Hey, guys! Happy New Year! Woohoo! Celebrating with a new chapter. :) Just to warn you, I kinda sped through the duel scene...eheh. I hope none of you hate me for that. Hope you all had a wonderful time during the holidays. I really want to thank you all for staying with me for so long, as well as you lovely recent readers. I'm nothing without you. Thank you so much.
The two dashed back downstairs, caught up in the moment they'd shared in the suite, caught up in their kiss. Lucy tried to stay positive, but she couldn't help thinking of challenges they had yet to face. Both Bakura and Lucy knew of them, yet neither of them spoke about it. Instead, they took their seats at a table in the back of the room, away from the others. Lucy ate a small meal, while Bakura sat next to her, sipping his drink in silence. Their ability to comfort each other without speaking was something neither of them had ever experienced with another. Whatever words that needed to be shared had no need to be spoken in order to be heard.
The Pharaoh appeared from behind them, "Hello, Lucy. Bakura…" Only Lucy turned to look at him. "Pardon my interruption, but I was wondering if I could have a word with you, Lucy."
Lucy looked to Bakura. If she hadn't known as much about him as she did now, she probably would have missed his body tense up and his eyes harden, making her hesitate. "Umm…"
Suddenly Bakura snapped out of it, acting chipper as he said, "It's quite alright, Lucy. I'll just go grab some dessert for us."
Lucy was stunned for a moment before she remembered he was supposed to be Ryou. She looked at Bakura and said quietly, "Okay. I'll see you in a bit."
He smiled (on the outside), and dismissed himself from the table.
As soon as he turned, he frowned. What does he want with her? I will not let him take her away from me…!
Lucy looked up at the Pharaoh, and nearly felt like slapping herself for not noticing the differences between him and Yugi. I know that voice… She saw his confidence the most: the way he stood, sturdy yet amicable, and the way he spoke could intimidate or calm anyone he spoke to, and it sounded smooth and soft in its deep timbre. "What's up, Yugi?"
"You know that's not who I am, Lucy…" he sounded drained, "I know you know."
She stared at him for a moment, stunned. She knew nothing of the Pharaoh, only when he took Yugi's place on their outings…but surely, he would act like Yugi the same way Bakura would act as Ryou…there must be differences between them.
Bakura must hate him for a good reason…and I've put enough trust in the wrong people already… "So what should I address you as?" she said with a sarcastic undertone, "Your highness? My king? Pharaoh?"
"No! Lucy, I was once a pharaoh, yes, but…not here." His eyes looked void of all life at that moment. "Everyone just calls me Yugi, since they have no other name for me."
She paused for a moment, trying to register what he said. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly, He doesn't know his name? …he doesn't know his name…oh God…
"I have no memory of anything about myself or who I am," he admitted "Who I was."
"Oh…" Her face went red with shame and embarrassment, "I'm sorry. That was very rude of me…please, sit." Lucy moved the seat next to her.
"Actually, I was hoping we could talk more privately."
"Oh, umm…" Lucy glanced towards Bakura, who appeared to be in the middle of a seemingly friendly conversation with Marik. Lucy gaped. Is he really…?
"I am not the man who Bakura accuses me to be. Please, trust me…"
His plea managed to soothe her. She nodded and followed him out of the room when they thought Bakura wouldn't see.
He wasn't much taller than her. Maybe an inch or two. He walked with a purpose in his stride. He walks like a king, Lucy thought. He led her to an empty hallway, fully lit to make the floors look like they were glowing. The brightness made Lucy uncomfortable, but when she saw the Pharaoh's proud stance diminish, her fears emptied, only to be refilled with concern for the man she somehow knew. This is the guy Bakura hates? Why?
"So," Lucy broke the silence, "What's on your mind, Pharaoh?"
"Hmm?" he raised an eyebrow, "You really don't have to call me—"
"But it feels right," she smiled at him as she would a friend, "Now tell me."
