AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGG! Fanfiction's format strikes again! It won't let me put a "!" or a "?" next to a "/". This stucks. Now none of the transparent people can shout or ask a question. ARG! This really really sucks. Just pretend they're there, ok?
Why was everyone happy Ishizu died? She's not Anzu, you know. Wow, glad I got rid of her quickly.
I must present my apologies. I was in a rush to update the last time and I was making all these changes at the last minute and my internet was down so some of the positions of people and whowas carrying who was kind of not consistent as manyreviewers have already been kind enough to point out to me. (shame) But thanks for pointing it out, I'll be sure to get it next time.
A reviewer suggested that I write down all the Yami's and Hikari's powers so here I go. (See! Reviews can make a difference!)
Yami no Malik: You know in the Noa arc where he's blowing up all the robots and equipment and everything, his powers are kinda like that.
Malik: manipulates memories and mind control (in this story I sorta separate Malik and Yami no Malik's powers, so Yami no Malik can't mind control people. In the anime both of them can but I like it better this way)
Yami no Bakura: Reading souls by using cards, duh. In the show, the parasite mind thing, where he puts a piece of his soul into a piece of the puzzle. Yeah that. And he can manipulate souls somewhat but not a lot.
Bakura Ryou: Um… is cute and clueless?
Yami no Yugi: Yami no Games, judgement stuff. All the yamis can influence their darkness powers a little bit that's why Yami no Yugi can make a shield and Yami no Bakura can theoretically throw people back against walls, he does that to Yami no Malik in the anime. Neither of them can do it as well or as powerful as Yami no Malik though.
Yugi: the power of common sense
Both Yugi and Bakura could theoretically use powers if they really wanted too but
they're both too nice to want to hurt people.
Basically, this chapter has talking, planning and more talking. It's important to the plot although it doesn't a lot of action, it's mostlycharacter development stuff. It's kinda long too.
Oh yeah and just to be clear:
People talking /like this/ are transparent.
People talking "like this" are solid and currently in control of the body.
People talking like this are using their mind link to secretly talk to their other half.
People talking 'like this' are just thinking to themselves.
This chapter brought to you by: The return of awesometastic BLACK TRENCH COAT! WOOT!
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Chyaputa 12: A Feint Plan
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There was an itch on the back of Bakura Ryou's neck. He scratched it and tried to turn over in his bed but found a rough bumpy texture underneath his skull. A few minutes later the itching was back, this time on his ankle. He tried to scratch that too, his fingers met the cool slightly damp leafy carpet underneath him.
Curious, Ryou opened his wide brown eyes but the light was dim and he could hardly see anything. He blinked and squinted through the semi darkness. There was green foliage all around him, he looked up and saw a glowing dark purple and red sky and one or two bright stars between the tightly knit hanging leaves.
'Where am I?' he thought, still looking up at the dusk sky above him. 'I am dreaming?'
"Bakura-kun, you're awake!" a familiar voice called. Bakura Ryou looked around to see Yugi sitting only a few feet away. He looked worn out; sweat gleamed on his skin as though he had been running for a long time and his red and black hair messier than usual. Ryou blinked again.
/Yugi-kun/ he said but to his surprise his voice came out muffled and echo-like. /What-/ It happened again. /Why do I sound like this/ he asked slightly panicked. He stared down at himself and noticed with horror that his body was semi-transparent and glowing, shedding eerie pale blue light around the clearing. He held up his pale hands in front of his eyes. /I can see through myself/ he exclaimed frantically, panicking. /What's going on/ Yugi crawled over to him.
"Its okay, Bakura-kun," Yugi reassured his friend, kindly. "Look," he held up a hand for Bakura to touch. Ryou hesitated then pressed his fingers into Yugi's palm. He could feel Yugi's solid hand underneath his transparent fingertips. "See, you're fine," Yugi insisted grinning calmly.
/But why? Why… how am I like this/ Ryou asked urgently. /And where are we/
"Oh, its kinda complicated," Yugi explained awkwardly not sure where to begin. "We're in the woods right outside the city."
