A/N: Hello! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! I hope you enjoy this chapter and as ever any comments are greatly received! Have a fantastic Christmas, and, although you may here from me again before, but if not, Have a great New Year! Xx

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 28

When Hina had returned to her room, she placed the book on her bedside table and hurriedly undressed, taking care to hide the fake golden piece in its pouch beneath the mattress along with the letter she had wrote. She then crawled beneath the bed sheets and lost the battle in keeping sleep away.

When Hina next opened her eyes, it was to a feeling she wasn't alone in her room. She pushed herself up off the mattress into a sitting position and blinked, trying to focus her sleepy vision. When she did, it was to find the white haired King staring back at her from the other side of the room. Bakura was stood there, lounging against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, his usual stern expression across his features, although with a tint of something new. Hina blinked again, making sure she wasn't dreaming. When she was convinced she was indeed awake, Hina scowled back at him, pulling the covers further up over herself. His face seemed to split into a smirk at this, although it wasn't on his face for long.

"Do you make a habit of watching people sleep?" Hina demanded feeling a little irritated.

"No," was all he answered with. Hina felt her irritation grow.

"What are you doing here?" Hina asked. Bakura straightened up, standing up from the wall and walking forwards. Hina felt her heart accelerate with panic as he grew closer to her. She was afraid of what would happen if he came too close to her.

"What were you doing with Marik?" He demanded coming to a stop at the foot of the bed. Hina stared back at him in puzzlement. Is that really what all this was about? Why? A thought suddenly occurred to her and a secret smile couldn't help but slip out onto her expression. Was he… jealous?

"I wanted to chat to him. He is a very interesting person. He can remember the world before you." Hina smiled, watching his face closely for any flit of emotion. As Hina had suspected, his expression did seem to get a fraction darker. She grinned at his reaction.

"Are you jealous?" She asked with playful innocence, her eyes wide.

"Don't be ridiculous," He growled angrily. Hina fell into silence and felt the awkwardness filling the room. She wasn't sure if he felt it, but she did. It was tense and she felt at any minute she might say the wrong thing. Feeling her irritation grow, Hina folded her arms over the cover keeping it in place.

"Well, if you're not jealous, why are you bothered? Am I not allowed friends or to talk to anyone besides you." Hina asked haughtily.

"Girl," He growled menacingly, her sudden lack of respect disconcerting to him.

"And we're back to calling me girl…" Hina muttered to herself bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She rested her forehead on her knees and closed her eyes, huddled up into a defensive ball. She couldn't think straight when he was around. The atmosphere between them was strange and Hina wasn't sure what it was. One night had changed the whole dynamic of their relationship. She'd chosen to kiss him back, properly, not like before. Her head was all over the place. She wasn't sure what she truly felt anymore. Down in the dungeon, back in Yugi's cell, Hina had doubted herself. She hadn't been sure if she could truly betray Bakura. Causing his downfall would mean never been able to see him again. Self-doubt and an overwhelming guilt had clouded her judgement, but only for a moment. In the end, she'd been able to resist the urge to stay loyal to him. She knew right from wrong and what she felt for the man glaring at her in her room was so very wrong. What she felt was caused by instinct, the need to survive and the circumstances of the situation and that's what she had to keep telling herself. She couldn't allow herself to indulge in the idea that what she felt was real. If she allowed herself to believe it even for a moment, she was terrified it would damage her resolve. She had to stay strong. Above anything else, how could it work anyway? How could whatever it was that was going on between them really ever work? There was no way he'd ever recognise her as an equal or a partner… Hina tried for a split second to imagine what it would actually be like, to be treated as his partner, would it really be so different to what was happening now? She was already allowed access to some luxuries she hadn't even known existed when she was living out of the cities bounds. Hina cringed thinking about it. She was living a life of luxury compared to most of the people out there, inhabiting the rest of the world. Sure, she had to put up with constant torment of her emotions, but she still had a comfy bed, hot water to bathe in and more food than she could imagine. That knowledge alone made her feel despicable. How could she have ever accepted this as her fate? She had to give back to the people of the world and the most she could do was be the rebellion's spy. Someone on the inside, close to the biggest enemy the world had ever had. She had to play the part she needed to play and if her emotions conflicted with that, she would have to just deal with that. In the end, even if her task destroyed her, one casualty really would be nothing. Hina exhaled as calmly as she could. Her task could destroy her, but she wasn't about to give up, despite what she had thought a mere couple of weeks or so ago. Hina lifted her head from her knees and smiled weakly at the man who'd been watching her all this time.