"All right…" he paused, trying to find the right words, "You know that stone that Téa and I went to see in the museum?" She nodded. "Well, we went to look at that specifically because it was supposed to help me learn more about my ancient past…
Lucy, carved in that ancient stone was a picture of two men: one was a pharaoh, who is presumably me; the other looked strangely like Kaiba."
"Kaiba?"
The Pharaoh nodded his head, "Yes. They were on opposing sides…and in the middle there was a girl, who looked just like you."
Lucy's eyebrows jumped to her hairline, her jaw dropped, "What?"
"In the middle of what appeared to be our battle was a girl who looked like you. I couldn't read the inscriptions, and all names that were once inscribed have been carved away, but maybe you have an ancient past as well."
"I don't know much about it," she admitted to him, "All I really know is it has to do with Bakura."
"Bakura was part of our ancient past?'
"I suppose so…but neither of us knows how. He seems to remember a great deal about you, though."
"Does he?" the Pharaoh turned back towards the cafeteria, curious about just how much Bakura knew.
Lucy sensed she'd said too much, and quickly tried to change the subject back to them, "But…why? Why would I be between you and Kaiba, of all people?"
"Kaiba, too, has an ancient past. One he continuously rejects. As intelligent as he may think he is, he is conceited and blind to the truth… But to answer your question, Lucy, I do not know…"
Again he looked lost and lifeless. He slumped, ever so slightly, but it was enough for Lucy to pity him. This is probably really frustrating for him… He's spent 5,000 years not know his own name, not knowing who he is, or how he got trapped in the Puzzle.
"Pharaoh?" he looked up at her, his eyes filled with unspoken sorrow, but they still held gentleness in them when he looked at her big, blue eyes and cascading brown locks. He looked at her as if she were his lifeline at the moment. Lucy, please hear my thoughts…
Something in Lucy stirred as he stared at her with violet eyes, something both similar and different to how she felt when Bakura looked at her. "We will find a way to answer all of our questions. Have hope, and keep faith."
He smiled, and his eyes seemed to glow when he did. "I don't have any proof for this, Lucy, but that girl had to be you. I feel it!" he took her hand and looked in her eyes, "I know you, Lucy. I can't explain it, but…I feel it. When I see you, something awakens inside me that was dormant for…" he scoffed humorlessly at his loss for words, "for probably as long as I've been locked away. We must have known each other! We must have been a part of each other's lives somehow! How can I feel this way when we don't even know each other?"
He came closer to her with each exclamation. Lucy's eyes shifted around them, and she took her hand away quickly, and backed into the wall.
"I'm sorry," he said frantically, "I didn't mean to… It's just… I'm sorry, Lucy. Please forgive me." He turned away from her, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
Her eyes softened in understanding. "I feel like I know you too, somehow…but whatever sense of familiarity I have with you, it isn't as strong as when I am with Bakura… I feel more comfortable with him while I'm figuring this out." She heard a shift down the hall, but dismissed it as nothing, choosing to focus on the man before her.
"And that's why you've been spending so much time with him," he concluded.
She nodded, "But looking at you now, I feel something…and just from this conversation alone, I feel like I can trust you…like, you've been a close friend of mine since we were kids…" she chuckled light-heartedly, "There's something about your eyes that just resonates in me."
He smiled again, making her heart swell unexpectedly, flooding her with warmth.
A sense of weakness quickly came over her as she fell into darkness...
A man in white robes stood over her. His dark violet eyes were gazing upon her fallen figure. His tri-colored hair was spiked, and he wore the Millennium Puzzle about his neck. Is that…? Lucy thought. His skin was tanned, and he smiled brighter than she had ever seen. He held out a hand to her. "Come on. You can do it. Don't you trust me…?"
She blinked, bringing herself back to the empty hall, and unconsciously lifted her hand to her rapidly beating heart, her body still on the floor. That voice…that was the Pharaoh's voice…what the hell?
