A/N: Hello all! Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas! So, for obvious festive reasons, I haven't updated in a short while, but i wanted to get one in before the new year kicks off with an almighty bang! Bit of plot development here, I think. Anyways, I apologize if it seems to move rather quickly, I just couldn't seem to bulk it out. Either way, positive or constructive feedback is always happily received! Please enjoy. Xx

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

Chapter 17

That night, Hina couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing and there was an odd tugging sensation in her chest that just wouldn't shift. She knew what that feeling was; it was whatever he'd done to her soul, put a part of his in it. Hina rolled onto her side cursing Bakura. Despite knowing what the problem was, she couldn't help but feel a longing to be near him. This stupid sensation was getting in the way of her own emotions, she couldn't work out what were her own feelings and what was because of the piece of him he'd locked away inside her. She felt like kicking him in his stupid face, but resisted the urge to try. She tossed and turned, trying to relax but there was just no use. She'd also spoken to the other Bakura, the softer kind one. Her heart did pang as her thoughts drifted to him, the boy locked away inside. She felt desperately sorry for him and she wanted to help him. He'd told her to find Yugi? But what was that? Was it even a person? Were they here in the palace she was confined to? Or were they out there, living beyond the king's city? If they were beyond the king's city, she'd never find them. She couldn't leave, not now she had a piece of the king living inside her. Hina sat up irritated. She decided she wanted to go for a walk as there was not much point in trying to sleep while the anxiety was making just relaxing impossible. She pulled back the covers and walked through the dark to the door. She pulled it open wondering if there would be guards positioned by her door. She stepped out into the lit corridor and was pleasantly surprised to find herself alone. She presumed it was because the King knew she couldn't venture too far from him, even if she tried she knew the pang inside her would become unbearable forcing her back to him. Hina had an idea. She began to walk determinately in the opposite direction to where she was being pulled to. She needed to go back to her old cell. She needed to speak to the man. She needed to ask him if he knew about the other Bakura. Walking along the empty corridors at night made her nervous. She was scared she'd run into some guards or even worse, Bakura. She didn't much want to be found out of her room, even if she could never escape. It wasn't long before she began the decent down the cold stone steps leading into the underground dungeon. She walked past several of the heavy wooden doors and stopped before the one she knew belonged to the man. It was as she placed her hand on the lock that Hina hesitated. She'd never seen this man before, what if… she hadn't a clue how to finish that. She felt nervous as she pulled the bolt out and unlocked it. She pulled the heavy door and it swung open noiselessly. Hina sighed thankful, but stopped abruptly as bright piercing light was thrown out of the tiny cell almost blinding her. She stepped in and allowed her eyes to adjust to the room.

She stared around the room in something close to shock. Every inch of the walls, ceiling and even the floor were covered in mirrors of all shapes and sizes. A large powerful light hung down from the roof, its piercing beams reflecting off every mirror. The man inhabiting the cell was huddled up in the corner of the room, his head bowed trying to protect himself from the glare. It was as Hina approached him she saw his body was shuddering as if he was crying. Hina reached his side and knelt down beside him, completely horror struck by the torture he was going through.

"P…please… no more…show me no… no more… I don't… don't… wanna see… we failed… I failed…" He whimpered his body shaking. Hina gripped his shoulder gently.

"Hey, it's okay… it's me," Hina whispered to him. The man shakily lifted his head and for the first time the pair saw each other face to face. Hina examined him, noting he looked around the same age as the King, although it was hard to tell. His eyes were dark brown and tear stained. He looked exhausted. His hair was dirty but a light shade and he looked incredibly skinny.

"I'm Hina," Hina introduced herself, "I was next door," She spoke pointing towards the wall. His eyes seemed to widen in understanding. He gazed at her as though he'd never seen another human being before. He reached forwards and took hold of her hands.

"Listen, I need your help," Hina whispered urgently as a knot started to form in her stomach.

"My help?" He spoke uncertainly.

"The king…Bakura, You called him Ryo?" Hina asked

"Ryo," The man chocked.

"Yes. Is that the name of the other Bakura?" Hina asked desperately glancing over her shoulder, afraid that at any moment she would be caught.

"you… you've met him!" The man exclaimed clutching at her his eyes wild.

"y…yes…" Hina stuttered taken aback by his reaction.

"Is he… okay?" He asked.

"I… no… he's trapped… but he said something… he said I needed to find… find Yugi," Hina whispered. The man slumped back and stared at her as if he didn't believe her, or as if he may have misheard her. He gaped at her and it was beginning to make Hina feel uncomfortable.

"Do you… did you know him?" Hina asked trying to get something out of him.

"Did you… did you say Yugi?" He asked hoarsely. Hina nodded her head.

"He… he's alive? I… I thought… oh, Yug," The man choked tears leaking out the corners of his brown eyes. Hina watched him completely confused, wondering who this Yugi was. He had to be able to help otherwise the other Bakura would never have told her to find him.

