Ryou's Story
By: ACE329
Summary: This story is mine to tell. No, not the one whom most refer to as Bakura, the spirit of the millennium ring, just me. He already stole my name but I cannot—will not—let him take away the one thing that I have left…my words.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh!
Note: From this point on, when referring to the items, I will call them "Sennen" items instead of "millennium." This move is done for the sake of continuity; if I am calling the characters by their Japanese names I should preserve the Japanese name for the items. (The same doesn't hold true for dueling cards since it would get too complicated). Additionally, I've chosen to swap the word "Shadow" in "Shadow Realm" for "Dark." It was never called a "Shadow Realm" in the original and I'm simply opting to choose a name that doesn't sound so childish. Wanna argue about it? Then let's talk :)
A/N: Hi, everyone! I'm finally back. I realized it hasn't been since late July that I've had an update on "Ryou's Story," so I figure that's my immediate concern in terms of progress. I really have to thank all the people out there who are still glancing at this and even asking if I plan on updating! I apologize for the long wait, but as you all probably figured, this semester kicked me in the ass. Like, really hard.
And so I celebrate my first week of break by immediately catching up with my story. Please enjoy :)
Chapter Seventeen- The Lesser of Two Evils
He was reckless.
As Nameless strode down the long, vacant corridors of Pegasus' castle, I realized that he wanted to be found. He wanted the quickest way to reach Pegasus, and above all, he wanted the quickest way to obtain the Sennen eye. Whether he encountered the guards first or Pegasus, he didn't care, just as long as he reached his destination. Luck, however, has an odd way of working—when one actually wants to get caught, rarely is anyone around.
So that left Nameless to quite a bit of sleuthing around, idly poking about until someone had the misfortune of running into him.
"He has an obsession," he said, barely interested enough to turn his head in my direction. "It seems Pegasus has more interests than causing people unnecessary trouble." He was referring to the numerous portraits of the same woman, lining wall after wall. It was odd, yet I couldn't help but be fascinated with Pegasus' desire to have so many images of this person. Graced with flowing blonde locks and an attractive round face, this woman was quite beautiful. Who was she to Pegasus?
Before I could ponder on this any further, Nameless was already redirected elsewhere. "There are surveillance cameras everywhere. Was this supposed to be discreet?" Nameless batted at a tiny, but still noticeable, camera from behind a vase, sending it clear across the hallway. "Pathetic."
"I thought you wanted to get caught?" I watched Nameless as he peered up at another surveillance camera, wedged behind one of the portraits. "Um, what are you doing?"
He waved a hand in front of the miniscule lens, leaning in closer. "Checking to see if it's working."
I blinked back confusion as I watched him reach up and probe at the device. He positioned it so it was directly focused on him. Satisfied, his face broke out into his trademark sneer. "Pegasus, I hope you're watching," he began, his casual tone strangely threatening. "Because if you are, know that I'm going to find you and take something very important from you—I think we both know what that is." Nameless paused, maybe for dramatic effect, while I looked on disapprovingly. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter, so you better be ready to hand it over."
"That's really not how it works," I muttered out of earshot. I very well knew there was probably going to be some horrendous fight over it, and probably some bloodshed. Hopefully that blood wouldn't be coming out of my body.
Finished with his threat, Nameless tore the camera down from its spot and flung it against the wall. He watched with a pleased expression as the contraption burst into shattered pieces.
"Must you break everything?" I asked.
Nameless shrugged, continuing on his way. "He knows I'm here. It's only a matter of time until I reach him. Besides, I don't like being watched."
I said nothing in response, only observing as Nameless moved further into the labyrinth of Pegasus' castle. He walked with a confidence that suggested he owned the place. Ironically, if it were me (in my own body) wandering around, I would likely be tripping over my feet.
He stopped when his eyes caught on a double-locked door. There were several padlocks, and the door, unlike others, was made of steel. There was even a number pad to the right of it.
"That isn't obvious," Nameless remarked. "Clearly nothing of importance is in here."
"I suppose you're going to try to get in?" I asked. The numbers lining the security device went up to a hundred, guaranteeing that the chances of randomly selecting the right combination would be slim to none. I wondered how good the sprit's code-breaking skills were—and also if it would be unfavorable for me if he turned out to be a master decoder.
Nameless didn't bother to answer my question, simply evaluating the obstacle before him in silence. Then, without an additional second of hesitation, he raised his fist and smashed it into the wall, crushing in the number pad.
I instinctively gasped, and felt my cheeks burn as Nameless pierced me with a patronizing glance. I quickly recovered, changing the subject. "You won't be able to break those locks. And from the looks of them, I doubt you'd be able to pick them open."
As always, Nameless was unfazed. "You're right, I won't," he said. A smile played a corner of his mouth. "But something else will." I watched as he slipped his duel deck out of his pocket, hastily shuffling through them.
I was dumbfounded. "Really? Are you serious?" In my mind, I had envisioned some sort of high-tech device Nameless had stolen before our departure to the island, and here he was taking out gaming cards. What did he plan to do, hurl his deck at the door? I shook my head, fully aware my speculations weren't making any sense.
As he usually did when he grew tired of my talking, Nameless ignored me. Instead he picked out a monster card—"Man-Eater Bug"—and held it an arm's length away.
"Let's give this one a try," he said nonchalantly. The Sennen ring sprang to life, smoldering while its light spread to the card as well.
With a deafening roar, a terrifying creature with branch-length pincers surfaced from the tile floor. What was transparent immediately solidified, morphing a possible illusion into a bone-chilling reality. The "Man-Eater Bug" was no longer an image on a card, but a monster twice my size that was no further than a yard away.