/Why are we in the woods? What happened to the hospital/ Bakura asked curiously, bombarding Yugi with questions.
"We sort of broke out of the hospital," Yugi answered, recalling the image of severely marred hallways and caved in ceilings. Bakura's eyes widened in awed bewilderment.
/How'd you break out of the hospital/ he asked looking at Yugi with admiration.
"Oh, I didn't really break us out. Yami no Malik and mou hitori no Bakura did most of the work." Bakura suddenly frowned in puzzlement.
/Mou hitori no boku/ Bakura questioned very confused.
"You know, your other self," Yugi tried again. Bakura blinked his large brown eyes, thinking.
/Who/ he asked, confounded. Yugi stared shocked at the clueless Bakura.
"You," he choked. "Don't know about the other you?" he asked cautiously.
/Another me/ the white haired soul pondered, tapping the side of head as though trying to remember. /Sorry, Yugi-kun, but I have no idea what you're talking about./ Yugi's mouth hung open in surprise.
'He's never met his other self!' he screamed silently. 'Even Malik knew about his darker side but Bakura…' He shook his head in frustration. 'I don't want to explain this to him!'
/Is there something wrong, aibou/ the deep voice of Yami no Yugi asked, peering his transparent head out from behind the tree that Yugi and Bakura were talking under. Bakura squeaked and fell backwards at the newcomer's sudden appearance, wide eyes growing wider in confusion and fear.
/Who's he/ Bakura cried, a shaking arm pointing at the other Yugi.
"Its okay!" Yugi insisted, jumping forward. "He's my other self," he explained weakly. "Don't worry, you can trust him." Bakura blinked, looking in between the two Yugis.
/Another Yugi…/ he said tentatively, his trembling hand falling to his side. Yugi nodded eagerly. Bakura looked back at dark side of Yugi, eyeing him strangely. Yami no Yugi eyed him back.
/Um, I just wanted to know when Malik and Bakura were getting back/ he explained, turning to his lighter half.
/But I'm right here/ Bakura answered pointing to himself, confused.
"The other Bakura," Yugi corrected. Bakura scratched his head, thoroughly puzzled. "I don't know, they said they would be back before nightfall."
/Well, it's sundown, they better be back soon/ Yami no Yugi said seriously, sitting down by his aibou's side. Bakura, still staring at the other Yugi intently, cautiously poked his transparent knee with a timid ghostly finger. Dark Yugi turned to Bakura, scowling. /Are you satisfied/ he questioned, voice edgy. Bakura bent his head in shame, fluffy white hair falling in front of his face, arm retreating back to his side like a guilty child. Yugi frowned at his other self.
You shouldn't be so mean to Bakura, he's never met his other personality before, Yugi advised silently through their weakened mind link. Yami no Yugi breathed an annoyed sighed but none the less turned to Bakura to apologize.
/Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh/ the darker half of Yugi said out loud to the white haired soul.
/Its okay, I was the one being rude/ Bakura added, bowing as well as he could manage in his sitting position.
Yami no Yugi's eyes narrowed. Aibou, he asked silently. His lighter half looked up. Did you say he's never seen the other Bakura before?he asked seriously staring at the ground. Yugi nodded. This could be a problem… Yugi's eyes fell to the ground in unspoken agreement. Bakura stared at both of the silent spiky haired teenagers, eyebrows wrinkled in deeper confusion.
'What's going on?' he pondered silently watching them both curiously, ruffling his already tangled white hair.
At that moment there was a rustle of leaves and all three people turned toward the noise. A sweaty, very tired looking Malik walked out of the bushes, three white plastic bags thrown over his shoulder.
"Hello again!" he greeted cheerfully, grinning broadly and walking into the clearing, setting the bags down in the center. Yugi and the other Yugi noticed the dark skinned teen was wearing a very different outfit then he had been that morning. Instead of the white hospital uniform, Malik was now wearing a light purple sleeveless shirt and black cargo pants.
