Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.
First of all, thank you Chrisca for your review! It's always nice to hear that people are finding it worth a reread even if it isn't completely done yet, and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story :D
I am going to do my best to have the next chapter out as soon as possible, but it may take some time. Once again, it is not so much the motivation, but rather the time availability that is making it difficult. Thank you all to those reading this for your understanding.
Now, Enjoy!
Chapter Sixty-Six: Turn Five
Some days later—the wolves having left their side with sad sounding yips at the edge of their familiar hunting ground—the ad hoc adventurers found themselves resting beside the remains of an old stone bridge. Bubbling water ran down and over a short manmade drop from under a more updated bridge several meters away, slowly making its way around the rock deposits that bedecked the creek. By the point it reached them, the current had slowed to a mirror shine where they could see themselves and the small school of fish that darted within. The smallest of the group appreciated this the most, smiling and waving to herself as the others went about their business.
Currently, the bulk of the party rested under the boughs of one of the many trees that lined this little area, having called an early day after finding one of the caches noted in D's book. It had been empty. The small lean-to that had been mentioned remained, however, and they were not hurting for supplies. In fact, Amami had been tasked to fill the cache once more with some of the homemade tea they had devised along the way. Now whoever monitored the area the next time would have something for them instead.
"It tastes like playdough," Claire grumbled as she sipped her share of it from her cup. "But better than nothing, I guess."
"You left it in too long," D chided.
"There could be some improvements," Bakura said, wrinkling his nose. "But according to the notes, this is supposed to be good for us."
"Why is 'good for us' always nasty?"
"A question for the ages," Albert said, laughing from his place by the small campfire.
"What's nasty?" Theo asked, having returned with Amami from her task.
"The tea."
"Count Etsu among those who didn't like it," Jounochi called from his place on the bank. "Spit it right out and dumped the rest into the water."
"It's yucky," followed Etsu's emphatic reply. She waved more vigorously to the fish who swam by. "They don't like it, either."
Amami shook her head and took her offered mug from Bakura. She sat before the crackling flames after clearing the area with her foot. "You both are being picky," she said, and took a polite sip. Her face scrunched, and she fought to swallow it down. "Never mind, it's bad. How are you all still drinking this?" She looked to the adults in bewilderment.
"Because we all made it," Bakura said, finishing his drink. "We'll do better next time, too."
"It would help if someone hadn't steeped it for too long—in too hot of water," D repeated, and took the respective smack at the back of his head with magnanimity.
Being that the act had not been one of ill intent, the weary adults let it slide with a mild chiding and the family-like unit continued their repetitious chores in setting up for the night. Questions about Marta and Bakura's last meeting (or the lack thereof) had ceased, but not her teachings. They even conversed with each other in the triad of shared languages they had, afraid they would lose that aspect that reminded them so much of the woman who had by all rights saved their lives.
Tents were raised, water collected, and dinner prepared. Traps were set in the distance to bolster their meat reserves, while wild herbs sat on their travel-sized drying racks a little way up the hilly banks. Food was eaten, dishes were washed, and soon all were seated by the fire ready to hear one of their favorite stories from D's book. Bakura had taken to whitling at these times, the task not unnoticed by Jounochi, who early on had mentioned it made him think of the man's Monster World figurine work. This had sparked some idea in the man, who now had fashioned a smaller bag that hung on the side of his main one, filling it with his compiled efforts. The others just enjoyed the moment of calm.
Monotony. It was a word that many tend to despise, but for the ones who knew their lives would be far too exciting in only a matter of time, they appreciated every uneventful minute.
Evening fell to night, and the campfire burned as the one defining light source across the wilderness that was the land they traveled. Etsu leaned against Jounochi, dozing off in the natural silence while Claire and Amami played tic-tac-toe in the dirt. D kept score, all the while listening closely to the sounds of the night. He would be the first aware of anything amiss. Currently, the sounds of metal slicing against wood and the occasional frog croak were the most prominent sounds, that, and the shifting…
Jounochi stretched his arms wide above him and let one rest around the sleeping child of his best friend. "I think I'm going to take this one to bed," he told the others, his voice soft so as not to wake her.
"Wait!" D called in a hiss, stopping Jounochi mid-rise. "Someone's here!"
Those able leapt to their feet and faced the direction the boy was glaring at. Bakura had his fingers on the butt of his gun by the time D had halfway unsheathed his sword. Out of the wooded darkness came a figure looking both at once put together and oddly worse for wear. Fine pants were tattered near the knees and scratched at the sides, their heavy coat protecting their shirt from most of the grime, at least, aside from the blood speckles on the front of the baggy button up. Even his sandy blonde hair hung less in smoothed waves and more like rippling tangles.
