AGKamon: Greetings readers!
Marik: Hi.
AGKamon: Anyway, you'll be happy to know that I'm working on another piece of art that's related to Neutral, however, I am still being swarmed by homework. I swear that teachers think we students don't have lives. Also, my entire grade is going on a week-long field trip that starts on the 24th of this month. I'll try to get out another chapter by then, but you never know.
Kayla: Bakura, will you say the disclaimer?
Bakura: *would've said no to anyone else* Fine. AGKamon doesn't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh!, she only owns Kayla.
AGKamon: Personally, I think I got Yami Marik pretty much in character, but tell what you guys think. I'm not used to writing people who are that crazy. Start the chapter!
Kayla's P.O.V.
"Monique? Is that you? Are you alright?" a familiar voice worried. Wait, I've heard that voice before! I slowly looked up from the floor I'd been staring at to meet the purple eyes belonging to the Pharaoh; he was holding his hand out to me expectantly. Shakily, I took it, and he gently pulled me to my feet.
"I-I could be better…" I stammered. Cautiously, I glanced behind me once more; there was still no one there. Quickly, I tried to think of a plan; there was only one person left on this blimp that I knew could help me, and that person was standing right in front of me.
What's the harm in telling the Pharaoh? Even though my relations to Bakura and Marik technically make me his enemy; the Pharaoh will help anyone who needs assistance, and Bakura would understand my position.
"Are you hurt?" he asked. I swallowed a lump in my throat before speaking, and my fear simmered down so I could think straight. Instantly, I knew what to say.
"N-no, but there is something you need to know…Pharaoh." I heard him suck in a breath of air in shock.
"How do you know that?"
"My, my, Pharaoh, I'm surprised you didn't figure it out earlier. I will tell you everything, if you protect me."
"Protect you from who?"
"Who else? Marik's psychotic evil half! So, how about it, Pharaoh? Is it a deal?" I questioned. He was reacting just as I'd hoped.
"We'll talk in my room, this way." He beckoned for me to follow him, and I smirked while I did so.
"So what is this 'it' I was supposed to figure out?" the Pharaoh sighed as he sat himself in one of the armchairs in his room.
"Well…my name is not Monique LeBlanc, I'm not Bakura's girlfriend, I don't have a drop of French blood in me, and I only know the darker Bakura. I also know both sides of Marik, but the lighter side is kinda like a friend to me; the darker side is after me and completely creeps me out. Neither of them will admit it, but I'm probably Marik and Bakura's only friend; I was also their accomplice…before they…were sent to the…Shadow Realm…" That's when the reality of my current situation really set in.
He's gone…Bakura's really gone…
"So who are you really?"
"Kayla…Kayla Kossori…" I replied, my voice sounded depressed and monotonous, even to my own ears. A thought ran through my mind.
I feel the same way about Bakura, don't I?
"Why did you agree to, uh, work with Marik and Bakura?" he continued to question, but I didn't care anymore. I was already starting to miss Bakura. I was even missing Marik a little.
"Heh, it was my idea. I'd been spying on them for fun for a month before I revealed myself to them; then I threatened to find and tell you everything I knew if they didn't let me hang out with them. Obviously, they agreed to my terms." I smiled sadly at the vivid memory.
"Alright…what did you help them with?"
"First of all, I've been spying on you, Pharaoh, since I met them. I also helped Bakura and Marik out in their ruse to get Marik into your group of friends by playing the part of Bakura's concerned, French girlfriend Monique LeBlanc. Although…I think Bakura would be better off if he stopped listening to Marik; his plans always fail and Bakura's the one that always gets hurt…" I sighed and shifted my eyes to stare out the window.
"Why do you care? The darker side of Bakura doesn't care about-" the Pharaoh started.
"The last time someone said Bakura didn't care about me and didn't think of me like a friend got slapped. Do you want to get slapped Pharaoh?"
"Um, no. Sorry about that, but I've never seen the Spirit of the Millennium Ring care about anyone besides himself. It's a little hard to believe that he's capable of such emotions."
"Well, he is. I'm not…completely sure why he cares about me, but he does. Bakura's proven that to me on a number of occasions; he's an enemy to you though, so it makes sense that he wouldn't allow you to see his softer side. However, I cared about him, and he returned the favor by caring about me. Bakura was the only person protecting from Dark Marik, but now he's gone…"
"What happened to him? You said Marik and Bakura were sent to the Shadow Realm, but what happened?"