"Where have you been?" Yugi asked, looking at the bags in front of him. Malik flipped his medium length blonde hair over his shoulder tirelessly.
"Getting you people food," he answered flopping down inside the circle.
/And getting yourself a new wardrobe, I see/ the other Yugi muttered, frowning in annoyance.
"May I remind you that the police are still looking for us. If we had gone into the city wearing those hospital clothes we would have been caught for sure. It was essential to our secrecy to change clothes," Malik explained logically.
/Sure it was/ dark Yugi grumbled darkly, arms crossed firmly over his chest.
"Here Yugi, I got it just for you," Malik called tossing Yugi a small round squishy package. Yugi opened it eagerly, like a child on Christmas.
"A burger!" he practically screamed, mouth watering in delight. His other self smiled, shaking his head sadly as his aibou proceeded to try to eat the sandwich in one bite. Malik finally spotted Bakura across the circle.
"Oh, you're up," he said slightly surprised. "I didn't get you anything cause, well, you don't have a body. I think Bakura covered the whole hunger issue for you," Malik explained. Bakura was about to correct Malik by telling him that he was Bakura when another dark figure entered the clearing distracting him.
Yami no Bakura had not gotten rid of his hospital clothes but had covered them up with a large black leather overcoat, contrasting perfectly with his white hair and pale skin. Both Yugis looked up.
"Mafuwa-fum," Yugi greeted, mouth stuffed fill of burger. The other Yugi's eyes narrowed sharply. Yugi glanced over at the normal Bakura. He was staring speechlessly up at his darker half, brown eyes wide with something close to terror, hands clenched at the ground by his feet. Yugi managed to swallow the food painfully down his throat, wishing he could say something to make his friend feel better. Yami no Bakura had his full attention on gnawing at a thick juicy stake on a stick that he must have picked off some defenseless street vender and wasn't even looking in his lighter half's direction. Malik, completely oblivious to the tension around him, was humming off tune while setting up a large camping lamp in the middle of the circle.
"Wait," Yugi pondered out loud, breaking the tense silence. "How did you pay for all this stuff? Yami no Bakura's coat looks really expensive! You didn't steal it all, did you?" he questioned suspiciously. "We don't need any more attention drawn to ourselves, you know."
"Don't worry, we didn't steal it," Malik explained, casually folding his arms behind his head as he leaned back against a tree. "You could say they gave it to us…"
"What?" Yugi and his reflection questioned together. Malik grinned and held out of his hand. Before Yugi's very eyes a thousand yen bill materialized in Malik's palm. Yugi gasped while his dark side glared suspiciously at the object.
/An illusion/ he asked mildly.
"A damn good illusion!" Malik said smirking smugly. Yugi picked up the money in Malik's hand, running a curious thumb across its smooth surface. It felt like money, it looked like money, but… Malik snapped his fingers and the thousand yen bill disappeared as though it were never there. Yugi blinked.
"I can control people's minds, remember? So I just take the memory of money out of your mind and give it back to you," he explained, still very smugly. "And the store's records won't notice a thing."
"Wow," Yugi muttered. Malik grinned broadly.
The other Yugi scowled. /It's still stealing/ he said firmly. Malik shrugged.
"But a much less messy form of stealing," he corrected. "And no one has to get hurt or die this way." Yami no Bakura had finally managed to rip off a large corner of his beef stick and chewed graphically on it. The Bakura beside Yugi was dead quiet, hypnotized by his darker half appearance. Yugi could have sworn that he had stopped breathing.
'Just stop looking at him, Bakura-kun,' Yugi advised silently, trying to keep his own eyes on his half-eaten burger.
/By the way, where's Yami no Malik/ Yami no Yugi asked skeptically. /I haven't seen him sense you two left./ Malik's eyes narrowed and he looked forcefully away. Yami Bakura swallowed the last of his meat and grinned maliciously.
