Domination

Domination: Chapter 11

It was the day before he had resolved himself to venture out properly into the outside world, and Yami had found himself feeling increasingly nervous. It bothered him that he was feeling so much mounting worry over something as trivial as going outsibut but he couldn’t help how he felt. He had promised Yugi though and he knew perfectly well that it was something he needed to do, so he wasn’t going to let his feelings control his actions this time. Logic would win out over emotion tomorrow. He could still be scared if he wanted to though.

Before he would have worked against such an emotion vehemently, seeing it as weak and stupid and of no use to his recovery. But he had steadily come to accept that he couldn’t do anything about his anxieties but live with them. He didn’t like to feel this afraid, but as long as he could ensure that no one else had to know, he could accept it. Knowing the reasons behind his fears helped in that. The last time he had gone out was the night he had duelled with Kaiba, and he remembered all too well how that had gone. Inside was just safer in his mind, but then, Yami Malik had still been able to waltz into the house and attack. Yami had begun to understand that it didn’t really make a difference. He would just have to be careful tomorrow.

Especially after this morning.

He never received post, the fact that only a few people knew he existed making that blindingly obvious. But this morning, he had received a letter elegantly addressed to him personally. He’d been the one to collect the post having been up a majority of the night anyway and so it was easy for him to separate the letter from the rest, tucking it away to read later. He had been afraid to read it, wary of whom it might be from and what its contents would be, he dhe didn’t want Yugi or anyone else to know about it and so he read it alone.

To his surprise and disconcertion, it was from Pegasus. After his previous meetings with the man, Yami was less than fond of him and certainly didn’t trust him, and so the invitation to meet the next day caught him off guard. Disturbingly compassionate, Pegasus had written that he would be waiting at a table outside of a certain small café around noon and that it was up to Yami whether or not to meet him, and that it would be fine for his friends for accompany him. If he declined the offer, it wouldn’t be made again.

The prospect of a mystery meeting with Pegasus added to simply being outside made the next day seem horrendous. But, he was resolved whatever he might feel. He’d consider meeting Pegasus later, possibly in the morning when he’d tell Yugi about the letter, and for now he’d attempt to quell his feelings. It wouldn’t do to be this wound-up all day, get no sleep tonight and be in a less than favourable shape for tomorrow.

Yami had been sitting in the armchair in the living room for the better part of an hour mulling over this. Everyone was at lectures now that the new term had started, and Sugoroku was in the shop, so he had the house pretty much to himself for a little while. Whilst he found some comfort in being alone and free from inquiring minds and soft words, he also found it a bit depressing. He felt isolated and abandoned to an extent, but looking to the positive it would allow him the opportunity to sort his head out.

Flicking the corner of the letter idly a few more times, the paper soft and creased from where he had been doing it for so long, Yami abruptly folded it up and slipped it back into the envelope. Tucking it down the side of the chair between the cushions, he leaned forward with his hands clasped and contemplated what he should do next. He glanced down at the carpet and caught sight of the greying material about his left arm. Sighing heavily, feeling no need to disguise his exasperation, he hefted himself up to his feet and made his way into the kitchen to fetch the first-aid box.

His bandages needed changing again. It wasn’t blood or infection that had dirtied them, simply the kind of grime that came from general activities. It couldn’t be helped, but he still hated changing t He He hated exposing the scars that had been renewed against his will, feeling cool air brush against his clammy skin, seeing the sharp protrusions of bone at his wrist and along his forearm.

Taking the ludicrously stocked plastic box out from the bottom cupboard beneath the sink, he placed it on the table and began to rifle through it. Producing a roll of fresh gauze, he snatched up the tape as well before taking both upstairs, deciding to put the box back when he wone.one.

He felt uncomfortable changing the bandages in any other room other than the bathroom, and he wasn’t entirely sure why. It had just become natural to him to do it in there rather than anywhere else. He could lock the door in there, so that was likely one of the reasons he preferred it.

After putting both items into the sink, Yami picked at thee hoe holding the material about his arm in place until it came away and he could unwind it. Removing his shirt and dropping it to the floor, he then began the task of unwrapping several yards of material.

It would have been far simpler to use scissors to cut the bandages, but those twin blades made him feel uncomfortable anyway. The last thing he needed was to put them against his skin and use them as a tool to reveal his wounds. No, he found it better this way. Unwinding the bandages himself also made it easier in an odd way.

Finally he was finished, and dropping the twisted pile of grey material to the tiled floor, Yami regarded his newly exposed skin in awe. The lacerations now looked exactly as they had before Yami Malik had intervened in their healing. Smooth to his skin and a faded pink rather than fuming red, the improvement was vast.

