A/N : Hello! firstly, I hope everyone's Christmas preparations are going well! I love this time of year! Anyway, so updating quite quickly this time. What can I say, I just got a flare of ideas rather suddenly and couldn't stop myself. In this Chapter, I personally think a fair amount happens, but that might just be me. So, I am rather nervous about the end to this chapter, so if you have any idea's or constructive Criticism, please don't hesitate to let me know. Please enjoy! Xx

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 16

"Is it… is that really… you?" Hina whispered unable to believe her eyes. It had to be a trick, he was dead, and she knew that. He had been killed soon after they'd been captured, but if that was true, how was he stood here before her? He was stood slightly behind Bakura, looking rather scared, but his eyes had also widened upon seeing the short haired girl. Within an instant, he'd moved past the King and took a few steps towards the familiar face. Hina recognised his features and felt as though she was going to scream and cry and laugh all at once. It really was him! It really was Osamu! She recognised the vivid green eyes and although his appearance had changed a lot, she knew it was him. His body had become more muscular while retaining an underfed look, his skin had a rough overexposed to the sun look about it and his dark hair had been cut close to the scalp, but it was without a doubt him.

"Hina?" He spoke softly looking at her with wonderment. It was then Hina wondered what story he'd been told about her? Had he also been told that she'd been killed as soon as he was dragged away? "It's really… really you?" He spoke taking a shaky step closer. Hina nodded, unable to move. Osamu quickened his pace and moved desperately towards her. Instantly he wrapped his arms around the tiny girl and felt tears ripping through his closed eyelids despite his protests. Hina felt her emotions overwhelm her too. The only family she could remember was alive! She buried her face against him as the flow of tears burst from her. She could also feel the weight of Osamu as his whole body shook from relief at having her back with him, in his arms.

"I thought they'd killed you…" Hina whispered trying to keep her voice unbroken and failing. Osamu pulled back from Hina and brushed tears away from his cheeks. Hina did the same, laughing slightly at the situation. Osamu chuckled too feeling foolish.

"I thought they'd killed you too, looks like we were both wrong," He smiled. Osamu took in his best friend's appearance trying to hide the distaste. She'd changed a lot. Her hair was the first thing he'd noticed. It was short, a lot shorter than he'd ever seen it before. There was a long scar across one of her tear stained cheeks and as he glanced down he noticed five blood stained slits in the material of her dress.

"I'll leave you to it. I'll return in half an hour," Bakura spoke for the first time. He'd been watching the two friends reunite with little interest from the side of the room, but he realised he couldn't be bothered to watch this foolish exchange any longer. Besides, he wanted to see if his actions upon the girl had worked.

At the man's words, Hina felt a pang of fear rise within her chest. She was suddenly struck by the feeling she didn't want him to leave. He'd just brought her best friend back to her! Despite her sudden inexplicable worries, Hina remained silent as he left the room. As soon as he did Osamu seemed to relax.

"What the hell has he done to you?" He demanded quietly for the risk the King might be listening in. Hina, who'd been staring after Bakura, turned her eyes back on to Osamu. Hina didn't reply, not sure she wanted to admit to the humiliation she'd gone through. Osamu took her hand and led her to the sofa, pulling her down onto it and staring imploringly at her.

"I was told as soon as I was dragged off that you had been killed, and I believed that… until…" He began his green stare never faltering or flickering away from Hina's.

"I heard rumours, a girl who'd tried to escape the city. There were whispers that she jumped across high buildings, avoiding the Kings armies until… she was caught." He continued in a low urgent tone.

"When I heard this, I believed it was you, but you were supposed to be dead. My owners, I overheard them saying when the girl was caught, her hair was ripped from her scalp to brand her as a traitor and then she was whipped before half the city. Hina… please… tell me… Is it true?" He asked his eyes gazing at her short hair. Hina gulped. She didn't want to tell him it was her. What good would it do?

"It wasn't ripped," Hina muttered avoiding his gaze and staring determinately at her hands.

"What?" Osamu asked confused.

