Dreams and Memories

As it turned out, Max and Bakura did escape from the sanctuary before it could cave in. Exhausted from the battle and the excitement, they lost consciousness and wound up at the river. Bakura came back to his senses and started gasping for air. "All right," he was telling himself, "one down and five guardians to go. And then the seven Items and the Millennium Star will be ours." He looked around and saw that Max was still out of it. He gently nudged her to wake her up, but she slipped and sank. The water was gentle where they were and wouldn't carry her away. Other than that, she could breathe underwater thanks to the magic of the Cobalt Star. Bakura wasn't even concerned about the crocodiles coming to strike her. Even animals as well as monsters can sense the supernatural; so Max was safe from even dangerous predators.

Seeing Max look so peaceful as she sleeps underwater, Bakura starts to recall some distant memories from his early years, before he had lost everything. Before the destruction of Kul Elna, Bakura had a home and a family. In the outskirts, there wasn't much for anybody. There was little food, less water, few essentials, and not many good people. In fact, the region was dominated by bandits, deviants, and wanted fugitives; not just followers of the Dark Lord. How could anyone live in happiness when living among thieves and murderers? But the Cobaltites had their part of the kingdom and so did the Millennials. They would mind their own business in the day, but would do their work at night; raiding the nearest villages and assaulting anyone who got in their way.

Even as a little boy, Bakura was an expert. Though he had never given himself to the Dark Lord and didn't really want anything to do with his wishes, he would still join his fellow villagers. Sometimes at night, the Dark Lord would appear in Bakura's dreams, trying to guide him and lead him to his destiny. In Bakura's case, Cobalt was trying to control his path. But the boy wanted to control his own destiny. Bakura couldn't change who he was, but he couldn't embrace it either. In fact, he could never figure out what it was that he really wanted. Still, he was helpless to defy his destiny as heir of Cobalt.

Nothing is easy even for the heir of Cobalt. He could control his negative emotions and his temper. And although he was popular for just being who he was, he was never happy. Like Mystery, Bakura didn't have many friends. But unlike her, he actually didn't want any. He liked being alone and doing things his own way. But that changed when he met her; a small girl who looked like she was about his age; at least four or five years old. Her hair was black as ebony and her eyes were gold like the treasures his comrades stole. Bakura had never seen her in the village before, so he figured she was a city dweller and a city dweller had no place with an outsider.

But no, she was also an outsider. She had been raised in the city, but ran away and came to the outskirts. The child knew right away that she was adopted and wanted to find her parents. When she learned from her adopted mother that she came from the village of Kul Elna, she set out on a journey to head to the village. Sure, she was a little girl, but she was very resilient and had a lot of moxie. Like all other little children, she was very curious and lively and there was so much she wanted to see.

Bakura didn't like putting up with such nonsense, but every time he tried to avoid her and leave her alone, she followed him. She didn't know what it was about the boy that she liked, but she followed him around. For the girl's sake, he showed her around the village. But he refused to help her find her parents. That was her own task and she had to carry it out herself. Sad to say that she had no luck. None of the other villagers were kind or looking for a child. Every individual she came across immediately rejected her and pushed her away. But she wouldn't give up. Before the day was through, she left the village and returned to the city, but promised herself that she would return.

The children met again the next day. Finally, she introduced herself as Luna, but Bakura didn't introduce himself in the same pleasant manner. He instead gave her a nasty look and asked her why she had come back.

"If my parents are here and I belong with them, then this is where I belong," she answered. She was actually very bright for her age. "I won't give up on finding them. But what about you? Why are you alone?"

"That doesn't matter," he told her, "go home," and began walking away.

"But I want to stay here," she whined.

Bakura looked back and asked, "Why? Even if your parents were here, you wouldn't know which house belonged to them."

That actually was the truth. Other than that, Luna didn't come back to the village just to find her parents, but actually for Bakura. He was the only one in the village who was actually nice to her. "Well, until I do find them, would it be all right if I stayed with you? I really don't want to go back."

Bakura's eyes widened and he barely gasped. Was she serious? Clearly this girl had no idea who she was talking to. Then again, how could she considering the fact that she had never lived in the village before? "No, go away," he silently demanded. "I would rather be on my own, alone."

"But it's always nice to be with a friend," Luna told him.

"I don't want any friends," he retorted. "Now go away and leave me alone."

Luna looked like she was about to cry. "Why are you so mean?"

Bakura put his hand over his face and sighed of frustration. "Oh, for the love of-" he mumbled to himself. "Did you honestly believe that people would just welcome you back home with open arms? In the outskirts, we are all servants to the Dark Lord Cobalt. No one here is friendly. And we certainly don't have patience for annoying little girls like you. Now I'll say this one last time, go home," he said coldly.

Luna tried not to show Bakura that he was hurting her feelings. Instead, she tried looking at his anger another way. He was just like her; lonely and misunderstood. Maybe that could change if she reached out to him. They could even help each other. She could be his friend and in return, he could teach her what it meant to be one of his kind. Luna walked up to Bakura and held his hand. "Come on, please?"

A new feeling started coming over Bakura from the moment he felt Luna touch his hand. It was like he suddenly wanted to be with her. Perhaps it was good that she didn't know who he was and maybe it would be nice if he had a real friend. He firmly grasped her hand and they began walking together.