"Arthur?" Bakura managed; his gun gripped in his grasp hard enough to creak from the friction.
"Art, I told you," the vampire said with a tinge of weariness. He glanced behind him before dusting off his pants. Nothing came of it but new smears of grime from his hands. "Curious things out there, wouldn't you say?"
"What are you doing here?" Albert asked, panic creeping into his voice even while he adjusted his stance to shore up for a fight.
"I thought you might be this way."
Theo frowned. "How could you have guessed we would still be in the area? It's been months."
Arthur chuckled. "It wasn't so much a guess. You left one of your personal effects hanging from a branch. I caught the scent and followed where I could."
Amami blanched, running her fingers through her loose hair. Claire stepped in front of her, armed with nothing more than her gifted spray bottle. Arthur gave them a cursory glance, but his focus was on Bakura.
"Don't worry. If you think I'm being followed, I was—but not for the reason you probably ran. And hopefully, I've shaken off my pursuers."
Bakura's hand remained on his weapon; his gaze steeled. "Will your pursuers find us as you did?"
"I hope not! May the pack of whatever science experiments gone wrong those things back there are cover that small, easy to miss scent. Honestly, I would have never noticed it if I hadn't housed myself a nearby cave for a day. Have to say, the woman occupying the area is none too friendly, but she didn't shoo me off. Grateful for that."
Bakura fought the urge to glance back at the others; to not create curiosity in one he spoke with, nor to lose himself in shock. The memory of the empty cave was as clear as the vampire before him. Sure, he had told everyone nothing of that, but now it was even stranger that he had not mentioned any "discussion" they might have had. Thankfully, Arthur seemed more interested in picking off the burrs from his pants to care what was transpiring on any of their faces.
"Not to mention," he continued, tossing the offending husks to the wayside, "those after me have no idea what to look for when it comes to you. Appearances are everything these days, and your party composition has…varied to say the least."
Tension was building behind him, and Bakura recognized he either needed to aim it, or cut it clear. Otherwise, a mess would ensue. "You…aren't after us," he stated, releasing his weapon back into its holster. He hated using the boy for a quick strike if his play was wrong, but D would be the only one to react in time if he misread the situation. Plus, he trusted him. D seemed to gather that, for out of the man's peripheral, the child only partially sheathed his blade.
"No, I'm not. May I take a seat by your fire?"
Bakura motioned to a spot beside himself, much to the silent protest of all around him. Yet, Marta had been right when she said they made reckless decisions when exhausted. He had trusted this vampire previously and had not been killed for it. In fact, Arthur had been pretty accepting of his explanation, and had not moved against him when he had been the one to attack his allies to avenge a fallen friend. Bakura's concerns had sprouted from the worries of the others, the heavy losses they had suffered, and the vampire's pushy compatriots. Ones that were not present.
He felt clear-headed about this decision, and therefore comfortable to see it to the next step. "If you would be so kind as to explain what happened, and why you came to us, we would be appreciative."
"Certainly. To start, it seems it was a good idea that you backed out of the bargain," Arthur said, taking a seat at their campfire. "While I had no issue in the beginning with upholding my end of the deal, the others…I want to say I can't blame them, but it made things a bit difficult. In time they folded just enough. No confirmation you, being who you are, were the ones in charge," he said, raising his hands at their startled faces, "just that they thought you might have been amongst the rabble, and might have stowed away during our hurried flight out of what is now counted as hostile territory. Those they divulged this to were quick to descend on the town we left you in the moment they learned you might have been a part of those who flew. To interrogate our 'allies' of course, but I think with that many poking and prodding about it, they would have figured it out."
"They didn't…?" Albert began, and being unable to continue, cleared his throat. The vampire shrugged.
"Not that I know of, but I took my leave the moment that happened. As I was already inquiring about means to travel to other areas, there's no chance I wouldn't already seem suspect. They are not fond of 'Deserters'."
"No, they wouldn't be," D muttered. "Not when it comes to their Great One."
Arthur offered a rueful chuckle. "Yes, and here I thought I had been one of them at some point. Well, one minute you're in charge, and the next you're on the run, I guess."
"Welcome to the club," Bakura said, smirking.
"My father already knows of my general vicinity," the boy continued. He did not hide the interrogative tone. "Did you hear of that?"
"There were rumors that you were already back in his custody," the vampire returned in amusement. "Or that you were spotted in Mangalia. Others say they saw remnants of a large human encampment as far down as Spasovo. I've heard a lot of things.
I even observed the current building projects before I had tried to broach the subject of sending you all aid. I had to see who would be sympathetic to your cause first, otherwise we would all have been in a…well, where we are currently, I suppose…and I figured you would be safe where we had left you."
