Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.
I did not intend on this being so late, nor so long.
Hopefully that makes up for some of the former.
(As always, constructive criticism is loved.)
Enjoy!
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Arid Sea
It seemed that winter had left its clutches in the land just enough to give the three a reminder of the respect they needed to have for the elements. For two weeks the trio holed up in yet another city (fully abandoned this time) as they waited out the snowfall. All quietly contemplated on those they had left behind, those that had moved on in this direction before them, and the nearness still to their foe. Bakura was on high alert for the duration, leaving Claire and D to roam around the empty halls of the abandoned school they had found. All had agreed that if anyone were to suss out their position, a home would be the first place they would look. A school? Less so.
Days passed as they waited for the weather to clear. Anxieties ran high as each night fell, a dark and cold reminder that two of their party were not prepared for this world. Yet, they were together, and all their struggles would be faced by the immutable force that they collectively were.
March 17, 2004
It is strange to believe that last year, at this time, I was in Japan. I was surrounded by people who were distrustful of the world, but who worked together as best as they could to make do with what they had. In that place, I made a friend. The friendship did not last.
Then, months ago, I was in a costal town that had all the dangers and comforts of this world. It is where Bakura promised me that we would go wherever we wanted and do whatever we wanted. There are no words to express how much that promise means to me. To see the world the way he does, with pragmatism, but with more hope than what I've seen from other adults…I learned how to properly ride a horse in that town. I learned when I put my mind to it, I could pick up most tasks quickly. I built a fence and had fun doing it. I made a new friend, and we played games. That friendship did not last. That was my fault, and I know it.
For the first time, without my father's assistance, I struggled with Sunlight Syndrome. Thankfully, I had a new friend to help me survive it, as we were in enemy territory. It is my hope that the next time it happens, I am more prepared. Perhaps, it is also my hope, that it doesn't happen any time soon.
I think it's hard to realize the truth. There are few people like Bakura-sama, Claire, and Samuel out there. Most, even if they never find out who I am, will be distrustful simply because I…no we are strangers. We will forever remain strangers as we travel along to whatever lays in the East for us. Thankfully, our delayed arrival to whatever point has made us more prepared. I believe we will be even better equipped to face whatever calls us there before we reach the end.
No dreams have come to me. Bakura has not mentioned his own, if he has had any. The ka, or whatever he wishes to call it, Diabound has been making more appearances but no more than that. Appearances. I think he is still training with it. I'm no longer as afraid as I once was. There's no point in feigning it was any other way. To myself, at any rate. I suppose if he can tolerate my existence without question, and care for me, I can deal with a little mystical presence that is tangible in some way, even if it makes little sense.
I've also noticed that these past few months, he hasn't really spoken about his sister. Baring his understanding of Samuel's dilemma aside, Amane's name hasn't really been brought up. I'm wondering if that means that after all of these years, with the ones I've known him and before, he is finally healing. I do hope he is. He deserves happiness just like we do.
Claire is acting like she always does. She's becoming less and less obnoxious as the days go by. I don't know if it's because I'm finally getting used to her antics, or if she's obtaining some semblance of maturity that has eluded her for this long. It would be nice if it was the latter, but I suppose accepting people for who they are is more important than simple comfort.
She doesn't have to be so opinionated all the time, though. I think we grasp her emotions, even before she says them. Like today, she was complaining about how the snow got into her glove, and the look on her face was enough for me to tell that she was going to begin. I did warn her not to try and grab the whole mound she was aiming for. I warned her. I wish she'd listen.
This was a more reflective entry, my journal. I'll provide more information on what occurs on our travels next time.
…My left hand says hi.
March 18, 2004
I sang another song for Claire today, as she played her guitar. I'm trying to make a flute to accompany her, since she asked me to, and the only flute we found was bent up in an open locker. Why it would have been in this condition is anyone's guess but a bent tube (well, bent the way it is bent) isn't really conducive to sound. Could play the drums, but she said she wanted me to play something that made "pretty" sounds. Like a beat can't be beautiful?
I would have asked Bakura for a knife, but I don't want to distract him. He spends most of the later parts of the day and into the night patrolling the area, expecting my father and his men to show up at any time. I want to tell him to remain calm, and to relax…but I know that what he is doing is the right thing. He would be able to see them before he heard them. They all rely on my ears for the sounds that a vampire leaves. That is to say, next to none.
But I am getting better.
Since I could not ask him for a knife, I was about to give up and look for another instrument. Then, I found out something interesting. It was just a passing thought, but as I was bored, and I have nothing much to do aside from wander around with Claire, I started peeling off old stickers off the lockers here. These stickers were old and really gross looking, so it was more out of a need to see them gone than anything. When I was trying to get one that was particularly stuck off, I somehow managed to scratch off all of the paint. Out of sheer curiosity, I scratched at the metal beneath it, and some of it gave way. It was then I found that my fingernails are quite sharp. I suppose I should have noticed sooner, but I guess that I have to be aware of the pressure I am putting on them for them to function the way I want them to. Maybe also…not chew on them? I do sometimes when they get long. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have cut myself, or D, or Claire, at some point.
Really, how have I not noticed this about myself before?
I should probably start looking into what I can do. I know that I'm clever, I can pick up on technical things pretty well, given enough time. I can regenerate, and with the help of…well…this symbiotic relationship I have going on, I can regenerate faster. He eats the elements and uses whatever he needs from me for sustenance. I know he can also sense things, which is going to be helpful when we need to track stuff or see if others are around…He knows more about what he can do than I do, but I have faith that he will help me, even if he harasses me. Who else is going to put up with him? Claire? Maybe. But as he is rudely relaying to me now, he wants someone who can last longer than a few decades. Which is extremely impolite. Terrible even, considering I don't want to think about the mortality of those I care about just yet. Can't I be a child for five minutes?
That is legitimately a question. Can't I be? Must I always think, as Claire puts it, like an old person? Won't I be doing enough of that when I am old? Am I being selfish, thinking like that? I don't know the answers to any of that. I do know what Bakura would say. He would say I should be enjoying life right now. So, I will try.
Anyway, back to the flute. My first attempt has been an unquestionable failure. Just so we are all aware. This is a failure I'm fine with, though. No lives are on the line because I don't know how to make something make noise.
Anyway, Bakura has returned, and I'd like to spend time with him before he goes to bed. Maybe he'll explain some of the games that he and his friends played. Then I can teach Claire about Mons…
You know what, never mind.
