more than a moment, especially when he threw her up against the wall. She stared up into his eyes, surprised by his actions. This was how that one night started. She was baby-sitting Mokuba, they had watched a scary movie. Mokuba fell asleep, she put him to bed, and Kaiba came home, found her watching the rest of the movie, and had done the exact same thing. What was going on?

"Rika, I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life," Kaiba spoke seductively to her. That wasn't like him to say that. But all thought vanished as he pressed his lips firmly against hers, forcing them apart and inserting his tongue into her throat. No! She couldn't allow him to do this to her! She felt violated and wronged at once. She tried to fight him off, but somehow she wasn't strong enough. He grabbed her wrist and pinned them to the sides of her head. She was scared now, but then that voice began yelling in her head, commanding, controlling her!

"Wake up! Wake up or all is lost! Rika! Wake up!"

Images flashed before Rika's eyes as Kaiba began suffocating her by kissing her hard and roughly. She saw herself standing before a stranger with blond, spiky hair, cold, murdering amethyst eyes, dark skin, and a golden eye shining brightly above his brow. She saw herself with a boy with long white hair, his bangs hovering to resemble horns, and his cold, dark eyes. She saw herself dancing in a beautiful, black, Victorian dress, smiling as she talked to Kaiba dressed in a black tuxedo. She saw blood. Lots of blood, and thousands of tiny glass shards. Anna Marie's body laid at her feet, blood covering her completely. That seemed like a horrible nightmare.

"Wake up! Wake up! That's not the nightmare! This is!"

Whoever that voice was, they were right. Everything flooded back into her mind, her parents were dead! Kaiba would never act like this! He didn't even act this way on that one night! He wouldn't try to hurt her! Mokuba wasn't so scared of scary movies anymore! Hell, he wasn't scared of much of anything! This wasn't her home! This wasn't her life! This wasn't anything but a dream! A horrible, damned dream! An illusion set by someone evil and malevolent! How dare they mess with her mind! How dare they mess with her heart!

Tears burned in Rika's eyes as she finally found her strength, her power, and shoved this fake, illusion off her. The fake Kaiba smashed into the wall, and into crumbled into a heap at her feet. Rika was glowing a bright gold, now realizing the truth. She had killed Anna Marie. She had ruined her own life from the start. Now it was time to fix it! It was time to save her own life!

But as she realized this, she was spinning through a dark abyss, and then felt a sharp pain flood into her body. She was staring into nothing but darkness. She couldn't move at all, her whole body numb, and then feeling returned. Her arms were wrapped from behind, pinned to something, unable to move. She felt that aching pain in her arms, soar from the several cuts on her arms. She felt her head spin slightly, and then her vision came back. She found herself on her knees, her arms tied and pinned to the trunk of the tree behind her, tight so she couldn't move at all. Her whole body was soar, and she recognized the surrounding of trees and plants, and before her a large lake was, the trees surrounding the bank so it formed a crescent moon. This was the place she brought Mokuba a few days ago, this lake. But what was she doing here? How'd she get here? She felt something heavy around her neck. She looked down to see a beautiful, gold eye hanging from a gold chain, the pupil resembling a black opal. This was the amulet that her Uncle Shinto found in Egypt and was on display at the museum. It was also stolen by that serial killer. How the hell did she end up with it?

"Ah…" a sharp pain flowed through Rika's body, and her body fell forward, but it couldn't move very much because of her bondage to the tree. Her head was completely dizzy from the several beatings took to it while she was unconscious. A faint, familiar voice was calling to her from the entering darkness swimming over her.

"Rika! Rika!"

"Mo…ku…ba…." Rika couldn't take the pain growing in her head. She fought and resisted it, but eventually it took over. Trying to fight it, she looked up to see a little boy tied completely to a tree a few feet away, his wild, untamed black hair falling over his shoulders, his dark eyes glimmering with tears of fright and rage. His feet were inches above the ground, his whole body tied by several yards of rope wrapped around his body and the trunk of the tree, tied tightly. Mokuba….

Rika felt the darkness wash over her, and in the distance Mokuba's voice rang out like the fading sounds of birds in the sky. "Rika! Rika, you have to stay awake! You have to wake up, Rika!" Mokuba…I'm so tired….I have to…sleep….

"Don't fall asleep, Rika! Wake up! Wake up or all is lost!"

That voice…it sounds…so familiar…. I must…sleep….Help…me….

All I can say is
I tear my heart open
I sew myself shut
And my weakness is that I care too much

FD: That's it for this chapter, which, by the way, I've noticed is longer than the others, so forgive me for that. Anyway, a couple of things I really would like to say and have somewhat to do with this story. Well, one of them, anyway. I apologize for leaving the story like that, not explaining why I did it. I'm not sure what they call it, a hanger or something, but anyway, please forgive for that. And I chose the lyrics from that song "Scars" by Papa Roach was 1) I thought the song went well with the fic, 2) Each time I hear it, I somehow am reminded of a friend who inspired Rika in this fic, and 3) I think that guy is somewhat cute. ; p lol. Anyway, hope you like this chapter. And Britney is crazy and weird…and I like her! Lol! Kind of like me!