My hand flew up to my mouth to suppress a cry of alarm. I had to keep reminding myself I was in my spirit form, hopefully free from harm. I prayed Nameless had control over this creature. Though that wasn't very promising of my safety either.
Nameless hummed his satisfaction as he admired his creation. "Yes, this one will do."
Without so much as a warning, Nameless ordered the monster to attack the door. The "Man-Eater Bug" rotated towards the obstacle, and, opening its jaws wide, let out a blood-curdling screech. Its gaping mouth soon filled with a ball of energy that rocketed outward towards the door.
The power behind the energy made the steel look like a scrap of tin foil as it crumpled and melted away. The surrounding wall gave way as well, reducing to a mere pile of dust. The new opening was still smoking before Nameless broke out into a laugh. "I hope that'll cost a fortune to fix! That's what happens when anyone tries to keep something from me."
I was still trying to recuperate from the shock of seeing a real monster blast through a stone wall. "Are you insane?" I managed.
Nameless didn't hesitate. "Yes." I believed him, too.
With as little effort it took to summon the monster, Nameless dismissed it with a careless flick of his hand. The ring glowed once more, its light swallowing up the monster whole. Aside from the massive gap in wall, the area fell silent as if the creature had never been there.
Not a word was exchanged between Nameless and me as we proceeded to walk through the entryway and down the dark stairs that resided past it. My eyes were constantly flicking from corner to corner in search of danger, though eventually, it grew so dark I could no longer see.
"Is there an 'on' switch with the ring?" I asked half-jokingly.
"What? Afraid of the dark?" came the slightly amused reply.
I decided to humor him. "Yes. Terrified, actually, of you falling into a trap and getting my body mangled."
Nameless snorted. "Fair enough." A blinding glow exploded from the ring, chasing away every ounce of darkness from even the tiniest crevice.
Let me tell you what the light revealed that caused not only me, but Nameless, to take in a sharp breath. Nameless may have been momentarily caught off-guard out of surprise, though I was legitimately horrified.
"Well. I have to give Pegasus credit," Nameless piped up. His tone of voice was only slightly off. "He's more of a bastard than I imagined."
The foot of the steps led to a sort of narrow hallway. Running along the perimeters of only its left side were cell blocks. My eyes skimmed across the countless rows of bars that stretched towards the room's end, and it took me a moment to realize there were bodies inside every cell.
"Oh my God," I whispered.
Wordlessly, Nameless walked up one of the cells and peered inside. I tentatively followed suit. There was a man in the corner of his prison, limply propped against the stone wall. His head hung low as he remained eerily still.
"Is he dead?" I asked hesitantly. Maybe I didn't want to know.
The answer I received was one I did not expect. "No," Nameless said definitively, after gazing ahead for while, "but his soul is gone."
I tried to absorb this. "What's…the difference?"
Nameless shot me a look to imply he was getting annoyed with me again. For asking too many questions. "Dark magic was involved. This man's soul is trapped somewhere, but it's hasn't 'passed on' to the afterlife."
I sucked in a breath. "That's horrible."
Nameless grunted. "I'm sure he hasn't been trapped for, say, three thousand years, so I can't say I take pity on him."
I had no idea what Nameless was getting at with that statement, so I pressed him on another question. "Why would Pegasus do this?"
"What am I now, a mind-reader?" Nameless snapped. "How would I possibly know the answer to that?" I shook my head defensively, feeling slightly wounded. He seemed so sure on everything else, why wouldn't I assume he knew the answer?
With a loud huff, Nameless moved on, his eyes roaming over every corpse as he moved down the hall. "Hey," he finally said, "You know this kid?"
That wasn't something I wanted to hear. I reluctantly appeared at Nameless' side. "Who?" I asked. I turned my head to where Nameless was pointing, soon realizing I did vaguely recognize the small body that resided in that particular cell. As to what that kid was doing hostage in Pegasus' castle, I had no idea.
"That's Seto Kaiba's little brother," I confirmed. I had only met him once, when I was on a rare outing with my loosely-knit group of friends. We were at an arcade, and I distinctly remembered the young child marching right up to Yuugi and giving him trouble. He clearly took after his brother, which meant by default he wasn't easy to forget. Despite his bratty attitude, I didn't dislike him…I felt sorry for him. With a brother like Kaiba (and, according to rumors, with no other family), the child just needed a positive influence; he was misled. He certainly didn't deserve whatever Pegasus was putting him through.
"We have to get him out," I said decidedly.
Nameless lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't come here on a rescue mission, Landlord. I'm here to take the Sennen eye."
"Yes, I know that," I replied impatiently, "but I can't just let a kid stay trapped in a cell in some psycho's castle while his soul is missing. We should try to save him."
Nameless barked a laugh. "You're really too much. Whatever made you think that I'd be willing to save a random kid—"
"He's not a random kid, he's the brother of someone I know."
"And do you happen to like this said someone…?"
I fidgeted. "Well, no."
"Then you see, you'd be wasting both our time. Forget the brat."
My shoulders slumped. I knew it was a lost cause asking something so 'heroic' of Nameless, but I thought it was worth a try. I'm sure the spirit of the puzzle would have saved Kaiba's brother without thinking twice about it.
Nameless proceeded to walk a few paces, then stopped. I eyed him warily as he glanced back at the cell containing Kaiba's brother.
"Unless…" he began. He didn't finish his thought, letting his voice die down. He was scheming something.
"Unless what?" I pressed.
"Maybe I will come back to retrieve the brat's body," Nameless said casually.
I didn't buy it. "Why," I said flatly.
"Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Yes, but why," I repeated. "What's in it for you?"
"Always so suspicious," Nameless tsked. "It could be possible—" He stopped. His head whipped towards the stairs. "Someone's coming." I soon heard oncoming footsteps as well and fought the urge to hide somewhere. I still hadn't adjusted to being transparent.