Yami had no idea how the wounds had healed so rapidly or why, but looking at them now he couldn’t have cared less. Grinning broadly and sparing the fresh gauze a mere glance, he decided not to bother re-wrapping them. He’d still keep them covered as before, yes, but he felt no need to wrap them so thoroughly.

Putting his shirt back on, he gathered up the old and new bandages into his arms and carried them back downstairs into the kitchen. Replacing the first-aid box back in the cupboard and shoving the dirty gauze into the bin, Yami stood for a moment as he thought about what to do next. Finally, he passed through the house into the shop at the front, seeking out Sugoroku by a row of shel Th The old man was stacking them with various Duel Monster booster packs, and Yami cast his gaze over them coolly. Closing his eyes, he faced Sugoroku instead.

“Is there anything I can help you with here?” he asked smoothly, folding his arms across his chest as two young boys passed by the other side of the shelf.

“No, I’m fine Yami, but thank you anyway. All the usual customers are back at school or college, so it will be quiet today,” Sugoroku red, sd, standing with a sigh and placing a hand to the small of his back as the other held the empty box the packs had come in. “You have the house to yourself at the moment. Isn’t there something you might want to do on your own, when no one else is here to distract you?”

Yami frowned slightly, feeling eerily as if his mind was being picked at beneath that scrutinizing gaze. But as he thought about it, he remembered that he never had gotten around to those papers that Joey had left for him two days ago. He could attempt the meditation exercises, he supposed. As Sugoroku had said, no one was goto cto come and distract him.

Seemingly taking Yami’s silence as an answer, Sugoroku smiled warmly and placed a hand on the spirit’s willowy arm. “I’ll see you in a few hours.” Moving past Yami back towards the counter, he didn’t look back to Yami who simply remained where he was for a moment, blinking in mild confusion.

Sugoroku’s ability to find exactly the right words for a situation unnerved Yami as much as it comforted him sometimes. Still, he was right. Dropping his arms back to his sides, Yami returned to the kitchen to pick up the papers that Joey had printed off and took them upstairs.

Bakura had made a point to always perform meditation somewhere comfortable and safe, and at the moment Yami could think of nowhere better than Yugi’s room where nearly all of them were staying at the moment. He’d have to move a few of the sleeping bags out of the way, but it was the best place for it.

****

His legs were beginning to cramp. It was becoming clear to him why Bakura had favoured drinking before sitting with him for long discussions or meditation; it numbed the nerves enough so the pain of restricted blood-flow couldn’t be felt. Or maybe he was just doing it wrong right now.

He had sat in the corner of the bedroom for nearly an hour now attempting one of the meditation exercises that had had found for him, and attempting was the operative word. He couldn’t seem to do it, which caused him to tense up which went against the point of the exercise, so he had to perform the starting calming exercise all over again before trying once more. It was getting beyond frustrating now.

On paper it was straightforward, and the purpose seemed ideal for his current circumstances. He was to imagine a bonfire in his mind, and one at a time place the things that worried, upset or angered him onto it and watch them burn. It was made very clear that as this was in his mind, he could freely put people upon it too, even if what they had done to him was only trivial. It all added up. It was a way of parting with old concerns to reduce his anxieties, and in theory it could potentially work.

But Yami was having trouble with it. Firstly, he didn’t feel at all comfortable with imagining certain individuals burning to death even if it was in his mind and no one had to know about it. But more significantly, it felt as if everything from the last year had clumped into one, giant mass that he couldn’t take apart and was far too large to burn. It was nearly suffocating.

Growling with frustration Yami snapped his eyes open again. This wasn’t working, at least not like he was doing it now. Thinking for a moment, he made a decision that would hopefully help him with the exercise before gathering his powers about him.

Tendrils of purple and black cascading about his peripheral vision, he allowed them to swamp him, encasing him in their energies. He blinked once and the capsule of the Shadow Realm that he had invoked about him had engorged inestimably.

Releasing a synthesized breath, Yami took a moment to feel the buzzes of energy coursing through the space all about him before kneeling. Adjusting himself so that he would be comfore foe for a fair amount of time, he focussed his attention ahead of himself. Concentrating, he made the bonfire that he had been forcing into existence in his mind appear before him. It was several times his size and the flames encompassed every inch of fuel. It illuminated nothing though, the blackness all around still as impenetrable as ever. Even the shadows on Yami’s face remained unchanged.

Smiling a little to himself at the bonfire’s appearance, Yami then began to think about what he should start with to put on it. He didn’t want to start with a personen ien if it was Kresha or Yami Malik. That was too much to begin with. No, something smaller. Something that wasn’t even solid.

Taking a breath, Yami settled on putting his friends’ concern for him on the fire first. He appreciated the sign that they cared, he truly did, but when received constantly it was irritating. He honestly didn’t want that sort of attention so much either and the fact that he had to work to avoid it, to show that he didn’t need the sympathetic looks, was emotionally tiresome. Yes, it was the first thing to be burnt.