"Bakura didn't trust me alone while Dark Marik was running around, so he told me to stay in his room until that monster was taken care of. I was fine with that, and everything was great until I woke up earlier tonight. Bakura wasn't around, so I went looking for him. I found him and the spirit of the better Marik in the duel arena with Dark Marik. It was the end of the duel, Dark Marik must've of just summoned the Winged Dragon of Ra. Long story short, Dark Marik threatened to find me, Bakura told him to leave me alone, Ra attacked him and Marik - sending them to the Shadow Realm, I took the Millennium Ring before Dark Marik could, and I took off. That's when I ran into you…"
"You've spun a very interesting tale…Kayla, but how do I know if I can believe you? You've lied before after all." He was right, how could I get him to believe me? However, I needed him to believe me if he was going to help me survive. So I decided to act desperate; in truth, I needed him to protect me. There was no one else left.
"Please, you have believe me! If I go back out there, Dark Marik's gonna kill me…I don't know what to do anymore. I'm all alone now, Bakura and Marik are gone, and there's no one left who cares. I just need you to keep me out of Dark Marik's grasp until he's taken down. Although my relations with Bakura and Marik would normally make me your enemy, you're my only hope, Pharaoh! Please." He looked into my eyes, but he didn't reply.
"You seem sincere, but you were able to keep us fooled for so long, so I'm not sure whether I should believe you…" he commented.
"Why not? Are you upset that I, a mortal, fooled the great Pharaoh?"
Why can't he just believe me? Obviously, I was wrong in thinking he'd help me.
"No, that's not it at all! I just don't want you to be tricking me again so you can hurt me or my friends."
"Take a leap of faith, Pharaoh. Believe me, or I'm leaving. I have no reason to stick around if you're not gonna protect me." He scanned my eyes again, probably looking for any sign of deceit.
"…I…I'm not sure. I can't bring myself to trust you, I'm sorry," he said. I was shocked, he really couldn't believe me? I was being completely honest!
"You'll regret that when Dark Marik gets me…" I sighed before exiting the room.
"At least I have the Ring with me, it makes me feel a bit more at ease, but not by much," I said when I arrived at the room I used to share with Bakura. Suddenly, I felt the temperature drop, and the air felt heavier and darker. The sensation of a finger trailing down my spine made me whirl around, leaning against the door behind me. My eyes were wide when they met a pair of dark-purple ones.
"Ah, my dear, it seems the Pharaoh won't protect you. It's such a shame, isn't it?" Dark Marik purred, tracing lines on my face with his Millennium Rod, somehow, I managed to avoid getting pricked with the point.
"Wh-what d-do you want with m-me?" I stuttered, leaning as far away from him as possible. He simply leaned in closer; I was almost pinned against the metal door behind me.
"You are a very attractive young woman, my dear, I want to hear you scream with that pretty little voice of yours. Won't you give me that?" My blood chilled at the sadistic smirk he was wearing as he obviously eyed me and my terrified expression.
"N-no. J-just leave me alone…" I whimpered.
"Now, now, my dear, I'm afraid that wasn't the answer I was looking for. I'll give you one more chance to give yourself up willingly, but trust me, my dear, I don't take 'no' for an answer." He danced his fingertips down to my wrist from my shoulder; his hand then suddenly gripped my wrist. I winced at the strong hold he had, but I didn't react otherwise.
Someone please help me…
"Please…don't do this," I pleaded.
"Sorry, my dear, but we're going to have to do this the hard way. You'll be coming with me, if you don't mind." He harshly tugged me behind him in the direction of Marik's room, which he now occupied. Obviously, he didn't care whether I minded or not.
"No! Let me go!" I cried, desperately trying to pull out of his grip. His hand was like a metal cuff around my wrist; it didn't budge. He laughed at my panicked reaction.
"My dear, I'm going to enjoy hearing you strain your voice until you're rendered unable to speak." Next thing I knew, I was shoved through the doorway and landed on the floor. I looked up at the tanned monster standing over me.
Bakura…where are you…?
Bakura's P.O.V.
The air was silent, eerily so, except for the sound of quiet footsteps. It was so utterly dark that I could barely see a few feet in front of me.
"Bakura, can we rest yet?" an annoying voice whined. Ah yes, and then there was the fact that I was stuck here with Marik of all mortals. This was officially the worst trip to the Shadow Realm I've ever had.
