Yami's koi: wow. This is the… eighth chap of Guess They're In Love. Thank you so much for your lovely reviews… no one even tried to guess which game it was that inspired me… so I'll just leave it a 'mystery.' If you know me, you might be able to guess it.
Neutral Man: please note that she took another five years to think up of a new song.
Yami's koi: yeah, it's always hard thinking up of a new song for each chapter… heh? But for this chapter, it is HIM with 'Wicked Game.' See you at the A/N's at the end, k?
The world was on fire, no one could save me but you…
Bakura's hands were getting slippery. He knew that his determination would not let him fall, but his hands would eventually betray him. Damn. It was almost as if he was conspiring against himself.
Swinging forwards frantically, Bakura's eyes soon saw a raised piece of rock, shooting upwards from the ground, and he immediately headed towards it. When his feet were almost there, he felt his left hand slip from the bars. Releasing his hold completely on the ceiling bars, Bakura swung his body forwards, and fell silently to the stone below.
Unfortunately for him, even mummies have a keen sense of both direction and hearing. Even though they are blind and deaf, the fabled servants to the Pharaoh developed a special sense when they were killed. This sense involved destroying any intruder to the holy burial sites of the rulers of Egypt, and also those who held a presence of darkness. And as for Bakura… things didn't stand too far in his favour.
Bakura ducked backwards, against the wall, were the shadows were most dark, and crouched down, watching as the groaning, occasionally stumbling dead beings approached his stone.
Even though the stone could not be reached from where they were swiftly advancing, they bore long, curved knives that, Bakura knew, could easily do some damage. And, after confirming where Bakura was… the creatures of darkness would then do whatever they possibly could to lure the Thief into going down.
Strange what desire will make foolish people do…
However, Bakura had other ideas. Keeping in the shadows, Bakura edged his way around to the other side of the stone he was upon, and, glanced around. It was risky, knowing that with a light source near by, the brown, ragged beings might see the light reflected from his eyes, and hone in on the location of where the Thief stood. It was, alas, the only way that Bakura could think of getting to where he was needed most.
Exactly where this was wasn't an issue. The only thing that Bakura knew was that Ryou needed him… now more than ever.
A groan, and the mummified, dead slaves to the Pharaoh of ancient times slashed blindly against the stone before them, on the stone where Bakura had firstly landed. Soon they would figure him out, so the Tomb Robber had little, if any, time to lose.
Yugi and Yami
Yami sensed the trouble that his hikari was having in breathing and so shuffled along faster. The air was so close, and the extra body before the boy was definitely not helping Yugi's case. When Yami reached the end, therefore, he literally pulled Yugi out of the hole and calmed him. With Yugi panicking, it would make him breathe faster, which would, eventually, cause him to not appreciate the amount of air that he had… and would most likely either faint or die.
and I never dreamed that I knew somebody like you…
Yami would allow neither to happen.
He rubbed Yugi's back, reassuring him with soft, pleasant words in his ear. After several tender moments of this, Yugi collected himself and thanked his yami. The Pharaoh smiled and felt a warmth illuminate his Soul Room… he only hoped it did not reach his precious hikari, but he doubted that at such a time, Yugi wouldn't have minded.
Looking around, Yami's eyes narrowed. A fake coffin, designed to mislead Tomb Robbers from the real chambers of fortune and greatness, was placed in the middle of the room, raised from the ground by a stone platform. Steps led up to the top of the sarcophagus, reinforcing the idea that Thieves would be fooled. To the right of the coffin, was a boulder that seemed to be melted in as a doorway, frozen into the wall by the irreversible sands of time. Just at Yami's eye height was a keyhole… yet it was more like a talisman of some sort would fit into it, and not a key. Some more steps to the left of this doorway led downwards, past the sarcophagus and into a hidden chamber.
Yami pointed to the steps, nodding to Yugi.
"I understand… if you don't want to go in there, Yugi. You can wait here if you want."
Yugi's eyes narrowed. "Let's go," He said determinedly, heading down the narrow stairway before the more adventurous of the two. Yami sighed, wondering at how hikari's could ever be understood right down to the core, before following his little light down.
As soon as they both were inside the chamber, however, the door slammed shut behind them. All of a sudden, a sound of stone scraping against stone echoed through the room, and looking up, the Pharaoh saw them: huge spikes, pointing down at the two intruders.
"YAMI!" Yugi screamed, pulling on his beloved's hand. He raced towards the opposite wall, and Yami only understood why when his light's hand curled around the lever and yanked it down. The scraping, eerie noise ceased… and the spikes shuddered to a stop. The door, however, remained close. And it was the only exit in the room.