He obviously couldn’t burn a feeling, so Yami concentrated on giving it form to make it tangible, so he could actually watch it be destroyed, if only temporarily. A fine mist, perhaps, which would flake apart beneath an unwavering, imagined heat. Nodding to himself as he deemed that approach applicable, Yami began to realize it.

Just as he was about to create the mist, a newly appeared presence caught his attention and disrupted his concentration. Standing and turning to face it in alarm, the bonfire vanishing instantly without a trace behind him, Yami extended his senses to find the threat. He knew where it was, but he couldn’t tell *what* it was. It was masking itself, hiding its very essence fervidly. Yami recognized it though as something familiar though despite its efforts. However he couldn’t tell if he recognized it as something good or something very bad.

Taking a step back when he felt whatever it was begin to move towards him, Yami attempted to harness his energy to get out of this realm. His thoughts had become too erratic for that though, and the panic that the approaching presence was causing him did nothing to help his concentration. He was trapped here, meaning that he’d have to find another way out of the Shadow Realm.

Distance was as moot as time in the Shadow Realm so there was no real way for Yami to know how ‘far’ from the other he was. He still jumped at the voice from behind him though.

“Now what did I tell you about coming here to meditate? You can’t hide from the real world, no matter how much you want to.”

Whirling about so quickly that if he had been in the physical world he would have been left dizzy, Yami’s eyes widened in shock at the other presence. Cocking a slender brow expectantly, Bakura’s expression remained impassive. That was until Yami lunged at him when he closed his eyes tiredly, embracing the other in return, admittedly relieved to be seeing him again.

The Tomb Raider was just beginning to enjoy the reunion when he found himself being shoved back. His own eyes wide in surprise now, he almost laughed at Yami’s expression.

“Where in the Seven Hells have you been?! You’ve had me worried sick!” the spirit yelled without restraint, bearing down on Bakura angrily. Bakura merely raised his hands calmly with a smirk.

“Missed you too.”

Seemingly realizing himself Yami released a heavy breath, straightening his posture and closing his eyes for a moment to calm and compose himself. Bakura waited for him patiently, adjusting his weight to his better leg with a controlled grimace. He couldn’t feel the pain in the Shadow Realm, but there was still an amount of discomfort that couldn’t be ignored to remind him of it.

Finally, Yami felt he could speak evenly again. “Are you all right? What are you doing here?”

Bakura rolled his eyes before snorting. “I’m bloody great! I haven’t slept since you last saw me and I’ve been hit with so much magic I don’t know which way is up anymore. I came in here to heal up a bit so I can get moving again, and aside from the maniac that’s switching between chasing me and trying not to let me kill, ev, everything’s peachy.”

“You’re here to heal,” Yami echoed absently, sinking to the floor and noting that Bakura almost seemed relieved to drop to a sitting position. It was ironic; he had come in here in an attempt to heal his mind and Bakura had come to allow his body to recover. He knew how the Shadow Realm worked in that respect as well as the Thief did.

Just being here had an accelerated healing affect on their physical bodies and it was a good escape from any physical pain. Unfortunately, some degree of concentration was necessary to get into this realm, so it wasn’t a feasible method of coping with pain in certain situations.

Bakura nodded at the statement, glancing about himself before staring at Yami. He had been away for quite a while and there were likely things that he needed to know about that had happened during that time. But for now he’d let Yami take charge of the discussion. He had a little time to spare before Yami Malik became a pertinent threat again. He may be more or less hidden here in the Shadow Realm, but a glowing purple and black cloud was not something that the psychotic spirit was going to easily miss in the physical world.

“Where have you been? I couldn’t sense you at all and Ryou couldn’t…”

Resisting the urge to check his surroundings again, Bakura clenched his hands so as to answer the question. It had been a very long time since he was last hunted; he’d forgotten how anxious it had made him feel. “In the mountains mostly, but that’s only because Yami Malik ran that way. I sure as Hell wouldn’t scrap up there; far too dangerous, even for me. The second day we were up there he sent me off a small cliff. I sent a blast of energy at the bastard as I fell so I wasn’t the only one landing on rocks. I broke my arm on impact and I don’t think it’s set right, but it isn’t my leg so I’ll live with it for the time being, or at least whilst this happy hunt is in progress.

“I’m trying to lead him down to the farms now, through the forest in the south. I don’t want him coming anywhere near Domino but I haven’t got anything with me I can kill him with. After falling out of that window I haven’t been able to concentrate enough to summon the Shadow Realm long enough to duel, and with all the energy I’m using to keep attacking him or stop him attacking me I was lucky to be able to even get in here.”