Just from the sound of feet hitting against the floor, I could tell whoever was coming was a giant of a person. The lumbering, heavy thud made me bite my lip anxiously.
The man who finally stepped into the wide ring of light Nameless' Sennen item provided proved my speculations correct. He was alarmingly tall, built, and menacing in appearance; undoubtedly a guard. His lips were thinned to a grimace when he observed the intruder.
"I was wondering when one of you morons would figure out something was…amiss," Nameless greeted. "Broken surveillance cameras, crushed-in steel door…" Nameless gave a nod of feigned respect. "Your training as a guard is really top-notch."
"Shut your mouth," the guard barked. He approached Nameless, looming over him by almost two feet. "Who are you to break in here and act like it's your God-given right?"
"Everything is my God-given right," Nameless replied with an amused smirk.
I could tell the guard was almost in awe of Nameless who, significantly weaker in physique, was fearless in running his mouth with as much disrespect as possible.
"I don't know if you really aren't afraid of me or are just plain stupid," the guard started. "But do you see those people in their cells?"
"How could I not?" Nameless quipped.
"Well that could be you real soon if you don't answer some of my questions."
Nameless hummed a low note in thought. "I can tell you right now that despite what you think, you are not in control of the situation. You won't get an answer from me, though you're welcome to try attacking me. I'm bored anyway."
The guard started for his target, but Nameless held up a hand. "Actually," he drawled. "I'm looking for Pegasus. Why don't you take me to him?"
"You know what? I've decided you're not being brave; you're just stupid," the guard said. "I need to teach you some respect."
A familiar spark lit up in Nameless' eyes which I instantly recognized as a dangerous combination of excitement and recklessness.
"Go for it." Then Nameless did one of the most insulting actions in combat; he turned his back.
If Nameless was attempting to infuriate the guard, it worked beautifully. As if all self-control snapped within that moment, the guard leapt towards Nameless, whipping out a gun from behind. My stomach dropped as the man poised the barrel right at the back of Nameless'—my—head.
"Wanna give me a hard time? Then you die." I heard the unmistakable click of the trigger being cocked.
There was a horrifying instant when I realized that a bullet could explode through my skull and kill me, just like that. I'd die in this underground prison and no one would ever know where I was.
But Nameless didn't allow much time for me to ponder this. With an almost inhuman agility, he slipped behind the guard and sliced into the air with the edge of his hand. It briefly—yet violently—came into contact with the back of the guard's neck, while at the same time I heard the ear-splitting sound of a gun being fired.
With the faint echo of the shot still reverberating in the air, I realized with overwhelming relief Nameless was the faster of the two. The guard emitted a heavy groan as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious. I had the urge to yell at Nameless for provoking the guard to the point of risking my life, but I was overcome with a pretty irrelevant detail.
"My body can do that?" I said in a mix of surprise and relish. My mind flitted back to how smoothly my body shifted behind such a hulking figure and inflicted a blow powerful enough to take him out.
"Your pathetic vessel doesn't make it easy," Nameless replied. As if he were stepping over a puddle of mud, he moved over the unconscious body. "I guess I'll have to find Pegasus on my own, then." He sighed.
I speculated that Nameless must have been in an unusually good mood that day. Because as I very well knew, if he weren't, he would have no qualms shipping the guard's soul to the Dark Realm. I guessed his mood must have been a result of being on a mission to retrieve a new Sennen item.
"Where are you going now?" I asked.
"Out of here, obviously." Nameless rolled his eyes. "There's nothing to do here except wait for him to wake up and waste more of my time." He shot the guard a glance before turning towards the stairs, about to leave. Then he stopped.
I knew what was on his mind. "Is that really necessary?" I demanded before Nameless even acted on his thought.
He crouched down and began rifling through the guard's possessions, his hands deftly grabbing a wallet, a knife, and the very gun that was used in vain to bring him down.
"I'm a thief, what else would I do?" Nameless asserted matter-of-factly. It annoyed me how proud he seemed of his lack of morals. He whistled as he examined the gun closely. "With my ring, I don't really have a need for this…but there's no harm in having a backup plan." It alarmed me how serious he was.
As his words still hung in the air, Nameless turned and retreated up the stairs, the room full of prisoners falling back into darkness.
Despite the guard's lack of information, Nameless found where Pegasus was residing—or hiding—fairly easily. All it took was a person who crumbled easily under pressure, a threat, and of course the ring.
As I already knew, the ring's spikes always point in the direction of a Sennen item, which helped to some extent in finding Pegasus. However, there was some sort of disturbance in the air of the castle, leading to an only semi-functioning ring. Sometimes it would direct us in the correct general area, other times it simply wouldn't work at all.
Upon realizing this, Nameless was of course annoyed. "This never happens," he growled. "What the hell could be causing this?" He let the ring drop from his hand, its pentacles jangling noisily as it swung from its cord.
"Thick walls?" I supplied.
Nameless angrily shook his head. "Was never a factor before." He stalked down the corridors in a brooding silence until he picked up on a new sound. I too was soon able to discern a faint, rhythmic squeak of a wheel as it drew closer.
A trolley cart rounded a corner, pushed by a young woman who was likely a sort of maid. She was humming quietly to herself until she caught sight of Nameless. She fell silent.
He took a step forward. "Hello," he said pleasantly. Ironically, it was his 'pleasant' tone that invoked the most fear within me. I was scared for the girl.
Wide-eyed, the girl clutched onto her cart. "Are you a competing duelist?" She seemed to know the answer even while she asked it. "Because you're not supposed to be in here yet."