"My hair, it wasn't ripped from my scalp, it was cut… and it wasn't in front of half the city, just a street," Hina explained.

"What? Show me," Osamu growled. Hina glanced at him.

"Show me the scars," he demanded. Hina wasn't entirely sure why he needed to see the horrific memorabilia she'd acquired from the event, but she decided to humour him. She turned on the seat and lifted the hem of her dress up, showing the scars that ran the length of her back, overlapping each other. Osamu reached out and ran a shaking finger down the ruined skin. Hina shuddered.

"I'm sorry, does it hurt?" He asked withdrawing his finger instantly. Hina pulled her dress back down and turned back to smile uneasy at Osamu.

"No… just remembering…" She whispered trailing off. She shook her head, riding her mind of reliving the event.

"So, you said you had owners?" Hina asked raising an eyebrow.

They spent the next twenty minutes discussing what had happened since they'd last seen each other. Hina discovered Osamu's story to be just as frightful as hers. He was dragged off by the soldiers and told about her death. Apparently there was slave trade in the city. He was sold to a cruel family who seemed just as bad as the King. Osamu explained that there were families living in the city that were granted riches and power by the king in exchange for their loyalty and condition that they keep things running smoothly, such as the electricity and clean water supplies to the palace. The people Osamu had been bought by had been given the job of maintaining the rich people's houses and building greater structures. Osamu had been forced to build day and night for people who he despised. Hina found herself becoming increasingly un-easy as the time went by. She presumed his story was affecting her. Hina was halfway through her story when the door to her room was opened. She fell silent as she recognised the white haired man enter the room. She relaxed upon seeing him and even managed a smile, albeit a very small one.

"Times up." He ordered waiting by the open door. Osamu glanced at Hina and then at the King. He watched her curiously, trying to read the girls expression as he stood up. Without speaking he walked over to the exit. He glanced back at Hina before leaving the room.

"I'm happy you're okay," He smiled.

"Me too, I've never felt happier to see you," Hina grinned back at him, her heart feeling lighter than it had done ever before. He nodded at her and left. Hina watched as Bakura closed the door after him, leaving her alone once more.

While alone, Hina became increasingly uneasy. Her chest began to flutter uncomfortably and she couldn't keep still. She kept shuffling about in her seat until she couldn't take it any longer. She stood up from the sofa and began to pace around the room, unable to relax. She couldn't explain why these feelings were coming over her, she just felt restless. Her chest was beginning to ache and she could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. How long had she been alone now? It was getting ridiculous. Hina began to bite her lip anxiously. She couldn't take it anymore. Hina marched over to the door and wrenched the thing open. She strode out into the hall way and glanced around.

"I wondered how long it would take you?" A voice chuckled from behind her. Hina spun around to see Bakura lent against the wall just by the door. Relief flooded through her inexplicably. She let out a sigh of relief, but quickly tried to cover it up. Why was she relieved he was here? Him, of all people? Hina stared at him confused.

"What did you do to me?" She asked quietly, remembering the events before she was reunited with Osamu. She brought her fingertips up to check her stomach. She could feel the slices in her and flinched as she touched the broken skin.

"Is that any way to thank me? I reunited you with your family," He smirked at her pushing himself off the wall and walking towards her. He stopped just before her and observed the girl with interest. Hina felt the anxiety she'd been feeling completely melt away at his presence. What had he done?

"Thank you," Hina whispered, refusing to speak her mind and remind the man that he was the one who had parted them to begin with. She saw Bakura's expression change to a grin which quickly became a laugh. Hina stared at him, not seeing what was so funny.

"You should speak your mind." He grinned once he'd finished his laughing fit. Hina glared at him. There was no way he could know what she'd been thinking, was there? Hina stepped back from him her eyes hard.

"What have you done to me?" She demanded again. Bakura laughed again. When he calmed down, he surveyed her with those dark menacing eyes.