“How are you heren?”en?” Yami asked, already preparing to offer some of his own energies to support the Thief in remaining here for the time being. He also thought that he might be able to convince him to take on enough to aid in his healing as well, although he sincerely doubted that.

Bakura waved a hand in dismissal. “That’s a messy story involving a farmer that I don’t want to get into. I’ve got enough energy to stay here enough to be able to run again, though.”

Concern growing now, Yami had to ask how exactly his friend was injured. He knew that if Bakura had so little energy, he would only be able to bring his mind into the Shadow Realm leaving his physical body in the real world. That meant he couldn’t leave the Shadow Realm with Yami back to the house. And if Bakura was as injured as he was implying, it would be too dangerous for Yami to drag him through the Shadow Realm with him.

More than aware of the same himself, Bakura put off mulling over thaecifecific dilemma for now and began to list off the reasons for why he had been forced to take a break. It had taken him an hour just to put a significant amount of distance between himself and Yami Malik and even longer to find somewhere secluded where he wouldn’t be immediately found. Ra knew how long he had left. But talking to Yami was good; it was distracting him from the tingling in his limbs and the general hot throbbing throughout his body.

“My right forearm is broken, as you already know. Erm... My left ankle is sprained, I think, but I can’t take my boot off to check that because I’ll never be able to get the damn thing back on again. I’m estimating four or so cracked and broken ribs, various cuts, burns and bruises and I smacked my head fairly hard when I hit the ground. If I can get the swelling in my ankle down and the slight internal bleeding in my right lung to stop whilst I’m here, I’ll consider this a good day. Other than that… Well, I haven’t eaten for a while and I can’t take energy from the Ring because I’m too far away fit nit now and this one’s just a copy,” he grumbled, lifting the Item about his neck before letting it drop again.

“Suffice to say, I’m going to be too tired to keep this up in few days, Shadow Realm or not. I need to think of some way to end this soon,” Bakura finished in exasperation, his gaze drifting down to his side. The dull burning in his chest had finally stopped meaning that the bleeding had finally ceased. It was just his ankle then, and his arm if he had the time.

“If you’re becoming this exhausted then isn’t Yami Malik as well? He must have to stop sometime?” Yami asked in confusion, feeling truly pained to hear all of this. He knew that Bakura wouldn’t be having it easy ever since he ran off after Yami Malik into the night, but he didn’t even begin to imagine this.

Bakura glared at nothing in particular at that, Yami’s words causing a new hate for the homicidal spirit to swell. “In theory the little shit should be a quivering heap with everything he’s been throwing at me. He’s obviously draining his Hikari’s energy down to nothing, which is a lot even with Malik trapped, and let’s not forget he’s got the Rod. That on its own should keep him going for weeks. I swear, the first thing I’m going to do when I get home is take that sodding Ring off Ryou and keep it. I am *not* being put in this situation again. Ra, I don’t even know why I gave the original to him in the first place,” he muttered, getting caught in a tangent.

After a moment, Bakura looked to Yami firmly. “I’m guessing something’s happened since I’ve been gone? You wouldn’t have come in here to do whatever it is you were doing otherwise.” Cool eyes darted to the spirit’s arms, the sleeves pulled up just enough to reveal that the scars had begun to face significantly. Smiling internally, Bakura decided to leave that until later. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Yami cocked a brow. “You can search my mind if I let you.”

Bakura smiled bitterly. “I’m being polite,” he said flatly, deciding not to voice the fact that he was actually too tired right now to even do that simple thing. “And besides, I’d rather hear you say it. First off, what was with the fire?”

“It was a meditation exercise Joey found for me,” Yami answered smoothly. He found it a bit unnerving that he and Bakura were having a fairly normal conversation whilst Yami Malik was actively hunting down Baku Obv Obviously Bakura wanted to talk though, so Yami would indulge him even if he thought that discussing trivial things such as what had been happening to him was a poor use of their time. They should be formulating ways to stop Yami Malik, but Bakura would have been doing that constantly for days. There no no chance they’d be able to come up with something useful within ten minutes.

Bakura smiled at Yami’s answer, a genuine smile that looked out of place on his features even if it did soften them. “I’m glad to hear that the Pup still has some faith in that. Was it helping?”

“I don’t know yet. It’s only here that I seem to be able to make it work, and you arrived before I could really begin. The exercise is to alleviate me of my anxieties and frustrations by destroying them symbolically. I’m having trouble though,” Yami admitted, thinking back to his first disastrous attempt at burning ‘Kresha’. It had instantly made him feel cold and sick, no matter how much he hated the man.