"Oh, he's somewhere," he answered slyly, tossing the stick into one of the food bags. "Probably too weak to move, after all that energy he wasted yesterday." Yugi noticed how Yami no Bakura's eyes carefully avoided contact with his host's while he was talking. The lighter half of Bakura didn't move. The empty hole in the bottom of Yugi's chest throbbed painfully.
'Has Bakura really never introduced himself to his host?' he thought pitifully. 'If the other me hadn't told me of his existence I'd still be alone now. Is that what's its like for Bakura?'
He looked up to find his darker side watching him closely, red eyes falling into his wide purple ones. The empty hole in Yugi's chest tightened and a different kind of throb echoed through his body. His other self gave him a questioning look. Yugi smiled softly showing him that there wasn't anything to worry about then forced himself to alleviated his growling stomach by finishing his burger and eating two rice cakes.
'I'm never going back to hospital food,' Yugi thought happily. His darker half grinned in amusement.
There was the sound of rustling leaves again, and everyone grew suddenly quiet as the intruder stumbled into their clearing.
Yami no Malik looked five times worse then Yugi had ever seen him. His blood shot eyes darted feverishly around the circle, his dark transparent skin looked unusually pale and sickly and his legs trembled ever so slightly as if they were too weak to support his weight. Bakura recoiled at the slight of yet another frightfulghostly clone. Yami no Bakura relaxed against a nearby tree, grinning maliciously.
"So, you can walk?" Yami no Bakura said smoothly, sharp eyes following the dark personality's movement. "Apparently you're more desperate then I imagined," he added coldly.
The dark side of Malik shot him a nastily glare. /You would be in the same situation if you hadn't hidden inside your host's body! Coward/ he spat, the veins on the side of his face pulsing in anger.
"If I remember correctly, I believe it was you who was hiding." Yami no Bakura's eyes flashed, he stepped forward but Yami no Yugi got there first.
/Enough/ he cried angrily. /Fighting will gets us nowhere/ The dark side of Malik snorted, blood veined eyes glaring weakly at his enemies.
/Standing around here isn't helping either/ he accused wickedly. /You think I didn't hear you guys talking! About how you waltzed around making yourselves at home in this god-forsaken forest! This isn't a damned vacation/ he screamed using a nearby tree for support, breathing heavily. The clearing became deathly silent. /In case you didn't notice, while some of you were enjoying a lovely day on the town, half of our group still don't have a body/ Yami no Bakura closed his eyes in a bored uninterested manner.
"Quit your annoying shouting, Malik. Your hurting my ears," Yami no Bakura said, cleaning wax from the inside of his ear with a casual twist of his pinky. "You're only repeating information that we already know…"
/Well, no one seems to be doing a DAMNED thing about it/ Yami no Malik snarled, fill force glare directed at Yami no Bakura now. Dark Bakura scoffed, eyes snapping open.
"Speak for yourself," he muttered and reached inside his new leather trench coat to pull out stacks of folded papers. He tossed them casually on the ground; Yugi picked one up and looked bewildered at the cover.
"Travel brochures?" Yugi asked, rising an eyebrow. His dark side leaned over his shoulder to look too.
/To northern Africa/ Yami no Yugi questioned skeptically. Yami no Bakura grinned.
"Specifically to Egypt," he answered smoothly. Malik, who, judging by look on his face, had obviously not heard about this plan before hand, exclaimed with glee. Yugi remembered Ishtar-sensei telling him she and Malik had grown up in Egypt.
/What does this have to do with getting my body back/ Yami no Malik questioned rudely voice low and threatening. Malik gripped at the brochures protectively, glaring hatefully at his darker half once again.
"The power we need to put our souls back together is in Egypt," Yami no Bakura answered slyly. Everyone's attention snapped back to white haired teenager, the clearing once again dead silent.
/How do you know that/ Yami no Malik accused, eyeingthe other darker halfwarily. Yami no Bakura sighed crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against a tree, as though he were bracing himself for a very long explanation.
