Fugitives: Of Light and Darkness

Chapter 1 – Visions of things to come

Authoress - EBONY

Disclaimer – Yu-Gi-Oh! Belongs to Kazuki Takahashi, therefore, I unfortunately don't own it.

Ebony – Let's see how I can do on this chapter…: D Oh, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter but I'll be giving the Yami's there own bodies and MARIK, is hikari Marik, if/when I introduce his darker half, I will name him Mariku : P This story is a random idea that developed in my mind one late night when I was almost asleep, so not all of the finer points have been thought of yet... they are still lurking somewhere in the back of my mind...

I don't know when the next update will be because I am drowning in my homework T_T but I'll try my best to post as quickly as I can manage XD … now, on with the story…

RYOU'S POV

My eyes snapped open as the alarm clock sounded, its loud ringing filling my thoughts as I left my dream state, adrenaline coursing through my limbs and fear making my heart beat at such a rate I was afraid it was going to burst from my body.

"Another nightmare…" I said to no-one but myself as I sat up and tried to remember what it had been about.

I remembered a few small snippets from this nightmare, a bright gold light, all my dreams seemed to start that way, a bright gold light, it filled me with hope, only to be destroyed when the light was replaced by an ominous purple.

Then there was blood, so much of it… and I felt like everyone was watching me, as if it was my fault, blurred faces who I know I should recognise surrounding me.

I looked at the clock, 6:31; I turn the alarm off and get up. Stumbling into the kitchen to find something to eat, I rifle through the cupboards and pull out a box of cereal bars, going through what I'll need to take to school today in my head.

I tick off my mental check list as I pour myself a cup of tea, its sunny outside today, which lifts my mood a bit since it has rained every day for the past week, hopefully it's a good omen.

After finishing breakfast, I walk through my lonely apartment, getting everything ready for school, filling in the last few questions for the maths homework I really couldn't be bothered doing last night. Not really concentrating on the minute tasks that I have been repeating every morning for the past few years, allowing my mind to wander on a journey of its own.

I've lived on my own since my mother and sister died, my father; a famous archaeologist is never home. He kind of became a workaholic after mum died; he focuses only his job now. I see him for a few days around Christmas, sometimes around my birthday, and if I'm lucky, I might see him for a day or two in the summer. But apart from those rare times, I live here on my own. Shopping, cleaning, and cooking for myself.

I do begrudge my father for leaving me, (who wouldn't?) and sometimes things can get tense between us, he's not the only one who grieves, but he was meant to be there for me, I seem to be forgotten to him, another reminder of lives that ended before their time.

While thinking about all this, I had absentmindedly readied myself for school, and was now stood just outside the front door of my apartment, keys in hand, about ready to lock the door.

"RYOU!"

I fell to the floor with a thud as Marik ploughed into me.

"Sorry, I couldn't stop in time." Marik sounded out of breath; he'd obviously been running for some, unknown reason. He was grinning and brushing himself off from the tumble.

"It's fine!" I laughed, Marik was a fast runner but found it next to impossible to know when to apply the breaks. I got up and re-saddled my school bags, looking around me to see if anything might have fallen out.

Marik picked up a stray pen that had fallen from my pocket and handed it to me.

"Thanks." I grinned.

Marik and I have been friends since the beginning of high school. No-body else seemed to bother much with the foreign students. Did I mention I was originally born in England? I guess not. Anyway, with no-one else that interested in becoming friends with us, we kind of got stuck with each other and are now the best of friends. Yuugi, a really short guy from school, has always been a nice kid, but I've never really felt welcome with the rest of his group, like an outsider.

Marik didn't get on with them any better than I did. In fact I would say he got on worse than I did when it almost came to a punch up between himself and Joey. We went back to doing our own thing after that day.

"So, how has life treated you this morning?" I asked the Egyptian as we walked to school.

"Same as usual, Odion had a go at me for doing my math homework this morning instead of last night; he kept going on about how I was going to be late meeting you."

That sounded about right. Everything seemed normal in the Ishtar house.

"So, what about you?" Curiosity and sympathy flashed in his eyes, "Did you have any more nightmares last night?"