Nameless ignored her question. "If that's true, then you need to work on security. I got in here quite easily." Actually, he wasn't lying. All we'd had to do was go through the back entrance. The door was even propped open, much to Nameless' delight.
The girl straightened her posture. "Please leave the premises until you have collected all ten star chips."
Nameless proceeded to walk up to the girl. "I'm not here to compete." A few paces later he was face-to-face with her, his features perfectly smoothed over. It was the mask hiding a monster.
Regardless of the calm façade presented to her, the girl sensed danger and started to back up. She never got the chance to move away any further, immediately snapped to a halt when Nameless pressed the stolen gun to her forehead.
She began to whimper out of utter fear when Nameless held up a finger.
"I only want to know one thing," he said softly. He took his time pressing the gun's cool metal against her skin. "Where is Pegasus?"
Sweat was beading on her forehead. "I-I was bringing him lunch," she whispered. I could tell she was trying hard to suppress her trembling, and I felt a stab of pity for her. "If you head back the way you came there's an elevator on your right." She took a deep breath. "Take the elevator to the fourth floor…it should be the second to highest one. There's only one room on that floor, but you'll need a card to get in."
Nameless seemed pleased with this answer. He wasn't finished, though. "And where might I get one of these cards? I assume you have one?"
"Y-yes."
Wordlessly, Nameless held out his free hand. The girl swallowed hard, and with slightly shaking hands, reached into one of her front pockets and pulled the card out. She dispensed the object into Nameless' open hand, careful not to come in contact with his skin as it if were poisonous.
Nameless' hand curled around the card as he tucked it away. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Though I must, regrettably, ask one more thing of you." His gaze bore directly into the girl. "Tell anyone what just happened, and you will die. You understand? I will kill you."
By now the girl was drained of all color. She numbly nodded her head.
"Good. Now for your sake, I hope you'll keep this a secret." He held a finger to his lips, slowly pulling the gun away from the girl's head. She nearly collapsed in relief, tightly clutching her chest.
He turned away from his victim and began to walk away. "Have a nice day," he called out amiably. She didn't have to face him to hear the smirk in his voice. From a distance, I could hear the faint sound of the girl crying.
With one thing in mind, I took a gamble. "You don't know how to use a gun," I stated. I knew that with modern technology, Nameless' range of knowledge only extended as far as mine did. And fortunately, I was clueless in how to handle such a deadly weapon. His threat of shooting that maid was only a hoax.
"No," Nameless replied, unfazed. "But I make a convincing actor, don't you think?"
"You ruthless devil. That poor girl was terrified."
"Yes, that would be the point." I only made a sound of disgust, not wishing to continue the conversation. Although I did take solace in the fact the girl wasn't exactly in danger, Nameless was legitimately heartless. He didn't care who he terrorized.
Nameless sensed my hostility. "Listen, Landlord. When you're on a mission, you've got to do anything within your power to accomplish that mission." We were silent as he entered the elevator and punched in the correct floor number. He spoke up again. "And yes, I don't care how 'ruthless,' as you put it, that I have to be in order to achieve my goal. I have to—I need to— collect all the Sennen items. Nothing or no one will get in my way. Understand?"
I didn't answer him. I had nothing to say to him. Because in my mind, I didn't understand him, nor did I think I would ever. But that was then.
At the same time, a question pricked at my thoughts.
Why did Nameless even feel the need to explain his reasoning to me?
Nameless exploded through the doors leading to Pegasus' quarters with theatrical obnoxiousness. The instant the doors parted, he marched right in and kicked over a nearby stand supporting a vase to make his presence known. Not that he needed the help.
"Hope you weren't waiting long," Nameless announced as he folded his arms triumphantly.
Pegasus, as it turned out, wasn't at all surprised with the unexpected intrusion of his private room. Before he was interrupted with his own musings, he was staring straight at a large screen that divided into various sections. A look closer indicated the screen was showing all the separate areas of his castle. So, as both Nameless and I had suspected earlier, he was probably watching us closely the whole time, thus ruining his "surprise" visit.
Upon hearing Nameless and the cringe-worthy shatter of his vase, Pegasus only slowly turned his head, peering at the intruder through his long curtain of silver hair. He was loosely holding a glass of red wine, and stopped swirling it as he examined Nameless.
A tense, if not awkward, sort of pause ensued. Pegasus continued to scrutinize Nameless, and Nameless, I could tell, was getting annoyed. He expected some violent reaction from the Sennen eye-wielder, emotional fireworks if you want to call it that, and instead received a dud.
"Oh, you wanted a response from me?" Pegasus asked pleasantly, as if reading Nameless' thoughts. "Please forgive me. Let me try again." He finished off the rest of his wine by brusquely throwing back his head, then set his glass on the nearby coffee table.
Pegasus turned back to Nameless sharply, clapping his hands to his mouth. "My God," he gasped, feigning awe, "You're even nastier in person than on the big screen! What could you possibly want from me?"
"If you were smart, you would avoid pissing me off," Nameless warned, leaning his head back. He sized up his enemy disapprovingly. "I take it you know why I'm here?"
Pegasus smiled. "Why, of course! Especially after watching that charming message you had for me…what was it exactly that you said? 'Be ready to hand it over,' by which you mean my Sennen eye?" Through the long strands of his hair, I could tell he actually had the item inserted in place of his real one, though it was mostly concealed. I didn't want to see his face in its entirety; the thought of the Sennen eye replacing his eyeball was just too much.
Nameless was no longer in the mood to mess around. "Yes. Now relinquish the eye before you see that 'nasty' side of me."
Pegasus blinked at Nameless with his only working eye before splaying his arms out. "Now, Bakura-boy, be reasonable. You're asking me to simply rip my Sennen item right out of my socket?" He sounded as pleasant as if he were suggesting they talk over a cup of tea.
