I'm back! Windy's not dead! Sorry about the long wait... I kept opening the file, but never felt like I wanted to write.

Thanks for all the reviews, even though a majority of them seemed like they were asking me to update.

I'm going to dedicate this chapter to Laria. You guys should all thank her! I honestly think she's the only one who makes me write. So if you feel like I'm taking too long to update, go read her stories and review, but don't forget to mention that you want her to tell me to write.

Enjoy!

o-Another Bakura: Manipulation-o

Chapter 2: New Tournament

The next few days - if it was a few days - felt like they were merged in one. The spot where I laid upon grew warm; my still form never moving, huddled on top of the floor, back pressed against the wood of the door for reassurance. Crystal-like tears find themselves being absorbed by the floor, their trails leaving stains on my cheeks.

He has been strangely quiet these few days, and although I felt a sense of relief that he wasn't going to come, it was also very unnerving, for I didn't know when he would come back.

Images burned through my mind; over and over again. A whimper left the depths of my throat and slender fingers grasped my head, trying to numb the mental pain. I just wanted to die – to get away from this world and my life. But nothing would ever let me leave this spot, for fear of something else going wrong. I was so submerged within my own thoughts; I didn't even hear someone approaching the front door; the spot I was currently curled up at.

Knock knock.

I jumped slightly and then sat still.

"Amane?" Someone called, the voice slightly muffled because of the door, "You there?"

I scooted to the side, the floor now feeling cold, and pressed my back against the wall, staying quiet. I heard them mutter something, and then something was placed in my doorknob. I paled, remembering about the spare key hidden underneath the doormat. Beads of sweat lined my forehead as I heard them fumble with the door before it finally opened.

"Yugi!" I cried, jumping up and throwing my arms around the tri-colored hair boy. Tears escape the corner of my eyes as he awkwardly placed a hand on my back.

"What's happened to you 'Mane?" The blonde, who was standing beside Yugi with a concerned look on his face, asked.

"Let's sit you down so we can talk." Yugi said, gesturing with his hand to the living room. The group started to head over there, only to stop when I shrieked loudly, pulling away from Yugi, only to be blocked by Tristan. Another shriek was heard, and I collapsed onto the floor. My head was buried against my arms as sobs racked my body, unaware of the concerned faces my company was making.

Someone grabbed me by the upper arm and pulled me up. My whole form was shaking and I wasn't able to stand up by myself.

"C-Can we go outside?" I managed to say, barely seeing the nods of their heads when tears marked paths down my cheeks. I was helped out of the house, and we slowly walked to Yugi's shop.

Everybody sat down around me, expressions of concern decorating their faces as I felt their gazes penetrate my head as memorizes swam across my vision, making me shudder with horror. A few minutes passed in silence, the only sound was my heavy breathing trying to calm my rapidly beating heart.

With a shuddering breath, details about what had happened flooded past my lips. As I talked, I didn't notice the tears that were making trails on my cheeks – only conscious to my quiet voice as I explained. As I neared the end of the story, my voice faded and I couldn't compel myself to finish. So we all sat in silence as my words began to sink into their minds and I noticed a few tears from the others as they started comprehending my story.

"Are you... okay, Amane?" Téa asked hesitantly, uncertain on what would happen if she spoke. I just sat there, a part of me wanting to reassure that I was fine and that I would get past it. But it was a total lie – I was crushed, but I didn't want to worry them. So I didn't reply, pushing all emotions from my mind.

A few moments later, the couch creaked with the familiar sound of someone getting up and a pair of arms encircled my body, pulling me into a hug. Soon, everybody else got up and started giving me hugs as well and with a strangled sob, I tried to hug them back.

"... Thank you..." I whispered, managing a small smile at them. They smiled back.

"Well then, why don't we find a place for you to live for now?" Tristan suggested, the others quickly agreeing with it.

"She can stay at your place, can't she, Téa?" Joey asked, glancing at her. The girl in question nodded, flashing a smile at me.

"And we'll get the stuff you need." Tristan announced, referring to the three guys. They all nodded in agreement and then all got to work; the guys going to Amane's house to collect her stuff and the two of us going to Téa's house.

"So..." Téa started, "How are you feeling?"

"Um, ok I guess." I replied softly, eyes staring at the ground as I walked, therefore not noticing the gentle smile that crossed Téa's face. The brown-haired girl curled an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a light hug.

"You don't have to lie."

"Ya well," I paused, thinking of a way to get off the subject, "How was your date?"

I turned to glance at the taller girl, who then turned a faint pink hue. She opened her mouth, but closed it, repeating the action several times before any sound came from her mouth.

"Well, I didn't really date Yugi. I had to hang out with his other form and we went to the museum. It was really freaky, but then again, everything we've experienced so far as been really freaky," She turned to glance at me as I nodded in agreement. "Well, we found out that he used to be a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. And apparently there's this great evil coming back from 3000 years ago and Yugi has to win Kaiba's upcoming tournament to find the evil."

"Upcoming tournament...?"

"Yup. And the strange thing was, Ishizu told us he'd have to win an upcoming tournament before we found out about Kaiba's."

We turned a corner and I could see Téa's house in the distance. We walked inside and she led me to a room.

"You can use our guest room." Téa said. I said my thanks and took a few steps in the room, settling down on the bed.

"I'll get you a pair of pajamas, and you can change and get some rest. You've been through a lot, so you'll probably need it." Téa said, a brief smile passing her lips as she disappeared. She came back a few minutes later, placing a pair of pajamas in my arms, a kind smile lighting up her features as she turned around to walk out of the room and close the door.

I sat there for a while, thinking deeply about what Téa had told me a few minutes before. If there was going to be another tournament, it might mean a lot more events coming up – some of which might include the evil spirit dwelling inside me. A shiver ran down my spine as I thought about that, hoping that he wouldn't harm anybody this time.

As I stripped off my layers of clothing, I noticed the visible scars that covered my pale skin and the cold metal of the Millennium Ring against my chest. A deep sense of panic rose over me – I had told about what happened, and now I was worrying about what he would do to me. I quickly put on the new pairs of clothes and dove under the covers, wrapping the blanket around me tightly as if to give me protection from the spirit.

"Brother," I prayed, "Please give me the strength for him and the upcoming events."

I closed my eyes, falling into a deep slumber. And as I slept, I felt like someone was watching over me, making sure that Bakura didn't hurt me while I was in a vulnerable state. During the night, none of those horrible nightmares came to me and I heard someone whisper into my ear.

'I'll protect you, Amane.'

oo-oo

Erm, no guarantees about how soon the next chapter's coming out. So just hang tight.