Chapter Twenty-Seven
Akeno felt her stomach drop as she stared at Bakura, hoping to see some sign that he was joking but she found none. She was suddenly aware of eyes on her back or perhaps she was just imagining it in her nervous state. With a gulp, she slowly turned her head, trying to see their stalker.
"Don't turn around," Bakura ordered just before she could peek over her shoulder.
Pursing her lips, she did as he said which only seemed to make her more anxious. "Bakura, where-?"
"Not now," he said quickly, tightening his grip on her arm to ensure she kept up with his fast strides.
They bypassed more old shops and continued down an empty street which was overshadowed by a large abandoned building. It was their destination, she realized as Bakura steered her towards it. There was a weathered sign overhead that read "Domino Town Theater". Akeno frowned. What is he planning to do? Ask our stalker to catch a show and chat over some popcorn?
Bakura looked around when they reached the theater's boarded up doors. She did the same but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Turning her attention back to him, she watched as he approached the old ticket booth which had grown grimy and graffitied over time. He gave it the once over then swiftly punched in one of the windows, sending shards of dirty glass over the sidewalk and into the booth.
"We're breaking in?" she asked. "But there's nothing valuable in there. Shouldn't we be more worried about-"
"I said not now!" Bakura snapped, hauling her to the window. "Get inside. Quickly!"
Akeno heard the urgency in his voice and carefully tried climbing in. Impatient, Bakura hoisted her up and through the window. She winced as her knees scraped the broken glass on the ticket counter and quickly hopped off to let Bakura through. He was right behind her, already pushing her forward.
"Stupid," he muttered, seeing the blood on her knees.
He ushered her swiftly through the lobby and into the theater itself.
The room was devoid of windows and therefore very dark. Had it not been for a few small holes in the roof that provided them with the last rays of the setting sun, they'd be in pitch blackness. A moth-eaten red curtain hung over the stage and a fine layer of dust coated everything in sight- the once grand piano that sat below the stage, the rows of black seats, and the torn up fabric that carpeted the aisles.
Bakura pulled her along through the last row of seats, avoiding the discarded pamphlets and other left behind items. "What are we doing?" Akeno whispered, unable to bear the silence any longer. He squeezed her wrist in reply, telling her to shut up which she did, albeit reluctantly.
They came to a door at the far right that opened up to a staircase. He held the door open and glanced around the empty theater, searching for something, or someone.
"Go," he said, still not looking at her.
Akeno started up the stairs slowly, hesitant to ascend the dark passage. "Quickly," Bakura ordered, right in her ear. She sucked in a hiss of surprise but complied nonetheless. He had moved so silently, she didn't hear him sneak up on her. At the top of the landing, Akeno realized they were on a balcony overlooking the theater. Bakura moved her to the back until the two of them were in the middle of an aisle.
"Get down."
She glanced at the dirty dust coated floor and hesitated. "Er, how exactly is this," she started but was cut off as Bakura grabbed the book bag from her shoulder and tossed it on the ground. Akeno barely had time to react as he pushed her to the floor, himself on top of her. She opened her mouth to protest but Bakura's hand clamped it shut before she could utter a syllable.
His eyes were distant. "Don't move," he said softly.
Akeno furrowed her brows and considered trying to shove him off. She decided not to. He didn't seem in the mood for opposition and she wasn't about to antagonize him in a dark secluded place.
The doors of the theater creaked open. She held her breath, trying to listen. Silence. Bakura turned his gaze on Akeno but seemed to look past her. He was listening and she tried too, straining her ears to catch a sound of what was happening below. It was dead silent for a moment, then two, and then she heard it. Footsteps, the first indication that their stalker was real flesh and blood.
Her eyes widened and her heart sped up. Bakura pressed his hand more firmly over her mouth to ensure she didn't speak. Bakura was alert, listening intently though the silent theater betrayed even the slightest of noises. They were still, waiting, listening as the footsteps went farther into the vacant room.
The person paced the length of the theater then returned to the back. Another set of footsteps was heard then a man's voice. "You find 'em?"
"No," the second man breathed in a deeper voice. "I'll check backstage, you look in the balcony."
Akeno's breathing hitched. Oh no. He's coming up here! And we're just laying around. Yeah, it's dark but he'd have to be blind to not see us! We're gonna get caught!
Bakura took something out of his back pocket, holding it in front of him. It was a trap card called Spirit Shield. A Duel Monsters card? Oh, c'mon, there's a time and place! Hm? The Millennium Ring came to life, its golden eye gleaming brightly and the card began to glow as well. W-what's he doing? That guy's coming up! There's no way he can't see that light!
The footsteps became louder and clearer as the man reached the landing. Akeno bit her lip. He was now only a few feet from them and they could be easily seen, especially with the glow from the card. Panicked, she looked at Bakura who, to her surprise, was smirking.
Huh? What did he do? And why isn't that guy looking at us? I mean, we aren't exactly hard to miss. Unless! Her eyes focused on the card in Bakura's fingers. Spirit Shield… could it be shielding us from view?!