"That sounds about right," Nameless said. He paused. It took about a second for both of us to realize what was wrong with Pegasus' statement. "How do you know my name?" he demanded.
"That isn't your name," I muttered. I was ignored.
Pegasus once more blinked with his only working eye. "Why, don't you know what my item's power is?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Come now, Bakura-boy, how can you ask me to give up the eye if you don't even know what it does?"
Nameless was caught off-guard, but only for a moment. "It must be able to read minds," he asserted. "Obviously."
"Bingo!" Pegasus cheered. There was a bright light flashing from his concealed eye. "Though I must admit, I'm having a bit of trouble probing yours…there's some sort of 'disturbance.'"
Nameless looked pleased. "Pity," he said. "Speaking of 'disturbance,' I noticed there's something different in the air in your castle." He continued on as Pegasus looked slightly perplexed. "You see, I've got a Sennen item too…" The ring glowed from beneath his jacket, protruding forth until it was in full view. The pentacles splayed out and trembled with energy.
"Pretty!" Pegasus exclaimed.
"Yes, and this ring is capable of locating other Sennen items. With yours though, I had trouble; there was a sort of 'disturbance' as well. Any thoughts?"
"Not a one," the man said cheerfully. "But I do have thoughts about your ring! It's so lovely I think it would really add to my collection."
Nameless looked slightly amused. "See now that's why I'm here, as I told you. I need that eye, whether it's voluntarily or by force."
Pegasus raised a hand to his false eye. "And how do you suppose we get it out?"
"Quite easily; I'd tear it out."
Dramatically, Pegasus placed the back of his hand to his forehead. "How barbaric. And get blood all over my new carpet!" Strangely, I could never be too sure whether he was serious or simply in a constant state of mockery.
With a graceful swipe of his hand, Pegasus brushed the curtain of hair out of his face, fully revealing his shiny, golden Sennen eye. Nameless instinctively tensed up, his gaze trained on his sought-after item. I could see his hands practically itching to reach out and grab at it.
Pegasus noticed the spirit's interest and smiled widely. "Might I suggest an alternative to simply handing over my most-prized possession?" Beyond the formalities, it wasn't a suggestion—it was a demand. His amber eyes narrowed dangerously, all humor gone. "Let's play a Dark Game for it."
Even in my transparent form, I felt my heart skip a beat. "Spirit," I whispered, despite knowing that Pegasus couldn't hear or see me, "What if you—"
"Lose?" he supplied flatly. "Don't insult me with your doubts."
I began to chew on my lip, mind racing with possibilities. What if Nameless was underestimating Pegasus? Then again, I knew how powerful the spirit of the ring truly was, and I'm sure he only grew stronger from the last time he had to seriously use the ring's powers…
"Fine," Nameless announced to his opponent. "I suggest we play the 'Battle of Wills.'"
"Even better than what I had in mind," Pegasus replied surreptitiously. His tiny smile made my skin crawl—I knew something was up.
I dared to grab Nameless' arm. "Please listen to me. I don't think you should have agreed to this. There's something about Pegasus that's making me nervous." Nameless didn't dare to swat my hand away in consideration of Pegasus knowing about my existence, yet shot me with a look that electrified me. I pulled away.
"Stay out of this," he threatened lowly. It had been a while since he had used that tone with me, one that implied he could and would hurt me. I recoiled from him, slightly hurt. I was only trying to prevent something bad from happening, which I should be more than entitled to do since it was my body being jeopardized.
But what if Nameless did lose, and then what? Would that have meant I would be free from him, or would we both go? Whatever I thought, I knew it didn't matter; Nameless made that quite clear. All I could do at that point was stay back and hope nothing detrimental would happen to my body.
"I do hope your mastery of the ring is as powerful as that fiery spirit of yours," Pegasus drawled. "It's been awfully boring as of late and I'm craving some entertainment."
"Pathetic," Nameless spat out, "You talk as if you'll win. Let's find out now who deserves to be wielding the items more than the other." As he said this, the ring began to glow with a blinding golden light, steadily pulsating with energy.
Pegasus ventured a step closer as his eye lit up as well. An intimidating beam of energy shot out from his item, being met with the ring's blast. Both collided with a heart-stopping explosion, causing the various picture frames hanging from the walls to shatter to the ground. I looked on in awe as the two forces began the battle for dominance.
I fleetingly wondered what could increase one's power when undergoing this Dark Game. Was it merely based on one's desire to win? Because if that were true, I was more than sure Nameless would win that game in a second. I particularly recalled when the spirit announced his certainty that "no one" wanted the items more than himself. I fully believed that.
My theory was further confirmed when I noticed the energy from the ring was extending father than the Sennen eye's beam of light. As Nameless' stream of energy grew larger and longer, Pegasus' dimmed down to a tinier version of what it once was. The purple hue that radiated from the eye-wielder's item grew fainter, reminding me of a candle about to be snuffed out. All of this happened within a few seconds. It would be a short-lived battle.
I realized that in watching this, my satisfaction grew with every advancement of the ring's dominance. I actually felt relief in watching Pegasus struggle harder than Nameless, and I couldn't tell if that was because of the safety of my body or the safety of the spirit himself. Did I really want him to win? I dismissed this thought, convincing myself that it must have been my desire to ensure my body's wellbeing.
It wasn't long before Pegasus would have to be subjected to defeat. A tiny bead of sweat slipped down his face as his entire being trembled from the exertion he was placing into this fight.
"Not so arrogant now, eh?" Nameless called out to his struggling opponent. His arrogant grin couldn't have possibly grown wider. His hypocrisy, of course, eluded him.
