What's Mine Is Still Mine

 Tea's eyes slowly opened, finding herself in a bedroom that didn't belong to her. The walls were dark blue and a single mirror hung on the wall. The curtains were closed halfway. She heard the rain pouring hard and thunderstorms. Slowly, she sat up on the bed, her back leaning against the headboard. "Where am I? How did I get here?" the last thing she remembered was being part of an explosion before going unconscious.
A hand slowly reached out with a cup of water in its hand. Looking up at who was offering her the water, Tea's eyes widened, unable to believe who she was seeing, stuttering. "Ba-Ba-Ba…"
"Shhh…" Bakura hushed her, placing a finger on her lips, trying to calm her down.
"But I thought…I mean…" Tea tried to finish her sentence.
Bakura tilted her head gently back, pouring the water inside her mouth. Using his hand, he closed her mouth, watching her swallow it. He slowly sat on the bed, his eyes gazing at the carpet. "I know you probably don't want to hear why I told you that I didn't want to stay with you."
"Go on." Tea encouraged him.
Bakura took one of the pillows and placed it on his knees. "You know that I'm not the type to even think about socializing to whoever sides with the pharaoh. Well, that's a different story. Strange, I wasn't so sure if you really feel the same. After all, you know Yami is smitten with you."
"Yami's just a friend." Tea glared at Bakura. "He was dropping a few hints that he had a crush on me but I didn't really feel the same way."
"Sure." Bakura said sarcastically. "Sure you don't Tea."
This only got Tea ticked off. Suddenly, she sat up, her hands on her hips. "You know what I think of your stupid question?" she shoved Bakura onto the bed. "I think it's pointless!"
"Is that so?" Bakura slowly got up, making his way towards her. "Are you really certain about that?"
"Pervert!" Tea slapped him on the shoulder. The two started to shove each other onto the wall. At first, Bakura seemed to have been the most dominant but Tea managed to trip him on the floor. Bakura swung his leg, tripping her onto the floor.
"Give?" Bakura gave a smirk.
"You know what I give?" Tea sat up on her knees. She tried to pin his hands with hers but Bakura interlocked his legs like snakes with hers, rolling her to the floor. Before Tea could even defend herself, Bakura returned the favor by pinning her onto the floor, his hands holding hers down. Tea tried to kick him off of her but surprisingly, he didn't flinch. His face hovered above her, as if he were her angel. With a single hand that released one of her own, he cupped her chin.
"I may not know whether I have the same petty feelings you have for me," he tilted her head back. "But from now on, you belong to me. Got that? If you side with Yami, you can bet that I will take your friends down one by one." His hand went from her chin to caress her face, his fingernails scratching the delicate skin softly.
Tea opened her mouth to say something but before any words poured out, Bakura pressed his lips onto hers forcefully, hungrily, like a wild animal famished. Soon enough, she felt his hand pressing onto the back of her head. She was vulnerable to his intimacy and gave into his desires.
Bakura then stood her up, his arms wrapped around her waist. Tea seemed to have finally lost herself within his dark soul. "Bakura…" she uttered. "Why?"
Bakura, however, only gave her a simple reply. "You'll know soon within time."