And I never dreamed that I'd need somebody like you…
"Shit…" Yami muttered, gazing at every wall with mounting panic. What if they were eternally trapped in this room? What if Yugi had not only stopped the spikes, but also –?
A glimmer of gold in a nearby corner caught Yami's eye. He stared at it for a moment, and darted around the edges of the room (just for safety,) to reach it. When he approached it, he remembered the chamber before this one, and the strange lock. It seemed to be in the exact same shape as what was engraved into the wall outside! This was the key that they had been waiting for!
Yami reached over and examined the piece one more time before gently lifting it from its stand. As soon as he did so, he heard a snapping noise, and he whirled around, guns pointed at the source of the noise… the opening door!
/Oh, I'm good. Just admit it/ Yami thought to his light as they quickly scampered from the room, tripping slightly over the uneven surface of the floor. Yugi only rolled his eyes in response, before silently making his way up the stairs. It took all of the Pharaoh's self control not to stare at the ass in front of him.
Slowly they neared the wall, and, with Yugi's gun loaded and pointing at the wall, Yami placed the item in the door.
And now I…
For a moment, nothing happened. All that occurred was a glinting of the golden key in the door, and then the wall slowly folded in on itself, leaving a large gateway for the two spiky-haired Duellists to enter through.
"Keep your gun focused, Yugi. We are no longer in a chamber that we know everything about." Yami said softly to the boy behind him, as he slowly crept into the new room. Across the walls were hieroglyphs, and Yami paused, igniting a flare to hold up near to the wall so that he could read.
"What does it say, Yami?" Yugi asked innocently, standing beside his darkness in a fluid movement.
Bakura
Bakura took a few steps back, and prepared himself for the jump ahead. He took several breaths, as he stared at his destination. The jump was about four metres, which would make any Thief nervous if they had their right state of mind with them. Unfortunately for Bakura, he could feel fear only too well. And the mummies were closing in on where he was.
With another deep breath, Bakura raced forwards in one long stride, and leaped. He raised his arms whilst in mid air, praying that the impact would not affect his ability to grip onto surfaces. As he neared the raised stone, he heard the mummies groan in confusion behind him, and then the cling of metal colliding with stone. That would buy him some time.
Wanna fall in love… And I wanna fall in love…
Just before Bakura's body came slamming into contact with the rock, the Tomb Robber's fingers gripped onto the top edge of the sandy surface. With an inward sigh of relief, Bakura pulled himself up, and instantly crouched down in the shadows of the dimly lit room. Looking around, he noticed a dangling, gently moving rope, fluttering down from where he had presumed to be the ceiling.
Bakura grinned and rose to a stand, flattening himself against the wall to conceal himself from the mummies' short-distance view range. Ah, this would be easy. All he had to do was follow the wall around and then swing on the rope, or climb up it, to get to Ryou! It wasn't that difficult…
And so, Bakura put his plan into action. He made it to the edge closest to the rope, which hung about two metres above the mummies' heads, and stared up into the ceiling, and found just that. He instantly ruled out climbing the rope, and then stared around at the nearby walls. It didn't take him long to find a very narrow, very well hidden tunnel in the wall. If he swung from the rope, released when his feet, swung out before him, seemed to 'touch' the bottom of the hole, then he should land, expertly, in the tunnel.
If he didn't, of course, then he would have to face the mummies' fractious state below… and that, Bakura decided, was not what he intended to do. Therefore, he swung his body weight backwards and forwards, making the rope swing. Just when Bakura's feet seemed to touch the bottom of the tunnel, the rope snapped. The Thief's eyes widened and he released a small cry out surprise. Fortunately, his height for swinging had just been enough for Bakura to make it across the gap, and through the small hole.
… With you… What a Wicked Game to play…
And there Bakura went, sliding down the gritty, winding passageway that eventually widened so that four men could walk side-by-side in comfort. Still the Tomb Raider slid, his feet stretching down. As various tunnels and side-areas rushed past, it suddenly occurred to the silvery haired yami that he would, eventually, have to make a landing.
But what with his current speed, and the gradient of the slope… something told Bakura that he was in for a rough landing.
"Oh, shit…"
Contradicting everything that he had once been trained to do, Bakura panicked. Sadly, he closed his eyes and squeezed his hands into fists by his face, shielding it from any damage the slide may have given him.
"Ryou… Oh Ra, I only hope this thing has a nice, comfy landing at the end of it," Bakura mumbled to himself in Egyptian, the familiar, stereotypical Tomb surroundings causing him to fall into his first tongue. The slope made another dramatic drop down, and Bakura felt his stomach drop… before he felt it connect with the stone, cold ground.
