AN: Yeah… I did that thing again, where I totally got carried away with everything else. If any of you like Doctor Who, Inuyasha, or X-men, I started new fanfics in those categories. Check em out! I'm mulling over the idea of a YGO and Inuyasha crossover with Bakura as a central character… Hm.

Some of you were asking about the romance aspect of the story and how it doesn't exist. I know. I'm just trying to make this believable because you know 1) Bakura isn't the most lovey dovey person and 2) Akeno is kind of his prisoner.

And I'll never give up on this fanfic, I like it too much! Not to mention I have a lot planned out for it (just a matter of filling in the gaps). So no matter how long the wait is, it will come! If you haven't already, it might be a good idea to put this on your alerts so you'll know immediately when hell freezes over, I mean when I update.

The last few chapters were pretty darn horrific, that is the content was. So I'm giving poor Akeno a break here. I think she deserves it. I'll admit, this is a little fillerish but I wanted to separate it and the next chapter (which will be up ASAP). No more neglecting you Bakura lovers!

This is such a long note…. Okay, thanks again to everyone who reviewed since LAST YEAR! AHHHH. Just read.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The next morning had come and gone in a flash. The rising sun, the morning birds' song and the gradual awakening of Domino City went completely unnoticed by Akeno who was still in a deep sleep, courtesy of the Millennium Ring. It wasn't until mid-afternoon that she stirred. She let out a slow groan as she shifted positions on the floor; her whole body ached and protested against any further movement.

Akeno rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows, yawning. After rubbing an eye, she looked over the bed to see that it was empty. Last night's events came rushing back to her full force and she sat up quickly. A shooting pain ran through her battered body that she tried to ignore as she stood, wincing. I'm surprised he let me sleep in, she thought to herself. Why would he be considerate after all he put me through…?

A quick search of the apartment revealed that Akeno was alone. She was slightly surprised that he left without warning but was nonetheless relieved. You didn't expect him to leave a nice little note, did you? She stepped into the bathroom to freshen up and upon looking in the mirror, jumped slightly.

"Look at all that blood…" she murmured, carefully examining her neck.

Dried blood was all over her neck, and part of her face as well as the top of her shirt. Her eyes found the source immediately, a cut running the length of her neck. She gently touched it, reliving the moment she got it. Tears tempted to spill over her eyelashes as she reflected upon all that Bakura had done to her. She shut her eyes tight and leaned on the sink for support. Why is this happening to me? As if things weren't bad enough before! What did I do to deserve this? She opened her eyes in shock and put a hand to her mouth. No, wait… She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and straightened up, looking into the mirror again.

"This isn't about me," she sniffed. "Not entirely, at least… I'm not the only one suffering through this. Ryou has been stuck in this for god knows how long and look at me, it's only been a week and I'm a mess. I don't know how he does it…"

Akeno sighed and decided to take a shower to clear her mind. She locked the door to feel secure even though she knew Bakura could undo the lock easily. She let the hot water pour over her, easing the tension out of her sore muscles. Closing her eyes, she tried picturing being at home. She imagined the scent of her mother's cherry blossom shampoo that she would sometimes use and the feel of their bathmat under her toes. Her chest tightened at the memory. It was so long ago yet it seemed like the other day. She wanted to push all of the pain and anguish she went through the past few years from her mind, absolutely everything, but that simple memory. But she just couldn't fool herself. She opened her eyes and was disappointed to see her reality, the inside of Ryou's shower. She made to sigh then stopped herself.

The sting of her cuts and bruises was a constant reminder about last night's events and made her further efforts to enjoy her shower futile. The shower-head sputtered off a few moments later and Akeno stepped out, careful not to slip on the tiled floor. Soon, she realized she hadn't brought in a change of clothes. She bit her lip, listening to the silent apartment. It didn't sound like Bakura was home… then again he wasn't a very noisy person. Grasping the front of her towel, she peeked out then made a dash for Ryou's room. She quickly shut the door behind her and let out a breath, realizing Bakura was still out. Not wanting to test out her luck, she quickly threw on an outfit to prevent Bakura's possible untimely arrival and walking in on her.

Akeno would have busied herself by cleaning but there really wasn't anything to clean, presumably thanks to Ryou's neat habits- she couldn't really picture Bakura prancing around in an apron and waving a feather duster. After a quick breakfast (or rather lunch) of cold cereal, she found herself very bored. There wasn't much to do in the apartment despite the abundant assortment of board games. She plopped in front of the TV and flipped through the channels. Most of the shows were mindless and didn't catch her interest. Soon she grew bored and turned off the set.

Her state of boredom led her mind to wander, aimlessly. "Okay, so my 'soul warrior' idea was a disaster," she said to herself. "Bakura's more powerful than I wanted to give him credit for… There's no way to beat him alone."

She bit her lip. "Of course there's that man in a turban- what was his name again? And was he actually real? I've had some pretty weird and lifelike dreams before… Besides, even if he was real, who says I could trust him…?"

Akeno glanced around nervously, expecting Bakura to be standing behind her. She relaxed, realizing she was alone. "He'd probably skin me alive if he knew I was still trying to plot against him."

Suddenly anxious, she watched the door, expecting him to return in any sort of mood. Actually, she considered, she had never really saw him in anything other than a negative mood. Arrogant and cocky was the closest he has ever been to pleasant. Except, she thought slowly, there were times when he did show concern for me…sort of. She pursed her lips. No, not for me- he was just protecting his property!

Akeno stood and balled her hands into fists, anger rising within her. "I bet he doesn't have a decent bone in his body!" she cried.

The phone rang unrepentantly, causing her to yelp in surprise. She let out a breath of relief as it rang again and moved to stand beside it. Her hand above the phone, she hesitated. Well, he never said not to answer the phone… I mean it could be him calling- yeah right. Knowing the caller would hang up soon, she decided quickly and answered.