"You didn't think we would leave?" Jounochi inquired, incredulous.
"With how badly it ended up snowing? No. Although how long that type of bad weather lasts after they're done, who knows?"
The group collectively exclaimed questions in confusion, enough to cause Etsu to groan a warning that reminded them all of a fit they did not want to deal with. They all silenced themselves while Arthur waved an agitated hand at them.
"It's just a strange contraption they said the Great One found in what was once the U.S. Some type of weather manipulator that he intends to repurpose for creating favorable weather patterns on the planet. It won't be of any trouble to us. In fact, optimal weather patterns may aid in your escape." He raised a brow. "Don't you think?"
When no one spoke up, his features softened. "Don't stress out so much," he soothed, "The main branch can see far, but we're coming up to the area where we will have the upper hand. We just need to stay clear of the Noble Greylancer. Apparently, he's the one who commanded the fighting force that led to several victories against the aliens that initially held the technology, and he just so happens to be visiting courtesy of the rejuvenated airport in the northeastern section," he paused to let the words sink in before he added, "I don't know how she's taking the news of you slipping past her security, and her 'best employees', but Amelia is certainly using what you left behind to get things up and running again." He cleared his throat of a potential chuckle.
Bakura, D, and Claire were too stunned to hear such a familiar last name to even consider his second point, but Jounochi was not. "Do you think she'll offer more people to help the search efforts here?" he asked.
"I think WE were the insurance. And I may have worsened my position, if not lightened the load for you all. My betrayal is fresh, there's no hint that Dream Eater's group had anything to do with the failure—the others kept their mouths shut enough for that at least. Not to mention I have worked for her longer, anyway. Sure, her attention will still be focused on Bakura and D with that whole fiasco," he noted with an apologetic shrug, "but the 'rest of you' will hardly be a blip on her radar."
"We just happen to be traveling with the wanted people," Albert stated flatly.
"You're running with Dream Eater and Nobody, last I checked. People that helped my group get here."
"And how long until she figures out those names were just aliases of those she was searching for?"
"…Separating from the 'problem' would be easier for you all—less pursuers to contend with."
"Yeah, no. I'm not ditching anyone—willingly. I've been in it for the long haul since…hell, I guess California," Albert said.
"Same here," Theo agreed. "Last thing I'm going to be is a coward."
"You aren't a coward," Amami interjected, fidgeting with her fingers at her boldness. "None of you are."
"Thank you for that," Arthur said with a smile that the girl could not help but flinch at. Said smile faltered. "Whatever is decided, please know we will keep you safe."
The girl nodded and scooted closer to Jounochi, placing a hand on the sleeping Etsu. The child harrumphed in her disturbed sleep.
"So…they really are getting hung up on that whole Nobility thing, huh?" Bakura ventured, wanting to bring up the sensitive topic of Greylancer without making it too obvious.
"It's been in the works for centuries. I think everyone is just trying it on for size and liking the fit. Personally, I hate the idea. It's far too formal. Sure, be in charge because you have more sense, but that just makes you look pompous."
"Explains the way he acts, though," Claire joked, jabbing a thumb at D.
"Not funny," he grumbled, but made no move to swat her hand down.
"When I first met you, you would probably have said, 'I do not find that very amusing'," she affected with a haughty voice. Bakura watched D's face fill with disbelief as Amami began giggling at her portrayal. It almost made him laugh.
"Or," the boy's other friend added in her glee, "he would say things like 'I do hope that I am not a bother to you' but he would say it suuuper formally."
"Or, or, things like…and you," Claire continued with an upturned nose, "are juvenile."
"He still says things like that."
"Yeah. In his journal, all the time."
"You guys are jerks!" D steamed.
"Okay, that's enough," Bakura said while raising his hands to aid his stopping cue. "It's clear he doesn't like it—"
"I always kind of thought he got that from you, though," Claire directed at Bakura, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "You also get super formal."
"That's because of the way he learned," D stated.
"Oh. Weird."
"And the way I learned!"
"Well," she said with a grin, "talk normally, then."
"I am talking normally, you 'Outie' slinging, whine speaking, word omitting weirdo!"
"I said enough," Bakura stated quietly, and the pair silenced. Something in him told him he was getting better at this, but for how long? What would they be like as teenagers? Internally, he shuddered as he tried to bring the topic he wanted to discuss back around, rather than dwell on that inevitability. Unfortunately, it seemed all that Arthur had known remained as surface level as his previous statement, but they all took note of one thing.