To make me feel this way…
'Nothing's ever been the way I want, has it?' Bakura thought to himself bitterly, easing himself from the ground once he regained his bearings. He looked around, eyes narrowing as he realised that he did not have any idea as to where he was. The Tomb Robber had hoped, foolishly enough, to land in a tomb he had previously been in, and then he would retrace his steps and find himself a different way to Ryou… free from annoying, slashing, hacking mummies.
However, things just didn't seem that way. A golden tomb was just up ahead, with a small hill descending downwards behind him. Dark shadows concealed various passageways, yet with the little light that Bakura could see with, the glittering of gold plinths in the darkness caused his heart to rise. Yes, this was what he was born for… to raid tombs of their riches! Nothing, in Bakura's eyes, was better than having to race through explosive-filled chambers, leaping across sickeningly high caverns, speeding past wild dangers to avoid death, to cheat that threatening blackness do many times. Of course, Ryou was the one who could distract Bakura form such things, keep him sane… but was it honestly enough?
Bakura pondered at that for a moment, but before he could get very far, he heard a scuffling noise behind him. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and slender hands gripped at various weapons. In one hand, Bakura held a sword: in the other, a gun. Both very efficient weapons… and both would ensure that the job was seen to and sorted. There was no way around that.
What a Wicked thing to do… To let me dream of you…
What he saw next was a shadow, creeping along across the wall where a sudden curve blocked whatever was coming from view. Bakura jumped to the side immediately, hiding himself somewhat from the approaching enemy. Anticipation tightened in his stomach to form an enjoyable, excited knot. He only hoped that his breathing, or a glint from one of his weapons, did not spoil the surprise.
And what he saw next, as the shadows grew smaller – a sure sign that the new arrival was nearing, just about to turn the corner – made his jaw drop.
An innocent, pure hikari wielding a gun, a small amount of courage glimmering in his lavender eyes. Narrowed, serious eyes next, regarding the unfamiliar surroundings with great suspicion. Bakura sniggered in his head as he realised that he could very possibly get away with pulling just a very small prank on the two. When Yami had just passed him… he leaped from within the shadows and landed expertly on the Pharaoh's back, covering his eyes with his callused hands.
"Guess who…" Bakura whispered in the Game King's ear, suppressing a snigger. Yami growled and the Tomb Robber felt the tense mood shift from one of both anger and amusement – the latter probably from Yugi.
"Damn you, Tomb Robber."
What a Wicked thing to say…
"Aw, Yami, are you scared of an ickle tomb? Does the idea of a mummy with a big axe scare you?" Bakura asked sarcastically, releasing his hold on Yami entirely, watching the Pharaoh's face for reactions. Oh, the aftermath of fear on his face was absolutely priceless. Shadows jumped across his face, the flickering torches held in brackets on the wall creating an even eerier atmosphere.
"Bakura, please. I've just had to kill something and I'm not very proud of doing it." Yugi said quietly, staring down at his shoes. Pain washed over his features, causing Yami's heart to tighten. He hated seeing his light being internally tortured… for it was one thing that Yami could not heal, or help him deal with.
Bakura, however, seemed impressed. He folded his arms and stepped back to regard Yugi's entire frame, looking at him from top to bottom.
"You're made your first kill? Now, that's amusing." Bakura stated, embracing Yugi in joy, catching the slightly fragile hikari by surprise. He noticed Yami's jealous, fuming face and smirked at him over Yugi's shoulder. "So, what was it? A mummy? A spider that Yami was so afraid of that he couldn't move and could only scream like a little baby girl?" Again, another dark look. Oh, if looks could kill, then Bakura would not have lived to utter the last three words of that sentence. It did seem, however, that even the Pharaoh's powers had their limits. Instead, Yami settled for the mouthing of the words, 'Fuck off,' to warn the Thief of what could come if he continued. Bakura smirked and tightened his grip on Yugi, pulling him even closer. He did love a challenge.
You never felt that way…
"I killed a scorpion."
Bakura almost laughed. Instead, he turned his head towards Yugi, and whispered something in his ear. And all the while, his chocolate coloured, seductive eyes searched the King of Games' for reactions.
"How cute." Bakura whispered, smiling as Yugi tense slightly. He knew that the teen was probably thinking of Yami, but didn't withdraw at the thought. The more uncomfortable things got, the happier Bakura would be. After all, he had learnt to adapt to varied surroundings very quickly when in Egypt, and at an early age, too.