Akeno watched the stranger search for them. She could just make out his dark shaggy hair, either blue or green, and his small beady eyes. He wore a black hoodie and jeans and seemed to be in his late twenties at best. Akeno was certain she had never seen him before. She couldn't gauge Bakura's reaction, if he recognized the man or not. His expression was relaxed as he regarded the man, as if he wasn't a threat. In fact, it appeared as if their pursuer was the prey and Bakura was contemplating on how to kill him.
"Oi, anything up there?" the other man called from down below.
The dark-haired man paused, glancing around the balcony once more before replying. "Nothing," he said, hurrying down the stairs. "Maybe they went out a side exit."
Their rushed footsteps faded from the theater, leaving the pair in a thick silence. Akeno was suddenly aware of Bakura's weight on her and felt unbelievably uncomfortable. With each breath, her stomach pressed against his and she made an effort to breathe as little as possible. She couldn't help but be reminded of the night they first met. Déjà vu…
Bakura waited until he was sure the men had left before he removed his hand and sat back on his heels. He returned the trap card to his deck in his back pocket then got to his feet. His eyes were distant a moment, deep in thought then he blinked and was looking down at Akeno. Avoiding his stare, she sat up and tugged her skirt down, blushing slightly. With a grunt, Bakura reached down and for a moment, Akeno thought he was offering a hand, but then he grabbed her by the lapels of her uniform and yanked her to her feet. She crashed into him with a yelp and quickly righted herself, not wanting to be that close to him any more than necessary.
She watched as Bakura headed over to the front of the balcony. He crossed his arms, looking over the rest of the theater. In the silence, Akeno turned from him, brushing the soot and dust from her uniform and hair.
Gross.
She slung her backpack over her shoulder and turned to Bakura. "Who were they?" Akeno asked shakily, looking down the dark staircase where the man had disappeared.
Bakura snorted behind her. "If I knew that, I would have done away with them immediately."
She glanced back at him to meet his cool gaze. If she didn't know better, he hardly seemed fazed as if being stalked by total strangers was normal. "Well, what do we do now? I mean, how do we find out?"
Bakura brushed past her and headed down the steps. "Perhaps I'll use you as bait," he said nonchalantly and Akeno froze.
"B-bait?" she squeaked and hurried down after him.
"We'll leave through the back," he told her, ignoring her worried expression. Akeno frowned after him.
He is joking, right?
By the time they arrived in Ryou's apartment, the sun had already gone down. Bakura had led her through various side roads and alleys in order to ensure they weren't followed. Akeno groaned loudly and dropped her bag on the floor. Her shoulders and back were sore from the weight of her schoolbag and her feet ached from running around.
"I'm sick of your whining," Bakura growled, locking the front door. "If I hear one more complaint, you'll be forced to stand the rest of the night."
Akeno remained silent. She was too exhausted to argue with him or do anything other than pass out. Unfortunately, she had homework and that was first priority. She held in a sigh as she dragged her bag over to the table and plopped down. A pain in her knees made her wince. After a quick inspection, Akeno realized she still had a few shards of glass imbedded in them.
"Just great," she said to herself.
Well, I don't need any infections so I'll just clean my knees up first. Then I'll do my homework. I should probably start with math then science… then writing. Wait, do I have my brushes? I think I packed them with the ink pots… or did I leave-
THUD.
Akeno stared at Bakura's briefcase after he unceremoniously dropped it on the table in front of her.
"Huh? What's that for?" she asked, looking from it to Bakura's smirking face.
"Your first task is to complete Ryou's work," he told her. "After that, I couldn't care less what you do."
She gaped at him. "W-what? But that'll take all night! Couldn't you just let Ryou-"
Bakura narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Girl, are you complaining?"
Akeno paused, still ready to argue then looked away. "No, master," she muttered.
"Good, pet," he mocked with a satisfied smirk and turned on his heel.
She glared at Bakura's retreating form as he headed towards the bedroom. Once he was out of sight, weariness set in and she collapsed onto the table in defeat.
That jerk! So much for getting any sleep tonight… Ohh, I hope Ryou isn't in the honors classes!
Akeno sighed loudly.
AN: So I've been editing this story and oh my Ra. It's a minefield of typos- I'm so embarrassed! I swear I can spell and differentiate between homonyms and have a decent sense of grammar! Thank you for putting up with all that. Dear me, what a rude awakening. Hopefully I've weeded them all out (fat chance) but it's much better at least. I can tell, there must've been a typo in this chapter… Damn you, typos! I also may have threw in an extra sentence or two here and there- nothing plot changing, just trying to make it flow better.
I don't know why this chapter took so long. I've had the first scene written down for nearly a year! And I had mapped out the events of the chapter awhile ago. It was just so darn hard to get out. Also, sorry its short but I wanted to post it before I go into the next scene because then it'd take forever and a day. Eh, I've had shorter ones so… Its okay.
As always, thank you all so flippin' much! I really do love reading everything you say. I can't stress that enough! You'd think my last AN would suffice but no! Also, big hello to some of the new readers who reviewed! HELLO! Now is the part where I shamelessly ask for feedback. Let me know what you think!