"The man has family in a lot of places, I hear. What he's done for Him certainly will have its benefits stretched to them. Essentially, if we run into anyone by the moniker of Greylancer, we need to leave."
With that cheerful end to their conversation and Arthur's promise to cover them as a lookout (ensuring them that being on their side had far more allure than ever showing his face in that court again), they bedded down and fell into an uneasy rest.
Near morning, Bakura was awakened by a strange dragging sound. After a swift sweep to see the children were still in their sleeping bags—he noted D lay alert with his eyes directed to the closed tent flap—he picked his way over to the entrance and peered out. In the dim warnings of dawn, he saw the outline of who could have only been Arthur adjusting random debris here and there to be sure that no sunlight entered his impromptu resting area. He glanced up from his work to offer an apologetic nod to Bakura, who waved it off as he ambled over.
"So how is this going to work out?" Bakura asked, kneeling beside Arthur, who was currently eyeing his work for cracks. "You hole up for the day, and find us when we bunk down for the night?"
"Sounds about right," Arthur confirmed, nudging a corner of broken concrete with a knuckle.
"I'd ask how that would help, but…do you really mean to put yourself in the line of fire like that?"
"What? Cover your tracks with my own? Be there to warn you if they come for you in the night? Whatever gave you that idea?" the vampire asked with a grin.
"It's just…"
"Everyone else looked like they needed a little reminder that I'm not against you guys," he said, swishing his finger between the pair of tents.
"It's still dangerous."
"And so is attacking a vampire with just your fists, but don't let me tell you how to live your life."
"Oh, knock it off," Bakura said, giving the man a shove that did not move him. Shaking his wrist from the ache of it, he continued. "I appreciate you understanding the position we were in, and why we did what we felt was right."
Arthur paused long enough in his task to rub his chin. "Maybe if I had been in your position, still human, I would have done the same. I cannot say. However, I would never blame any of you for being wary. Not after the story you told me—and not after all I saw."
"Still, we appreciate it. I appreciate it."
"Thank you," Arthur said. Bakura watched as he scrutinized his own work and gave it an affirming nod before turning that dissecting gaze his way. Saw as that look scanned him over in a way only a vampire could, taking in every detail and more. It was enough to make Bakura fight back the heat of embarrassment that threatened to burn his cheeks. He surmised he could probably even catch the sound of Bakura's heartbeat, and the way it sped up in the wake of this appraisal. "And I appreciate you vouching for me. Back then, and now. While we might not have saved everyone we wanted to, I think working together allowed us to at least accomplish something."
"I…"
"And," he placed a hand where Bakura's back met neck, rubbing at the spot with gentle consideration, "I am sorry for your losses. I wish I could have done more."
He did not know why, but the familiarity of the gesture that normally would have sent him prickling sparked a wave of sorrow he could not stymie. Bakura bit at his lip as fat tears welled and then poured down his cheeks like a waterfall emboldened by a flood. He wanted to fall against Arthur, against anyone, to get some relief from everything he pushed down for the sake of others. Instead, he curled up on himself, his face crumpled in the strain not to make a sound, his shoulders shaking with his near silent wail.
He felt Arthur lean down, but whether it was to provide those soothing words he so needed or not he did not know. The sound of a crack startled him from his woes, and when he felt a rock thunk against his back, he jolted up in surprise. Arthur was busy rubbing at his bruised temple, and D was poised just before the tent, one hand flung forward while the other held yet another half-grabbed rock.
"D?"
"What was that for?" Arthur asked. The curled snarl of annoyance he had dropped once he saw the boy.
"I was stopping you before you got any strange ideas," D said, straightening up. "So please move aside if you would, so you don't risk it."
"Why would you—"
"Assume it is because I see that look in your eye," came the callous reply. "Whatever your initial reasons for being so close to him, the fact is that you are hungry. Thus, I trust you as far as I could throw you…Although, to be fair, that is relatively far."
"Bad analogy or…?"
The boy's cold look faltered. "How about this—stay in my line of sight when you're that close to a person?"
"A reasonable enough request," Arthur said with a stifled laugh. "Children tend to be protective of their parents."
"I'm protective of everyone here," D noted with a bit of confusion.
"And I have a headache," Bakura interjected, letting this strange off-wavelength discussion dissipate as quickly as the dark of the night was leaving. He wiped his face with the backs of his hands, feeling that these two needed to be the only ones aware of his most recent breakdown. "D let's get ready for the day and leave Arthur to his rest. I'll fill you all in on the plan when we get moving."
"Shouldn't take long to do," Arthur said. He grinned at the boy before entering his impromptu tomb. "See you later."
"He's coming with us?" D asked, although it sounded more like a tired statement.