"It is rumored that there is a hidden temple in Egypt that devours souls. They say that the power of this temple comes from a great source of dark magic hidden within its depths and thatthis dark magicwill be given to the souls who are destined to inherit the power of darkness," he explained, eyes circling the clearing. Yami no Malik grinned at the words "power of darkness", an insane glint glowing in his pale eyes. Malik shifted uncomfortably on the ground.
"But what does that mean? How is this going to help us?" Yugi asked curiously. Dark Bakura smirked.
"This power is rumored to have several abilities including sealing and manipulating souls," dark Bakura answered. "If we had that power, we could seal our own severed souls back into our bodies." The clearing was quiet in thought. Night had fallen outside their little bubble of light made from the lantern Malik had "bought" that day.
/But how do you know all of this, Bakura/ Yami no Yugi asked distrustfully. Yami no Bakura shrugged mildly as though he hadn't heard the threat in the other dark personality's voice.
"My host's father is an archeologist," he answered simply. "He collects information like this everyday, hoping to find another site for his gold digging." His eyes flashed dangerously at this last phrase. Yugi heard the light half of Bakura's sharp in take of breath beside him.
'Bakura's father?' Yugi wondered. Another sharp pain in Yugi's chest. The way Yami no Bakura was talking, it was as if Bakura wasn't even there. He saw a gloomy depressed look return to Bakura's eyes before the white haired teen turned his face to the ground.
/But this is ridiculous/ Yami no Yugi muttered skeptically. /You're talking about magic and dark powers as though they really exist./
"And what do you call it when Malik controls a person's mind and memories or when you crush your enemies souls in a judgment game," Yami no Bakura drawled smoothly. Yami no Yugi looked very taken aback. Yami no Bakura smirked. "Malik's sister understood the concept, however vaguely, and she used it to separate our respective halves."
"She didn't use magic," Yugi protested, trying to come to his darker half's aid. "She used machines." Yami no Bakura's eyes flashed now upon Yugi.
"She said herself she used the machines to manipulate that 'dark energy' that she claimed we all had," the dark half of Bakura insisted. "I believe it is fate that we go to this place in Egypt."
"There is no such thing as fate," Malik scoffed firmly, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. "No unseen force controls my actions."
"Really?" Yami no Bakura challenged. "So it's just a coincidence that three different people, who have never met before, all contain the exact same 'dark energy', were all classified by the same disorder and were all brought to the same hospital." Malik closed his mouth reluctantly.
"Well… Ishtar-sensei did say these symptoms had never been documented before," Yugi added. Malik flinched at the sound of his sibling's name. "Symptoms, as in our uh, unique abilities… that's what she said."
/You said this temple would give us the powers of darkness/ Yami no Malik interrupted. /What are these powers of darkness/ Yami no Bakura grin widened.
"I would guess it would be like increasing your powers ten fold," he answered smugly. "For example, instead of Malik only being able to hypnotize one person at a time, he could probably control a whole army." Yami no Malik's eyes widened with insane anticipation, hands twitching in excitement. His red tongue curled around his sharp teeth. Yami no Yugi eyed the other two dark personalities closely, eyes hardening.
There's something about this story I just don't like… he muttered to his aibou through their silent mind link. I don't think I want to see Malik's and Bakura's power increase.
But if this temple can really do what Bakura says it can then it might be our only hope for getting you back into my body, Yugi answered. We might have no choice but to follow his plan. Yami no Yugi frowned grudgingly, suspicious red eyes fixed on Yami no Bakura's relaxed form.
/But still these are just rumors/ Yami no Yugi pointed out. /We have no way of knowing if this temple does contain any powers of darkness or if this place even exists./
"Anyone else have other ideas?" Yami no Bakura offered coolly, gesturing around the circle. No one spoke up.
"I like Bakura's plan," Malik voiced, raising his hand. Yami no Malik scoffed.