"Lucy? Are you all right?" his voice was strained – panicked and uncertain.
"Umm, yeah…I'm fine." His concern for her didn't help calm her rapidly beating heart.
He held his hand out to her, and she quickly looked up at him in amazement. "Let me help you," his voice full of promise and hope.
She took his hand, and he pulled her up. "We should get back," she said, "The duels will probably start soon, and Bakura is a lot of things, but he's not oblivious. I'm sure he's noticed I'm gone by now."
"Right." He dropped her hand, and the two walked side-by-side back to the dining hall.
When they returned, Lucy almost immediately saw Bakura sitting alone, his back to them.
The Pharaoh turned to her. "That's the Spirit of the Ring, isn't it?"
Ignoring the question, she said, "I should go to him. You are my friend, Pharaoh, you all are. I will help you in any way I can, and I'll always be here for you…but I have to be there for Bakura too."
Not waiting for his response, she left him and sat with Bakura.
Lucy sat next to Bakura, who didn't even bother to look over at her.
"Hey," Lucy said, trying to get his attention.
"Hey, yourself," he responded, still not looking over at her.
She stared at him, perplexed and wondering why he was giving her the cold shoulder. "Are you going to ask what that was all about?"
"No."
"Oh…" He's mad at me…great. Things were just going great, now he's mad at me…great.
"Attention, duelists!" one of Kaiba's servants called from the other side of the room, "It's time to select the first two duelists in the Battle City Finals!"
Bakura smirked, and turned to Lucy, "Are you ready to see how Duel Monsters is really meant to be played?"
She continued to stare at Kaiba's servants across the way. Now he's not mad at me? "I guess so…" she said nervously.
She followed him to where the crowd gathered and watched the machine pick out the numbers of the duelists. Tristan shouted "Bingo!" making a lot of people giggle, and caused Kaiba to throw a cold glare his way. It does look like those bingo machines though…
"The first person dueling is…Duelist number six, Bakura!"
Lucy froze in front of Bakura, as everyone else crowded around him, trying to convince him to stay in bed because he was too greatly injured to duel. Meanwhile, the Pharaoh gave him a skeptical glare. Then Lucy caught his eye, and his glare softened into a comforting half-smile. Lucy nodded and turned away quickly; closing her eyes and hoping things would turn out all right.
'And dueling Bakura will be…" Lucy shut her eyes tighter and balled her hands into fists. She didn't know who to expect, but wished that it would be anyone besides Marik or— "Duelist number three, Yugi Muto!"
Lucy's eyes shot open, and immediately, she regretted it. She felt the room spin from beneath her, and nearly lost her balance.
Bakura noticed her awkward footing and her sways. He shot through the concerned crowd and took hold of her, "What's wrong, Lucy?"
"Nothing…just air sick, I guess."
Bakura knew better than that, but didn't push anything. He held her tightly, and she didn't fight the urge to fall into him.
Kaiba's assistant instructed the duelists to follow him, while others followed Mr. Kaiba down another hallway. Everyone quickly followed suit, except for Bakura and the Pharaoh. Both seemed to care less about the duel and more about the girl in front of them.
Lucy looked up at the Pharaoh and half-smiled, trying to ease his concern. "I'll be all right," she said in his direction, "Go on up." He smiled at her, then looked to Bakura and nodded his head before turning from them both and strode down the hall he was told to take.
Bakura looked down at her in shock, "What's that about?"
"Now you're concerned?" she asked, releasing herself from his grip.
"No," he lied, "I just don't want him becoming—"
"Becoming what? A friend? That's all he is…!" I don't understand why he detests him so much. He's so kind. And I just feel like he would never be capable of doing something to cause Bakura to hate him.
She waited until the spite inside her died down before she continued, "I'm worried."
Bakura's eyes softened slightly as he looked down at her, "You believe I won't win?"