"Enemy of my enemy, D-kun," Bakura mouthed. "I do trust him, though."
"Of course," he continued in that same tone, although his eyes spoke more with their slight narrowing and flick towards the newly amassed rubble. "We'll just have to be careful out there. Whoever leaves a trail, that's who they'll be after. Be on your guard, Bakura-sama."
"Always."
That earned him a small smile, although the boy did not hide the shake of his head when he ducked back into the tent. Bakura could not blame him. Not having the power to achieve things by their own means alone was a frustrating experience—and relying on others without the stability of trust could be a difficult pill to swallow.
Traveling that day was monotonous, and the night only had the expected arrival of Arthur to shake things up. No one complained about the first part, but many questions were thrown at Arthur regarding his sudden presence from the day prior, including his disheveled appearance. The answer of a hurried exit left many dissatisfied. It was clear most of the band wanted the consistency they were now accustomed to, and one the vampire swore he wanted not to disturb.
Trust from everyone would be a long time coming unless something spurred it along. Something, with their usual brand of luck, which came at a far faster pace than desired.
In an unfortunate turn of events, they ran into the trouble they had been so desperately trying to avoid just before they reached the southern edge of the Bulgarian border. They had erected their camp for the night, and all seemed as it should have been…yet Bakura felt a restlessness within him that was mirrored by D's rigid focus—the boy's head had snapped toward any unfamiliar noise with such a sudden spring that he had startled most of the camp at least once. To spare their tired friends, the pair had broken off from the group with little more than a wave to do a final patrol around the border—just a usual last check before the campfire would be lit for the night.
"Maybe we shouldn't even build a fire," D murmured as they paced down a paved road that looked more akin to gravel than pavement. While their group had encamped among the trees, what they traveled through was no longer forest, but rather pockets of woods upon a hilly countryside. The two paused where once a dirt road had been; the packed ground now flowering with native plant life. "It isn't likely to get very cold tonight and we have plenty that we could eat uncooked."
"You want to draw less attention to us," Bakura said, facing the sky and watching the red orange of the evening fade to violet then to the deepest blue.
"What I really want is to be about three countries away by now," he confessed. "While not much, I don't like what Arthur told us. It gives me the feeling that they're out there, festering…creeping around like the bugs under a log, just waiting to dine on the scraps left over from the day's activities."
"'We' being the scraps."
"Yes."
"Charming."
"I don't like how blasé you are being about this."
Bakura sighed. "I'm not trying to be blasé. I'm just thinking about everything that lies before us, and…I guess…coming to terms that until we get there the road is going to continue to be less than helpful."
"Roads are not known for active participation."
He snorted. "No, you're right about that. You know what else?"
"What?"
"It's illogical to think that all vampires mean you harm."
D scowled. "I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about you and everyone else."
"The idea still stands."
"Considering the average of our positive and negative interactions? Our probability of meeting likeminded ones is minimal at best—and you didn't see the look on his face."
"You're right about that," Bakura admitted. He let his attention drift to the distant bend in the road, and the persistent anxiety that followed him spiked. His good humor left him. "At any rate, you should probably check on the others."
The boy cocked his head. "They were fine when we left."
"I know, but please go and check. You've been as jumpy as I feel, and I don't want anything sneaking up on us. I'll finish up here—just down to the farthest part I can see in the road that way, and then I'll be right behind you."
D did not argue. He just let in a breath that sounded as much annoyed as filled with worry and doubled back as the man bid. Bakura himself could not have explained it—that nagging worry that reached such a trilling crescendo left much to be desired in the way of details—but as always appreciated the boy's faith in him.
How quickly proven that the move was for the best.
Bakura strolled, leisure in his slackened shoulders, heartbeat quelled as best as possible by regulated breath. Without a second thought he slung his gifted mask about his face and shoved his hands in his pockets, taking on the lying swagger that hid his true persona. He began to whistle a non-descript tune on repeat, until it somehow wavered into one of the many harmonies of Martha's song choices. The last of sun dipped below the horizon hidden by the hills as he rounded the bend and out of sight from where they had separated. Whatever was coming, let them only see Dream Eater.
They came almost silently—at breakneck speed—from around another sharp turn in the road.
Bakura could not help but let out a yelp as he tumbled back and down the edge of the route up the hill, the near collide ruining the visual he had so carefully painted. Then again, if he could find the silver-lining in picking himself out of the broken branches left to rot halfway down the side of the slope, at least his heartbeat could not betray him. Any normal individual would have been jarred by the leaping and sliding haphazardly down the side of a hill. He pulled himself up to his knees and dusted himself off with a grimace, peering into the growing darkness. He could tell some type of cart had stopped a few feet past their unexpected meeting and that an individual had dismounted and motioned something to someone...beside him? Bakura could not see past the bulk of the overhanging piece that turned cart into makeshift carriage. He squinted, but that did little to help him see this person or whatever great mass acted as their silent pull at the front of their "vehicle". So, he tried a different route, and hoped that it would not be the end of him.