"I am sorry," She whispered, "I can't remember before and asking for people to tell me stories about how high the towers stood, and how busy the streets were, the schools and the parks… It makes me feel closer to the parents I never knew." Hina lied, a solemn expression on her face. The truth was she couldn't remember anything about her parents and because of this; she barely ever spared them a thought. When her mind did drift to them, her heart did ache that she couldn't even remember what they looked like, but there was not a lot she could do about it. Bakura seemed to examine her for a few moments more before turning his back on her and walking over to the coffee table and sofa.

"Get dressed and eat." He spoke sternly, not looking back at her. He sat down on the sofa and said nothing more. Hina frowned slightly, but pushed back the covers and stepped out of bed. She sighed with relief once inside the glistening room. Hina stared at her reflection in the mirror over the sink. Her hair was growing back nicely. She smiled slightly as she dragged her fingers through the black strands that were nearly touching her shoulders now. She traced a finger over the scar running across her cheek. It was faded, but still there. Hina exhaled and turned, looking over her shoulder. The slashes up and down her back were just as ugly and red. Her mind was so full of questions it felt like it might burst at any moment. She really had to concentrate on thinking clearly. Yugi was alive, hidden within the palace walls and they had a plan, a plan that could actually save the world. She hardly believed it. It was bad timing if she was honest. She had chosen to leave the battlefield; she'd made the decision to live a nice almost comfortable life after realising there was no way to win. So, why had she allowed herself to be pulled back onto the field, on the front lines, without Bakura realising? He thought she was completely devoted to him now. He believed she had finally broken, but he was wrong. Hina was wrong to have ever believed it was possible for her to leave the fight. If anything went wrong, if he ever found out she was going to stab him in the back to help defeat him, a fate much worse than death would be awaiting her. Hina shook her head, trying to rid her mind of all the chaos darting across it. She stepped under the pouring steaming water of her shower and felt her body relax under the warm jets of heat. It was as if the hot water was washing away her thoughts and worries.

She was so concerned with thinking about the what if's, but she was looking at the negatives. There was a chance they wouldn't get caught. No. She wouldn't get them caught. She would be convincing and devoted to him, while working for the people of the world. Yugi was alive. That was the biggest indicator to her. She couldn't fail them. She refused to fail them. She'd be herself. Hina would be exactly the same girl. She would be defiant strong willed and at time rude. She would talk back and retort, but never enough to truly anger Bakura. She would play him at his own game, manipulate his emotions at whatever cost. She'd seduce him if she had to, she would win him over so they could defeat him. Hina nodded to herself under the stream of hot water smothering her body. She hated the plan her mind had concocted, she loathed what she had to do, but knew there was no way around it. If they were to ever win, she would have to give it her all. As Hina finished up, rinsing her hair and scrubbing her body clean, it occurred to her that her foolish emotions towards him would actually come in handy. She'd be convincing if the feelings she needed to portray were in fact real. Hina had to make sure she kept them real but never allowed them to smother her resolve. Hina wrapped a towel around her torso and reluctantly stepped back into her bedroom. She glanced around the room upon entering it and saw Bakura was lounging across the sofa. Scowling Hina's eyes fell upon her bed. She was surprised to see across the surface, a dress was laid out, obviously waiting for her. It wasn't the black dress she'd acquired and that scared Hina. This one was light in colour, a cream, but not like that of her slaves uniform. This colour was cleaner, crisper and somehow richer. It supported intricate gold embroidery across the torso from what Hina could tell.

"Where are my clothes?" Hina asked turning away from the dress with irritation. It wasn't that she disliked the item of clothing upon her bed, in fact under any other circumstances where she wasn't required to wear it she would have found the item quite beautiful, Hina just wasn't prepared to give up the familiarity of her black dress without a fight. Hina watched Bakura turn his head to glance at her, before turning back to gaze at the ceiling.

"It's on the bed," He replied with a smirk. Hina stepped closer to him, feeling her irritation beginning to morph into anger. Gripping the towel around herself with one hand, she pointed towards the bed.

