Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to Kazuki Takahashi…though I do so enjoy playing in his world!
Notes: It's been awhile…but this gem is now finished! :D Hee! Bakura finally runs into the Easter Bunny in this chapter and the showdown begins! I hope you enjoy the finale!
Chapter 7: Hopping Mad
When Yami and Ryou returned from the Directory, they found Bakura crouched down next to the Pet Shop as he tried to ignore Malik. The blonde was busy prattling on about some kind of food that "Birdy" might like.
Despite his earlier sentiments, Bakura truly was close to admitting defeat. One-upping the pompous Pharaoh was not worth this kind of grief. He certainly hoped the other spirit had found another store that carried jelly beans.
Judging by the look on Yami's face, he had. Pointing to the opposite end of the mall, he got the group's attention.
"There's an old-fashioned sweets shop up ahead," he explained, "Maybe they will have jelly beans there."
"Yay!" Malik cheered from his perch on Bakura's back, "Onward, Kurakins!"
The Thief growled in response but complied, trudging off in the general direction of the candy shop.
Yami fell in beside them as the rest of the group followed suit, starting up their earlier conversations. He shot Bakura a triumphant smile as the Thief navigated the crowds irritably, looking for the entire world like he was going to his execution.
"I heard from Ryou that you've given up. A wise decision…" Yami remarked proudly.
If anything, the Thief just bristled more. So much for nearly admitting defeat…
"I've done nothing of the kind, Pharaoh, and I'll prove my superiority over your porcupine brain yet," Bakura shot back.
"Ha ha ha! We'll see. I've also learned that the Easter Bunny will be making an appearance in this area of the mall soon. Seeing as how we missed the first opportunity, I hope you're ready to get your picture taken."
Bakura cringed as Yami strode on ahead, chuckling. Even the Shadow Realm couldn't hold such horrors as this.
Malik, of course, grew even more animated by the news. "Finally! I get to see the BUNNY! Hurry up, Kura! I want to get in line before anyone else does, and I still need my jelly beans first!"
"We must always think of priorities…" Bakura replied under his breath. He walked on in silence until they reached the sweet shop.
Malik 'ooh'd and 'aah'd at the display of candies and other treats that lined the aisles. Then he spotted a table near the register, piled high with gift bags full of jelly beans.
Leaping from the Thief's back, he grabbed the largest shopping basket he could find and started filling it. Bakura nearly took the chance to dart away again, but Yami was watching him like a hawk. A hawk that devoured its prey no matter how fast it ran.
Bakura would NOT go out like that. It was much more satisfying to take your enemy with you.
As Malik checked out at the register, music drifted in from outside.
The Thief paled, knowing full well that the terrible moment he had been dreading had arrived…
The Easter Bunny was here.
"IT'S THE BUNNY!" Malik screeched, snatching his bag of purchases from the stunned clerk and jumping onto Bakura's back once again. "LET'S GO, KURAKINS! MUSH, MUSH!" The dark spirit knocked over several displays as he staggered out of the store with a snarl.
Yami watched all of this with amusement and followed. At long last, Bakura would finally get what was coming to him.
Yugi and Ryou ran up to them just as they stepped into line. "They're saying the Bunny should be here any minute now," Yugi said excitedly, looking around the crowd for any sign of the expected guest.
It hadn't taken long for many to gather. Small children tugged on their parents' arms impatiently as they waited. Then, shouts of approval rose from the group as the Easter Bunny and his entourage of baby chicks made their way onto the stage.
Malik cheered every time the crowd moved forward and soon they were next in line.
Ryou patted Bakura on the shoulder as the other grew more agitated. "You'll survive, Yami," the teen assured him with a laugh. To his surprise, Bakura cackled back. "Yes, but will he?" he motioned to the Pharaoh, "I'm not done yet, hikari…"
Ryou gulped as he watched Bakura climb the last steps to the stage, grinning wickedly.
"Who's next?" one of the baby chicks asked, "You there, with the silver hair – are you ready for your photo with the Easter Bunny?"