"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you!?" he called at the person who stood unmoving from their place on the beaten road.
The figure turned and what little light there was shone against the golden embroidery of the person's coat that was not covered by a thick, dark cape. Bold strides carried this person over to the ledge Bakura had unceremoniously tumbled from, and as they leaned, the prone man gawked within his mask. He had to be staring at a statue with how severe the angles were. Ocean eyes lit by moonglow bore into his with such intensity it was clear this was not a human he faced.
And neither were they weak.
"What are you doing out here so late at night?" Bakura could not help but tense at the cold indifference that underlaid the posed question. This one was dangerous. "Or should I ask, out here in general?"
"People travel," he replied, swallowing his fear. He struggled to remember how he had acted with Amelia. They all seemed to interact with one another on some level, so if this were to work…
"At night."
"You're traveling at night."
"Touché," the black-haired vampire replied. "But I'm more acclimated to the current environment, wouldn't you say?"
"Should I say?"
"Considering there are few places around this area who are unaware of my presence."
"Ah."
"Do you know of me?" the "stranger" persisted.
"About as much as I know that rock over there," Bakura said with a nervous chuckle, gesturing at an unassuming stone with his thumb. "But I'm taking it that you mean what you are?"
"Yes."
"A weird question."
"Posed to a strange individual who is acting very odd."
"Odd and strange, I feel special." He cleared his throat when it did not achieve a laugh, but that particular action cracked the veneer of the man's otherwise shrouded visage. He raised his head and Bakura saw a familiar outline of a nose, and the elegant features that warned him this was the very person he had not wanted to meet. Well, aside from D's father, but that was a whole other mess.
"Care to guess, then?"
"Well, you're not a rabbit."
"You're deflecting."
"Oh, alright, you caught me," Bakura said, wishing that the pebble currently under his left knee would stop digging into him; he was uncomfortable enough. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm surprised you aren't calling me 'human' this and 'human' that. You're what some call a vampire, and I'm guessing someone important with the way you're talking."
"Is that all?"
"Am I supposed to know you?" He shot back with as much good humor as he could muster. Technically, he did not know him. Hopefully technicality was enough to sound honest.
"People who live in the vicinity do. I've been here long enough."
"Well, I'm sure you can tell I'm not a person of 'the vicinity'."
"Who are you then?"
Bakura rubbed at the back of his neck, keeping an eye on the way that this one monitored his every move. Dangerous may have been an oversimplification. "I go by Dream Eater."
"Dream Eater? Any other name?"
"No, just Dream Eater," he said with a sheepish grin. "It's been that way since the start of all of this. Me and my family started a game to pass the time with the children when everything was fresh hell, rather than the simmering pot we've got, and show them that starting over isn't so bad. The names stuck for us all."
"Names for starting over. I see. Did anyone else follow your lead?"
He shrugged. "Our friends?"
"And your mask?"
"A gift. But before we continue the Twenty Questions that we've got going here, what should I call you?"
Whoever waited in the cart was now looking upon them with what Bakura could only assume was disgust. The night made it impossible to see much further past his current, and rather blunt, interrogator. It seemed that D was not the only one who liked to keep conversations short and to the point.
"Call me Lord Greylancer."
"Lord? Very important then. Suppose you want me to stay kneeling?"
"My Lord!" A near strangled cry of dismay came from whoever sat there eavesdropping.
"Enough," he called back to the person. "He's clearly trying to get a rise out of someone."
"No more than usual, I promise," Bakura assured, clasping his hands together to play at innocence.
"What are you doing out here?" he reiterated. Thanks to D, Bakura was getting pretty good at reading how less than expressive people showed their hand. By the sound of it, Greylancer's patience still held, but just barely.
"Like I said, traveling." He had to keep his story and character straight at the same time. Why could he not have an easier task than to act before a vampire—specifically, this vampire? In silence, he wracked his brain on how to best sound believable.
"Where?"
"I have something I have to do. It's not really a 'where'."
"You have a purpose to attend to?"
"Yeah. It wasn't the plan I had in mind, but it's something I'm supposed to keep an eye on."
"For whom?"
"Pardon?"
"Who do you serve?"