March 19, 2004
I saw something strange in the sky the other night. A light that flickered like a star, but it was closer. It was odd. But then it was gone.
I mentioned it to Bakura and Claire. Claire believes it is something that we should worry about, because "it's weird". Bakura seemed slightly concerned but soothed us with a more pressing matter. Our enemies were closer than whatever that had been. I do mean soothed. Both of us feel better knowing who, what, and where our enemies might be. None of us have seen any activity, and the snow is melting.
We will be on our way soon.
Miles of land stretched before them, with the hills slowly dissipating as they entered new territory. Shrubs that somehow managed to survive and grow in their strange new environment dotted their path as they took the craggy mess that was once road toward their next destination. Where that was? It was anyone's guess. All anyone knew was that, eventually, it would lead East.
Abandoned earth stretched far as they could see. Battles of some kind had been fought here, with the destruction varying from broken windows in deserted towns, to black smudges of unknown substance denoting burned remains of lives and cities lost. The weather also seemed to be changing, and not in its natural pattern. Crossing into this rugged land as they had left the mountains, instances of snow had vanished. It was odd. Winds blew past them, freezing them inside their jackets, as the sun pressed on them with just enough warmth to melt the very same cold away.
Even though he had never lived on this continent, Bakura could tell there was something amiss. All he needed to do was compare what he knew of weather to what was occurring here. The ground held onto the warmth as if something burned beneath it. Perhaps something did. At the moment, knowing the answer to this would do them no good. It was of no immediate concern to them, so they all pressed on.
Only when they came upon what was once a lake, now completely drained of its water, did they stop and register what they had seen thus far.
Deep fissures lined the dirt where they took their late afternoon rest. They would sleep soon and begin their travels again at night. They would continue this way, with sporadic rests in between, until the next afternoon. Their sleeping schedules were far from the average individual's by this point. There were too many unaccounted-for dangers that they faced, and none of them were interested in being caught unawares by the likes of those D's father employed.
There were few places to hide, so they set up their singular tent and a fire to warm some water to clean themselves with just below where the former waterline had been. Claire chewed on some homemade jerky they had taken along with them as she picked a tune on her guitar. An hour into their rest found her plucking at the same three chords, apparently unable to think of anything else. D sketched the landscape before him in his journal, marking it with a name he would change if he ever learned where they were. His eyes flicked often to the horizon. His head also turned often, back to where they had come from. Anyone could have followed them; it was best to be on guard. Bakura maintained his weapon, part for practice, part for upkeep. His face was set in an uncharacteristic display of stoicism. Had any of his old friends seen him now, their faces would have automatically fallen in fear. More and more were his features becoming reminders of an unpleasant past. Not that the man noticed. For him, it was just a moment of silent reflection as he listened for a possible ambush.
He still had plenty of smiles for the children.
"Was this a lake?" Claire asked through a mouthful of food. The tune she played continued, improving as it repeated.
"I believe so," Bakura replied, his hands continuing their work as he surveyed the area once again. His eyes dropped back to his task once he was certain they were all still alone.
"Wonder what happened to the water…"
"Maybe it was siphoned off somewhere."
"Siphoned?"
"Maybe someone took it away," D said, clarifying. The boy frowned a little and redrew a line. The improvement made little difference to the picture, but it mattered to him.
"But who?" The girl inquired, finally setting her guitar down. "We haven't seen anyone. We haven't even seen the two outies who came with the letter."
"They might have turned a different way on the road we took," Bakura said. "They probably know these roads better than any of us."
"Oookayy…but that still doesn't explain why we haven't seen anyone. The last time we travelled this long, we came across at least two people."
"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that."
"Don't you think it's weird?"
"The world," Bakura paused, unsure of how to put it. "The world is a very different place than it once was. You lived in your town alone for some time, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, maybe it's like that."
Claire took in a deep breath and blew a raspberry at no one in particular. "Dumb," she grumbled, before following Bakura's example in maintaining her rifle.
The trio sat in silence as the sun dipped lower, the lonely sound of wind across an empty field filling their ears. Dirt tumbled through the cracks in harmony with the scratching of D's pencil. A lot of nothing occurred that day, but until they were a good distance away from where the boy's father had somehow posted, none would be contented with letting their guard down.
Before bed, as the embers died in their coals, as the sun began to paint the sky with it's warm brush of colors, they began to speak to one another again. In their comfort with one another, their discussions came in waves that no one questioned. This time, it was Bakura that spoke.
"Do you smell it?"
"Yes," came the reply from D, who had been placed in charge of setting the bedding for the night. Claire was busy collecting tinder for the next fire that they would have to make. She shook her head in response but perked up a minute later.
"Rain?" she asked, unsure.
"Snow, I think. There's a difference in the smell."
All of them faced the mountains and noted that while what lay ahead was clear skies, great mounds of clouds bundled together at the peaks. It was almost as if a line had been created, reminding them that their time past these mountains were now over.
"But it's not going to snow here, even though it is stupid cold."
"Seems so," Bakura said. "That might be something of a good thing, since I don't see any buildings we could hide in."
"Did it snow a lot where you came from, Bakura?" Claire asked. She stuffed dried twigs and plant matter into a small bag she carried. After she was done, she swung it at D, who dodged the playful blow without much effort. Bakura motioned for her to place it by the rest of their things. She frowned and set it down where it was supposed to go.
"Sometimes," Bakura said. "It was cold then, too, but back then we had heating, so it wasn't as bad."
"That was when the room was all nice and warm by itself, right?"
"Yes." It was strange to think that while Claire had been born to a world that had had all of the amenities, her most vivid memories were of ones where such things no longer existed. It made Bakura feel a twinge of pity, but also pride. She seemed to be living just fine without many creature comforts.
"That sounds cool," she said. "So, kinda like what the ground is doing right now?"
D turned to her, head tilting in thought. He had just finished with his task and had been virtually ignoring the conversation they had been having. When she had asked about Bakura's prior life, he had felt a pang of guilt, and had decided to think of something else. Yet, when she mentioned this fact, he could not help but pay close attention.
"You feel it, too?" he inquired.
"Uh…duh," she said, motioning around her. "It's super cold, but when I sit down it's not freezing? It probably snowed here at some point, but all of that's gone? Hey…" She turned to Bakura, inquisitiveness shining in her eyes. "What if that's what happened to the water?"