"Joey, I believe there's more to your story than what you're telling."
Joey, Duke, Tristan and Yugi were just walking out of Domino Train Station. It was a long night. They all had spent the night in the pawnshop and had left right before the shop opened.
"I told you everything I know." Joey glared at Duke. "What more do you want to know?"
"How about who's after Serenity? This is almost like the story of a little boy who made a deal with the devil." Duke pressed the button to cross the street.
"Hey you guys, look!" Yugi pointed a finger at Joey's house, noticing Serenity lying on the house steps, her body sprawled on the concrete with her hand gripping on the doorknob. The rain poured onto her body, soaking her from head to toe.
Joey dropped his umbrella, running across the street, not caring if the cars almost struck him.
"Joey watch yourself!" Yugi shouted.
Not listening to his friend, Joey ran to his sister's side, trying to turn her over. "Serenity? Serenity?!?" he looked over to her side, noticing a dagger clenched in her hand. A tint of blood smeared the blade. Quickly, he picked up the weapon and tossed it inside the bushes.
"Serenity," Duke, Tristan and Yugi were running across the street. "You okay?"
Joey lifted up his sister, opening the door. All four ran inside the house, their bodies dripping wet.
"Serenity, what's going on?" Duke ran to her side, shaking her limp body.
"Huh?" her eyes slowly opened, seeing Duke, Tristan, Yugi and Joey surrounding her. "Oh, hey you guys."
"Serenity, are you okay?" Tristan shook her slightly.
To this, Serenity giggled. "Of course I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
But before Duke, Tristan and Yugi could ask, Joey carried his sister up the stairs. "Come on sis, you gotta take a shower. You were soaked all night, after all." He then left the bathroom, closing the door behind.
Getting herself undressed, Serenity twisted the faucet on, watching the water slowly fill the tub. As soon as the tub was filled, she slowly stepped in, submerging her body into the water. She closed her eyes, adjusting her body to the temperature.
It was no more than five minutes later that she felt something coiling both of her wrists. Tugging them slightly, she realized she couldn't move either one of them. Her eyes opened wide, noticing that what had embraced her was snakes. Their eyes bored into hers venomously. Serenity's eyes looked around, realizing her bathroom had transformed into a fog. "Where…where am I?" Suddenly, her eyes rested its gaze on a shadowed figure sitting on the edge of the tub. "Who are you?"
A familiar laugh hovered the air as the figure slowly turned towards her, an evil smirk curling its lips. "I see you have failed."
"Marik?!?" Serenity was shocked. "You're the one who's trying to kill my brother huh?" she struggled with the snakes but their grip was like a vice. Her feet kicked wildly, splashing out water. "Joey! Joey!"
"Your brother won't hear you. We're no longer in your house little girl." He scooted closer to her. "Let's just say we're in the dark, cold corners of the Shadow Realm."
"The shadow what?!?"
Laughing softly, Marik withdrew his millennium rod, watching it glow. He watched Serenity's eyes grew lifeless. A cold smirk came about as he pulled Serenity's naked form onto his lap. "You know, I don't know which side I like more." He wrapped one arm around her waist, his other hand tugging on her hair. "You obeying my every command or seeing you struggle with fear everytime you come face to face with death." Chuckling softly, he then shoved her into the tub, pinning her body in the water. He watched Serenity's arms swing, trying to escape but his hand pinned her down good.
Minutes pass by as the struggling stopped. Serenity's body gloated. Marik pulled her body to his lap, brushing her hair out of her face. "How about just spending some time with yours truly. Maybe by then, I might have found a way to fully control your mind. If only I had the millennium bracelet…" he then carried her in his arms, slowly making his way towards the window. "We're gonna get Tea all right and you'll take that bracelet and give it to me."
"Okay Serenity," Joey, Tristan, Yugi and Duke walked in with towels in their hands.
"We're just gonna leave a few towels here okay." Tristan grinned. All of a sudden, the towel slipped from his hands, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Oh my God!"
"Is that Marik?!?" Duke was stunned.
"Marik you ass!" Joey glared at Marik. "Stop playing Romeo and Juliet and put down my sister this instant!"
"Ah, ah, ah," Marik shook his finger, grinning at Joey. "We had a deal, remember? I take your sister and you can't do anything about it."
"Joey, did you just make a deal with Marik?!?" Yugi glared at his friend. "And of all the Marik's, it had to be Marik's ultimate dark side?!?"
"Why don't you tell your little girlfriends the whole story." He cracked the window open with his millennium rod. "I'll take care of your sister. Be the brother she never had. Or maybe even the father she never had. Or perhaps be the dark lord she had longed for so long."
"You just don't know when to stop don't you Marik?" Joey clenched his fist. "When I get my hands around your neck."
That grin had not left the lips of Marik. "Too late." He then jumped out of the window with Serenity in his arms, and into the pouring rain.
"Marik!" Joey balled out but it was too late. He turned to Duke, Yugi and Tristan, who stared at him suspiciously.
"Joey, what's going on?" Yugi tilted his head to the side.
"It's common sense Yugi," Tristan leaned against the wall. "One of our friends just made a deal with the devil."