"I'm not wearing that," Hina glowered. Sighing with irritation, Bakura swung his legs off the sofa and stood up. He turned to Hina and closed the gap between them. Hina resisted the urge to step away from him, although the logical part of her mind was screaming at her to do just that.

"I was hoping you would accompany me into the city today while I do my duty," Bakura spoke sternly, making the request sound threatening. Hina stared at him wide eyed, shocked at what she'd heard. Was it even possible? Had he just asked her to do something rather than ordering?

"You're asking me? A request?" Hina asked suspiciously. Bakura smirked at her.

"I was hoping not to have to order you." He replied with the familiar arrogance spread across his face. Hina blinked and clutched her towel around her more tightly. He wanted her to go around the city with him? Why? Of course he couldn't go without causing her considerable pain from been so far away from her, but was that the only reason? Hina found herself becoming increasingly suspicious.

"But why the dress?" Hina demanded her distrust clear from her tone. Bakura sneered.

"Because I said so," He said pointedly, making Hina's blood boil. He was back to giving her orders after going out of the way to not give her one. Hina scowled harder, crossing her arms over her chest. After several tense moments in which each person seemed to be sizing each others body language up, Bakura let out a grin.

"You'd over heat, and I don't want you been a nuisance while we're out."

"What?" Hina asked confused.

"If you collapse on me from heat exhaustion, I would have to punish you for getting in my way." He continued scowling, his arms now folded across his chest. Hina was taken a back from his response. The black material would absorb heat. It would be uncomfortable if not dangerous for her if it was as hot as it was when she attempted to escape. Was he doing this for her safety? Hina shook the thought away instantly No, like he said, if she got too hot and passed out, it would do nothing but irritate him and he wasn't exactly one to boast a patient temper.

"What made you think I'd say yes to going anyway?" Hina asked irritably, refusing to look at him. She felt his gaze fix back upon her, but refused to meet his eyes for the fear of some sort of emotion building up inside her.

"Because if you refuse me, I'll force you." He grinned. Hina turned back towards the bed, grumbling under her breath. She picked the thing up from the surface of her bed scowling.

"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice," She exhaled frustrated before marching back into the bathroom to change.

Despite her reservations, Hina pulled the fabric over her head, letting the towel fall to the ground and pool at her bare feet. As she pulled the dress on, she couldn't hold back the cringe. Once on, Hina smoothed down the skirt and lifted her sceptical gaze to the mirror before her. It was a simple piece of cloth and, although the torso was slightly too fitted to her body than she was comfortable with, It covered her skinny frame well. That's what Hina believed until she turned. Her eyes widened with horror and upset. She felt her icy blue eyes suddenly brim with hot angry tears that she refused to spill. She felt stupid for not noticing before, but her whole back was exposed. Hina stared with disbelief at her pale skin with ugly red slashes crisscrossing across her back hideously. It was cruel and manipulative to put her in something that exposed the marks to the rest of the world. Looking at them now made her shudder and she had to take her eyes from them as memories of the pain came back to her. It wasn't bad when she examined the marks willingly, but this, it had been thrust upon her so suddenly and she couldn't hold back the fear and pain. She could almost see it now as she was forced to her knees, the hair she'd had hacked off before her. She could remember the sound of leather cutting the air in two before splitting the skin on her back apart, before it connected violently with flesh. Been whipped in front of the city's people was just as humiliating as having her hair hacked off. Hina shuddered again at the memory and forced it back, unable to witness the past much more. As her eyes refocused on the present day, she found herself staring shakily at the pale girl in the mirror. She wasn't sure she could do this. Hina straightened up and scowled at her reflection. She would have to. She was struck with a question as she glared at her reflection. Why, why was he making her wear this? After several moments of deep thought, she could only come up with two possible explanations. The first was that he was testing her, that this was to test her loyalties to him, to see if she was completely dedicated to him. He wanted to see if she was really the love struck fool. Hina grimaced at the thought. The second theory was Hina's least favourite, although the most probable. They were going to be visiting the city and its people today. The people of the City had of course been told of the slave girls escape as it happened. They bore witness to the chaos and disruption she caused as she attempted to flee and possibly came closer to success than anyone had before. Some had seen her, some had witnessed her eventual recapture and punishment for disobedience. Hina hadn't exactly been a remorseful slave once captured. She'd still tried to fight and shout back at them, she'd been very disrespectful to the 'King'. Hadn't she sworn to kill him and never serve him? Hina couldn't remember exactly but knew she must have shouted a whole lot of angry spiteful stuff while enduring her punishment. Was he using her scars as a reminder to the rest of the city that defiance would not be tolerated? Hina felt her anger wash over her again. She was ashamed of her scars and they made her feel embarrassed and ugly. It was pathetic and she knew that, but even so, her body confidence had plummeted since acquiring them. Taking a huge breath, Hina tried to rearrange her expression into one of indifference rather than annoyance. She walked back into her bedroom with grim determination. She would play along and hope for the best.