"I think it would have to be hotter than it is right now, Claire-chan." Bakura stretched his arms high, an audible crack coming from his back. "But I will say that it is oddly warm for being so cold."
"Maybe a volcano?!" The shout was filled with a mixture of excitement and fear.
"Doubtful."
D let the two humans hash out the possibility of running across a newly active volcano as he pressed his left hand and ear to the ground. He closed his eyes, letting himself focus on just what was below them. There was the faintest of scratching sounds, as if something was digging far below them.
"Twenty feet at least," D murmured. He was not addressing the pair, who were still holding their own discussion. "What do you think?"
"I think I sense three right here," the symbiont replied.
"Think?"
"You asked what I thought."
D frowned. "What do you know, then?"
"Three living things are below us. At least. Something is making this place a little less…cold."
"People?"
"Who knows?" it offered. "Do you really want to go knock on their door to find out if they are friendlies?"
"Something, or someone is below us," D informed the group, ignoring his hand's second inquiry. Claire looked surprised. Bakura's expression shifted to one of curiosity.
"How many?" Claire asked. D held up three fingers. She backed up a step with a start. "Do you think they can hear us?" She whispered, alarmed.
"No."
"Oh my GOD then why are you just motioning?!"
"Quiet, please," Bakura said in his mild way, and the silence was immediate. They watched as he bowed his head as if in deep thought. His mouth moved the slightest bit, a whisper against the conflicted wind. An instant later, a shimmer of some substance wavered in their view, like false water on a baking road. The substance disappeared, down deep into the dirt.
The children watched as the image of their benefactor vanished along with it. They waited in silence, Claire grasping D's hand in her own for comfort. Trust was not an issue here; they were all becoming accustomed to this strange magic he could perform. It was pure worry for his safety with the fateful capture in the valley town still fresh in their minds.
Soon, it was too much for Claire to bear without saying something.
"What do you think he will find?"
D shook his head. He wanted to press his ear to the ground again, to get a better understanding of the scratching sounds that he could now differentiate between the wind and erosion.
"Fine, be like that. I'm just scared."
"I am, too," D confessed.
They did not have to worry long, for he reappeared before them in near silence. Some unspeakable emotion burned in his eyes. With each hand he grasped a child's shoulder and nudged them forward. They looked up at him quizzically, but he only shook his head and with practiced motions, he undid the tent they had so carefully placed.
"What was it?" Claire asked, recognizing the urgency with which Bakura worked.
"People," Bakura said, packing things. "That's not the issue."
"It's not?" D and Claire questioned in unison. Their eyes met, and a flood of questions barraged Bakura as he continued clearing their site.
"Is there something wrong structurally?" D inquired.
"Is there lava?!" Claire exclaimed.
"Underground fire?"
"Intending Earthquake?!"
"…did you mean impending?"
"Shut up."
"The heat is from people living down there," Bakura interjected, tossing them their bags. He rubbed at his chin, observing their former site, and attempted to hide instances of their existence. The children watched his work as he continued speaking. "I don't really know how all of that works, there's probably fire somewhere down there, a vent somewhere we aren't immediately able to see…or if it has to do with what happened with the water that was obviously here. What I do know is that down there, with those people, is a very unpleasant feeling."
"Feeling?"
Bakura rubbed at his chest, a nervous tic he had developed during the most recent months. His focus on the children appeared hazy for a moment, before he jolted to attention. "It's difficult to explain. Just a feeling I have. Like the good one I had about that town."
"Yeah, well, that good feeling didn't last long," Claire pouted. D glared at her and would have released her hand from his if he was less concerned for her welfare.
"But it was there," the boy said, leaving it at that.
"It was," Bakura agreed. "Regardless of how long it lasts, I've always been able to rely on that feeling. Right now, that's what we must rely on. They're minding their business; let's do the same."
"Will they hurt others?"
Bakura shook his head. He did not know. "My concern is that they don't hurt any of us. We've been doing well on our own so far. Not to mention we don't need any additional enemies."
The children took this explanation as gospel and followed without questioning him further. Bakura considered what they were about to do one last time with a glance over his shoulder before focusing on where they would be able to stop next.
They were not able to rest again until late that evening. Under the bright moonlight they set their tent and once again attempted to maintain their schedule. Claire dropped off with ease, sleep seemed her ever constant friend. Even though his internal clock seemed to remain fond of the night, D also slipped into sleep with little prompting. This left Bakura, who remained outside of the tent for now, to ruminate on the situation that they were in.
'When did you become a coward?' a small voice inside of him whispered. He liked to pretend such voices were his ka, but his discussions with it were more one-sided and instinctual. He would have considered it was the voice returned anew if he had come across an Item. He had not. This left him always with the simple and lonely realization that he only had himself to talk to about his misgivings.
At this moment, he was having a few.
'I'm not a coward if I want to protect their lives,' he tried to reason with his own thinking. It did not seem impressed as the weight in his heart grew. Anyone who knew him would have expressed that he had changed quite a bit from the young man that they had known. That did not mean he did not exist as he always had deep inside.
'Who do you think you are protecting?'
'Them. The others aren't important.'
'We don't even know the others; what if they have run into the people that we know? The townspeople who helped us? Who alerted us to his arrival?'
'Then hopefully whatever is down there with them…won't find them.'
'Coward.'
'And what of the children?!' he thought angrily to himself. 'We just have them sit there and wait out in the open when I miraculously find some way down there to try and coax these other people out? What if these people don't believe me? What if they know about people like D, or vampires, and they are hostile? What if—'
'What if, what if.'
'We have some place to be!'
'Why?'
This thought was like a slap in the face. He physically reeled from the realization that he did not know. Why did they have some place to be?
'Because I promised D.'
'You promised him you'd all go where you wanted to. You want to help these people. You don't want to keep moving on until you do.'
'But—'
'But nothing. You aren't weak. You know that something wants you to go East. You don't have to until you want to. You don't ever have to. We should not trust it.'
'But maybe…Amane…'
'So, you are a selfish coward,' this inner voice chastised. Somehow it managed a smug air of self-righteousness. Bakura would have been livid if anyone else had accused him of such a thing, but how could he argue with himself when the only answer he could provide filled him with guilt.
'Of all the strange things,' he thought, 'why couldn't it be possible? She could be there, waiting for me.'
'To what end?' it inquired back. 'She is gone from this world, and you are not. Whatever it is that calls to you is tricking you. You must see it! It feeds off your weakness.'