"More than you can possibly imagine…" Bakura snickered under his breath.
Malik scrambled off of his back and ran into the Bunny's arms as the photographers started snapping away.
Bakura seized this opportunity to attack.
Drawing upon the Shadow Power of the Ring from afar, he summoned several eerily familiar creatures from the Graveyard. Twelve Toon Rabbits sprang into the crowd, laughing maniacally as they began spreading confusion and chaos. Fear dawned on the faces of many as they realized this was not part of the program, and several people tried to run, only to be knocked down as the duel monsters hopped erratically through the masses.
Bakura caught a glimpse of Yami in the madness and noted his look of grim determination.
/Not so confident in your abilities now, are you Pharaoh? Heh heh heh…It would seem I win again…/
The dark spirit was so busy basking in his own glory; he didn't notice several of the baby chicks taking off their masks. One of them tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, Bakura came face-to-face with a mall security guard. He froze when he saw the badge on the man's hat, then grinned sheepishly & shrugged.
"Can I help you, Officer?" he asked innocently.
"Yeah, would you follow us, please?"
Bakura gulped. "Certainly…" he croaked. Oh, how he hated law enforcement. They were always making trouble for him no matter what era he was in.
Taking a deep breath, he turned and dove into the crowd. "RUN!" he screamed as he darted for the exit. Unfortunately, the guards anticipated this reaction and weren't far behind. Baby chicks appeared around him on all sides, and soon Bakura was lost in a cluster of yellow feathers, hollering away as the guards fought to detain him.
Back in the crowd, Yami was busy using the combined powers of his Millenium Puzzle & Dark Magician to send the Toon Rabbits back to the Shadow Realm. Yugi and Ryou assisted by calming the frightened shoppers as Malik watched from the stage with the Easter Bunny.
The photographers continued to take pictures as the scene unfolded, likely hoping to get their shots on the evening news.
Once the emergency was over and everyone went back to milling around the stage, Yami joined the others as they watched Bakura's ongoing struggle with the guards.
"I knew Bakura would attempt something like this," Yugi sighed, "He never learns…" Ryou shook his head dismally. His darker half certainly was determined to dig his own grave.
Soon they were joined by familiar faces as Kaiba and Mokuba strolled up beside them. Considering Kaiba owned the mall, it was no surprise that the ever-cautious CEO had hidden security right in plain sight.
Yami nodded to the teen respectfully. "Thank you for your help," he said.
"You're welcome," Kaiba replied, "But I didn't do it for you. I really hate those rabbits…"
Yami chuckled as he recalled Kaiba's earlier run-ins with the monsters. "Fair enough," he agreed.
Seeing that his team now had everything under control, the brunette strode away without another word. Mokuba waved to everyone and wished them a happy holiday before trotting after him. Yami watched them go; hoping that one day Kaiba would warm up to the group, enough to consider them friends.
Filing that thought away as a possible future project, Yami returned to enjoying his most recent success – the end of Bakura's antics.
Even if the Thief eventually managed to escape, this experience would keep him from wreaking havoc for awhile.
Waving a small gift bag under Yami's nose, Yugi joined in on the celebration.
"What's this?" the Pharaoh asked.
"Victory Snack!" Yami opened the bag to find colorful jelly beans of all different flavors inside. Yugi beamed at him. "You know Malik can't all of those by himself."
"Well, thank you. Don't mind if I do." Yami popped one of the candies into his mouth and grinned. Victory never tasted so sweet.
Malik joined them soon after, a fistful of photographs clutched to his chest. Their mission accomplished, the team headed happily out of the mall and into the warm sunlight.
-Fin-
Notes: Ah Bakura…when will you learn? They don't call Yami the King of Games for no reason, ha ha! Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about his misadventures – they were certainly fun to write!
I couldn't help adding Kaiba into the mix either. His sour nature is just too much fun to work with. :D Let me know what you think in a review! Thanks for reading!