"You… you need to find him, if he's still alive… find him." The man spoke his eyes filling with a fiery blaze Hina would never have expected to see from someone who had undergone such suffering. Apparently the talk of this Yugi had given the man strength. Hina felt herself deflate at his words. She didn't know how to find him and she couldn't stray too far from the King, the part of him he'd merged within her wouldn't allow that.

"I… I don't know how," Hina muttered bowing her head. Even now she could feel the tugging in her chest trying to pull her away.

"Yugi, he will be able to defeat him. He nearly did, ten years ago, but he lost by a fluke, a cheat." The man exclaimed, his expression desperate. Hina stared at him. She'd never heard him truly speak of before the darkness. Ten years ago, the world was plunged into a dark evil chaos, but apparently someone had come close to stopping it. This Yugi person seemed to have almost succeeded. The man suddenly leapt forwards clutching onto her again. He glared up into her face his expression determined.

"Hina… you must convince him… make the King trust you… do whatever you can… just find Yugi." He pleaded with her, "There's a chance to end this… all this dark… but if you don't find him, if you don't find Yugi… we're doomed," He begged tears pouring down his cheeks.

Hina nodded at him, her heart sinking. She had to do anything to convince the King she could be trusted, and she feared what that may entail. She stood back up and gazed down at the man.

"Do you remember your name yet?" Hina asked softly, wishing she had something to call him. He blinked at her stunned. His face suddenly split into a wide grin.

"My name… My name is Joey. Yugi was my best friend. Promise you'll find him?" He croaked. Hina smiled at the man. A mention of a part of his past was all it took to remind him of who he was.

"I promised Ryo, now I make the promise to you. I will help in any way I can to reunite you with your friend and to reclaim the land," Hina whispered.

Hina felt the sensation in her chest becoming too much for her, she had to go. She turned on her heel and walked towards the door, turning back one last time.

"I swear I'll help you," Hina muttered before leaving the room, shutting and bolting the door closed once more, dousing the corridor in darkness once again. Hina closed her eyes trying to gain her composure as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. The weight of the responsibility placed upon her suddenly began to sink in. She had to find someone who she had no idea where they were or what they looked like and this person seemed to be the key to freeing the world. If she failed, she'd failed every remaining human being on the planet. Not only that, but to achieve this, she had to play a deadly game with an undetectable poker face. Only now did it occur to her that hiding her emotions wasn't a strong point. In spite of everything, Hina began thinking about the piece of Bakura's soul hidden within her, which even now was dragging her instinctively through the palace towards the owner, it had seemed like a curse but was it? The boundaries between her own emotions and the emotions the piece of him wanted her to feel were very blurred. The King may have just given an advantage to playing this lethal game. It was only as she rounded one of the well-lit corridors above she realised where her feet were taking her. Hina knew she shouldn't be surprised. She hadn't even noticed climbing the stairs up from the dungeons. She rounded another corner and came face to face with the golden door. She gulped, not sure what to do. The anxiety that had built itself up in her chest seemed to ease off as she stepped closer to the door of the Kings bedroom. She couldn't enter the room; she knew that would be a stupid move. Hina stood before the door weighing up her options. She should go back to her room, but the relief she felt flowing through her at been close to him made the idea unbearable. She hated this. She hated feeling this weak to her emotions, emotions that weren't even hers, that had been caused by whatever it was he'd done to her. Hina exhaled and sat down on the floor besides the door, curling into a ball but resting her head back against the wall. She yawned and closed her eyes. Been closer to him eased her discomfort and made it easier to relax. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Bakura woke quite quickly in the morning to the instant sense the girl's presence was close by. He sat up feeling perplexed. Had she entered his room? A swift scan around showed no sign of her. He quickly climbed out of his bed and walked across the room towards the door. His curiosity was forcing him to find out what the presence of his soul inside her was doing to her. Had it really forced her to come voluntarily to him? He smirked at the idea unable to deny he hoped this was the case. After yesterday's little interruption by his host, he wanted to keep the girl under very close watch. Somehow the foolish boy had managed to close him out of the conversation he'd had with the girl. How he'd even gained the power to do that was beyond him? Either way, he wouldn't let the girl out of his sight from now on. He walked out into the hall way and glanced around. She wasn't there. He turned around to walk back into his room when his eyes drifted down. She was curled up against the wall, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling steadily. She was obviously asleep. He observed her for a few seconds longer before coming to a decision. He stooped down and picked the girl up. She relaxed out in his arms but barely stirred other than to curl closer to his chest. He smirked to himself as the door closed behind him. He carried her over to his bed and laid her out. He examined her as she slept. Had what he'd done to her really affected her this much? To the point she couldn't sleep in her own room? It was laughable. He climbed back into bed beside her and closed his eyes. He'd known bringing her friend back to her would no doubt bring back the feisty person that had intrigued him. He had no idea it would escalate like it had and despite everything, he couldn't deny he'd enjoyed it. The truth was he could no longer determine what his own emotions were and what belonged to his fool hearted host who seemed to have become stronger recently. He exhaled frustrated and allowed sleep to overcome him again.