'Amane would…'
'Can't even finish that thought, can you? You've been doing so well, so far. Living your life with focus on the living. The Living. She's practically here, right now, with you!'
His fingers ran through the strands of his hair as he held his head in anguish. He could hear Claire snoring just behind him. Alive. Even though he could not hear D, he knew he was there as well. Asleep. Safe. Alive and loved.
'How many times do we have to think this through?' The question battered at his mind and his body curled into a ball of self-loathing and desperation that he had not felt for so long. 'If fate was ever giving you a hand it was bringing someone like your sister back into your life. You have others to think about, sure. But don't let some weird obsession with following a voice we can't trust stop us from being who we are. Even if it was a voice we recognized, even if it was…that voice, would you really want to trust it?'
Bakura fought against tears as he faced truths that he did not want to think about. For so long he had wanted his dreams to be something pleasant. Pleasant, even if they took a form of something grotesque. He held hope that it had been, perhaps, the only way for her to reach him. That to get to the good he had to wallow through the awful muck of the other world. He had hoped; somehow always knowing it was naïve.
He had been selfish; dragging children through an unknown journey with an unknown ending. For what? For acceptance, and care, and compassion that he got by simply living with the family that he had gathered? At least one child had far more pressing matters to attend to. Something in Bakura's heart made him open the eyes he had closed so firmly against the world that allowed the shining light of the moon glisten against the tears that came, not out of sadness but frustration. His life had been torn asunder because of insidious plots and magics. He would be damned if the children faced the same on his watch.
However, this meant that he would still have to face whatever was in the East. For if whatever it was remained, it must have been haunting others aside from himself.
'Who or what would do such a thing as pretend they were Amane?' he asked himself, standing slowly as to not wake his sleeping charges. Bakura called on Diabound to aid him, for the entity allowed him an inhuman silence that he would need to ensure D would not awaken. As he lifted himself into its hand, he pondered on the answer.
'Who would ask if I was angry about something that happened thousands of years ago? I hardly have any recollection of how I know about the massacre in the first place.'
'Going East is a trap. I know now. Now that I've finally sat myself down and thought about it.'
"What do you think?" Bakura asked the form of his serpentine protector. He felt far enough away that even D would not hear him well enough to awaken. It simply looked down at him and followed his gaze back at the tent. It was visible. That was what was important right now. He had to hash some things out on his own.
Sitting in Diabound's clawed hand, he fussed with one of his bootlaces, digging dirt out of the crevices of the sole with it's plastic end. It must have been left over from when they had traveled along the mountain path. It seemed back then that the earth had revolted, as they had come across old landslides that they had had to traverse. Now the land around the trio cried out for water, the reasoning for its departure still unknown. As he considered this, Bakura also considered who might want to trick him into going somewhere. Was it for aid? Was it for revenge?
"Does it really matter?" He asked aloud. "Someone is trying to mess with whatever life we have managed to create. Just…"
Bakura stopped his speech to his silent ally as something about the whole situation fell into place. Thinking back, the dreams had started as small remnants. Nightmares. Always telling him to go somewhere. Always East. They had made his head feel foggy, and at times had frightened D, the only person he traveled with that had any experience from the outside. Yet…yet…
Yet, when it came down to it, traveling by following the vague directions always aided them. They had not been attacked in Domino because of this urge to travel, but it had offered them a way to safety. Not perfect safety, but this world was no longer a safe place in any shape or form. Traveling East had been the only way to go after that, as following any other direction could have caused their deaths. Looking at the night sky here, Bakura could no longer see the green glow of whatever doom had befallen the road they had failed to take.
Considering that, he also noted that following his instincts to come this way once again had made it difficult for D's father to find them. Snow did loom heavy on that mountain pass. Snow that would hide their existence. Whatever it was that wanted him to go this way seemed to want him to survive, at least if he read the signs like that. But why him? To what end?
"Hell, if I know," Bakura confessed to himself. "Doesn't matter, either. Let's use this bit of safety it seems to be lending us and I'll take care of whatever it is at the end."
'Just don't use their safety as a crutch, or an excuse, to stop helping others,' the voice stated before silencing itself for the night.
"Whatever," he grumbled, appealing to Diabound for some response. It simply shrugged its shoulders and remained hovering above the ground. From this vantage point, Bakura could see the slightest pinprick that denoted their camp. He would not be gone long.
"I'm not involving myself in the way they run things," he added. "I'm not even going to talk to them. I'm just going to give them a better escape route." With that, he used the power that Diabound provided him to sink low into the earth. Down, down he sailed, as if the dirt was nothing more than air, until he reached the inner cavern of an underground city. Lights and heat surrounded him, with earthen ventilation shafts dug into the ceiling. The holes that broke into the land above must have been carefully hidden, for none in his group had managed to find one. He saw people resting in their beds, tatters for clothing. He saw food stores nearing their end. He saw water containers empty. The obviously dead were being carted away by the nocturnal crowd going about whatever business they had to fulfil. Lights came from candles, from flashlights, from fires. The whole area had the faint smell of smoke to it.
It was as if the world had regressed in this cavern. Regressed back hundreds upon hundreds of years. Unquestionably, they had electricity in some areas, but they were battery powered, and many of these machines were flung to the wayside, unusable. Electric pots, old batteries of various sizes, travel sized stovetops, kettles, all were bundled into mounds of useless junk. Abandoned, just as these people had abandoned the world above. People who Bakura would have hardly called armed citizens wandered in strange patterns, some squinting in the low light, as if they were guarding the remnants of this civilization.
He had no idea what was in store for these pitiful people clinging to life, but he knew if he were in such a position, he would want a chance.
Diabound glided above them, the young, the old, the afraid, aiding Bakura in his search for what he could do for these people. Why they had chosen to live underground confused him, but he was in no position to question why. What he could do, was widen one of the caverns that seemed to lead upward. Upon closer inspection he had to rephrase his intention. What he could do, was open the door they had so unceremoniously closed upon the world. They were afraid of the world above, that much was clear, but there would be no point in keeping this makeshift steel door in its place when whatever was below them awakened. Whatever was down there, whatever brought forth this feeling within Bakura, was the issue.
