Slateshipping (Anzu x Thief King Bakura)
(So, last time I checked, I only had 463 shippings to go. XD Pft. "Only.")
Where was she?
The ground was cold, like stone. When she stood, the scraping of her shoe sounded like chalk across a chalkboard. She winced at the noise as it echoed across the dark corridor. However, no one moved at the sound. No voices alerted her to the presence of anyone else.
Anzu Mazaki was completely alone.
She clasped her hands in front of her heart, glancing around nervously. She had no idea how she had gotten here, or even where "here" was. What had she been doing before now? She couldn't remember, and that was the most terrifying part of this whole business. The only light came from a small window, too high for her to reach and much to small to fit through. The light was soft and silvery, like moonlight. Was it nighttime? Either way, Anzu stood into the only patch of light to be seen for...well, she didn't know how far. The corridor could have been miles long, for all she knew.
A soft voice, like one of the shadows themselves speaking to her, broke the silence.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
Anzu whipped around, a thrill of terror flashing through her. It was difficult to adjust to the darkness, but she could make out a shadowed figure leaning against the wall. Eyes glinted through the darkness like a cat's, considering her as a wolf might consider a potential meal.
"Who – who are you?"
"I should be asking you that, little girl," the soft, almost familiar voice retorted. "After all, you did just appear out of thin air."
Anzu took a step back. She had no idea what she was, no idea where this corridor led, no idea about anything whatsoever. She was at a severe disadvantage. The tremble that had begun in her heart started to spread no matter how much she tried to stop it.
"You're trembling, little girl," he hissed softly. "Are you afraid of me?"
Anzu's hands clenched into fists. Her terror was quickly tempered by anger: anger at not knowing what was going on, and anger at this man for scaring her so much.
"No," she snapped. "I am not afraid of you. In fact, I think maybe you're afraid of me, since you seem so uncomfortable stepping into the light!"
The man fell silent for a moment, glinting eyes watching her. Then he began to laugh softly. It was a terrifying, evil sound, and Anzu nearly took a step back.
"Well, well, well," the man said. "You are...most fascinating. Very well, I will step into the light...but, the light is not very wide, so are you prepared for me to get...closer to you?..."
Anzu started to speak, but the man was already moving, taking silent steps into the light. The patch of moonlight was only about three feet wide, so it wasn't long before he stood nearly on top of her, staring down at her with amused dark eyes.
Anzu's breath caught in her throat. She knew this face.
It wasn't quite the same, but she could recognize Bakura anywhere. The same dark, amused eyes, the same easy smile, even the same shaggy white hair – the only thing that told her that this was someone else was his deeply tanned skin and the long scar beneath one eye.
"What's wrong? Am I...too close?" he said, and she could feel his breath on her face.
Anzu wanted desperately to move back, put some space between them, but she refused to back down.
"You can't scare me," she said, glaring right back at him. "Don't even think you can."
He laughed softly. Suddenly, his tanned finger was tracing her throat and coming to rest under her chin, and she stiffened.
"You are indeed feisty," he said, smiling that dark, amused smile Anzu knew all too well. "Like a cat, spitting and hissing at something much bigger than itself."
Anzu smacked his hand away.
"Don't touch me," she said.
"Or what, little cat?" he said teasingly. "What will you do? Will you run? I would catch you. Will you scream? There is no one to hear you at this time of night, in this back hallways of the palace. Will you try to fight? I think that would be most unwise..."
And the moonlight played across the edge of steel, glittering in the corner of Anzu's eye. Now she took a step back.
"Stay away," she said. "Stay away!"
"Oh, no, little cat, you are far too interesting for me to pass by now," he said, and the moonlight contorted his grin into the stuff of nightmares.
She took another step back, out of the rays of moonlight, but he was following her now. She tried to scream, hoping someone might hear her through the window. But he was so quick – he pushed her back against the wall and pressed a hand against her mouth. All she could do was watch as the knife glittered in his free hand, as he twirled it casually.
"You needn't be frightened, little cat," he said, as she glared at him in an attempt to appear unafraid. "I won't hurt you...if I don't have to. Although..."
Now he began to lightly drag the knife's tip across her temple.
"I do wonder how you would look with terror in your eyes..."
Anzu bit his hand. His eyes widened with the shock – it had been sudden enough for his grip to loosen. Anzu smacked his hands away, knocking the knife to the ground in the process. She scrambled to pick up the deadly object before he could even recover.
Anzu didn't stay to see what would happen next. The weapon clenched tightly in her fist, she tore down the hallway. After a moment, his laugh began to echo around her.
Until she could find a way out of this place, she knew, he would be following her. Until she could escape, he would be on her tail...a shadow, just waiting to pounce...
A/N: Annnnd we'll leave Anzu to try and figure things out. I'm so cruel. :) This is probably just more fodder for my planned Anzu-centric fanfiction that I'll start sometime after I finish Wishes of a Different Sort...Anzu is going to be thoroughly scarred when I'm through with her. Next up is Sirenshipping (Yami no Marik x Priest Set). Should be interesting...