Trouble was, with Yami's evil looks being thrown his way; it was all Bakura could do to laugh.
Jou and Seto
"Passengers, we are now approximately ten hours away from our destination. Please feel free to purchase ear phones to watch our epic movie, or some of our refreshments, which shall be coming around shortly. Thank you."
Seto's eyebrow twitched. Jou's head was leaning against his shoulder, the golden strands tickling his face. Despite the nice, romantic atmosphere, he still couldn't relax. He could almost feel Yami and Yugi so stupidly following Bakura to their early deaths'. That was, if Bakura had even gone into those caves.
"…Seto…"
What a Wicked thing to do… to make me dream of you…
Kaiba's azure eyes averted and looked into Jou's hazelnut ones, the ones warm with feelings of love, and yet also horniness. Jou rubbed his hand against Seto's thigh, smiling as he watched the CEO's face for reactions. It had the desired effect, so the blonde leaned in and placed gentle, soft butterfly kisses against his love's jaw line, slowly working his way up to Seto's lips. When he got there, he paused, staring up into Seto's eyes. The look there told him everything: how much he was loved, how exasperated he was feeling, how concerned he was for his friends' safety…
Words were no longer needed in their relationship. And Jou was thankful for that. They understood each other well enough that a single look could express to the other how they were feeling, and what should be done… even if they did not share a mind link, the two were still amazingly close. Never would they allow a single look to pass by without conveying their own emotions at the time, or exchanging loving gestures.
This time, however, Seto broke the look. He leaned down slightly and pressed his lips up against Jou's, hard. Without even needing to think, as it was now automatic, their lips parted, and their tongues engaged in a passionate, fiery duel. Warm, moist tongues slid against the other, fingers entwining in each other's hair, the familiar, loved warmth spreading through their lower bodies as their touches intensified, Jou being lifted up by his lover to sit on the CEO's lap. Their hips touched, and Seto thrust upwards, their clothes arousals connecting through the cloth. Jou broke the kiss and, with a groan, ground hard and fast against Seto. He soon had to stop, however, and broke away from his lover, fixing his rumpled clothes.
"Mutt! Why'd you stop?"
The rattling of a trolley and the clicking of a woman's shoes approaching answered his question.
And I… wanna fall in love… And I… wanna fall in love… With you…
"Refreshments or duty free items, sir?"
Seto would thank Jou later.
Ryou
Out of the darkness loomed that face again. The one that caused Ryou to scream. The figure made a demented smile; the bandages stretching even further across the bridge of its nose until it look as if they were going to snap.
"Why bother screaming, Ryou? No one's here to save you… because they're all dead…"
For a moment, as Ryou stared, terrified, into the glimmering eyes of the demon before him, he believed it. Then his eyes narrowed, and realisation and his beliefs washed over him again.
"No. Bakura would never let me die to something like you! He'd rather fuck the Pharaoh first!"
"The Pharaoh!" The monster exhaled in a hiss of old, sickeningly stale breath. "Ah, but if he was here, then he would have to face a few home truths about his past… and about his entire future. He is predestined to torment someone day and night, forcing them to the brink of insanity before they plunge into the bowels of my homeland."
The world was on fire, no one could save me but you…
Ryou swallowed, yanking at his chains. It had no effect. "And where would that be?"
The creature emitted another strange howl. "Depression! Pain! Sorrow! Torment! Death! Eternal despair!"
Ryou then gasped, and realised just who this mysterious being was. He moved forwards, towards Ryou, and the little one's suspicions were confirmed.
The being before him had skin as dark as the jackal's, his old allies': his eyes as cold and as fierce as the deathly battles that savaged through the lands of Egypt: and his face as twisted and scarred as that of the hearts' of many during the reign of Atemu. Now it was clear who this creature was… now it was clear why nothing fresh and pure grew in these tunnels. No wonder everything was so deadly. No wonder many things had been resurrected to do his bidding, until the time was right.
"Set!" Ryou gasped, trying to sit up before his body was snapped back down again by his simple but very strong restraints.
Strange what desire will make foolish people do…
More bandages stretch. "How perceptive of you, little Ryou."
"B-But… but you were imprisoned! Locked away in a tomb in Egypt, never to be released!"
It was then that the bandaged finally relaxed, and Set's eyes took on a very interested look.
"Bakura never told you? Deary me, he must love you even less than what you think…" Set's eyes then glisten with malice. As Ryou knew nothing of his own release, the truth could easily be manipulated… and Ryou wouldn't be able to tell if it was a lie or not.