/You only like it cause you want to go home, weak personality/ he chuckled coldly. Malik's angry bright violet eyes glared at Yami Malik, a deep snarl of contempt on his lips. /But this idea does intrigue me. I'll go along with it/ he finished grinning excitedly. Yami no Bakura turned his eyes to Yugi questioningly. Yugi sighed.
"I think Bakura has a point," Yugi said nervously. "The chances of all three of us having these unexplained powers and we all seem to have some connection to Egypt."
"You too?" Malik asked curiously. Yugi nodded.
"My grandfather spent a lot of time there when he was younger," Yugi admitted. "This doesn't seem like a coincidence. If everyone else believes this is a good idea, I will go too."
/Aibou/ his dark started turning to his lighter half in surprised.
"Think about it, mou hitori no boku, staying here won't help anybody. What other choice do we have?" Yugi answered. Yami no Bakura turned to Yami Yugi again, smirking.
"So, its left to you, mighty one," he mused quite contently, dark eyes dancing smugly, already certain of the eventual outcome. Yami no Yugi glanced down at his light one more time, took a deep breath and then turned reluctantly to Yami no Bakura.
/Fine, I'll agree to this plan of yours, Bakura/ he conceded grudgingly. Dark Bakura grinned and then pulled himself away from the tree.
"It's settled then," he said smugly.
"Wait," Yugi interrupted hastily. He turned to side to look at Bakura Ryou who had become extremely silent since his darker half had entered the clearing. "What about you, Bakura-kun? What do you think of this idea?" Bakura's head shot up in surprise as though he couldn't believe he was actually being addressed.
"Oh… um…" His large brown eyes glanced at his darker half then over to Yami no Malik. Yami no Bakura didn't even offer to met his unsteady glance. "Sure… fine," he gulped, eyes darting back to the ground meekly. "Sounds good."
"Then we should leave as soon as possible," Yami no Bakura continued sharply as though there had been no interruption. "No telling what the consequences will be if a soul stays out of its body too long."
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The planning for obtaining plane tickets to Egypt continued for some time. Night had fallen deeply in the forest by the time they finally decided to go to sleep, faint lights coming in from the city glared like orange stars between the thick layers of trees.
Yami no Bakura and Yami no Malik disappeared into the forest soon after they had finished discussing to find some dark secluded corner of the woods to sleep in. Yugi and Malik made makeshift beds out of leaves near the lantern, Bakura's brown eyes watching them glassily from underneath the tree.
"Where are you going?" Yugi asked his dark personality curiously as Yami no Yugi turned to face the dark forest.
/I'm just going to take a walk. Check out the surrounding area/ Yami no Yugi explained mildly vague.
"You want me to come with you?" Yugi asked.
/Ah… that's ok, I'm only be a minute/ Yami no Yugi reassured Yugi awkwardly. Yugi eyed his darker half skeptically.
Don't go interrogating Yami no Bakura or Malik, Yugi warned him sternly. We don't need any more trouble than we already have.
/I wasn't even thinking about that/ Yami no Yugi lied unconvincingly and walked off into the woods as casually as he could. Yugi sighed but didn't stop him.
The original Bakura hadn't moved from his spot underneath the tree since he had woken up. His chin sat on top of his knees, blank brown eyes staring into the lantern in the middle of the clearing.
/So, that was the other me/ Bakura asked distantly, depression clouding in his eyes.
"He's strange, isn't he?" Malik said mildly. Yugi glared at Malik for being so insensitive. "He threatens to kill you every five minutes and has a very strange obsession with meat but he's so much cooler than mine," Malik continued, oblivious to the silent, urgent signals Yugi was throwing at him to stop. Bakura's head bowed even lower.
/I wouldn't know/ Bakura answered downheartedly. Malik looked at him astonished.
"You mean, you've never met him before?" he asked incredulously. Bakura's transparent form shrank in his shame.
"Malik!" Yugi hissed. "You're not helping!"
