Author's Note: And here is chapter 2! Also, let the misunderstandings continue!
Shadows of Anarchy
…Ryou blinked when the fireball-throwing blonde woman appeared in his field of vision and started trying to help him sit up. Dazed though he was, he was aware enough to know that there was very little chance of him actually getting to his feet in time to avoid being stepped on or otherwise killed.
Still, he made an effort to help the blonde and he actually managed to get into a sitting position. Unfortunately it was too little, too late, as the trolls recovered from having a fireball thrown into their faces.
The former holder of the Ring swallowed thickly, one eye closing to avoid getting blood in it, not that it would matter much longer, and took a second to pray that he wouldn't run into Bakura in the afterlife.
As if the trolls weren't bad enough, Ryou somehow noticed the area around him and the woman getting brighter, and he felt a curious sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach when he saw the fireball coming towards him.
'Really? The trolls weren't enough?' was what ran through his mind, the thought oddly lucid as he watched the fire approach, somehow unable to shut the one eye that he had open.
The blonde woman threw herself over him, and he would be the first to admit that that took courage, even if it wouldn't do any good. He was almost resigned to his fate of being barbequed when, unnoticed by him and the fireball-thrower and the other creatures around, his shadow deepened and grew larger than even the light of the approaching flames could explain.
He did notice when the darkness of his shadow rose up around him and the woman on top of him, even though he only distantly registered that the shadow looked vaguely familiar as his vision went black and he fell into the darkness of unconsciousness…
Ryou groaned softly as a beam of light penetrated his eyelids and forced him to regain consciousness, and though he had difficulty opening his eyes (especially the eye on the side where he had gotten hit with a chunk of asphalt) he managed it after several minutes. As he blinked furiously in an attempt to get used to the sudden change of light, his first action was to roll over so that the sun wasn't shining directly into his sensitive orbs…
Wait, the sun? It had been nighttime when he had gotten into the middle of that woman-and-troll fight!
The eighteen year-old* whitette's eyes widened as he was fully catapulted into the waking world, and he jackknifed into a sitting position, something he regretted immediately afterwards as his head vehemently protested the sudden movement. Through the raging pain in his head, he registered the fact that he was still holding a surprisingly intact McDonald's take-out bag.
Would wonders ever cease? He was attacked by trolls, nearly blown up, and he apparently still had a cold hamburger and a diet coke to look forward to.
Ryou sighed, the pain in his head, centered on his temple, receding just enough that he could focus and look around and try to find out where exactly he was.
From what he could see, he was in some kind of palace**, the outer entrance if the glaring sun was any indication. Columns lined the sides of the room, sunlight filtering between them, and two large obelisks stood at the end of the chamber, a massive bowl between them containing what looked like a bonfire. He couldn't bring himself to look more closely at his surroundings, as the bright light wasn't doing his headache any favors.
The former holder of the Millennium Ring set the take-out bag next to him and braced himself on his hands as he finished taking stock of where he was and the condition he was in. A tentative touch of his temple revealed that the wound had stopped bleeding and the blood had dried, but it still hurt like no tomorrow and the dried blood was bound to start flaking and itching soon.
He was not looking forward to that...
A soft moan drew his attention to the previously unnoticed body sprawled next to him, and closer inspection revealed the features of the fire-hurling blonde woman.
Ryou sighed softly, his head still pounding, and he somehow knew that this wasn't going to be an easy explanation.
Molly moaned again as the apprentice wizard began slowly fighting her way back from the depths of unconsciousness, marveling as she did so at the fact that she could regain consciousness.
Since the last thing she remembered was a huge fireball hurtling towards her and the white-haired woman, she had the faint hope that maybe Harry Dresden, her wizarding mentor, had showed up and saved them just in time. It only took her opening her eyes to dash that hope, however, since last time she checked Harry didn't own anything close to a palace.
The stone beneath her was a sandy color, as were the surrounding columns, and the blinding sunlight was, well, blinding.
She squinted against the sunlight and raised one hand to shade her eyes as she looked around, her blue eyes immediately landing on the whitette sitting next to her a few feet away, and now that she was clearly able to see the other woman's injuries she winced in sympathy. Having had a little experience with them herself, she knew that head wounds hurt like a bitch and could cause all sorts of problems.
Molly pushed herself up to her knees, sparing a moment to be grateful that she'd decided to wear jeans when she'd went for her late-night walk instead of a skirt…wait, late night. 'Night' being the key word, so why was the sun shining brightly enough to sear her corneas if she wasn't careful? She couldn't possibly have been unconscious for that long, could she?
Worry about lost time later, she told herself firmly, first thing to do was make sure the other woman was alright, find out the whitette's name, and then figure out where the heck they were.
Hopefully in that order, she thought to herself.
The apprentice wizard shuffled over so that she could get a good look at the wound on the young woman's temple, saying as she did so, "Um, hey, my name's Molly Carpenter, and I guess the first thing I should do is say 'sorry I got you attacked by trolls'?" She tried to put a joking smile on her face, but the expression fell short of the mark.
And, still put off by the injury-induced headache and used to speaking in Japanese, Ryou forgot a crucial piece of information as he muttered, "Ah, my name is Bakura Ryou…" Yes, he forgot that family names came second when introducing yourself in English. And by the time he remembered, it was too late.
Molly nodded thoughtfully, taking a moment to look over the whitette ('Bakura, huh? Not very feminine, but then again maybe names were different wherever she was from…') both to check for any injuries she might have missed and to get her first good look at the other woman.
She had to admit that Bakura was an attractive woman, with her oddly beautiful, spiky white hair, pale skin, and wide green eyes. The whitette was wearing a pair of light blue jeans, worn yet comfortable looking sneakers, and a pale cream shirt, that Molly could just barely make out, underneath her soft gray jacket which had been zipped up almost all the way.
The wizard-in-training also took a moment to mull over the white-haired woman's voice, which was soft, polite, and gentle but at the same time strangely deep. She shrugged that thought off and concentrated on what was more important, namely field-dressing Bakura's head injury and hoping that the other woman didn't have a concussion.
After digging through her pockets and coming up with nothing besides lint, a piece of string, and her blasting rod which she had somehow managed to keep hold of, she was forced to conclude that she would likely have to sacrifice a part of her shirt for something to bandage Bakura's – now thankfully clotted – head wound. Suiting action to thought, she sat back on her heels and spared no time in tearing the bottom of her t-shirt into two-inch wide strips. She only stopped after she had torn up half her shirt, leaving her belly exposed.
Molly snickered when she looked up and saw Bakura looking away with a red flush on her face, and she quickly concluded that the other woman was shy.
Several minutes later, and she finished tying the knot to hold the bandage in place over the other woman's injury, but she felt sorry that she couldn't do anything about the dried blood on the side of Bakura's hair, and she winced in sympathy when she saw that part of the whitette's hair was stained with the crimson liquid.
Come to think of it, Bakura wasn't the only one who could use a shower, the blonde thought as she shifted into a more comfortable position and sat back to admire her handiwork. Sure, the bandage wasn't the neatest job ever, but at least it got the job done!
Molly glanced around and asked aloud, not really directing it to anyone, "Where the heck are we?"
*- Seemed like a good age, especially since it meant that some time has passed since the Ring got buried.
**- Mausoleum of the Emperor field spell card. Its effect isn't really important though.
Author's Note: And the Molly's confusion over Ryou's gender continues! I'm having fun with that little misunderstanding! :D Next chapter you get even more information about what happened, so please be patient while I battle the crazed plot bunnies! Please R&R and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is welcome!