Hina stirred and stretched out her limbs in her comfortable bed. She then relaxed and sunk further into the warmth that surrounded her. Hina reflected that she'd just slept better than she had… ever in fact. It was only as she recognised the feeling of another's weight and heat lying next to her that she remembered she hadn't fallen asleep in her own bed or a bed at all. Hina shot up as she remembered the circumstances of how sleep had come to her last night. She threw the bedcovers off her in a panic and scrambled away from the person sleeping next to her. It was only then she realised too late that she'd propelled herself too far. She teetered on the edge of the mattress before losing her balance and falling off the bed backwards, letting out a little yelp as she fell, followed by an 'oooff' as she hit the ground. Hina sat startled for a few moments. She'd managed to fall and get herself uncomfortably wedged between a bedside table and the bed frame. Her chin was forced upon her chest as her legs remained stuck up in the air comically. She quickly tried to shift her weight, trying to free herself, but it was no use. It was as she attempted to move a third time that a face appeared over the edge of the bed, peering down at her.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, eyes glaring as he ran his fingers through his dishevelled hair. Hina felt her face flush as she squirmed about trying to pull the hem of her dress over her legs.

"What am I doing?" She exclaimed incredulously, "What are you doing?" She demanded still blushing uncharacteristically due to the compromising position. He smirked at her his eyes alight with a cruel amusement.

"If all I had to do was kiss you to make you a blushing mess, I'd have done it long ago," He laughed maliciously. Hina scowled feeling her cheeks grow hotter. She tried to wriggle herself free again, but failed.

"This isn't funny." Hina snapped, feeling her anger growing. Bakura leant forwards and Hina closed her eyes tensing up, her arms held out defensively.

"Don't touch me!" She almost screamed suddenly panicking. There was a scraping noise and her head flopped back, hitting the ground with a thud. Hina peeked through her eyelids, ignoring the pain in her skull from the sudden impact. He was still glaring down at her, a bemused and annoyed expression now across his face. He'd just pushed the table Hina was trapped against back. His hand was outstretched to her. Hina opened her eyes properly and blinked. She stared perplexed at his hand debating whether or not to take it. She wasn't sure she trusted him. He growled, irritated at her obvious hesitation.

"I won't bite!" He snapped impatiently and when Hina took his hand and he pulled her back onto the bed, quietly added:

"Hard"

Hina, safely back on the bed forced herself to smile at him.

"Thanks," She muttered uncomfortably avoiding making eye contact with him for fears that something might happen. She felt him relax back onto the bed, his arms resting behind his head again, radiating arrogance.

"So, what had you sleeping outside my bedroom, girl?" He asked smirking smugly. Hina scowled.

"What do you think?" She replied haughtily not really wanting to go into the fact a part of his soul was locked away deep within her chest. It made her feel awkward around him, knowing that.

"If you wanted more, you could have just asked," He grinned, shrugging. Hina felt her face grow hot and her palms sweaty at his insinuation.

"No, that isn't the reason," She spluttered

Hina took a deep breath. She needed to calm herself down. She was allowing him to get to her, to make her flustered and clumsy. Clumsy was something she certainly didn't need at this point. She needed to keep a cool head and remain composed, if not for the risk of aggravating a much more sinister side to this Bakura; she needed to do it for the sake of humanity. She needed him to trust her, to believe she would never betray him. Not for the first time, the impact of the task she needed to do weighed down upon her heavily. It wasn't going to be easy.

"I… I couldn't sleep last night. I felt like something was pulling me closer to you, and I couldn't sleep because of it." Hina admitted glaring at him, annoyed this was the case and was his entire fault.

Bakura couldn't help but be quietly amused at the girl's words. He'd of course known what he'd been doing when he'd fused part of his soul with the girls, but he had no idea it would work so well. Not only that, but the feisty girls personality was back in full force. It was there in her eyes, she didn't nearly fear him enough, not as much as she should any way. It was highly entertaining to see the girls fighting spirit was back and even more amusing was the ability he had discovered that transformed the full-blooded girl into a quivering mess. He'd never been one for using gentler tactics to get what he wanted, but in this circumstance he still seemed able to achieve his goal while thoroughly enjoying the ride. He didn't know if his infatuation with the slave girl was of his own feelings, or his hosts, but either way he no longer cared. All he cared about what getting what he wanted. He'd wanted to rule the world, so he'd taken it. Now, he wanted the girl. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he knew he wanted her. He wanted to own her, to possess her and that was this had all been about. Imprisoning her, hurting her, torturing her, it had all been about taking what he wanted and he wanted her. He wanted to corrupt her little soul, make her truly his in a way different from ownership. What Bakura truly wanted, was for her to want him back.