We had been walking for hours since we awoke here in the Shadow Realm, and I needed to find the portal screen. It would allow me to see where Kayla was and what she was doing, but it was usually hidden and extremely difficult to find.
"You can, but I'll leave you behind. I don't care either way," I replied.
"Why are we looking for this thing again?"
"It will allow me to see how she's fairing without us around. I fear for her safety, as she's been left without protection from your dark side."
"You really do care for her, don't you?"
"So what if I do?"
"I've never really seen you get so worked up over anything; it's good to know that it's possible for you to care about someone other than yourself."
"Whatever. Although, why'd she slap you?" I heard Marik laugh behind me.
"I was about to say that you couldn't care less about her; she really surprised me!"
She was mad enough to slap Marik just because he was going to say that…? I wonder- My thoughts were cut off by a sudden, feminine scream. Even with the high-pitch distorting her voice, I knew who it was.
"Hey Bakura, didn't that sound like…?"
"Kayla…" I whispered. Without a second thought, I took off in the direction of it.
"Bakura wait!" I faintly heard the Egyptian call behind me, and the slight sound of a second pair of running footsteps told me he was following me. A square-shaped block of multi-colored light ahead of me caught my attention.
The portal screen.
"Let me go, please!" That was her voice again. I forced my legs to push me toward the light faster until I stopped directly in front of it, slightly panting.
"No…" I breathed at seeing the image.
"Bakura what the - Oh dear Ra…" Marik voice's alerted me to his presence next to me. The portal screen depicted the situation she'd currently found herself in. My fears were confirmed, Dark Marik had gotten to her.
"Oh, come now, my dear…why must you make this difficult for me? All I wish is to hear you scream again," Dark Marik purred, kneeling down to her level. He held onto one of her shoulders when she tried to move away. There was a trickle of blood running down her arm; he'd probably done that with the blade on the end of the Millennium Rod.
"N-no…please, let me go…" Kayla whimpered, letting out a small yelp when he pressed the tip of one of his fingers into the cut she had on her upper arm. Her midnight-blue eyes were brimming with tears that she refused to let fall, and she watched in horror as Dark Marik sampled the blood he'd collected on his finger. He grinned as he grabbed the Millennium Rod from the ground next to him; the blade on the end gleamed menacingly in the moonlight streaming in from the windows.
"Then I'll just have to find a way to make you scream, my dear..."
"He's crazier than I ever imagined," Marik said quietly, eyes wide.
"We have to find a way out of here, Marik. She counts us as her friends; we can't let the trust she put in us to waste." The images on the portal screen had faded, leaving me with no idea on what was happening to her now.
"Agreed, at least one of us has to get out there."
"Then let's get going," I ordered. There were things that had to be done in order for both of us to be able to escape in time. Still, I knew, she would die a slow and painful death if we didn't save her, and I needed her to be alive.
AGKamon: Originally, I made the Pharaoh help Kayla, but that wouldn't be as dramatic, would it?
Kayla: I guess not...reply to the reviews now!
AGKamon: I was getting to that...
katz341 - You were right, she encountered Yami! I eagerly returned your 5 cyberhugs because you loved the last chapter and called it 'amazah'. Yeah, I'm still trying to get used to Photoshop, and I've done some other pieces in Paint, so I guess that's why it came out well. I figured out how to get my pencil/paper drawings on my computer, so the one I'm working on is using that method, and I'm completely using Photoshop for it. Tablets are very magical, you gotta catch 'em all! Oh dear Ra, I can't believe I just referenced Pokemon... Moving on~, I'm totally looking forward to the next chapter of Exercise, and you're next review.
sorecess of the nile - Yay~! Both my reviewers were right in thinking it was Yami! And also, I'm glad you think Marik and Bakura are pretty much in character because I'm trying to accomplish that. If you thought Yami Marik was terrible last chapter, I would love to see how you describe him now...
Thanks to both of you for reviewing again! Let's try to get to 20 reviews~! Just 3 more to go!
Bakura: *rolls eyes* There's nowhere else for us to go, so we'll obviously be here next chapter.
Marik: See you then!
Kayla: *glomps Bakura* Keep reading and reviewing!
Bakura: W-would you stop doing that?
Marik: Hey...you stuttered again...
Bakura: Shut up, Marik.
AGKamon: *ignores the argument between Marik and Bakura that will obviously happen* I'm looking forward to your reviews! *waves*