"Yes…no…that's not what I mean. Whatever rivalry you have with the Pharaoh seems to be about as ancient as it is intense, and I don't even know why you hate him as much as you do! I just feel like something is going to go wrong…"
He took a step closer to her, but didn't touch her, "Everything I do, I do because I must. I'm trying to help us. With this victory, we'll figure out more about ourselves—"
"How can you be doing what's best when you're working with Marik?" she took a step back from him.
He was silent for a moment, staring at her sadly. "You'll just have to trust me…"
She sighed. "How can I trust you?" she took another step back from him, "I don't know why you do these things…it scares me."
"You seem to be forgetting that I'm not the only one who made a deal with him," his eyes narrowed, hidden flames directed at her.
"I admitted it was a mistake!" she defended, "I amended my faults! What could you possibly gain from working with him?" Bakura remained still and silent. "What?! Tell me!"
He said nothing, but turned and walked down the path he was told to for the duel. Hands in his pockets, he left her standing in the middle of the empty room…until he heard her sob softly. Damn…
He stopped and looked around, checking if there was anyone still left in the room. When he was certain there was no one, he turned to her, "I'm trying to collect the seven Millennium Items. There's a power in them that I need." At her look of confusion, he walked back to her, "I wasn't lying when I said they were to help discover our past."
"How could they help?" she asked, wiping her eyes quickly, wanting to hide the fact that she was crying (to no avail).
He smirked, "I'll tell you after I win." He kissed her, pouring his confidence into her, hoping she'd stay faithful to him.
Her confused look returned as they pulled apart. "What was that for?"
"For choosing me," he said simply, turning away from her and moving to the hallway.
"Good luck," she said, not thinking he'd hear, but he looked over his shoulder and smirked before disappearing out of sight.
Wait…choosing him? Over who? Her eyes widened as it hit her. That sound in the hall…that was him! That would explain why he didn't need to talk about it…that bastard!
"Ughhh!" Lucy groaned, running down her own hall and into an elevator, "Our entire freaking relationship is based on listening in on each other!" she yelled at nobody, pushing the top button with her entire hand as if she was hitting it, "What a solid foundation of trust!" She breathed out a heavy sigh of defeat and watched as the doors close in front of her.
The doors opened, revealing a dark sky filled with bright stars as a rush of cold air chilled her to the bone. Lucy immediately grabbed her arms and started to shiver. Holy shit that's cold…! She quickly moved to where her friends (and Marik) stood.
Out from two separate elevators came the duelists: Bakura and the Pharaoh. Bakura didn't bother to look down. There was only one person he needed to look at: his opponent, his enemy. The Pharaoh, on the other hand, looked down at his friends as they cheered for him before the duel started. His eyes lingered on Lucy, who he saw shake from the cold.
"Hey, Lucy!" The Pharaoh called out, "Take this!" He threw his jacket down to her.
She caught it, and looked up to him in bewilderment, "But…"
"I'll be fine." He winked at her and gave her a thumbs up. She beamed back at him.
Bakura was now looking down at Lucy, an eyebrow raised. She ignored him and put the coat on, turning away from his glance. I'm sorry…
In the background, Kaiba appeared that explained of the location is a test of strength and endurance. Next Lucy, Tristan said, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the duel!"
"Duelists, take your places!"
"Are you ready to lose it all?" Bakura chided.
"Not quite, but first, why don't you tell us all who you really are?" The Pharaoh retorted.
Lucy ignored the hushed murmurs behind her as she watched Bakura shed his disguise as Ryou. Oh man… She thought, looking from Bakura to the Pharaoh, then back to Bakura.
"So it is you, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring!"
"I don't get it guys," Marik said, "what's that around Bakura's neck?"
While Téa gave a half-ass explanation, Lucy glared daggers at him. You know what it's for you—
A big explosion took Lucy away from her thoughts. The Pharaoh kept attacking, and Bakura's life points kept getting lower until he apparently had that planned. All of a sudden Bakura seemed to have control as he played a card that enveloped everyone in darkness with eyes watching them. Lucy jumped, horrified at how realistic everything was.