I sighed, he always knew when I'd had a bad nights sleep. "Yeah, I did, it was more vivid than usual, more colourful. But I can't remember any more than usual stuff I've told you." I frowned, trying to remember from my dreams,

Marik nodded. "Maybe they mean something, I mean, well, you've been having this dream for ages now, it could be a warning."

I chuckled, "Or it could just be my warped imagination."

Marik smiled, "Or that, you do have a very warped imagination."

I noticed Yuugi and Yami leaving the Kame game shop as we walked by, they were almost identical, and you have thought they were twins if it were not for the fact that Yami had experienced a growth spurt in his second year of high school. Yami also seemed to be the more cooler, more mature of the two.

10 minutes later, Marik and I arrived at Domino high; we evaded an over-enthusiastic teacher who had only just started her career this September.

"What do you have first lesson?" Marik questioned.

"Uhm…" I pulled my timetable out of my pocket and skimmed over it, "Well, I have maths first with the new teacher, followed by R.E. with ."

"Lucky you!" Marik chuckled, enjoying my misfortune. The new teacher's enthusiasm is exhausting, and Dartz seems to scare everyone, even the tough guys.

"Looks like I'm not going to get a chance to regain any lost sleep this morning." I groaned. The shrill bell rang through the school. "And now my torture begins, see you later!" I grinned.

MATHS –

I could feel my eyelids drooping, I slumped forward and tried my best to remain awake as the teacher babbled endlessly about algebra, I lifted my head to look around the class, noticing I wasn't the only one drifting off. The teacher seemed oblivious that her class was slowly dying, too consumed in her love for mathematics.

I rested my head on the desk, wondering how much longer I would have to bear this torture for, I could tell I was falling deeper into the thick layers of sleep, no matter how hard I try to cling onto the ledges of reality.

That feeling of dread, fear, death…

I jerked up from chair with such force I fell over; my breath was coming out in gasps from the fear pulsing through my veins, and my face beginning to flush in embarrassment as I felt the eyes of my class turn to me.

"Are you quite alright Bakura?" The teacher grinned down at me; she was next to me and leaning down, intruding on my personnel space.

My blush deepened, some where across the room I heard Joey and Tristan chuckle. I let my long, white hair fall in front of my eyes so I wouldn't have to look anyone in the eye.

"I'm quite fine now thank you miss." I pulled myself up, whilst staring at the floor I picked up my chair that was lying on its side. I plonked myself down on my chair and held my head in my hands; I seriously hope I didn't sleep talk or anything weird like that.

"You would do well not to sleep in my lesson, now if you could answer this question for me…" She went and pointed to a ridiculously hard question she had written on the board, while still smiling.

I groaned, and the class laughed as I stood up, now in view of the whole class as I walked to front of the class. I scowled at the teacher as I picked up the pen.

I stared at the equation for what seemed like forever, hoping that it would miraculously solve itself.

An ominous purple cloud-like tentacle stretched out from no-where…

The pen fell from my shaking hand; the purple vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Bakura? Are you sure your alright?" Her voice was laced with concern.

"I'm sure miss thank you," another flash of purple from behind the teacher sent shivers down my spine, "I'm… I'm just feeling a little unwell, that's all…"

I went to go and sit back down with out waiting to be told. I waited out the rest of the lesson, it passed so slowly. From time to time, people would look back to where I sat, lost in my thoughts. I could hear the whispers that swept around the classroom, and it was a blessing when the bell went to signify the next lesson. I left the room before anyone could speak to me or stop me.

MARIKS POV

I walked out of I.C.T. feeling dead from boredom; I lugged my school bag onto my shoulder and slumped to my next class. Out of no-where, Ryou came tearing down the corridor, shoving pupil out the way.

"RYOU!" I shouted, but my calls didn't seem to reach him. Cursing, I ran down the corridor after him.

What could have happened to make him act like that? I ignored the cries of my colleagues as I pushed and shoved to keep up with Ryou.

I slammed into a wall as he took a sharp corner, I was the faster, but Ryou was usually the more nimble of the two of us.

"RYOU!" I called again, but he carried on. If he heard me, he ignored my calls and continued.

I followed as he turned yet another corner, I realised that he was heading for the nearest exit. Praying we wouldn't run into any teachers, I yelled his name once more,

"BAKURA!"