Nodding slowly, Bakura brought his left hand to his face and rubbed at his jaw thoughtfully. “I don’t doubt you would. Everything you feel is a part of you, so destroying any of that, even if it is only in your mind, would feel like destroying a part of yourself. Something that would probably have the same effect but be a bit easier would be to shove everything into a box instead of burning it. You could give it air-holes and everything.”

Yami took a moment to absorb that realizing that that was probably a much better approach to the exercise. He’d have to try that. He would certainly feel much happier placing Anzu and Honda in a box than on a bonfire.

“What was that look for?” Bakura asked suddenly, sounding quite bemused. Yami blinked abruptly from his train of thought, realizing that he must have pulled a face whilst thinking about Anzu and Honda whom he hadn’t seen nor heard anything about since they left.

“I was just remembering something that happened, an argument. It’s one of the reasons I’m here,” Yami said slowly. Bakura said nothing, forcing Yami to continue. “It was three days ago. I walked in on Honda and Anzu saying to Joey that all I’m doing is attention seeking, that I’m doing nothing to help myself and that I don’t care about how much my behaviour is affecting Yugi,” he explained with a sarcastic bitterness that made it obvious that he was speaking around a lump in his throat, that just remembering that day distressed him.

Bakura still said nothing, although he did look down at his clasped hands for a moment, turning over this scenario in his mind as he waited until he was absolutely sure that Yami had told him everything. He was hoping that by lowering his head some of the dizziness would gay aay as well.

“I told them to leave, as did Joey. I haven’t heard from them since,” Yami added, shrugging a little. He didn’t quite know how he felt about that. He was still angry with them both for the hurtful and entirely unnecessary things they had both said, but he had known them for a long time. He also knew that Joey would be having trouble with their absence, even if he didn’t show it. He and Honda were solid friends, and Yami expected that they’d end up talking this through at some point.

Bakura’s silence and stillness remained and Yami resisted the urge to squirm in discomfort. He was reluctant to say this next part; Honda had hurt him, yes, but he was still his friend and this next sentence would only incriminate Honda further. “Honda left me sleeping pills that night that Yami Malik came into the house. That’s why I didn’t sense him immeely.ely.”

A frown though Bakura’s eyes were still downcast. “Do you think he had anything to do with it? Intentionally?”

Yami shook his head firmly. “No. He neglected to leave instructions as to how many I could take, but he didn’t plan for me to lose consciousness like that, and I certainly don’t believe that he knew of Yami Malik’s involvement, let alone that held bld break in hours later.”

A quiet snort that deemed this certain train of thought as trivial. “He probably just left them because he sincerely wanted to help. It doesn’t take a genius to out out that right after finding out that your assault was filmed you’re going to have a bit of trouble sleeping. We all knew that you weren’t sleeping enough as it was before then, so he likely just wanted to try and do a bit of good for you. Lucky for him too, or else he’d be another one to go on my list.”

A fine brow quirked in amusement at that. “You have a list?”

“Can’t be expected to remember everything, can I?” Bakura replied seriously with a smirk at the ground. That was met with silence, and the Ring spirit returned his attention to the problem of Yami’s friends.

Weary eyes flickered up through tousled hair as Bakura separated his hands and placed them on his knees. Taking a breath, he tipped his head to one side as he finally straightened his back and spoke. “I think you should repair this rift if you can, and soon.”

Yami’s jaw dropped minutely in shock. That had been the very last thing he’d expected Bakura to say in response to what Anzu and Honda had done. It would have been far more likely that he’d receive numerous tips on how to gut them with the least inconvenience to himself and his laundry.

Laughing silently at the other spirit’s expression, Bakura lifted his head to explain himself. “You’re having a shitty time, Yami, there’s no disputing that, and the truth is you need your friends. Now, I’m not condoning what they did and I’d definitely chew them out a biforefore you make nice. They were just being honest about their thoughts, but more harshly than I would have been. I’m betting they’re scared right now, and they’re definitely not sure what to do about you.

“They’ve not seen you like this and they were out of the loop about Kresha for a very long time. Some ignorance and outright stupidity on their part can be excused. Try and patch things up ‘cause you might need their support later on, but only if you want to. I can always ‘discipline’ them when I get back,” he finished with a slow smile, his eyes darkening as his lids dropped. Even this tired he could still look menacingly sadistic. It was something of a source of pride for the infamous Tomb Raider.

“I’ll consider it,” Yami replied, in answer to that last offer and to the advice about speaking to them and smoothing the incident over. It was the only thing he could say. He’d need some time to think it over and he’d definitely have to consult the others at home about it. He wasn’t too sure how they’d respond to the idea.

Making an affirming noise in his throat, Bakura nodded once sharply. “Now, anything else that I should know about?”

Yami frowned as he thought. “Well, Joey and Ryou have moved into the house for the time being, and Yugi and Ryou tried to retrieve the tape yesterday.”