Her eyes quickly found the white haired man as she entered the room. He was back to lounging on the sofa, but as he heard her enter, he stood up. He walked around the sofa and stopped just before her, his expression giving nothing away. It took all of Hina's self-restraint not to glower at him, but when her eyes met his, the thought melted away. There was… something… inexplicable in his gaze and Hina found herself transfixed by it. She could almost sense Ryo just below the surface, but that seemed impossible. This man, the spirit, he was still the one in control, but there was a softness in his eyes that didn't belong to him. Without another word, he turned away from her and headed towards the door, apparently expecting Hina to follow him. Hina did so, keeping her eyes diverted towards the floor, deep in thought. It was exhausting been around this man, one minute he was cruel, forcing her to wear stupid clothes that didn't suit her, the next he was entrancing her with strange expressions. She soon found herself swallowing a lump in her throat and biting back tears as her mind wondered to the biggest victim of the King's crimes. Ryo, she had to save him. He didn't deserve any of this.

Breakfast, or rather, Lunch, was a quick ordeal and soon enough Hina found herself standing outside the palace under scorching sun. She was used to the weather however as she had survived many summers out beyond the boundaries of the city before. Despite this, Hina found herself longing to be back in the safe confines of her room. As the moments passed, Hina felt herself growing increasingly more uneasy at the thought of exploring the City alongside Bakura. Hina chanced a glance round at him. He was looking impatient. Soon enough, their transportation rounded the side of the oversized palace and headed towards them. There were a small number of guards perched upon horses, a rider less black horse which Hina presumed was for Bakura and a small sort of cart thing carried by four men. As they came to a stop before them, Hina gazed at Bakura curiously. She recognised the wooden box thing as the carriage he'd been in when they first met, outside of the Kings city, but why was it here now? Hina shifted uncomfortably and felt the heaviness of shackles around her wrists and ankles. She may have some sort of special privileges been the kings little pet, but even so, she still had to look like the prisoner she was.

"You will go in there," Bakura ordered sternly, motioning for Hina to get in the wooden cart thing. Hina turned to him incredulously.

"I don't think so," She half chuckled, half snorted with disbelief.

"Girl," He growled through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, but no. I'm not going to be carried around like luggage. It's boiling out here! How the hell do you expect them to carry that thing around in this heat anyway?" Hina hissed turning to him and keeping her voice low. The guards on horseback didn't seem to be listening, but Hina didn't want to risk it.

"I will not say again," He spat angrily. Hina walked past him and headed back towards the palace indignantly.

"Well, I'm not going then." She spoke stubbornly. Bakura felt his impatience meet its limit and with one movement he stalked towards the girl. He reached her and grabbed her round the middle. He threw her tiny form over his shoulder with ease. Hina cried out, but could do nothing as he turned and headed back towards the awaiting escort guard. Hina yelped out as he climbed up onto the steed, frightened at the sudden increased height. When he'd sat down he twisted round and dropped her behind him. Straightening herself up indignantly, Hina was surprised to find herself precariously perched behind Bakura on the black horse. She found she couldn't sit properly on the creature because of a combination of her skirt and the chains around her feet. Her legs dangled helplessly over one side of the creature, barely enough of a balance to keep on it. Hina felt the strangeness of the horse beneath her and was immediately overcome with unease at the unfamiliarity of it. She was leaning against Bakura's back, somehow managing to keep upright on it, her hands gripping onto the horses back desperately.

"Hold on." A voice growled at her and without another second to spare, Hina felt the creature jerk into life and immediately grabbed the King around the middle with a cry as the horse broke into a run, speeding them forwards.