"And she's back," He smirked. Hina gulped, fearing what he meant. Hina turned on her heel and stormed back into her room. She didn't want to know what he meant. He needed to leave her alone. She heard the door close behind her and glanced over her shoulder. He was still with her. Hina sat down on the sofa and drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin upon them.

"What did you do with that weird ring?" Hina asked quietly.

"My millennium ring?" He asked walking over to the bed and flopping onto it. Hina watched him feeling uneasy. He was acting strange, weirder than she was used to. He was acting more arrogant than she was used to, and he didn't seem to want to inflict fear upon her.

"Whatever you call it," Hina muttered pulling her eyes away from the man who'd stretched out on her bed, his arms folded behind his head. Hina wasn't comfortable with this situation, whatever it might be. She didn't have to remind herself that he had once kissed her before she'd run away, in fact that had been the reason she had tried to escape. It was the situation that had tipped her over the edge. Hina wanted to scrunch her eyes closed and forget that any of that had ever happened, but she couldn't. She knew he'd become very possessive over her and had even attacked one of his own men to defend her.

"I merged part of my soul with yours," He spoke lazily, breaking the silence of the room. Hina sat up, stunned. Had she heard him right? He'd put part of his soul into hers? Hina giggled, suddenly unable to hold back her amusement at his stupid statement.

"What's so funny?" He asked. Hina giggled again.

"You expect me to believe that?" She asked amused. She turned in her seat and glanced towards Bakura whose head was propped up on a pillow so he could stare back at her, a ferocious smirk playing upon his lips.

"Don't believe me?" He grinned. He then pulled out the ring from beneath his shirt and held it up so Hina could see each detail upon it. Then it started to glow the spikes going rigid and pointing in her direction. Hina felt a sudden almost painful tugging sensation deep within her chest and felt herself forced to her feet. She tried to stop herself, but her body wouldn't respond to anything other than the straining urge to move closer to the man.

"What…?" Hina exclaimed as she walked closer to the bed.

"Make it stop!" She exclaimed terrified, her eyes filling with fear as she fought against whatever was pulling her closer. She reached the edge of the bed and Bakura let go of the ring, letting it fall back onto his chest. In an instant he'd changed. The man looked more like a boy as his eyes turned softer. Hina stared at him completely awe struck by the change. She'd seen this briefly before. What had caused him to change this time? It was so causal as well. One second it was the cruel merciless man, ruler of earth, the next his hair had become softer as had his eyes and he'd been replaced by a kind hearted boy.

"I'm… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you…" He whispered regretfully. Hina stared at him.

"You… You're… not him." She managed to speak. It was the first time she'd ever been able to talk to this version of Bakura and it didn't seem like this version was going anywhere soon.

"I wanted… to help… you, but… but now he's…" The boy spoke as if he was in pain. He sat up and faced Hina. He reached out and rested his hand over her chest.

"He's… done this… You can't… escape him… not now," He spoke his breathing shallow. He withdrew his hand and clenched both into fists scrunching his eyes closed.

"Find Yugi… find him… and… defeat him…Me…" He forced the words from his lips with difficulty as his body went stiff with pain.

"I want to help you," Hina whispered clambering onto the bed and kneeling before him.

"No!" He exclaimed shouting out the word, "No… I…" He clutched at his head, his fingers winding into his white hair.

"I can't hold… him back… find… Yugi…" He exclaimed almost whimpering out the words as he bent double, his head falling on Hina's lap.

"Please… Promise… Hina… Yugi!" He shuddered. Hina stroked his head, trying to do anything to help with the apparent pain he was going through.

"I… I promise, you'll be okay…" Hina whispered soothingly. Hina felt him shudder and a brilliant light shone out from beneath him blinding her. When it eventually died down Hina had to blink a few times to bring everything back into focus and before she even had chance to she felt something around her neck go taut. With a small yelp of surprise she tumbled forwards losing her balance as it was wrenched.