"Hello?"

"Akeno? Hi!"

She blinked, somewhat surprised, "Tea?"

"Yeah. How are you and Ryou doing?"

"Um," Akeno hesitated. "We're okay."

"Glad to hear it," Tea said, the ever-present smile in her voice as she continued. "Hey, I have something to ask you..."

The sensation of falling overcame Bakura that night as he slept. He could feel himself moving closer and closer to the earth, free-falling and waiting for the inevitable impact- he wasn't afraid but also wasn't looking forward to it. Just as he was about to make contact with the ground, his eyes snapped open. He shot up in bed, heart beating a fraction faster than normal. Bakura wasn't fazed by this, it happened ever so often, normally when he maintained control of his vessel for extended periods of time.

It hadn't been a dream, or even one of Ryou's for the matter, for sometimes if both sides left their link unguarded, thoughts and dreams would flit across involuntarily. What had happened, he theorized, was a form of astral projection similar to when he would appear beside Ryou in spirit form. The only difference was this projection was unconscious- his spirit would drift off and then suddenly slam back into Ryou's body as he began to wake. Although he had grown used to it, he still found it highly irritating.

Bakura stretched and cracked his back. He considered going back to sleep but decided against it, deeming it merely a need of mortals. Normally, he had Ryou do menial tasks such as eating and sleeping but presently, he found his energy draining quicker. This of course was due to his partial soul bond. He gritted his teeth at the thought. Her pathetic soul had caused him so much pain, so much grief. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and glared down at her.

He knew he had been too rough with her. All she really deserved was a slap in the face. The girl was just a convenient target to release his anger on. That was her purpose, wasn't it? He just went too far in abusing her this time, pushed her too close to her limits. There was no guilt or sense of remorse in him, only more anger.

It was that priest's fault he had been so enraged. He had escaped and denied him his victory, but not a second time. Bakura clenched his fists. The priest wouldn't be so lucky in their next encounter. But first things first, he still needed to vent his anger; last night barely relieved him and the girl was too weak to take the full force of his fury. He needed to find a new victim…

Akeno breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up with Tea. She had kept her talking for a good hour about nearly every topic imaginable. Akeno learned that they had been in the same ballet class when she was five, although neither recognized each other. Also, they had never shared a class together in Domino High.

She was feeling extremely nervous now as she recalled the conversation. Tea had invited them to go away for the weekend with herself and her friends and Akeno, being unsure of what Bakura would want, agreed. She wrung her hands as she paced the length of the living room. Why do I keep messing up?

The locks on the front door began to rattle. Her heart sped up as she watched the door open. Akeno took a step back in shock as he entered. There was blood on his shirt. He smirked at her startled expression and shut the door behind him.

"What?" he asked, still smirking. "No greeting for your master?"

Akeno's eyes widened slightly and she bowed. "Welcome home, master," she said uncertainly.

He merely grunted in reply and tossed his shirt at her. "Clean this." he ordered, walking away. She straightened up, holding his bloodied shirt to her chest. All of this blood… and not a scratch on him. What timing! Testing his patience right after he tortured someone! Or killed them! Or both!

Akeno followed him into Ryou's room and watched him apprehensively as he lounged on the bed. She bit her lip and hesitated. He didn't seem that angry, she noted, maybe killing people put him in a decent mood. Lovely. I'd better get this over with…

"Please don't be mad…" she started.

Bakura scowled at her, already feeling annoyed. "What?"

"Well… I wasn't sure what to do…"

"What did you do?" he growled, propping himself on his elbows.

"Eh... well, the phone rang."

He raised a brow. "And?" he drawled, when she didn't continue.

Akeno licked her lips nervously. "And… I answered and it was Tea."

He furrowed his brow. "What did she want?" he spat.

She swallowed and took a deep breath. "She asked if we wanted to join her and the others at the beach before school started," she started speaking faster as Bakura rose from the bed and advanced on her. "B-because most of the summer was the Battle City Tournament so it was a bit of a waste. And her uncle owns a hotel so we'd stay there. It doesn't sound that-"

"What did you tell her?" he asked slowly.

Bakura backed her into the wall, placing his hands on either side of her, and she began stammering. "I didn't know what you'd want me to say! I know you don't really like them but Ryou does, right? I thought he would agree so you would too, you know, to keep up your ruse! Please don't be mad!"

Bakura let out a low growl. "You thought I'd enjoy spending some quality time with the pharaoh?"

"Just to make your act believable!" Akeno said desperately then added, "I mean… you didn't say not to make plans…"

Bakura gritted his teeth, restraining himself from lashing out.

"I'm sorry!" Akeno cried afraid of what he'd do.

Bakura grabbed her throat, squeezing slightly. "I'm sorry," she repeated, her fear growing with each passing minute. He released her and punched the wall beside her head, making her flinch.

"Don't ever make plans without me again!" he snarled.

Akeno nodded vigorously. He stalked off, still fuming. After a moment, when he was fairly certain he could resist the urge to strangle her, he turned to her, still looking angry. "When are we supposed to leave?" he growled through his teeth.

"Tomorrow?" gulped Akeno.

"WHAT?"

Akeno cringed. "I know its short notice, I'm sorry… Do you want me to cancel?" she asked meekly.

Bakura snorted. "That wouldn't seem suspicious."

She sighed and he glared at her. "Start packing," he sneered. Akeno nodded and bowed quickly. "Yes, master."

Akeno hurried off, not wanting to press her luck. The further she was from him, the less likely she'd upset him. A thought struck her.

He can't hurt me with the others around. Being in their group would mean I'm protected, especially since Yugi would be there. This weekend is going to be interesting…