Landing upon packed soil, Bakura straightened his form as he faced his metallic foe. He could tell from the position of this walkway that he was hidden from the main population's site. Pausing, he wondered if he should wait just long enough for the children to have a proper moment of rest. He shook his head. They could rest later; even where they were might not be safe enough. Whatever this feeling was warning of, there was a chance that the fallout would be far reaching. They might be spotted by the fleeing mass of individuals that had considered this place home for however long. He did not want to hang around explaining his reasons or run the risk of them asking questions about D. Curiosity dug at him, but he knew that time, and everyone's safety, was of the essence.
"Diabound," he called, his voice reverberating in the small tunnel. "You know what to do."
If the inhabitants of this murky world were not alerted by his voice, they were startled by the boom of their protective door exploding outward. Several of the "guards" of the area ran to the sound, their shoes decrepit and falling to pieces where they were not tied and taped. What they found as a crowd began to form around them were two obvious footprints that neither lead inside or outside. Simply two prints in the dirt. A ghost of some sort, or an omen.
Those of the main populace who saw it began pushing against each other in terror. These people had seen many strange things as the world had dismantled itself around them. Disappearing water sources, missing people, strange lights in the sky. Some had even seen raging fires and a person surviving for moments longer than they should have as they performed inhuman feats of strength to save another. They had seen so much that this was the only place that the remnants of nearby towns had felt was the safest bet. Now though, now the strangeness that was outside had somehow managed to reach them inside.
Screams of horror came in waves as some rushed to the outside world. Others ran deeper into the cavern, although this number was miniscule in comparison. Parents dragged their children along. Lovers clung to one another. Friends ushered each other to safety. In the end, when the explosion from a strange underground military source—accidentally activated by thieves trying to dig their way out of the cavern—decimated the makeshift city, there were survivors to tell the tale. These survivors took with them the story of an unseen event that as the years went on became a tale of a spirit who had warned them of impending doom and had saved them by showing them the way back into the world above.
As the explosion rumbled in the distance, D was jerked awake by not only the noise, but the feeling of being lifted into the sky. He floundered in the air, rolling on top of a still sleeping Claire, before righting himself in one of the tent's corners. Alert eyes scanned his compact, and blue tinted, surroundings before he spotted the tent opening just above him. He reached for the entrance as Claire groaned, finally awake.
When D poked his head out to see the commotion, he saw the large hands of Diabound grasping at the tent poles and flaps. Had the two residents inside been adults, or had Bakura been in there with them, the weight might have collapsed the structure, causing an uncomfortable and unceremonious reintroduction with reality. Thankfully, their combined weight had done little more than lightly sag the bottom and made this the easiest way to travel at a moment's notice. As it was, Bakura rode upon its shoulder, the epitome of exhaustion. Steadying himself with one hand against the great ka's head, his other hung at his side, half-heartedly pointing the way to wherever they were headed.
D's dark hair whipped around his face while he pulled himself out of the tent. Weakening poles that made up the base of their traveling home managed to hold his weight as he perched upon them. Hesitating only a moment by tapping on the entity before him, assessing its solidity, he climbed upon the entity, somewhat shocked by its corporeal form. Bakura appeared to notice the boy's ascent and smiled weakly before offering a hand to assist. D took it with gratitude and used his built-up momentum to find a post beside the man. Only then did he choose to look behind them, passed the feathered wings of Diabound, to where the horizon was now lit with flame.
He blinked in surprise at the same instant that Claire seemed to recognize she was floating in the air. She screamed and scrambled around in the tent, forcing the great being that carried them to unknown lands to upend the tent and catch her flailing form in its palm.
Startled, she looked up and saw the other two sitting upon it a few feet above her. With a quiet and brief command from Bakura, she was placed beside D. Without prompting, she clung to him with all her might.
"What is going on!" She demanded to know, squishing her cheek against her more balanced compatriot. It was the same question that occupied D's mind.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Bakura said. "It was just best that we got out of the area quickly."
"What happened?"
D saw Bakura's visage furrow in consideration at the question. "I suppose there was an explosion of sorts."
Claire gasped. "Was it those people?"
Bakura shrugged. "I'm not certain."
D had been around Bakura for years, long enough to know that he was keeping something close to his chest. The boy was a bit sick of it. After all they had been through, was it not enough to give them the truth of it? "The explosion wouldn't have hit us," he pointed out. "You would have been able to wake us up before we felt any aftereffects. That's assuming you knew there would be an explosion of some sort. Why did you do this?"
"You needed sleep."
"That answers nothing, and you know it, Bakura-sama."
Bakura sighed and ruffled D's hair. "Neither of you should have to be dealing with any of this."
"Well, we are." D snapped, pushing his hand away. His pointed stare matched Bakura's own, black piercing into brown and vice versa. There was a brief battle of wills before both turned away, neither knowing who had truly won.
Claire, having observed the whole exchange sighed, rolling her own eyes. "You guys are just dumb," she said. "Does it really matter? I just wanted to know why I was like, in the air? If it was to save us from being hurt, I don't care what the reason is."
"We should be made aware," D said, resolute.
"Does it matter?" she repeated, "He's the adult. Let him…do adult stuff?"
"I'm tired of being in the dark!"
Bakura shook his head. This was going down a road he had little interest in. "It really isn't that big of a deal. You aren't in the dark with anything. I just went back down there and gave the people down there a way out. I don't know why I did, I don't even know why there was an explosion. I was just following my intuition…I just wanted to help."
"Why hide that?"
"Because…I had to leave you guys alone. I didn't want to frighten you."
D shook his head at the response, pinching the bridge of his nose. Claire let out another exasperated sigh. Bakura had not been expecting such a reaction and simply took it in silence as another failure on his part. It was only when D's counterpart of symbiosis spoke up that the building tension broke.
"I like how all of you have chosen to have your first fight and it was over the stupidest shit imaginable," it said, chuckling to itself.
D glowered down at his hand. "We don't need your input."
"Well, I have to deal with your bullshit so you're going to hear it," it countered. "You've got the dumbest adult here in the world trying to protect you from your bad feelings. You've got your kid who thinks he knows everything just because he's been educated by books. And you've got…honestly the little brat is the most sensible one here."
"At least I'm not a stupid talking hand," Claire said, still clinging to D from her position.
"This is ridiculous," Bakura said, rubbing at his temples.
