Chapter Twenty
Bakura turned slowly to face a man in the shadows. Hunger flashed in his eyes. "Miss me that much, eh, priest?"
The man stepped from the shadows of the warehouse. He was tall and dark skinned, wearing long robes, a turban and around his neck hung a large golden ankh. His face betrayed no emotion yet his blue eyes were intense and were unblinkingly focused on Bakura, who seemed unfazed by the man's sudden appearance and acted as though people materializing out the shadows were a normal every day occurrence.
"You have taken what was not meant to be yours and threatened the pharaoh in two lifetimes. For that as well as your other crimes, you will have to suffer the consequences."
"You couldn't defeat me then, what makes you think you can now?" Bakura grinned. "I could annihilate you and take your Key right now if I wanted. It's a shame you didn't bring the Scales; it'd be less trouble locating it."
"Your power has increased since we last met, yes, but your soul is in a weakened state," the man stated.
Bakura glared yet said nothing.
"You have made a soul, correct? This separation from your partner has caused your soul much strain and has therefore weakened your power." he said knowingly.
"Mind your own business, priest!" Bakura growled.
"It seems your pride has clouded your judgment. You have set a trap for me but have fallen in yourself." The man took the ankh from around his neck and stepped forward, holding it out like a sword. "With the Millennium Key, I will pass judgment on your soul."
Suddenly, the robed man moved with nearly inhuman speed- he stopped directly in front of Bakura who had no time to react as the man brought the tip of the ankh to rest on his forehead. In an instant, Bakura's mind was invaded.
The robed man stood in a long dark hallway. He came to the end of the hall, before him was a secured trapdoor and seemingly ordinary wooden one. Cautiously, the priest knelt and opened the trap door. Below him was a small room, scraped bare and left in shambles. The room's dim lighting made it so the priest nearly missed seeing the huddled form in the corner. A young boy was curled up on the floor, unconscious or sleeping, he couldn't tell. There was an undoubted resemblance to the Thief King but he could tell that the boy was not his ally. He quietly shut the door. The thief's mind was perilous; there was no reason to endanger the boy anymore.
The priest grabbed the wooden door's knob and was surprised when he found it unlocked. This made him even more suspicious- the thief obviously was setting him up for a trap. Behind the relatively modern door was a stone labyrinth.
"He has shaped his mind like one of the great tombs he has robbed," the priest said, slightly surprised. "I will not let it shake me. My Millennium Key will guide my way."
He continued down the stone corridor, holding the Key out in front of him. While walking, he noticed there was sand on the floor. Undaunted, he carried on. After turning a corner, he came upon a number of doors. As he neared one, the Key quickly changed directions. Intrigued, he ignored it and opened the door.
Before him was a girl tossing and seemed to be in pain; it looked as though she were having a nightmare. The priest took a step into the room to get a better look. She was young with long dark hair and was wearing a bloodstained white dress. Her eyes were squeezed shut and tears were running down the side of her face.
"This girl," he said to himself. "She is the soul that the thief has bonded with."
"Isn't she just precious?" a voice snarled behind him.
The priest turned around quickly to face Bakura who smirked. "You didn't think you forced your way into my mind, did you? I let you in and you, foolish enough, did exactly what I wanted. Didn't you find it odd that nothing tried to kill you? I've been leading you deeper into my mind and if you hadn't strayed, I'd still be playing with you."
"This is not a game, Thief King. I will destroy you and undo the wrongs you have caused."
"How noble of you," he mocked. "However, you might find it easier said than done!"
Suddenly the room expanded so that they were in the middle of a vast chamber. There was a terrible groan and a large mass shifted in the darkness. The priest could make out a solid figure towering over them both. His eyes widened slightly. "The Ka Beast!"
"That's right! It'll be the last thing you see!" Bakura roared, an insane look in his eyes.
The beast launched itself forward, over Bakura and headed straight for the priest. He reacted quickly and retreated from his mind; a moment later and he would have been destroyed. The priest faded back into the shadows of the warehouse just as Bakura came to. Bakura growled and clenched his fists. The priest had escaped him! He had been so close! Just another second and the Key would have been his! His fingernails were digging into his palms but Bakura didn't care. He tried to force his breathing back to normal but he realized that his harsh breathing and quickened heart rate wasn't due to his anger.
"The girl…" he growled as he gritted his teeth.
Akeno murmured softly in her sleep. She was drifting in and out of slumber, her subconscious not allowing her to delve to deeply. Suddenly, without her mind consent, her scattered brain activity was thrown into dream mode.
She was in the graveyard alone. In front of her parents' grave was a bouquet of flowers. She blinked, confused. "What am I doing here?"
A scream sounded in the distance. It was a girl's. Akeno acted on instinct and ran to the source of the scream. On a narrow pathway, surrounded by gravestones, were two people struggling on the ground.
"What are you doing? Stop it!" cried the girl as the figure on top of her started to undress her.
"Leave her alone!" Akeno yelled, running closer to them.
She stopped suddenly and gasped. How could she not have seen it before?
The couple on the ground was none other but herself and Bakura.
"It's the night we… met…" she whispered to herself. "Why am I seeing this?"
"Your fate is intertwined with that of the thief's," said a voice behind her.
Akeno spun around to face a man in robes. "Who are you?"
"My name is Shadi. I am the guardian of the Millennium items, " the man said. "You, Akeno Hitoshii, may one day play a key part in destroying the bearer of the Millennium Ring."
"You mean Bakura?" she asked, "You know how to get rid of him?"
"I cannot reveal anything else. Know that you must not give in to him and that you will need to decide where you stand."