Lips pressed upon hers in an instant and she stared with a mixture of shock and terror at who she was kissing. She saw Bakura was holding the cord the millennium ring was fastened to in a tight grip. It became obvious this was what she felt around her neck, the cord almost cutting into her skin. Bakura's lips felt oddly warm and soft against hers. Deep inside her she remarked that she'd never expected any part of him to seem gentle, not this version of the man anyway. She gazed down and saw her hands were pressed against his chest as she'd tried to avert her fall. A warm red flush passed over her cheeks as she realised and felt his heart beat under her fingertips.

And still he kissed her! Hina felt panic rising in her chest as she realised she didn't have a clue what to do! Should she push away? Should she continue with this ridiculous situation or should she kiss him back? She didn't know what she wanted to do! Did she want to kiss him back? No of course not, the idea was preposterous, completely absurd, but if that was the case why hadn't she pushed him away yet? Her heart was thudding away unbelievably fast within her chest and even deeper within her chest, wherever her soul was, something seemed to be purring contentedly, but that would be whatever part of him he'd merged within her right? That couldn't possibly be her soul blissful with this situation? Her mind was racing and her whole body trembling. What should she do? She'd already let this go on too long! It was only as she realised how the seconds were slipping by that she noticed she'd started to instinctively kiss him back moving her lips slowly in time with his! No! She couldn't be doing this! She hated this man! This man had ruined everything! He'd made her believe her best friend was dead!

But he also reunited you

A small voice in the back of her mind whispered to her. Hina scowled at the voice. No this was insane! She had to put a stop to this idiocy now! He was playing with her mind, confusing her, finding a new way to hurt her, well that wasn't going to happen! With all her might she forced her lips to stop moving of their own accord and managed to find the strength to defeat whatever stupidness had taken over her body and pushed back, forcing his lips off hers. She shuffled back, getting out of reach and staring at the person she should despise more than anything in the whole world. She was breathing heavily and noticed with embarrassment he was too, although he looked a lot less flustered than she did. He was watching her with that same stupid smirk on his stupid face. Hina shook her head, feeling her lips had become slightly swollen from the kissing. She broke her gaze from his and stood up shakily, unable to look at him. She felt as if she was in shock. She turned round to face him feeling angry and tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth so she turned away from him again. She wasn't sure what was worse, the actual… kissing… she cringed at the thought, or this silence afterwards as she tried to understand her emotions.

"What the hell was that?" Hina demanded turning around to face him, somehow finding her voice. Bakura had relaxed back across the bed in very much the same position as before, his arms folded behind his head. He glanced at her and smirked at her. It annoyed her how he just lay there looking so god damn pleased with himself and triumphant. Arrogance, just pure and simple arrogance.

"Stop smirking! This is serious!" Hina almost shouted completely losing her composure. In an instant Hina felt the cord, which she'd forgotten was still around her neck, tighten and the ring fastened to it lifted up and began to pull her back towards the man.

"No… I'm serious… stop this…" Hina tried to say while digging her heels in and trying to pull against the force that was dragging her forward. It was no use. She was back besides the bed in no time. She stood there waiting, wondering what actually was waiting for her there, would it be punishment for shouting or would it be… more of the kissing? She didn't want to find out either way and she couldn't decide which outcome would be worse. He reached up and for a horrible moment Hina thought he was going to drag her back onto the bed. She was relieved when he didn't and instead he pulled the cord over her head, removing the ring from her. Hina exhaled relieved but felt a jolt when he got up off the bed and strode with his usual annoying conceit over to the door. Hina walked after him angrily.

"That's it? You're just going to leave? After… that?" She asked perplexed and fuming. She wanted a damn explanation! He'd reached the door now and turned to observe her. He could easily see the turmoil across her face and it took a huge amount of self-control not to laugh.

"What? You want more?" He asked his eyes glinting. Hina shrunk back a little.

"N…no…" She pouted taking a hesitant step backwards. He laughed at her.

"Sure." He spoke with the slightest hint of sarcasm, "Night, girl," He finished before walking out of the door, closing it with a snap behind him. Hina stared after him a feeling of disbelief washing over her. What the hell had today been? Who the hell was Yugi? And why the Hell had the person who had enslaved the world just kissed her?