"You're absolutely right! It is." Twisting D's wrist to face the group, it continued its line of thought. "All of you are idiots. Even I'm an idiot; I have agreed to be attached to this kid who wants to ignore his simple biological needs. So, because you—big guy—decided to play hero for some forsaken reason, and you—my host—decided you wanted to pick now, of all times, of all the times you legitimately had a reason, to ask for clarification, we have to sit here in mid-air watching you all measure your d—"
D clenched his hand so quickly that even he gasped from the bite of his fingernails into his flesh. It stung, and he could feel his hand was wet even before he unclasped his fist. Yet, even as he felt the blood trickle from his palm, he felt something else rise in his chest. He giggled.
Claire stared up at him in shock. She had heard him laugh, of course, but there was something so childish about his bubbling laughter, something she had wanted from him for so long, that she sat there mesmerized for a moment before she began laughing alongside him. Bakura had attempted to remain the adult in the situation, but even he laughed along with the immature rational that was in this humor.
"He was gonna say dick," Claire giggled. "Wasn't he?"
"Don't say it!"
"Dick."
"Stop!"
"Measuring your pennie-weenie."
"Enough, enough!" D begged, holding his sides. Bakura had to steady the laughing pair with one arm, even as he made to make Diabound descend to the ground. They were far enough away now.
"What does that even mean?!" She cackled in shrill notes. "What does your ding-dong have to do with anything?"
They struggled with maintaining any semblance of control for a few moments after they landed. When all of them had calmed down, they reset their tent and things, making sure nothing had broken in the unceremonious move. Only then did Bakura turn to his group, a serious expression on his face.
"I apologize," he said. "For not being clear."
D, who was sitting upon a rock beside their tent, initially said nothing. He picked at one of the crags, seemingly more interested in manipulating its form. Claire shrugged, unperturbed by either of their actions. She just looked like she was ready for bed.
"Thank you," the boy said after a time. "I…I am sorry as well, for questioning your decisions. I just wish you would trust us more." He gave Bakura a meaningful and trusting look as he continued. "I trust you with everything. You saved me from a bad place, and we are going somewhere that none of us know about. We have to be able to trust you. But we are getting older. We aren't going to be kids for long…so we have a right to know what is going on."
"I know. You should be able to be a kid, though. Neither of you should have to worry about stuff like this."
"But we do, Bakura-sama. Maybe it was—probably it was—different for you. Claire and I are still going to be kids, just in a different way. Just explain why you are doing things. Then we can just follow you and know what you are thinking. Because you explained it to us."
"I," Bakura began, rubbing at his forehead. He was not sure how to explain his own feelings on this matter. "If I could explain it with logic, I would. Logically, it was very unsafe of me to leave either of you behind. But you were both tired. You both needed sleep and were safe and far enough away for me to come back and get you if anything were to happen. I did not want to stress you out."
"Why did you leave us behind?"
"To help the people we did leave behind."
"Why?" D inquired, still unable to comprehend why Bakura would have done something he deemed dangerous if he was so conflicted by it. "They didn't ask for help."
"This world is difficult enough as it is. If I can make it less difficult for others, there's no reason I shouldn't try."
"Why, though?"
Bakura absentmindedly rubbed at his left hand. The scar that partially covered it felt smooth to the touch. This scar, like the ones dotting his chest, reminded him of that small voice inside. 'Don't use their safety as a crutch, or an excuse, to stop helping others.' What did that mean to him? He knew it was not a call to ignore the children's needs. So, what to tell the boy? How could he articulate what he felt?
"Because this world deserves a chance; just like you do."
With that, Bakura retired to the tent, the first to go to bed this time.
Claire remained with D out in the forsaken rough country. D changed positions, leaving the rock to lay beside her as she stared up at the night sky. With her finger she drew invisible lines, connecting the dots among the stars. There was little in the way of pattern; it seemed she was attempting to remain wakeful.
"It's weird," she confessed after a time, her voice thick with sleep, "but while you all were arguing about trust and junk, I was just more confused as to when he learned how to fly that thing."
"Dunno," D said, following the trail her finger made. "It was cool, though."
"Yeah." She let her hand fall in D's direction, and he caught it in his own. Her lips curved into a smile. Interlacing his fingers with her own, she rubbed at her nose sheepishly. He was getting good at catching on to her games. It was a game neither D nor Bakura approved of, but it was a hard habit of hers; only time would tell if she would grow out of it.
"You had to go and make it weird, though," she said. "Make it all about how he doesn't trust us and why why why. My momma would have smacked you on the head, and said, 'Why doesn't matter when I'm trying to save your life!'"
"Was he, though?"
"Was he what?"
"Trying to save our lives?"
She shrugged. "I guess, in a way. He wanted to help them, but if they found us, what would have happened? Maybe he was just waiting to tell us when we were far enough away, and didn't want to be distracted before then?"
"He said he didn't want to worry us. I doubt he would have explained much, if anything."
"He probably said it because of you," she pointed out. "Like, he knows how each of us is going to react. I'm still following you guys around, and I don't have to. It's like he told me when we first met, and I was being a real jerk to him. So, by following him around, I'm basically saying, 'Do whatever you want, my good dude. I trust you, totally.' You, on the other hand, worry about every little thing. Every tiny little boo boo is all your fault. Last thing I think he wanted you to feel was as if what he chose to do was because of you."
"Why would I?"
"I dunno. You'd probably find some reason. Was what he did dumb? Yeah," she rubbed at one of her eyes this time. She seemed just as tired as Bakura had appeared earlier, and yet she stayed by his side. "I don't know why he worries so much about what we think."
"Maybe it's because he doesn't know what to do?"
"Maybe. But he knows more than me, so I don't care. I'll follow along."
"When did he prove that to you?" D turned his full attention to her, curious. Her eyes with tears of sleep as she yawned again. "When did you decide to stay?"
"Because you love him and trust him. I trust your judgment. I guess I decided to stay when I chose to help you look for him. He got banged up pretty bad, but when he came back to us, he did everything he could to make us happy. He makes me think of my mom. Even when I would be a butt, she'd still be with me. She taught me a lot of things. My dad did too, but he's not like my dad," she scrunched her nose. "My dad joked around a lot and was loud. He just…doesn't know how to 'mom' yet? I dunno. I guess that's why I'm happy to stay. It's like having my mom again."
D shook his head. "You have a way different opinion of him than when we first met."
"Don't you?"
"Have a different opinion?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Of him. You used to just be like 'Bakura-sama this, Bakura-sama that.' This was the first time I really saw you like, really argue with him."
"I still trust him."