"You speak sort of stilted, anyone tell you that?" Bakura pointed out, cracking another smile to himself. It made him think of the conversation the children had held. However, he knew it was time to let some things out. Jokes and mocking were different after all, and even the most lenient person could lose their patience. "Amelia Lupei. I swore to go after the ones who caused a particular mess if I caught wind of them. I'm sure you're aware of the issue?"
"Perhaps. How did it come to pass that they manifested here, Dream Eater?"
"Due to human error, people were unaccounted for on our flight," Bakura reported. Nor was that a lie; the vampires themselves had been an unexpected addition.
"Twice?"
"It would seem so," he replied dryly. "Near the end there, we sort of had to run thanks to their interference."
"Sort of?"
"I don't know if you call flying away as soon as feasibly possible literal running."
"Hmph," the vampire inflected, unamused. Still, he continued to Bakura's relief. His luck had not yet run dry. "Could you verify that with the Great One himself, if possible?"
His heart skipped a beat, his relief falling to dread. "Of course," he said, straining to sound calm. "Although I don't know why he'd want to hear from someone like me."
The stonelike face before him shifted to one of interest. "Why the sudden change in attitude?"
"Amelia and Ryuji both told me he was someone to be revered and feared."
"Well, this is true." Greylancer nodded to himself. "Come with me, then. Aid me in an element of my mission and I will aid you in yours. I do have an idea as to what you may be insinuating. First, we must verify what you have told me."
"It's only fair," Bakura said with a half-shrug, seemingly unbothered, but internally screaming. What mission? How long would he be away from everyone? Would Greylancer demand to see them when (not "if") he found out he was traveling with others?
To top it all off, he had made a promise to D that they would not be separated again. Sure, he had sent him back in case there was danger, but who would have thought it would have been something of this magnitude? Here he was, facing someone that he did not feel comfortable showing his hand to in case they survived if he went on the offensive. An unfair luck of the draw. As Bakura followed the vampire that they had been warned about onto the makeshift carriage to the grumbling dismay of who was probably Greylancer's gentleman in waiting, he wished there was a way to leave a note or something undetectable for the boy to find.
He could take a lot of things, but D thinking him a liar was not one of them.
When D returned to the camp, night had already fallen. He found Etsu sitting in the faded beam of their collective flashlight, drawing what looked like a tree in the dirt with a stick from their unused kindling pile. Albert rested a foot or so away making his own markings on the less-destroyed portion of the map that had been given to Bakura. Bakura…D had plenty of guesses as to why he had been told to return, but he did not want to think too hard on half of them.
"Because you think h—"
He clenched his hand shut with a sudden snap. Bad enough that he already was on edge, he needed no other assistance.
The voice startled the pair positioned outside of the tents, with Albert flicking the light up to D's face. The boy narrowed his eyes and covered them with the shadow of his less offensive hand, more for the act of appearing human than anything. Having seen the presence was a familiar face, Albert sighed and went back to making his notes.
"Where's Bakura?" he asked.
D thumbed back at the thinning woods. "He told me to check u—to see if Arthur had shown up yet."
"Mm…no, not yet."
Biting the inside of his lip to hide his worry, he left only the slightest perceptible motion of his jaw as a hint of concern for their situation. "Everything is as expected?"
Albert glanced up, bobbing the light once more, much to Etsu's chagrin. "I mean, we are just waiting for the okay to light the campfire, but aside from that, everything's in order. You can tell Bakura that if it's going to take any longer."
"Sure. How's everyone else?"
"Waiting in this stupid tent for your stupid face to say we can light the stupid fire!" snapped the familiar voice of Claire from their shared sleeping arrangements. D turned his attention to the girl who had poked her head out from between the unzipped flaps, but it was Albert who spoke next.
"Jounochi and Theo are doing a sweep that way," he said, and D could hear him shift as if pointing somewhere. "They thought what you two were doing was a good idea. That one's in there because…as per usual—"
"Come off it," the girl said while rolling her eyes. "Amami is here, too."
"I just don't like the dark, though," came the mild reply.
"It's darker in here than it is outside!"
"But you're in here. It feels safer—"
"Oh," Claire muttered, rubbing at her nose. D contained the threatening twitch of his cheeks.
"—because people have to be stupid to go after you when you've just gotten in trouble."
There it was.
"Why you—" She sprung at her companion only to be caught by her shirt from D's reflexive grab. A playful squeal came from inside of the tent, but the boy's attention had already turned to the three coming their way. All the shifting and footfalls familiar, and logically none of them Bakura's.
Arthur had finally arrived, and D dropped his manufactured indifferent act when confronted with the worsening state of their tag along. Their traveling band looked positively impeccable compared to their guest.