Bakura grinned outright, but this was a grin that did suit his face. “Let me guess; they didn’t get it?” The other spirit shook his head with a small, restrained smile. “Good. I made that barrier as strong as I could. I’d have been very worried if my *Hikari* could get through it.”

Moving swiftly over that, Yami continued on. “Yugi and I are talking more now, which is a vast improvement.”

“I’ll bet,” Bakura agreed appearing pleased. “Is it as hard as you thought it would be?”

“No, but the natof oof our relationship has definitely changed. I believe it will be a long time until we are againwe owe once were.” A pause. “Oh, and Kaiba visited the other day.”

Bakura was standing inside of half a second. “What?! Right, the minute I’m through with Yami Malik I’m hunting him down. I’m going to rip out his still-beating heart and make him and his stupid brother watch me *eat* it,” he snarled viciously, gesturing violently but stopping with clenched eyes when an unfamilianse nse of nausea tore into his mind. Before the dizziness could make him drop to the ‘ground’ Yami’s handse one on his shoulders, guiding him back into a sitting position and only realising him when he stopped swaying.

“Please, calm down. Kaiba didn’t do anything to me, in fact he’s helped a lot,” Yami implored, watching Bakura’s paled face with worry. He grimaced internally as he realised what he’d have to say next, what he had to repeat again after already spending days agonizing over it. “It turns out that the contents of the tape were accessible to the world on the Internet. Ra, Yugi could have seen it if he had opened the file! He took it apart though, and he gave me something to help me overcome all of this.”

Bakura managed to open his eyes then, slowly at first so as to re-establish his sense of balance. Being in the Shadow Realm didn’t help with that a great deal. “Tranquilliser?”

Yami gave a small, relieved smile when the Tomb Raider opened his eyes fully. His concern for the spirit was growing with each passing minute. “Actually it was a toy cat.”

“You’re kidding,” Bakura said flatly, not believing that statement at all. Yami merely shook his head, his smile still in place. The thief raised his brows and sat back slowly. “Well, shite. That’s better for him than shouting at you, I suppose. Hmm. I’m guessing the Pup’s having a field day with this?”

Nodding silently, Yami decided not to incriminate Joey or make any sort of mockery of Kaiba’s gesture. It was a genuinely thoughtful gesture and was turning out to be a great asset to him. Yami still couldn’t help but have a little needle at the CEO though. “It’s called Mog.”

Bakura barked a laugh, shaking his head ly ily in disbelief. “Well damn, the git has a heart after all. So there would have been something for me to tear out and bite into then? I’ll remember that.”

There was silence between them for a while, Bakura realizing that there was something he was going to ask Yami before Yami Malik had turned up, and Yami seeing that the Tomb Raider was thinking and waiting patiently. Finally, Bakura snapped his fingers and looked up at Yami with something akin to triumph. That look quickly awa away though just before he uttered the words.

“Yami, it hadn’t occurred at first but I think it’s a possibility; after Kresha attacked you the first time, did you go to a doctor or anything?” he asked, his face intently serious.

“Yes, the next day with Joey. I was, bleeding, and I thought it was dangerous. I think they could tell what had happened from the wounds despite me not telling them,” Yami murmured, thinking back to that day. He had developed a hatred of anything doctor-related since then, which was one of the reasons why he had been so afraid when he had awoken in hospital after Yami Malik’s attack. The memory of prodding hands and inquisitive questions was still too vivid.

“Did they take some of your blood and test it?” Bakura pressed on, his tone making it very clear that the conversation had turned serious.

Yami shook his head with a scowl. “They wanted to, but I didn’t let them. I barely coped with them touching me at all; I didn’t want a needle anywhere near me.”

Bakura closed his eyes with a sigh at that, sitting back so that he was leaning on his hands behind his back. “Damnit… That could be a problem,” he said quietly, his eyes still closed.

Confused but with a feeling of alarming ing in his chest, Yami attempted to dispel the Tomb Raider’s fears. “It’s fine, Bakura. I know about STDs and I’m a spirit, so I couldn’t have caught anything even if Kresha did have something.”

White hair splashed out in all directions with the speed at which Bakura’s head snapped back down again. His pupil’s dilating and contracting again inside the space of two seconds was the only sign that the action had made him dizzy, his mind as intent as his tone was. “No, you could have. Think about it; how long was it until you went back in the Puzzle since then? Have you even gone back in at all?”

Yami’s eyes widened as the truth of that sunk in, the feeling of panic in his chest coupled now with a cold ache of dread.