"But you questioned why he did something."
"Why couldn't he just answer me?"
She sighed, in full exasperation. "Because he is worried of what you think. Like, worried all of the time. I think he knows you are stupid smart, so it's hard for him to explain stuff that just…I dunno…feels right to do."
"What does that even mean?"
"I can't explain it! I don't know how." She paused, her face exposing her struggle. "It's like, how you hear something, and you just know that it's coming from the left, or that I am trying to smack you in the face. You just know. He just knew something. God, how are you so dense for a smart guy?!"
"I'm not dense."
"Then whyyyy do I have to explain this to you. He felt like he could help someone. It seems like that's something he likes to do a lot. So, he did. He didn't want to tell you because you might blame it on yourself. Maybe it was a vampire that exploded something because he was mad, maybe it was some other spooky monster. Maybe Bakura exploded something to make it harder for your dad to find us and those people…things…underground, I don't know! I don't care. He helped someone because he thought it was right, and you asking and asking about it was probably really annoying."
"If he didn't want to do it though, then why did he? He didn't sound like he wanted to…"
"Listen. I don't know what you guys have going on in your little squiggly brains. I just know what goes on in mine."
"Because this world deserves a chance!" D blurted, as if her words had somehow connected that had been missing. He could not fathom why after saying it he was beginning to find it an acceptable answer. Yet, thinking on everything the man had done, was that not how he had always acted? Never did he explain he was going to take D on this strange quest, he had just unceremoniously dragged him along. Because he deserved a chance. It would have been far smarter to run off on his own. Nevertheless, he had wanted to help someone else. He had brought Claire along for the very same reason but had never given her a clear motive. Bakura always thought of others before he thought of himself. It was likely that the reason he had said nothing to them was out of guilt for putting them anywhere but first. Because it was like a dual wish: Help himself (or those in his family), and help others (those who could not fight, who were unprepared). It was similar to D's own frustrations: to be a child, and to be treated as if on equal footing with the man.
"Like us, apparently." Claire stood up, rubbing her face as she added, "I'm going to bed. It's cold, it's super dry, and you're boring right now."
"Good night," D replied absentmindedly.
"Come to bed soon," she said, nudging him with her foot. "I don't wanna wake up AGAIN tonight. Only way later on today. Got it?"
"Got it."
It was near dawn when he finally went to bed after reflecting on his discussion with Claire. During moments like this, he began to piece together his own moral compass, the code that he would follow. Certainly, he was far more pragmatic than the likes of Bakura; but there were plenty of times that he would choose aiding someone even over his comfort or duties. Even if what he said was contrary.
The next day was an extremely late start for the group. Bakura had used much of his energy in the impromptu escape, and as a result, held a steady gait that was slower than their norm. Claire was upon his back, piggyback style, asleep. It seemed she could not shake the sandman's grasp on her, but otherwise she appeared fine. D was the most alert of the bunch, but it was not like he saw much of anything. The land around them was growing flat, the brush dry and tumbling, even though they were just entering spring. The sky was gray with high clouds blocking out the sun, and this deadened the landscape. The dirt seemed twice as lifeless because of this. No water was in sight.
'Glad we have extra,' D thought to himself.
Two more days they traveled like this, their exhaustion replaced with thirst. Whatever path they had chosen had been uneventful. It had also been devoid of any sustenance. Once again, they found themselves without.
With the sweat of their effort on their brow, salt upon their lips, Bakura laughed despite their worsening condition. Claire was unamused with their situation, but still she looked up, interested. Her arm rested against her guitar, slung over one shoulder. Her rifle was readjusted across her back in a similar fashion to D's sword, but since their journey into this waste, she had little need for it. Speaking of the boy, he was silently grateful for the cloud cover. Even with most of his skin unexposed, it was always nice when the feeling of needles was deadened.
"What's so funny?" the girl asked.
Bakura waved to where they traveled, bringing their attention back to the flat expanse. "It's dumb. I thought I smelled the sea."
"The sea?!"
D cocked his head and took a deliberate whiff of the air. "I smell salt," he replied after a second. "Maybe that's it?"
Claire frowned, pulling her hair into another one of her strange up-dos to pass the time as she spoke. "I've always wanted to see the ocean. My momma said I went once…but I can't remember."
"When get to the other end of this continent, I think you'll see it again."
She snorted at Bakura's remark. "Yeah, if we ever."
By the end of the day, when the sun hung low in the sky, they saw an outcropping of large stones, a welcomed change in the scenery. Past this, when the sun was nearly gone, was a town razed and leveled, but there were items still strewn about within it. After picking a choice spot to camp, they hunted through the debris for anything interesting.
They found trash, of course, but Bakura found a water pump that functioned, and after crossing his fingers as he tested the liquid, found it clean and clear. They refilled their canteens at this post. D found remnants of food stuff, but the only thing of use was some variant of potted meat. It would have to do.
Claire dug around what was once a home and had a most miraculous find.
"Hey! Hey!" She called, waving her arms at her groupmates. "I found a game! I think!"
"You think?" D raised an eyebrow, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"What game?" Bakura asked. He made his way to her. He had to take care at one point, where there was a great shattered pane of glass.
"It's some kind of cards…"
When D and Bakura looked, shock was the first expression upon their faces. Some disquiet filled D's afterwards, but Bakura looked on, nostalgic.
"Duel Monsters," he breathed. Claire handed him the binder, and in an instant Bakura was able to tell that this had been some collector's stash. Many of the cards were rare, all were in protective sleeves. "It was pretty popular everywhere. I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"Oh! Oh! Teach me how to play!"
Bakura flipped through the pages upon pages of cards. He recognized some that he had in his own deck. Absentmindedly reaching for the only card left of it, he wondered where he had left the rest of them. "I suppose," he contemplated. "If we can find enough to make a deck that makes sense."
Claire squealed in delight, but D…
His attention was on the distant city limits. No longer was it void of life. Figures were springing up from what appeared out of nowhere. As they slowly ambled down the remains of the highway that cut through the town, their shapes took on a more human nature. The trio came to the same conclusion at once. There were no places to hide where they stood. There would be no hiding within abandoned houses for the children this time. They would be facing this foe together.
D braced himself, prepared to pull his blade if need be, even if he was not completely convinced of his proficiency. Claire took a few steps back, preparing her rifle as she had trained herself to do. Bakura took a few steps forward, set on being the shield to the children from the possible frontal assault as he drew his gun. They waited, the tension thick on the cold evening breeze.