For several days, Luna and Bakura had met up and played together. As time passed, Luna started to forget about looking for her parents and wanting to live with them. At the same time, Bakura didn't feel like stealing or getting into fights with the other village boys. Pondering over these strange emotions, he couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, he couldn't even stop pacing back and forth in his house. He thought he was feeling sick, but his parents couldn't find anything wrong with him. They wondered if he was getting back the loving innocence they thought he lost on his fifth birthday, when his heart turned dark; that all the good things were coming back to him. They even wondered, could he be in love?

When Bakura and Luna met again the next day, the girl noticed that her friend seemed lost in his thoughts. She also noticed a change in his behavior. Just when he started out as a mean little boy, he now looked like he was starting to have fun. She had even seen him smile a few times like he had meant it; especially when Bakura told her he was feeling bothered by the heat.

They went to the river together to cool down. They both went in the water, but only let it touch them below their knees. Bakura still tried understanding why he was feeling so differently towards her. Clearly she was different from the other village girls, but why? Was it because she had been raised by followers of Millennia and that she was more lively and fun?

Luna poured water all over herself to cool the rest of her body. She noticed that Bakura was still looking bothered and figured she could shake him up a little. "Hey," she called.

He turned and gave her his attention. "What? Ahh!" he gasped, feeling the cold water splash against his face.

Luna giggled and told him, "That'll wake you up."

Bakura shook his head and wiped his face. He tried not to laugh, but it was hard to keep a straight face. He saw that she was trying to have fun, but he wasn't really one for games, let alone humor. But he was very cunning and crafty and had a few tricks of his own. He grinned and pushed Luna, making her fall back.

"Ahh! Cold!" Luna cried, feeling the water surround her entire body and soak her clothes.

Bakura walked towards her and chuckled. "Have you cooled off enough?"

This time, Luna gives him a dirty look. He didn't have to push her so hard. She was just playing. She grabs Bakura's ankle and pulls it, causing him to fall back and get soaked. "That was payback," she barked, now standing up.

"You started it," Bakura argued, and they both started scooping water and splashing it against each other. It was both a game and a fight. They were laughing and giving dirty looks at each other. Deciding that he's had enough, Bakura lunges his body towards Luna and they both fall in the water; thus stopping the endless splashing.

Luna and Bakura get out of the water and wrap towels around themselves to dry off. With their clothes drenched and nothing else to wear, they couldn't go back to the village. To pass the time, they decided to talk to each other.

Bakura is the first to speak up. "Luna," he began.

"Yeah," she answered.

"When you find your parents, will you stay in Kul Elna? I mean, none of the villagers seem to like you. Not even the children your age want to play with you."

Luna sighed. "I know. I've often wondered if it's because I was raised by followers of Millennia. But I really want to be with my own kind. I'll never learn to if they won't give me a chance. But after being with you, I don't know anymore."

Bakura felt his heart racing. It was happening again, this warm and cozy feeling he thought he had forgotten even after all the times he had been embraced by his parents. "Do you only come to the village to find your parents or is it because of something else?" He had to ask because if he really was developing feelings for her, then he really wanted her to stay with him.

"I told you; to learn to be part of my own kind," she answered. "But you know, finding my parents was supposed to be what I wanted, but now, I'm not so sure anymore. Why should I try to find them? They didn't even want me after I was born. Then again, maybe I did see them. They could have been one of the many people who said they didn't leave a child at the palace." Thinking about it made Luna feel so upset that tears started filling her eyes.

Bakura places his hand over Luna's and tells her, "You're very strong for a little girl."

She faces him and shakes her head. "Not strong enough." She leans her head closer to Bakura's and rests it upon his shoulder. Bakura wanted to kiss her, but at the same time, he wanted to fight his emotions. But how could he?

The memories finally stop. "It's been eighteen years since that day," he whispers to himself. He places his hands against his chest and feels his heart racing again. He had remembered everything, but his friend had forgotten everything. He thought it would be better that way after meeting her again several years later, but he remembered that the Cobalt Star bonded his mind with Max's; making whatever he saw mentally appear before her eyes.

But it was all right as long as Max was unconscious. She would think nothing of it. When the scene ended for her, she finally opened her eyes and came back up to the surface. "Mother of Cobalt, what a weird dream I had," she told herself. Then she saw Bakura sitting by the water with only his lower body covered. She put on a look of feeling awkward and said, "Or maybe I'm still having it."

Bakura grinned and shook his head. He wanted to keep her convinced that his memories were just dreams. But it didn't always work. Max had asked Bakura several times if these dreams really were long lost memories. She had always convinced herself that she had buried many dark secrets within her heart; secrets that could have dangerous ties to her long forgotten past. In words, Bakura told her that these were just dreams. Max had a feeling he was lying, but she wouldn't know for sure yet; not until she had seen more. But who knows if Bakura will let her see what she wants to, or rather what she needs to? The truth could be too much for her. Over the past few years, she had also seen some frightening images that triggered what looked like scenes from her past; the same scenes of blood and shadows from her nightmares. Her nightmares, Bakura's memories, were they intertwined?