I knew that Pegasus was really wearing down when he didn't bother to respond. I watched as his legs began to shudder, as if to give out on him.
But within a moment, something strange happened. The energy protruding from the ring, which was a vibrant gold color, was being tainted with an inky black aura which also oozed from the ring. This new presence wound its way around the gold, coiling as a snake might, reached the end of the energy beam, and broke apart the connection between it and Pegasus' attack.
I began to panic when I saw the shock on Nameless' face. That wasn't supposed to happen. Why was that black aura coming from the ring and helping Pegasus? I looked on with horror as the purple energy rays gained momentum and pushed through the golden light. With the aid of the mysterious black presence, it engulfed Nameless' power whole, smothering his energy force instantaneously.
Now Pegasus began to laugh. "How about that? Looks like this game is over, Bakura-boy!" He wasted no time in extending the power from his eye to reach out and wrap around Nameless'—my— body.
My mind was racing. What just happened, where did this intrusive energy force come from? Nameless was going to lose, and it seemed by his own hand.
I felt dizzy as I watched the invasive violet light coiling around my frame even tighter and then, in one jerking motion, yanked out the spirit of the ring. For a moment I saw two bodies—mine and his—until the light completely swallowed him whole. Before Nameless fully vanished from view, our eyes met. It was odd, but he looked slightly dazed, as if he didn't quite believe what had happened. The biggest issue being, he just lost a Dark Game. And in these sorts of games, losing is fatal. Fatal to him, possibly fatal to me.
My eyes were forced shut from the flash of blinding light, and when they reopened he was gone. Nameless had been devoured by the dark energy.
The roar of the Sennen eye's energy finally died down to silence. All I could hear now was the ringing in my ears. My heart heavily pulsated in my chest, fear gnawing at me as I tried to decide what would happen next, but then I realized that I was feeling all these things in my own tangible body, not as a spirit. I looked down at the ring hanging from my neck, glinting faintly from the few shreds of light that permeated the room. Finally, I forced my gaze up at Pegasus, who gave me the most bewildered expression.
"Whaaaat?" he drawled. His eyebrows pinched together, examining me. "You're still here?"
I took a step back. "I…"
Pegasus shook his head. "Now that's not fair. You were supposed to be taken to the Dark Realm, and here you are!" He held out his arms helplessly and sighed. "Well, I suppose there are more important things to address right now. For instance, would you be so kind as to relinquish that beautiful ring around your neck?"
My mind scrambled to think of an appropriate answer. Would it be in my favor to let Pegasus think I was Nameless?
I didn't get to toy with that idea for long. Pegasus stopped with his chatter as he gazed at me silently, critically. "You're not the individual I was facing earlier," he at last said.
I took another step back. Knowing that it would be futile to hide the truth, I gave a tentative shake of my head.
The man before me arched his eyebrows high. "And so different too. I can tell without you even saying a word."
I failed to think of a response to this, my thoughts entirely consumed by a more important question: What do I do now?
"Well, I suppose that doesn't matter much," Pegasus continued. "All I ask is that you hand over the ring."
I finally settled on a course of action. No matter what, I wouldn't give this man the ring. I couldn't. Even if it was the source of so much vexation in my life, I could not drop it into the hands of someone infinitely more deadly than I.
"No." It was all I needed to say for him to get the message— for him to look at me with utter surprise. Before thinking further on this, pivoting on my heel, I dashed out through the doors. I was thankful there were stairs next to the elevator, otherwise I would have never slipped through Pegasus' fingers so easily.
But the sound of laughter followed after me. "You're avoiding the inevitable!" Pegasus called out. "Don't you see, boy, you can't hide from me!"
Pegasus never went after me. However, it was just as terrible hearing his eerily-cheerful voice blasting through the speakers throughout the castle, as if he lingered behind every corner, every shadow.
"I've just read your mind, and I know that you will be coming back!" These words reverberated down the empty hallways, travelling faster than I could flee. Down the length of the corridors, rows and rows of portraits of the same woman faced me, staring at me. I felt like a thief who was just caught stealing, having his identify revealed throughout the store and having to face the accusatory glares of his witnesses. Maybe it was the fear of seeing these identical faces, or the nausea from hearing Pegasus' laughter, but despite my fatigue I ran faster.
I ran past the long, empty hallways and down an impossibly large flight of stairs, my eyes darting left and right for any signs of security guards. There were none. Perhaps they were all about the island enforcing rules on the duelists. Whatever the reason, I was grateful, because otherwise I am certain I would have been caught.
I was tired of always running. It felt like, recently, I had been fleeing from threats far too frequently for my own good. Given, Nameless was usually in control in these situations, but it was still my body. This scenario reminded me far too much of not too long ago when Nameless and I fled from the interrogation room on the ship, only this time I was the actor, not the witness on the sidelines. One would think this is a reason to be thankful, yet I was not. Surely I would get caught at some point, if not now.
Mercifully, there was a side-door exit a short distance away. The moment of relief died quickly, though, when I skidded to a stop upon seeing one of the larger portraits of the mystery woman flip over to reveal a video screen. The screen instantly lit up, revealing Pegasus' face staring intently at me. He must have still been in the room I escaped from, yet I felt his presence as if he were really in front of me. Instinctively I flinched away from the screen, despite knowing it was only an image.
"Did you get the message, Bakura-boy? I said I know you will be coming back. And I'm always right," Pegasus' said. Despite his pleasant tone, the look on his face was terrifying. He pierced right through my soul with that unblinking golden eye, as if he knew every agonizing detail about me. "When that time comes, I will take what is rightfully mine…let us hope you don't 'accidentally' lose your soul along the way!" A chill shot through my body at these words. In that moment, in his dark, twisted face, I could look past his collected exterior and see how evil he truly was.