"Well, I suppose I had better tell you everything, right from the very beginning…"
No… And I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you…
Flashback
Bakura's stealthy moves and quick decisions had got him so far… but just what exactly he was hunting, he wasn't sure. All he could tell that there was a certain… presence within this entire burial ground that had allured him. It was something that he couldn't explain. Shaking his long, wild locks away from his face, he touched at his cheek, right over his scar, and growled. He would not allow anyone… or anything… to do that to him again.
Bakura's head edged slowly around the sandy, musty smelling corner, and he grinned. Various sarcophagi were scattered around in this next chamber, and they were half closed. Examining the nearest one closer, he could tell that they were empty. That meant he had either dealt with them earlier, or they were roaming around in the tombs up ahead.
It didn't bother Bakura. After all, killing and solving mysteries were all a part of his job description.
Suddenly, Bakura whipped his head back, checking that he wasn't being followed, by a presence neither dead nor alive, before darting out form his hiding place, and in full view of the chamber's entrance. He looked around, seeing an exit to his right, and he moved towards it.
And I never dreamed that I knew somebody like you…
Before he did so, however, he read several inscriptions on the wall. As a commoner, he had not learned how to read or to write, but a friend had once taught him several basic hieroglyphs. Ever since first learning how to write his own name, Bakura had striven to learn more. Tomb raiding, however, was his first love.
Since there was nothing of great interest engraved in the walls, apart from various tales of a deceased Pharaoh that tragically died during his thirties, Bakura ventured onwards. To his surprise, there were no mummies or scarab beetles in this tomb.
Something was obviously wrong. And immediately Bakura associated it with the sarcophagus in the middle of the tomb.
No… And I… wanna fall in love… And I… wanna fall in love…
It was a large coffin, which gave rise to the belief that someone very important was buried inside of it. Yet it also hinted that someone disobedient was inside it, too. Whichever way things turned, Bakura was prepared. He scanned the walls for any inscriptions that he could translate, but all seemed too advanced for him to comprehend: something that he didn't take to very well. Bakura hated being so oblivious to everything… it just made him feel so degraded.
However, he didn't dwell on it for too long. He had to wrench the coffin open; otherwise some of the greatest riches would remain lost to him.
Bakura first switched swords: he didn't want his best weapon to become tarnished and weakened by the coffin. Lifting the handle of his sword to the opening of the casket, Bakura began to apply pressure downwards. He felt his sword bending, and was glad that he had used his old, battered sword, that would be discarded of anyway by the mission's end. He would, most definitely, have enough money to buy a new set from a local blacksmith.
"Come on, bastard," Bakura growled, seeing the sarcophagus budge slightly. Seeing an opening, Bakura slid his fingers upwards and pushed towards the ceiling. After several moments of a small struggle, the large container of the dead opened.
And then, staring down into the empty eyehole sockets of the decaying, foul-smelling creature inside, Bakura found various treasures surrounding him. However, the sight of the dead body captivated the Thief's attention for a moment. Holes for eyes and nostrils gazed blankly into Bakura's very much alive ones. Brown, tattered scraps of bandage hung loosely from the thing's chest and limbs, long since torn and eroded away. Rough, tight and withering skin pulled against some parts of the bones, but there was little of that.
Oh, with you… My love… And I… why… My darling
Bakura shook himself. He wasn't there to examine the bodies of the dead: he was a Tomb Robber, and the King of them at that. And his comrades, the enemies of the Pharaoh, would abandon him in an instant if he allowed himself to get entranced by a mouldy, probably ancient corpse. Come to think of it, it sickened Bakura himself.
And so, snapping himself out of it once and for all, Bakura lifted the first prize from the coffin – a large, gold death mask, sure to be worth hundreds – just as the ground began to shake, and the squelching, ear-splitting noises of hacking swords and dead things approached.
Bakura was in trouble.
And nobody here… loves… no one…
Yami's koi: wow! This is gonna be the most AMAZING thing ever! Um, I just had a clarinet exam, and tomorrow I've got a Science Exam. And if I fail, I'll have people running after me… seeking BLOOD!
Neutral Man: I bet that thought gets you off, doesn't it?
Nefertiri: let the girl speak! She knows what's goin' on.
Yami's koi: okay. I am so sorry for the late update, but I have been revising for exams as well as doing various other things… um, like drawing and putting my fan art on Check my drawings out, if you want to! I'm yamiskoi on there to, so just search for me and then that should lead you to my 'art'. Thank you so much for waiting for this chapter, I hope it left you all lusting for my blood at my 'cliffy..' TT I'm an id… But again, please review me. You're the people who keep this fic alive! IT'S ALIVE! BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!