“You’ve been in a physical state more than long enough for anything he could have passed onto you to take hold. Hell, it would be a part of your body now and the Puzzle wouldn’t be able to do anything about it,” Bakalmoalmost shouted, realizing himself when he saw Yami’s expression and how alarmed it was. Sighing, he brought back the hand he had been gesturing with and clenched it tightly.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, and I’m sorry. This is just a real concern that you’re going to have to get checked out. You may be right though, and you may be comply cly c. B. But you need to be sure, if not for your sake then for mine,” he added with a dry smile. It had only really sunk in st tst they had been separated how much he truly cared for the other spirit. They were definitely entrenched friends, and he was going to make sure that Yami was okay. Coming back to check on Yami’s health would just be even more incentive for him to survive nex next few days and kill Yami Malik.

Yami took a steadying breath, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor. He had never considered any of this before, and he was glad for his ignorance up until this point. With everything else going on, he didn’t need the idea that he could be ill hanging over his head. He wasn’t entirely sure if anything like this could kill him; he knew he could be killed by certain means, but he didn’t know if illness was one of them. But that wasn’t the issue. What if he did have something and it passed on to Yugi? What if it already had? He couldn’t think about this now. There was nothing he could do about it now. He’d have to have a blood test before he could really start worrying, although he hoped with every fibre of his being that there was nothing wrong with him. If there was and he’d given it to Yugi… He didn’t know if he would be able to live with himself. He’d done enough to his undeserving Hikari as it was.

“I’m going out tomorrow with Yugi, Joey and Ryou. I could make an appointment this afternoon and see a doctor tomorrow,” Yami finally said, his voice wavering a little despite his efforts to keep it steady. He paused a moment as a thought struck him, his eyes widening a moment before closing in exasperation with a sigh. “No, I can’t. Not tomorrow at least.”

Bakura felt his temper rise a little. Knowing that Yami Malik was still out there looking for him and that he was still too tired to do anything about it had understandably made the thief far more agitated than normal. Usually had a very large amount of patience when it came to Yami, but right now Bakura did not need a segly gly unnecessary delay in finding out if Yami was still healthy. He already had enough to worry about as it was.

“Why the hell not? This is bloody serious Yami, and I wouldn’t even *consider* putting it off for an hour let alone a day.”

Surprisingly Yami didn’t flinch beneath that tone, far too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really notice it. “No, it’s not that… I received a letter from Pegasus this morning.”

Anger evaporating, Bakura was now left feeling warily curious. “What did he want?”

“He wants to meet with me tomorrow to tell me something, at a café in town. He says he won’t force the issue, but he obviously wants to talk to me as he said I could bring my friends if it would put me more at ease,” Yami explained, recalling the elegant script that was still tucked away amongst the cushions downstairs.

“Strange. Well, if you do go, definitely take someone with you. Personally I think it might be beneficial to hear him out about whatever he wants to say. This man does not approach individuals unless he has something very serious on his mind. Yes, last time he contacted you he stole old man Motou’s soul and he might not be interested in pleasantries this time around either, but just for the sake of curiosity I’d see him.”

Yami nodded, deciding that that was reasonably. “He wants to meet me at noon.”

“That’s fine then. You can get an early appointment with the doc later and then carry on to Pegasus afterwards tomorrow. Then that’ll be two things off your mind in the same morning.”

“That sounds, rational,” Yami agree thoughtfully. Resigning himself to his fate, his gaze fell to the vicinity of his knees. “I’ll call the surgery later.”

Bakura nodded at that, satisfied. “Okay. It would take a few days to get the results back and I’ll do my damnedest to be back with you by then. It should be okay though. Don’t worry yourself sick over it just now. There’s nothing you can do about it until you’ve seen a doctor.”

Yami didn’t respond at all to that, his gaze remainingthe the inky blackness of the ‘ground’. Bakura glanced about himself once again with uncertainty, realizing suddenly that his ankle had stopped throbbing. It had healed sufficiently now. His arm was still a wreck and being here didn’t seem to be helping it at all. He’d have to re-break it before it could set and heal properly. But he couldn’t help that now. He’d be able to run again now, be able to fighr a r a little longer. The reasons for winning this were mounting, and he would be damned if he failed. He refused to.

Seeing that Yami was still lost in his own thoughts and the turmoil his words had caused him, Bakura exhaled softly and rose onto his knees. Leaning forward slowly, he put an arm about Yami and pulled him into his chest. Yami grabbed his arm in turn and wrapped an arm about his waist, a tremble running through his entire body. Pained and tired, Bakura bowed his head into the other’s hair and clenched his eyes shut. He wished he coulay hay here, away from Yami Malik and his bolts of searing magic with Yami, comforting the younger spirit. He couldn’t believe how much shit the universe was raining down on the Game King, and certainly couldn’t believe how he’d managed to stay both alive and sane through it. He didn’t want to see that status change now.