"Oh, sorry!" Malik apologized hastily. "I didn't mean to…"
/Its alright/ Bakura answered, although you could tell by his voice that it wasn't. He bowed his head again staring at he ground, his pale light blue light illuminating the dark clearing, the lantern's yellow light glowed dimly in comparison. /But now that I think of it, now that I know he exists, some things suddenly make sense. All those times I blacked out and how every time I got close to someone…/ Bakura gulped, his form stiffening and growing detached from the others. /He must have been the one… who murdered Kaa-san and Amane…/ Malik and Yugi exchanged nervous looks.
"My dark side killed my father, and a whole bunch of other people that I don't know about," Malik said seriously, moving underneath the tree to join the white haired soul. Bakura looked up, brown eyes wide with surprised.
/He did/ he asked slightly dazed. Malik nodded.
"Mine killed a bunch of guys at my school who were picking on me," Yugi admitted moving next to Bakura as well.
/But yours seemed so sane…/ Bakura insisted; now staring thunderstruck at Yugi.
"They are called dark sides for a reason," Malik reminded him logically. "Don't feel so special," Malik scolded, tapping him playfully on the shoulder. "We've all been going through the same thing." Bakura nodded sheepishly in understanding, his eyes softening a bit.
"I think in some way or another they're all trying to protect us," Yugi said helpfully. "I mean without us, they wouldn't have a body, right?" Malik frowned.
"I doubt mine has ever done anything for anyone, other than himself," Malik growled hatefully.
/How is killing my mom and sister protecting me/ Bakura asked weakly, looking at the ground again.
"Well…" Yugi hesitated scratching his head in thought. "They're minds do work in strange ways." Bakura paused staring thoughtfully at Yugi.
/I guess/ he muttered not very convinced by Yugi's words.
"At least yours cares about you, Bakura-kun," Malik mentioned.
Bakura looked quite shocked. /What do you mean/
Malik shrugged. "Well he carried you all through the hospital, didn't he? And when he wasn't he always tried to keep you in his sight. Every time we stopped he would make sure he knew where you were," Malik said, staring out into the woods. "I wish mine were like that…" he said solemnly, not speaking to anyone in particular. Bakura's pale skinny arms tightened around his knees, his gazed lifted to Malik's face.
/You really think that/ Ryou Bakura asked, voice strained maybe trying to keep himself from becoming too hopeful.
"Of course." Malik smiled and nodded encouragingly.
/Thanks/ Bakura said hesitantly. /…Um, by the way…/
"What is it?" Malik asked politely.
/Who are you/ Bakura questioned curiously. /I don't think I've ever met you before…/ Malik sighed and shook his head. Yugi grinned, trying to suppress his laughter.
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'I'm not spying on them,' Yami no Yugi told himself as he circled around the campsite, red eyes searching the bushes. 'I just want to make sure I know where they are.' If one of those psychos came around when Yugi was asleep… well, Yami no Yugi just wanted to make sure it wouldn't come to that. Suddenly he heard another set of feet walking through the woods close by. He froze, listening carefully. A head of white hair popped out of the darkness between clumps of trees. Yami no Yugi pulled himself behind a group of thick bushes, trying to hide his glowing form from the newcomer.
Yami no Bakura suddenly stopped, his dark eyes lifting from the ground.
"You're not very good at hiding," he called. Dark Yugi's breath caught in his throat. But before he could answer, another low cackling voice sounded from the trees in front of Bakura
/I guess I can't fool you/ Yami no Malik taunted as he emerged, wild pale blonde hair floating around his head. /You must be an expert at sneaking around./
"Unless you have anything important to say, I suggest you get out of my way," Yami no Bakura growled, glaring fiercely at the other dark personality. "I'm not in the mood."
Yami no Malik chuckled. /Oi, oi, what a scary look/ he taunted coolly. Yami no Bakura's eyes narrowed further in annoyance. The dark skinned teenager's mouth stretched into a twisted grin. /You may be able to fool everyone else but I know there's something your not telling us./ He crossed his dark lanky arms over his chest, pale dead eyes gleaming. /I think I might know better than anyone what you're scheming…/
"Don't even try to compare yourself with me," Yami Bakura snarled coldly. Yami no Malik's grin widened and he took step forward, closing the space between himself and the white haired teen so that they were less than a foot away from each other.
