Lateshipping (Yami no Bakura x Amane)

. . .

Everything was so bright and shiny and pretty!

Amane couldn't hold back her smile as her eyes drank in the sight of all the pretty things laid out for sale on the vendor's mat. The town might have been small and dusty, but to Amane it was the most amazing place she had ever seen, full of mystery and adventure. Maybe one of these little jewelry pieces was magical and would grant wishes! She giggled to herself.

She crouched down with her hands on her knees, humming a song to herself as she looked over the merchandise. It was going to be her brother's birthday the day she got back from Egypt, so she wanted to find something nice for him. Papa had given her enough money to buy one thing, or two if she was thrifty.

Nii-san likes ghost things, she thought, although the thought made her shiver a little bit. I wonder if anything here is a ghost thing?

She reached out to poke a necklace. The man sitting behind his wares smiled at her with bright white teeth. He was anxious for her to buy something. She wasn't sure yet, though, this mat didn't seem to have a lot of stuff on it...

"...rl...ttle...ir..."

Hm? What was that?

She glanced up at the market place. She thought she had heard a voice next to hers.

"Down here...down here...can you hear me?"

She blinked. She looked all around.

"Hello?" she said.

She looked up at the man across from her.

"Did you say something?" she asked in broken Arabic.

The man shook his head. He said something to her in Arabic, but all she understood was "are you" and "buy." She shook her head lightly. He only spoke Arabic, he hadn't said anything. She had definitely heard someone speaking Japanese.

Light caught against gold, and her eyes dropped back to the mat.

There was something sitting there that hadn't been there before: a golden triangle inside of a ring, with little spikes hanging from the outside of the ring. It was gorgeous, completely gold in the light. There was an eye in the center, which was kind of creepy but...oh! Big brother would like something like that! Something kinda creepy!

"Aaah, you found me. Good."

Amane jumped. A small squeak escaped her. She looked frantically at the man across from her, but he had been distracted by another person that was leaning over the merchandise. He hadn't spoken to her – this voice was speaking to her in perfect Japanese.

"No, no, down here, little girl. I'm right here."

Her eyes fell back to the pendant.

"That's right. Right here."

Amane flinched. She stood straight up, about to walk away.

"No, no, no, hold on. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I don't – nii-san says that people shouldn't pay attention to voices in their heads," Amane said. "Only the stupid people in ghost movies do that.

The voice laughed softly. It was kind of a nice sound, but Amane still wasn't particularly convinced.

"Ah, of course. You are a good girl. But you shouldn't be frightened; I am not a ghost. I grant wishes."

Amane frowned.

"Like, a genie?"

"That's right. I'm a genie. And I need your help. I need to get away from here, and in return, I will grant your wishes."

"I don't...I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's all right. I can't hurt you."

"But you could be lying," Amane said.

"True, true...how might I convince you?"

"Um...genies...genies are magic so...uh...do some magic?"

There was a brief pause.

"Ah, all right. How about this?"

The pendant didn't create too much of a shadow, but there was a little bit of one beneath the spikes. Like a small wriggly snake, the shadow beneath the ring began to stretch out from underneath it. Amane watched with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open. The shadow thinned and stretched upwards, dancing back and forth like a little snake called by a snake charmer. It twirled and dipped. Amane couldn't take her eyes off of it, mesmerized. Then the shadow shrank back underneath the ring. Despite herself, Amane clapped.

"Why thank you, little girl," the voice purred. "I'm glad you enjoyed the show."

Amane looked over the pendant. It was very pretty. And if it really had a genie inside, that was cool! Just like the fairy tales that she had her brother read to her at night.

She caught the shop keeper's eye. She pointed at the pendant.

"How much?" she asked with her minimal Arabic.

The man glanced down. He looked confused for a moment, frowning at the object. His eyes flicked back and forth as though looking for something. Then he shrugged. He rustled in his pocket and pulled out a few coins, pointing to the ones that equaled the price. Amane pulled out the money her father had given her and counted out the same sorts of coins, then passed them to the man. He flashed his white teeth at her in thanks, and turned to another interested bystander.

Amane collected the pendant – it felt unnaturally warm in her hands.

"Okay," she said. "Let's go then, genie. I want to show you and the pretty necklace to my brother!"

"Ah, of course," the voice said. It sounded louder, now that she was holding the item.

"What can I call you?" she asked.

"I am...the Millennium Ring," it said.

"Oh! Nice to meet you. I'm Amane Bakura."

"Very pleased to meet you," the voice said, and suddenly, it took on a pronounced hiss.

Amane blinked.

She was standing in the middle of the market, staring blankly at the crowd. What was she doing there again? There was something in her hands. Oh, right, the Millennium Ring. She had just bought it, right? Oh? How did she know it was called the Millennium Ring? Huh. Maybe she had made it up.

"Amane...Amane-chan!"

She looked up. She caught a glimpse of her father's blue hair among the crowd. A wide smile crossed her face and she broke into a run.

"To-chan! To-chan! Look at what I found for nii-san for his birthday!"

She didn't notice the slight hum emanating from the ring.

She didn't remember the voice that had prompted her to buy it.

Just as planned...

. . .

A/N: Yami no Bakura is a jerk face. Why do I like him again? XD Next is Lamentshipping (Isis x Mana x Mahad).