Un-gluing my feet from the floor, I shot past the screen and out through the door. With the gust of wind and blinding sunlight that hit my face, I let out a long sigh. Only until I was a safe distance away I allowed myself to slow down and catch my breath, my shoulders slumping. I had escaped, at least momentarily.
Thinking back, I was surprised that Pegasus never bothered to make an effort to catch me. It would have been easy to take the ring by force. Being on his island made it difficult to maintain a low profile, especially considering that he had security scattered throughout the area who were eager to send people back to Domino. Or in this case, steal my ring and then send me back to Domino.
But if there was one thing I learned from my encounter with Pegasus, it was that he was an indirect sort of man, one who didn't prefer direct confrontations. It would explain all the hidden cameras and his insistence on the finalists coming to him on his own turf, not the other way around. Although he sought after the Sennen items, he had no intention of going out of his way and getting them…no, he would make others come to him instead. He must have expected the same from me.
I cringed, the notion of that man raking through my thoughts disturbing me. I wondered what it was that he saw, what it was that made him so certain I would be returning. Did he assume that I had a one-track mind like Nameless, and refused to leave without an additional Sennen item in hand? Well, he was wrong. Unlike my tormentor, I had common sense.
Which brought my thoughts over to Nameless. It was hard to explain, but despite his loss in the Dark Game, I just knew he would find a way to return. The day he played Monster World with my friends came to mind, and I was more than aware that he was capable of avoiding an official "penalty" for losing. I was never too sure how he managed to come crawling back, but somehow he did, and would probably never tell me why that was.
With nothing else to do, I began to backtrack through the woods, retracing the steps Nameless marched through before our failed attempt at getting the Sennen eye. As I thought, it was only a matter of time before he would come back. And I refused to give him the satisfaction in showing him my surprise when the time came, because I wouldn't be. Only annoyed.
I couldn't help but recall the time when he smugly informed me that he was a permanent resident of my soul room, since it harbors everything that defines me: my interests, my desires, my hopes, my fears. I didn't buy into this, honestly, because I was well aware that Nameless liked to toy with my ignorance. He probably would have liked me to think this, so I would believe that he was always watching, but I had yet to find evidence of this claim. And besides, now that I thought about it, I wasn't afraid of Nameless. I mean, not too long ago I used to be, but the more I spoke with him the more tangible he seemed to me. More human. He had emotions, though very limited ones. I'm sure he had likes too, though probably far more dislikes. Point being, Nameless was no longer an enigmatic shadow following me. Beyond the air of mystery surrounding him, he had a face (although mine), and he had an identity. Or at least, sort of.
It might have been odd, or maybe even wrong to view him in this way, but I slowly began to see him as an inconvenience rather than the devil himself, or perhaps only a dormant threat—like a cobra with the fangs removed. There were times, like earlier, when he told me to stop intervening with his fight with Pegasus, that I felt a twinge of "fear," yet nothing like the full onslaught of terror that would rack my body when I first encountered him.
Regardless, acknowledging that I wasn't afraid of him only confirmed my suspicion that Nameless, as usual, was lying to me when he claimed he had a permanent stake in my soul room. So as to how he would be coming back from wherever he was sent to, I hadn't the faintest idea. I only knew that he would be, never mind the when's and how's.
I glanced down at the ring that dangled lifelessly from my neck. Wrapping my fingers around the curve of the gold metal, I lifted the ring up to eye level, examining it closely.
"Spirit?" I probed hesitantly, giving the item a good shake. I wasn't too sure why I felt talking to an inanimate object would have done anything, yet I tried anyway. "Spirit, are you in there?" Nothing. My brow furrowed as I shook the ring a final time. "If you're going to be coming out, it might as well be now." Still nothing.
Slightly irritated, I let the ring drop from my hands as it swung back down with a noisy jangle. I guess I would have to wait until he magically reentered my life again. I let out a sigh, continuing to walk down a winding dirt path until I could think of something more progressive to do.
Not more than a few steps later I had stopped once more. The spirit of the ring wasn't around, but what about…?
No. That would not be a good idea, trying to summon him. The last time I saw him, (the only time, mind you), everything spun way out of control. It wasn't his fault I suppose, although there was something about Nameless' response to his more enigmatic doppelganger that gave me reason to reconsider.
But what if he was still in the ring? Wouldn't he have come out by now? Maybe he was only a memory caged within Nameless' soul room, like a record player caught on the same part. The alternative, of course, would suggest that he was a separate being from Nameless, one that Nameless wanted to hide from me. It made me long to know how there could have possibly been two of them. From what I witnessed, they were so different from one another— it would be difficult to believe they stemmed from the same entity, if that were possible.
I still remembered those haunting, blank eyes. What was it about them that caused shivers to claw down my body? He wasn't unpleasant though, a far cry from Nameless, which sparked my curiosity enough to want to see him again. Besides, if he were around, maybe he would know what to do.
I braced myself. "Thief King?" Silence. I tried again, only to be met with the same response.
To be honest, I felt a slight twinge of disappointment, and embarrassment too, for speaking to air. A short distance away, I heard a pair of duelists happily crying out insults to the other. I frowned, suddenly remembering where I was. It wouldn't have been wise to be lingering so close to Pegasus' castle, where plenty of individuals lurked about in hopes of convincing security they had enough star chips to get in.
I pushed myself to continue walking, trailing farther into unfamiliar territory. I didn't want to deal with a champion-wannabe challenging me to Duel Monsters, which I think I should mention now that I had no idea how to play. Maybe I should have paid more attention during all those times Yuugi would whip out his cards and play against Jounouchi. Come to think it, just about everybody played Duel Monsters at school. It was such a huge fad, it would be difficult to walk to class without hearing random Duel Monsters' names being shouted from across the hallway. I suppose I might have picked up a few tricks here or there, but for the most part, I strongly preferred my RPGs.