/You're the only soul in your host's body now/ he said smoothly, taking another step forward. /If you left, you'd never have to deal withthat annoying light half any longer. Yet you stay. Someone as intelligent as yourself wouldn't stay without good reason, not unless there's something you can still get out of it./ Yami no Bakura's eye lid twitched. In the bushes nearby, Yami no Yugi watched the two intensely.
"Like I said, unless you have something important to say I'm leaving," Yami Bakura answered coldly, stepping to the side about to walk passed the other dark spirit. Yami no Malik stuck out a leg blocking his path.
/Or perhaps…/ he muttered in low deadly voice, leaning forward, whispering into the white haired teen's ear, fangs hovering barely an inch away from Yami Bakura's flesh. /You really do want to be bonded to that disgusting lighter self for eternity./ Yami no Bakura scoffed and moved away from Yami no Malik's lurking form.
"You must feel pretty desperate," Yami no Bakura threatened nastily, grinning madly as poisonous words dripped off his tongue. "In one day and you've managed to lose all your power and your host. In that weakened stated, your soul won't survive for more than two weeks without completely falling apart, less than that I guess with all that energy you used up yesterday. The only weapon you hold now is that whispering forked tongue." Yami no Malik's face suddenly twisted angrily, unconsciously talking a step back. Yami no Bakura grinned in cold triumph. "It's not wise to threaten the one who holds your fate." He turned away into the woods, his insane laughter echoing into the night. Yami no Malik cursed loudly and stormed off in another direction leaving the silent watcher alone in the underbrush.
Yami no Yugi frowned, contemplating the conversation he had just over heard. Caring for his light side didn't sound like something Yami no Bakura was capable of, there had to be some other reason.
'But then why go to Egypt?' he thought seriously, moving cautiously out of the bushes and retracing his steps back to the camp. 'Either way, aibou is right…' he thought reluctantly. 'We have no other choice but to follow Bakura, at least for now.' He stared down at his clenched ghostly hands. 'If what Bakura said was true about my soul only lasting for two weeks, we have to do something soon.' He shivered at he thought of disappearing from the world forever. What would happen to his consciousness when he disappeared? What would happen to Yugi? His stomach squirmed sickly at the thought of leaving his aibou.
Quiet voices broke his depressing train of thought. He turned his head to see the faint light of a lantern between trees. Yugi and the other two lighter halves underneath the tree looked up as Yami no Yugi entered the clearing.
"Mou hitori no boku, what took you so long?" Yugi asked worriedly.
/Sorry, aibou…/ Yami no Yugi apologized distractedly, red eyes flickering to the dark woods surrounding the clearing. Yugi stared at him suspiciously, he knew something was bothering his darker half but he didn't ask him what it was. Yugi turned to the other two and yawned loudly.
"I'm going to sleep," he announced.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ooooooo… the plot thickens.
Anyone notice that really small scene I stole out of Spirited away? Chiriko going transparent and Haku going up to her and holding out his hand for her to touch, that thing. Yugi's so awesome. Yeah, forked tongue, stole that too, from Lord of the Rings actually though I'm sure its been in other places too.
This chapter had a lot of interaction between all different people that we didn't see before, like Ryou and Malik and Ryou with well… anyone since the only one he talked to before this was Yugi. I changed this chapter a lot, (yes I know I always say that but I'm so proud of my editing) it was a lot different before. Yami no Bakura is a mischievous little devil, ain't he?
I love that trench coat. Makes Yami no Bakura look all cool. (swoons)
NEXT CHAPTER! To get to Egypt one needs to buy tickets, supplies and perhaps more clothes? Yugi, Malik and Yami no Bakura spend a day on the town and we all know how that can turn out.
Do I really need to tell you again? Do I?
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And if you're reading this and you don't review, feel shame. Lots and lots of shame.
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