"It's a good thing you didn't waste any wood," the vampire said, turning to Jounochi whose pallid complexion sent D's worries into alarm bell territory. Dark eyes next latched on to Theo, where he saw the beading of sweat on the man's forehead and curve of his neck. He still did not know why he and Bakura had been so anxious earlier, but it appeared that they had been onto something. This did not look good.
The soft sounds of nocturnal animals scuttled around them; a faint whine of some mechanical thing could be heard in the remote hills near the direction that the original roving pair had investigated. Even though D knew the girl could not hear it, Etsu's scratching almost matched the beating of whatever muted contraption clopped out there. The light from Albert's flashlight flung up and brought the returning crew all into view for the others, and D must have done something to betray his concerns, because Claire had stopped struggling against his hold. Instead, he felt her soft breath against his cheek as they both waited for what was to happen next.
"Time to pack up," Jounochi directed, leading everyone to look at him, baffled. He cleared his throat and motioned for them to get started, but paused when he noticed D. He squinted against the near non-existent light in search of their missing party member. "Where's Bakura?"
"He's still scouting the area for any threats. He told me to turn back and see if he," he motioned to Arthur, "had come."
"What's this about?" Albert asked Theo, who currently rubbed at his previously wounded arm.
"Arthur says he found something."
The vampire in question nodded. "Something that we need to hurry to get to, lest we miss our chance."
"What is it?" D asked, his eyes now slits of distrust.
"I'd love to say," Arthur replied, helplessly shrugging. "But we are wasting time."
"We have to go, right now?"
"We are wasting time…so yes," he said with a slight hiss of annoyance.
"And you can't say why, just to assuage us?"
"Some of it is a bit sensitive material, time and otherwise, that I don't think you would want out for prying ears."
"D-kun," Jounochi warned as he passed him and began to usher Amami out of the tent, while Theo began the breakdown of the other one. Even Albert looked incredulous as he shifted his attention between the two men. The only one unaffected was the little girl who was now erasing her work as they had taught her to do. Dirt smeared her hands as she packed the ground, picking up a broken branch with wilted leaves to play at dusting.
"I have every right to ask," he stated hotly. He felt like he was going mad. When had the adults agreed to keep secrets from each other again?
"I promise that it will be worth the abruptness, D," Arthur tried to soothe, but the boy did not buy into it.
"What. Is. It?"
"Something you will want to see."
D snorted and folded his arms as he observed the hectic scene of their clean up. Jounochi and Theo hustled like rats scurrying for a dropped meal, their frantic nature bleeding into the tension. Tentpoles once covered now lay bare on the ground as the polyester-nylon blended fabric was rolled back into packing shape. Their prepped platform campfire was being reloaded into the wheeling backpack that they had found and repurposed specifically for a day's firewood by an all too confused Amami. He then peered into the wooded area, back the way he and Bakura had gone off together. The idea that the pair would have been left behind concerned him, but not as much as where it stood now. Now sounded too close to the original plan. "How long will it take?"
"Not long—but being out of this vicinity is an important factor."
"Why can't we wait for Bakura to come back, then?" Claire argued from beside the boy, mimicking D by crossing her own arms. "We can't just leave him."
"Because time is a bit of the essence," Arthur urged, partially caving in. "It is said that Greylancer is around these parts—specifically these parts as of a few hours ago—and I don't want him finding this out. Or finding you." He stared pointedly at D.
"Then I should go alone," the boy said. "It's not as if any one of them is technically on the search list yet."
"No. No, no, no," Theo cut in, each word shortened with the huffing of his breath. "We are not separating from each other."
"What is this that we are doing, then? Bakura-sama should be back soon and if we aren't here…" D trailed off. He wanted to shout that this was a trap, but Arthur's further disheveled appearance proclaimed otherwise and made him question his own mistrust. All the vampires D had known, even the oddly dressed ones, had a thing about their visual appearance. Maybe due to that strange concept of Nobility…but for a vampire to have a streak of mud going through frazzled hair? Torn places on the sleeves of his coat that reminded the boy of just-grazed bullet holes?
Something had to be going on.
"I could go get him…" D offered but did not relish leaving them to a possible ambush without his help.
"That's not what he would want," Jounochi cut in, "and you know it."
"But—"
"I'll leave him a letter," Albert said as soothing as a hurried voice could be, rifling through his bag for a slip of unused paper.
In the end, they followed Arthur. It was true, at least, that they wanted to be as far from Greylancer as they could be. They could only hope that Bakura would find the page folded under one of the hefty rocks previously used as a seat before something or someone else did. D bit his lip once more, hard enough that he tasted the tang of his own blood. Albert had kept the message short. A necessity, but would it be enough?
Dream Eater,
Stay nearby. Following a lead. Will be back.
- Vseki