The man named Shadi disappeared, leaving Akeno alone with her memory. She looked nervously at the scene, grimacing at what she went through. "That was more confusing than helpful…" she said dryly. She found herself feeling weightless and everything started to fade. A slight rattle filled her ears. It grew louder until it blocked out the screams of her memory. "What is that noise…?"
Akeno opened her eyes in time to see the door open. Barely awake, she shot up, afraid Bakura would have seen her sleeping. Bakura slammed the door and glared at her. He took in her disheveled appearance. Despite that, he'd have been able to tell she disobeyed him merely by the look in her eyes. A bit of silver caught his eye and he glanced over to see her leash on the ground. She makes it too easy, he thought. He growled and advanced on her.
"Have you been good while your master was gone?"
Akeno gulped, realizing by the tone of his voice that she was in deep trouble. A sudden recognition struck her. The leash was across the room. Did he notice? He must have. I'm such dead meat!
"Well?"
"Uh I-I…" she stammered, weighing her options. If I tell the truth, he'll be pissed at my answer but… he already knows, if I lie to him it'll be worse… "I… don't know?" she said lamely.
"You don't know?" he mocked. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"No!" she answered quickly.
"Do you think you're smarter than me?"
"N-no."
"Then why, do you insist on trying to lie to me?" he growled.
"I'm sorry. I'm… sorry," she whispered, covering her mouth as she started to tear up.
Bakura grabbed her hands and pressed her against the wall. From the moment he had stepped into the room, he immediately felt a decrease in pain. It wasn't until he was right in front of her, however, that the ache in his soul subsided completely. He paused a moment, relieved, then turned his attention back to the sniveling girl. The priest was right, he thought angrily. The girl was his weak spot; he had never had one until now. Her life made him vulnerable but was it worth it? Was possessing her soul truly worth all of this pain and aggravation?
Ending her life would sever the connection of their souls, releasing him from this strain. He slipped a hand around her throat and grinned wickedly. It would be almost too easy, he mused. He refrained from tightening his grip- it would be a waste.
The odds of finding another pure soul would be slim- it was by chance that he stumbled upon her. She had been a gift, hand delivered by the gods, for both his advantage and amusement. Or had it been a trap, suggested a wary part of him. Perhaps the gods only favored the pharaoh and this girl was given to him with the sole purpose of destroying him.
Akeno whimpered.
He almost laughed at himself for thinking a mortal could do any real damage to him. No matter what the intention of the gods, he was going to use her to his benefit.
Bakura snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to the girl. "Sorry?" he mocked, "You won't be sorry until you bleed."
He threw her to the ground. She cried out, causing him to sneer. He was determined to make her endure a greater pain than that which her soul caused him.
Akeno looked up at him in fear, knowing what was to come and that nothing could be said or done to stop it. She cried silently, waiting for him to make a move.
"I've been too merciful in the past." He snarled in a low tone, "You have yet to know true pain and torment."
She tried to shuffle back away from him but shadows enveloped them both. She gasped as the cool air met her skin. The Shadow Realm terrified her but it didn't compare to her fear of the man that controlled it.
"We can't have any mortals intruding, can we? Here, you can scream as loud as you want and no one will hear you, well, aside from myself," he smirked.
Akeno turned away from him, sobbing. He laughed, enjoying every ounce of her dread. "You're so eager to cry, don't fret, I'll give you plenty of reasons to."
Stop crying, Akeno scolded herself. The sick bastard is loving it! Why can't you just be strong and take it?
A sharp kick to her stomach forced her out of her thoughts. The wind was knocked out of her, leaving her gasping for breath. She clutched her abdomen but another blow landed in her ribs. Only a small squeak escaped her lips.
"Get up!" he barked.
Akeno remained on the ground, gasping for air.
"I told you to get up!" he roared, grabbing a fistful of her hair. He yanked her onto her knees. She drew in a shaky breath through her teeth. Despite the pain in her chest and stomach, she tried standing to appease him. However, she wasn't quick enough for his liking. Bakura seized her throat and hauled her to her feet.
"I do hope you're enjoying this as much as I am," he grinned.
Testing his strength, he hoisted her off the ground, watching as she struggled. He laughed at her feeble attempts to pry his hand from her throat.
"What's wrong?" he jeered. "Can't breathe?"
Akeno desperately clawed at his hand but to no avail. He wasn't fazed by her small scratches and responded by tightening his grip. Just as she began to lose consciousness, he let go, allowing her to land hard on the ground and snap back into her agonizing nightmare.
She coughed violently and brought her hands to her sore neck. "P-please," she choked out. "I won't disobey you again!"
He walked towards her slowly, a smirk on his face. "Is that so?" he asked sadistically.
"Yes! Yes, I promise!"
"You'll do any and everything I say?"
"Yes!"
He paused for a moment, looking her over with narrowed eyes. An idea struck him and he smiled wolfishly. Kneeling in front of her, he took a hold of her chin, pulling her close to his face. He gazed into her fearful eyes. "Anything?"
She gulped, hating the tone of his voice. It was too late to change her answer now…
"…Yes," she said, barely above a whisper.
He grinned, a gleam in his eye. "Good."
He backhanded her. When she looked up at him, he was holding a knife. Her eyes widened. "I- I said I'd obey you!"
Bakura smirked. "I am aware of your promise," he said coolly, admiring the blade. Suddenly, he tossed the knife to her. She flinched as it landed near her feet. Akeno looked up at him questioningly. Bakura stared at her hard, studying her then uttered a command.
"Kill yourself."
AN: TOO LONG! SO SORRY!. I expected to update ALOT more often this summer, but alas, it didn't go according to plan. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks to all the people who have been reviewing, it means so much! Until next time! (excuse typos, please, I'm so excited to post SOMETHING)