My mind was temporarily distracted from rousing an ancient spirit from the ring in favor of taking out the cards Nameless had stashed in my back pocket. I had never actually looked at them. He had earlier told me that the cards reflect not only a duelist's preferred strategy, but his character as well, which makes sense, I guess. If there were thousands of cards, how would one be able to choose what to include in their deck? Naturally, a person would select the cards that appealed to them for various reasons. I was confident that Nameless had included at least a handful of occult-related monsters. To test my theory, I fanned out all the cards in front of me, carefully eyeing each inscription. Turned out I was right. "Goblin Zombie," "Headless Knight," "Earthbound Spirit"? That last one reminded me of a particular someone…
My eyes caught on a card and I stopped shuffling through the deck. "Dark Necrofear." A long, sleek, androgynous body stood eerily in the center, an android with feminine curves and a masculine demeanor. Its sapphire-stained skin was adorned in layers of steel and held together merely through bolts. The entire midsection was devoid of skin but revealed its skeletal infrastructure. Cradled in its strong arms was a decomposing baby doll, its eyes rolling up as if possessed. This monster was perhaps the most disconcerting I had ever seen…yet it held an odd appeal to me. It was beautiful.
Reluctantly, I slowly continued to sift through the deck. "Dark Necrofear" was still burned in my mind, its vacant eyes somehow holding significance as they lifelessly stared ahead. I couldn't identify the allure this card had for me. After all, it was only a card. Yet somehow, gazing into those strange eyes almost made it seem alive.
Before I could examine the card any further, I was interrupted by the jarring sensation of a body ramming past mine.
"Watch it!" the guy hissed, barely glancing over his shoulder to look at me. Sunglasses and a bandana partially concealed his identity, though my memory was jolted enough to realize he was the same person who was about to be interrogated on Pegasus' cruise ship.
I opened my mouth to say something, though it was a futile effort. This man was already continuing on his way, loudly snapping fallen branches with his thick boots. A prick of anger coursed through me as I watched him retreat. While he was barreling past me, he had knocked my deck out of my hands in the process.
I suppressed the dark thoughts that formulated in my mind as I hastily scooped up the scattered cards. People always crashed into me, shoved me, without so much as an apology. Had I been someone else, would I have received a more courteous response? Maybe my appearance, in addition to my "passive" personality (as Nameless put it), could only mean being taken advantage of, over and over again.
I rubbed my elbow absentmindedly where it still slightly ached from the shove. I thought of what Nameless would have said.
"Stupid bastard," I whispered, tasting the words in my mouth. It felt strange…but good. Now if only I could have said that while the offending person ran into me.
Well, why not? Why couldn't I act rude to someone else, shove back when someone shoved me? Anyone who I dared to call a friend barely acknowledged my existence. I was a nobody, even to them. Even to my father.
Subconsciously, my hand had clenched onto the deck. There was something stirring inside of me, though I didn't know what. Was it anger? Resentment? Hatred? I suddenly began to feel hot, and I initially thought it was because of my surge of emotions. But a glance down at the hand holding the duel deck proved otherwise. The card on top was pulsing, outlined with a golden energy.
"What the—" I dropped the deck as if it were a hot coal, sending the cards scattering across the ground again. The card that was glowing still continued to shudder, and I looked on with panic, all thoughts of hostility forgotten. On its own, it flipped over, revealing the "Man-Eater Bug," the card Nameless had used earlier.
"Seriously?" I mumbled incredulously. What could I have possibly done to have made this card go crazy? I could feel my heart hammering in my chest as I scrambled to think of what to do. Hastily, I reached out to grab the card, but it slipped through my fingers as if it were transparent. It continued to pulse heavily, then with a blinding flash, a form erupted from the tiny card.
Before my very eyes, the "Man-Eater Bug" was standing directly in front of me. It released a painful screech, stretching its arms and slicing at the air.
My head whipped around me to see if anyone was nearby. Fate had it that everyone who was easily within earshot had disappeared. I stumbled back a couple steps, staring at the monster wide-eyed. Was it going to attack me?
I soon found out. Letting out another shriek that was capable of tearing open the sky, the monster filled its mouth with a threatening bundle of energy. It turned its frame towards me, and throwing its head back, unleashed the attack.
I only missed the attack by a hair's width, but the tree behind me wasn't so fortunate. The energy came in contact with the tree trunk for only a moment before the whole tree was reduced to dust. I observed the damage with increasing nausea. That could have been me.
I abruptly turned to run. However, the violent movement resulted in an uprooted branch to catch my foot, and soon I found myself tumbling to the ground. When I looked back at the monster, it was already preparing for another attack. There was no way I could get out of the way in time.
I braced myself for the impending pain. It was just my luck, to encounter something as unbelievable as this. A card sprung to life for no reason, putting my life at risk. In actuality, the stats of the card proved the monster to be weak in a duel, but apparently the smallest of attacks are infinitely fatal in real life.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I turned my head away. But a moment after nothing happening, with no searing pain nonetheless, made me tentatively open one eye. I gasped—the monster was gone.
Instead, standing in front of me was the Thief King. His back was facing me, the vibrant shade of red from his cloak rippling around him. I sat up sharply as my eyes trained on him in disbelief. There was no way.
He slowly glanced over his shoulder at me. A smile lethargically spread across his lips, like honey dripping from the jar.
"Miss me?"
A/N: This chapter was like running a marathon to complete. I kept redoing parts and altering things, over and over again…it was a mess. In any case, please feel free to reward my efforts with a review! You know how they make me feel. Happy. Really happy :)