Ryou turned around for a split second as he heard his name; scanning the busy corridors for his pursuer, with those big, fear filled chocolate orbs of his. However, his eyes did not find me in the sea of pupils all rushing to their next subject and he ran on.

I swore and pushed Joey out of the way as I bolted after Ryou.

"HEY, LOOK WHERE YAH GOING!" he shouted so I sent him death glares as I tore up the corridor.

Finally, I burst out of the double doors of Domino High and sprinted across the deserted car park.

"Ryou…" I gasped, clamping my hand on his shoulder so he couldn't run any more. "Ryou, what's… what's wrong?"

I took a better look at his face, studying his features as if they might tell me. His eyes were wide and looked right through me, his shoulder was shaking beneath my hand and his mind seemed else where.

"Ryou, what's up?" I said, my voice sounding sterner than usual, I seemed to be catching Ryou's fear.

No answer, he just shook his head, it was if he couldn't speak. I was wondering what could be going on inside that head of his to make him act so, strange, terrified, it didn't make sense… Unless the new teacher really was as bad as new teachers get.

Suddenly Ryou leapt back dragging me with him. "RYOU! STOP, WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

He dragged me over behind a big car and slumped down next to it. He was seriously scaring me; I'd never seen him act like this.

He took a few shaky breaths and began to tell me what had happened in his last lesson.

"…I don't know what came over me… I just, bolted, I had to get outside, see the sun… Do you think I'm going crazy?" He finished.

I stared at him. I really don't know what he expected me to say, he certainly looked and sounded like your average loony, his white hair had become wild from running and his eyes darted from one place to another every so often.

"I… I don't know…" I whispered.

Ryou's eyes sank to the ground; I don't judge him for being so scared, from what he has told me.

Voices jerked me from my thoughts as I tried to imagine what Ryou might have been seeing. I peered through the windows of the car, hoping to get a better look at who else apart from us was disturbing the peace of the normally deserted car park.

Yami and Yuugi were striding across the car park, looking around every so often, as if to check that no-one was following them. I watched them curiously, Yami was talking into a mobile phone, and I noticed that his necklace seemed, well, a bit off-colour to be honest, a purple-ish shroud surrounding it. I wondered if that's what Ryou meant.

"Ryou, I can see Yami and Yuugi over there."

RYOU'S POV

I stood up and looked over Marik's shoulder, Yami was surrounded in the purple stuff, it seemed to be emanating from him, as if he was a part of the darkness himself. The shadows seemed to hunger for him and he left a trail of shadows as he walked that evaporated after a second of being away from him.

He turned to face Yuugi, and that's when I saw the puzzle, it was pouring darkness, it appeared to be the centre of the evil and also intangibly connected to Yami somehow. How ironic, I thought, that he would be surrounded by the shadows and his own name meaning dark…

I shuddered, what if Yami is the meaning for all my hallucinations? What if it's Yami that's behind my nightmares, the nightmares that keep me up all night in fear of what I might see, what if he's the problem… what he wasn't here to cause the problems anymore… NO, these kind of thoughts are going to drive me more insane than already am, I don't want to end up doing something I might regret.

I held my head in my hands, not wanting to look anymore, too ashamed of my own mind.

I tried to push the evil thoughts that invaded me mind away, but they just kept coming back, throwing me off with their rhetorical questions.

"Let's follow them." Marik whispered. "I want to see what their up to, Yuugi never skives, let's see what their up to."

"Marik! They've got nothing to do with us, what if its something like… I dunno', like if their grandpa had a heart attack or something? I'd feel so bad intruding on that…" That was a huge lie, I wanted to follow them so badly, to see find a reason that would condemn Yami of my misery, or at least find out why he was surrounded by the shadows that haunted me.

"If anything like that starts to happen, we just walk away." Marik explained, getting anxious as Yami picked up his pace and Yuugi had to jog a little to keep up with his brothers long legs.

It made sense, the shadows that seemed to have infiltrated my brain whispered that I should follow him, I should watch him, I should blame him, and then get revenge. I pushed them away, but even the logical part of my mind said that what Marik was saying made perfect sense, and I couldn't go back into school, I was too embarrassed, and too scared. Following Yami and Yuugi would give me something to do.

I sighed, "Right, let's go."

Ebony - YAY, THE FIRST CHAPTER XD Please R&R, every review is appreciated, even criticism!