Bakura's body crushed Tea's on the floor in his bedroom. The rain continued pouring hard, thunder and lightning booming through the skies. A blackout struck the home hours ago. Tea had started to mumble in her sleep. Hearing this, Bakura placed his hand over her mouth to muffle out any sound. With one hand, Tea wrapped her fingers around his wrist.
A smirk curled Bakura's lips. He then kissed her on the neck. "So you want to be with me huh Tea?"
Tea's eyes opened, looking up at Bakura. "What are you talking about?" she stroked his face with her hand. "Of course I do."
"Well then," Bakura leaned forward, kissing her on the forehead. "If you really want to be with me, we're going to play by my rules."
"Wait a minute…" Tea gazed at Bakura with a bewildered look. "That sounds like you want me to be your slave."
Bakura kissed her softly on the lips. 'I know you want me Tea. Of course I would be more than happy to back down from this idea."
"All I ask is that you answer truthfully to my next question," Tea dared to look up in Bakura's eyes. "Do you still love me?"
"Love is a childish thing that egomaniacs believe in." Bakura stood up, gently pulling her up with him. "Love is a hopeless feeling idiots fall into. No such thing but there is something far beyond love." He then led her down the stairs and out the door.
"And what does that supposed to mean Bakura?" Tea tried to keep up with Bakura.
But Bakura lifted her up and carried her over his shoulder. Picking up an umbrella, he opened it up and went out the door and into the pouring rain.
"Bakura," Tea looked around. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere." He hailed a taxi. The taxi came to a stop right in front of him. Bakura slipped in, seating Tea next to him. He paid the driver a few dollar bills and whispered something in his ear. The driver nodded twice before stepping on the gas. He drove down the rainy streets and down a couple of blocks, passing house after house, building after building. He finally came to a stop by an alley.
Bakura got out of the taxi, taking Tea's hand within his. The two made their way in the alley. After what seemed like minutes, he came to a stop at a door. Knocking three times, the door slowly opened. "It's about time you showed up.
Tea's eyes widened with surprise. "Rishid?!? So this is where you were hiding all this time?"
"Apparently, yes." Rishid opened the door wider, taking Tea's hand and leading her down the stairs and into a basement.
"Hey, what's going on?" Tea tried to escape from Rishid's grasp. They finally reached the basement where a chair stood. A tray of metal rods and candlesticks was on a table. A familiar looking woman was sweeping the floor.
"Ishizu?" Tea couldn't believe who she was seeing.
Ishizu looked up at Tea for a long time. "Tea?" she dropped the broom and made her way towards the young girl. She looked her over for a moment. All of a sudden, her eyes spotted the millennium bracelet. "Oh no…"
"What is it?" Tea looked at Ishizu.
"Tea, why don't you take a seat?" Rishid motioned her to the seat.
"What's going on?" she looked up at Bakura. "What's up with this?"
"Ishizu," Rishid handed her a pen. "I think it's time. Just like what Bakura asked."
"Say what?" Tea was slowly tensing up with fear.
All three of them ignored her as Ishizu rolled up Tea's sleeve. With her pen, she drew a single rose. So quick and precise, the rose seemed lifelike.
Rishid, on the other hand, held a skinny metal rod over a lighted candle. After ten minutes, he withdrew the rod from the flame before making his way towards Tea. "Now Tea, this might hurt a little so you'll have to suck in your breath."
"What are you gonna do?" Tea didn't like the sound of this.
Once again, Rishid ignored her as he pressed the metal rod onto her skin. The searing pain shot through her, causing Tea to scream in pain. Bakura stood up and clamped his hand over her mouth to muffle out any sound. With his other hand, he massaged her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. All while Rishid traced the lines drawn onto her skin. He was surprised that Tea managed to remain still throughout the whole process.
After twenty minutes, Rishid finally released the metal rod from Tea's skin. Tea felt tears streaking down her face. Rolling down her sleeve, Bakura released his hold on Tea. "Come on, I'll take you home."
Nodding slowly, Tea followed Bakura up the stirs.
Meanwhile, Rishid and Ishizu looked on as the two left.
"Rishid," Ishizu fingered her millennium necklace that embraced her neck. "Did you see what Tea was wearing around her wrist?"
"Yes," Rishid nodded in reply. "The millennium bracelet. Within it is the soul of a powerful sorceress who tried to kill the pharaoh."
"How do you know all this?" Ishizu gave Rishid a surprised look.
Rishid released a long sigh. "That sorceress is my sister in my former life."
"That can't be! You've got to be lying!" Ishizu couldn't believe what Rishid was saying.
Rishid nodded once again. "I do not lie. It is true. Though I have flashbacks every weeks of my former life."
"With Marik still on the run and the bracelet finding its owner, the world is once again in danger of destruction. And it's not only because of Marik."
"I'm sorry I couldn't save Master Marik." Rishid place his hand on Ishizu's shoulder. It was true. The dark side of Marik has taken over Ishizu's brother completely. The soul of her brother had died at the peak of the finals when it came down to him versus Yami.
"You don't have to be." She then took Rishid's hand, leading him up the stairs. "Come on."
"Where are we going?"

Joey, Yugi, Tristan and Duke were running around the streets in the pouring rain. The four had been soaked badly as they were trying to look for Serenity.
"Serenity?" Duke called out, looking around the streets.
"Yo Serenity," Tristan looked around. "Where are you?"
"Marik," Joey clenched his fist. "Where the hell are you? You better come out this instant!"
Yugi looked in the alley. His eyes widened with shock as what he was seeing was no imagination. There, about twelve feet away from him stood Bakura and Tea. Bakura seemed to be rubbing Tea's shoulder for some odd reason.
"Joey, guys, look!" Yugi pointed to the two.
Joey rushed towards Yugi. Immediately, he saw what Yugi was seeing. He then proceeded to clamp his hand over his friend's mouth.
"Hey what's going on?" Duke and Tristan ran towards Joey and Tristan. Looking up, as the two neared him, Joey kicked Duke right in the stomach, knocking him down. Duke stumbled back, knocking Tristan down as well.
"Hey, what's up with that?" Tristan glared at Joey.
Yugi yanked Joey's hand off of his mouth. "Joey you asshole! How could you do that? See now, those two are gone!!"
"What two?" Duke slowly got up. "Are you talking about Serenity and Marik?"
Yugi shook his head. "No."
"Then who are you talking about?" Tristan glared at Joey. Uncomfortable silence filled the air.

At about 8:30 that evening, Yami was cleaning up the glass countertops. The rain continued pouring down hard. Thunder and lightning struck down numerous times.
Suddenly, a loud knock came upon the door.
"We're closed!" Yami shouted out.
The knocking continued to be persistent. Assuming it was Yugi, Yami tossed the washcloth down and made his way towards the door, opening it. "You two?" Yami was taken back. "What are you two doing here?"
"We need to talk."

Sorry for the long hiatus everyone. BTW, Tea's branding (if anyone needs an explanation)…the idea came from the "National Geographic Channel" when I was watching Taboo. Bear with me.

To Be Continued