All would have gone according to plan if the ground had not opened up under Claire, sending her flailing into the arms of her captor. D, focused on the issue before them, had heard the shuffling below but had turned too late to do much more than slice at the man's broad arm. The aggressor hissed in pain, but his grip on the girl did not lessen. In fact, she gagged a little as he tightened his hold. D stood frozen, unsure of what method to take. Kill the man and risk Claire being injured or wait and see what Bakura would do. The man's grizzled appearance did not make the choice easier for him. He had the look of a seasoned fighter, with brute strength in every muscle.
Bakura had also heard Claire cry out, but something bizarre occurred before he could call forth his protector. A sound and something that stopped him in his tracks, much like the boy behind him.
He was not certain, it seemed absurd, but was that a rocket launcher aimed at his face from the recently lifted manhole?
"Don't move," the bleeding assailant called out. "While I love the trill of not knowing whether I live or die, you might not want that for this kid right here."
"Don't hurt her." Bakura clenched his free hand into a fist. He was sick and tired of being put in this position. As he spoke, his mind tried to filter through possible actions he could take to rescue the girl. "If this was your stuff, we will put it back. We don't want any trouble. We're just traveling through."
"Traveling through? Our stuff?" The man scowled, the growing lines on his face creasing as he seemed to be thinking. Suddenly, his tough demeanor slackened, as did his hold on the girl. Claire let out a gasp, part in fear, part in irritation.
"You…you aren't with those people?" the man asked, dumbfounded.
"Those people?" Bakura blinked. A misunderstanding, then. This was a sliver of hope, and he grasped for it. "Who are 'those people'?"
"Hey! Jim!" The man called out. His focus lay on the individual hanging low in the manhole. "You here that shit? He don't know!"
"Beau, don't be an idiot. I heard him." The launcher shifted, and Bakura noted the slightest tuft of red hair. It seemed their position was rather uncomfortable within the small confine. "They talked about The Sea."
"The sea?" Bakura shook his head in disbelief. He had said it ages ago that day. "I said I thought it smelled like…wait, you could hear us!?" The question of how filled his mind. They had been close to this site, but certainly not enough that anyone's underground tunneling would have allowed them the chance to hear them.
"The area's bugged…" Whether it was a statement or a question that came from D's lips was anyone's guess.
"…well, yeah," Beau replied. "Kinda."
"See," Jim called from his hiding place. "They were talking about it." For a brief instant his head poked through the opening, and Bakura could see a freckled and sun-weathered face glare up at him. "Shitty thing to do, draggin' kids into this mess," he admonished.
"Excuse me?" Bakura said, affronted.
"Like the water, oh my God!" Claire shouted from her position, now struggling against Beau. Her legs flailed and kicked uselessly in the air. "Lemme go! You guys are the bad guys! We weren't doing anything wrong!"
"Who'd you catch?" Called a new voice. All eyes turned to the group that had managed to advance upon them as they worked through their confusion. A woman stood at the forefront of this group, an amalgamation of rough-and-tumble individuals. Her arms were crossed, one hand hung lower than the other, prepared to grab the gun she had at her hip. She tilted her head, her dark hair, wrapped in a tight braid upon her head swung slightly behind her. Her dark eyes scanned the area; her look, foreboding. Yet her question was one filled with amusement.
"Some people who are a part of The Sea!" Jim cried, his weapon still trained on them.
"We aren't part of anything," Bakura said.
"Yeah, right," came the retort from someone within the new group.
"As she just said," D replied quietly, "we were just talking about the ocean."
It might have been that he was the only other child there that inspired these confused individuals to note what he said. It could have also been the unspoken command for respect that he seemed to exude at that moment. Either way, what Claire had not managed, and Bakura could not (as they seemed keen on distrusting the adult figure), D had done in an instant.
They were now listening.
"The ocean?" The woman said. The corner of her lip curved into a small smirk. "Why would you be talking about that here? Ain't a drop of water for miles around." She paused, and with a toss of her head said, "Let that kid go. She looks like she's going to snap her back."
As Beau released her, she snatched her weapon from the ground and ran behind Bakura, scowling at them all. The woman smiled at the girl and then faced Bakura.
"Tell us your story, and fast. We'll consider what you have to say before dragging you through the dirt."
Bakura agreed, and as quickly as possible described the general story they originally told Ewan and Samuel. Unlike the last time, where it seemed that the listeners were friendly but cautious when it came to trusting the information, this group of terrors seemed to accept it for what it was. Bakura liked to think that it was because it seemed truthful enough, although he would not have hated the concept that he was getting better at deceiving possible enemies.
The woman uncrossed her arms, instead having her hands rest upon her hips as she turned toward the rest of the group. "What'dy'all think?"
"What?" Bakura mumbled under his breath, unable to decipher what she had said. D shook his head, denoting that it was not of vital import.
The group quickly rounded up to hold a discussion, with the bleeding Beau joining them. Jim remained in his hole, weapon still trained on them. There were hushed and rapid whispers that drifted from the group as the trio awaited their fate. D had been inching closer to Bakura as they had all been talking, and not even the one who was fixated on them had seemed to notice until he was beside Claire. Bakura wondered what type of blast Diabound could protect them from, if necessary. He knew a bullet was possible. That had happened when he had not even been willingly aware of its presence. His contemplation was broken as the group split, surrounding them. He tried not to flinch as he readied himself for their verdict.
"You say you're not from those of The Arid Sea."
Bakura nodded. "We honestly have no clue who they are."
"But we can't just trust you yet. Not willy-nilly. We need a little proof of your cooperation."
The trio glanced at one another, unsure of the woman's meaning. Bakura cleared his throat as he asked, "What exactly does that entail?"
She chuckled and turned to Beau, the only injured person in her party. He stepped forward, a cloth pressed against the cut that D had given him. His hazel eyes shone with laughter under their brown lashes as they stared the pale-haired man down. Bakura held his ground, his face calm, hiding the trepidation he felt.
The man grinned at the lack of fear in his eyes. As he stood alongside his compatriots, he let the terms be known. "You'll decide your fate…"
"…by playing our game!"
The children looked to each other in complete confusion. There was none on Bakura's face. These were terms he had heard of before.
"Oh, fuck me," Bakura breathed, startling the younger duo.
Things were just never straight forward and easy, were they?