But it is real, my dear…
Lucy spun to Marik, who only smirked at her. Get out, she thought.
Unfortunately for you, I cannot. Bakura is losing his place in the game now…so I need you.
What?
All of a sudden, the world around Lucy spun rapidly, coming to a sudden stop. Suddenly she was facing the Pharaoh, cards and monsters in between them.
What do you think you're doing? Marik barked.
Lucy turned and saw Bakura next to them. Ahh! What the hell, Marik?!
Silence! He yelled at her. Returning to Bakura, he said, As for you, either I control your moves from now on—
Never! Bakura said, eyes narrowed slits.
Or, Marik continued, I take your girlfriend from you…for good.
WHAT?! Lucy yelled, Over my dead body!
That, my dear, he cooed as he moved the sharp point of the Millennium Rod to her neck, is exactly the plan…
Lucy's eyes widened at his threat. She was speechless. She looked to Bakura, who appeared as untouched about Marik's threat. Marik, you will not harm her. You have no need to harm her. I will win this.
Marik chuckled at his confidence, Of course you will. I just thought I would give you some extra motivation. He emphasized the last word as he pushed the sharp edge closer to Lucy's throat.
With that, Lucy awoke in her own body, gasping for breath.
"Lucy, are you all right?" Téa asked. "You don't look well. Maybe you should go back inside."
"No, I'll be fine…thank you. I'm probably just getting dizzy from being up here and watching the duel."
Téa shrugged it off and turned back to cheer for "Yugi."
Bakura was looking at her again, and this time Lucy looked back at him. I'm so scared right now…
The duel continued, each player managing to bounce back, until Yugi summoned Slifer the Sky Dragon.
"Holy shit…!" Lucy nearly yelled, "Look at the size of it…" she turned to Bakura, who looked panicked and scared to the core.
I can't beat an Egyptian god… He looked to Lucy with such sadness in his eyes, but only she saw it. I'm sorry, Lucy. Let me at least do this for you…
His ring began to glow, but it was brief. At the same time, an aura appeared around Lucy that no one else could see. There. I know it's not much, but it's all I can do for you right now.
Marik entered his head once more and offered to trick the Pharaoh by switching places with Ryou. Bakura accepted for a short period of time…
"The pain…! Oh, God! Lucy?" he looked over to her, "Lucy, how did I get here? What's happening?"
"Ryou!" Lucy gasped, "Oh my God! You're going to be okay. It'll be all right!" she turned to the Pharaoh, "You can't! Please! He's hurt badly enough! Please!" Tears began to form in her eyes.
Bakura saw this, saw Ryou's pain, worst of all, he saw the Pharaoh was going to attack anyway, as reluctant as he was. "Marik, I can't let you hurt Bakura. He is my host, and I need to protect him."
He took over for Ryou, just as the Pharaoh was about to crack. He took the attack, and fainted. His body sprawled on the floor.
"Bakura!" Lucy screamed, forgetting the consequences of his losing completely. Everyone raced to him, but none faster than Lucy.
"He needs to get to a doctor!" Téa said.
"Kaiba!" this time it was truly Yugi who called, "We need to land! He needs to go to the hospital!"
Kaiba ignored them, and called his personal doctors to tend to him instead.
Throughout the commotion, Marik approached Lucy. He knew he'd never be able to kill her in front of people, so…
FLASH. His Rod glowed and faded, and Lucy fell on her knees, then the floor, next to Bakura.
Marik grinned as everyone crowded around Lucy. To the Shadow Realm…
Cliff hanger, I know. Sorry, we all hate those, but they mean well sometimes, honest! Thank you all again. Please feel free to review, I love your comments! The past few have been lovely and very encouraging (to those of you who wrote them, you have my undying gratitude, from one writer to another) and hey, IT'S 2015! :D