An unexpected reverberating ‘boom’ sounded all around them, and Bakura felt a rush of cold race up his spine. It wasn’t pain at all; he was safe inside the little bubble of Shadow Realm erected around his physical body. The noises and the sensations were just ‘echoes’ from Yami Malik’s magic trying to penetrate it. It wouldn’t stay impenetrable forever though, and the energy he had stolen to be in the Shadow Realm was almost gone. It was time to go.

Jerking against Yami, Bakura tightened his arms once more before pushing him away. Steeling himself, he rose to a standing position with Yami who seemed to have sensed what had happened as well.

“He’s found me. I’ve got to go. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop like this again, so don’t wait for me here because chances are I’m not going to have a chance to now. I’ll be back in Domino soon though, I promise. Just look after yourself now and remember what I told you. Meditate before you see the doctor tomorrow and tell Yugi what’s going on. He’ll need to know as much as you do,” he said rapidly, already gathering the energy he’d stolen to take himself back into his physical body that he’d left behind.

Yami nodded anxiously, his jaw tightening as he regarded the other spirit realizing that it was possible that this would be the last time he’d ever see him. “Good luck, and thank you.”

Just as Bakura’s form began to disintegrate, another sound of attack thundering through the Shadow Realm, he gave one final instruction. “Tell my Hikari that I’m going to thump him for giving me the Ring’s duplicate.”

And then he was gone, and Yami was left alone once more. Frozen, Yami stood for several minutes in shock listening to the silence that accompanied Bakura’s departure. Then, sinking to his knees, he forced the heels of his hands into his eyes to hold back the tears.

****

The first thing Bakura noted whis pis physical eyes snapped open was that the tree above him was on fire, the leaves crackling down to powder and the thick branches burning through. A large one positioned spitefully above the spirit’s head gave an almighty crack before it broke free, tumbling down through the other pieces of wood before landing heavily in the spot where Bakura had just been.

Disorientated from jretureturning to this realm, Bakura thanked Ra that his ankle had been strong enough for him to arch and jump to his feet and out of the way of what would have been a very nasty injury. Feeling a growing heat and loud cackling behind him, he leapt to the side just in time to dodge the crackling ball of Shadow Magic that Yami Malik had flung at him. His face twisting into a snarl, Bakura formed his own bolt of magic in his good hand and flung it with as much force as he could muster.

Apparently not expecting the thief to have recovered that much strength, Yami Malik was unable to deflect it and had to resort to drog tog to the ground to avoid getting hit. That was all the head start that Bakura needed and he tore off into the trees immediately, cradling his broken arm against his chest and angling his body forwards as he plunged through the brushwood.

He needed to find a farm again and collect some kind of weapon; a scythe or an axe. Hell, a decent length of rope would prove useful right now. At the moment he had nothing save for one good arm and a draining energy reserve. He was miles from Domino and Yami Malik’s homicidal tendencies were fixated solely on him.

He had to think of something quickly or he was done for, and he’d been a killer long enough to know that that wasn’t something to be disputed when the hunter was as intent as Yami Malik was. Their roles were reversed from when they’d started out; he had switched from hunter to hunted the moment he was more tired and had sustained more injuries than Yami Malik. This put him at an enormous disadvantage and there was nothing he could do about it.

In Bakura’s mind, he was either going to kill Yami Malik or get them both killed off in the same stunt. As long as the Rod’s spirit wasn’t in this world anymore, as long as he couldn’t cause anymore harm to those he cared about, he’d die happy.

His pace slowing as he suddenly realised that the hot sounds of flying energy had vanished, Bakura glanced behind him to see what exactly Yami Malik was up to. Stopping entirely when he saw that the path between the shrubs he had made was completely clear, Bakura looked about himself slowly, taking in every part of his surroundings with wide eyes.

It was far too quiet; even the birds were silent from where they had been screeching up a racket. It was as if everything around him was holding its breath in anticipation of some climatic moment, a moment Bakura was quite sure he didn’t want to be present for. Checking behind him once again, Bakura pulled his arm tighter to himself and turned to take off to the side straight through the trees to make his pursuit that much harder.

He didn’t get very far.

Coughing violently and bringing his fit hand to his rapidly bruising throat, Bakura looked up from the mossy ground through black spots to see what he’d hit. Yami Malik twirled the Rod elegantly so that the part he had sent into Bakura’s trachea was back in his palm, stepping over the tangle of tree roots and human limbs so that he was stood directly over the downed spirit.

Yami Malik smiled thinly, twisting the Item so that the Millennium Eye hovered exactly over Bakura’s narrowed ones. “Got you.”

And then the world turned white.


****

Gee, and I bet you were all really happy for a few minutes there. I’m afraid that cliffy will likely be in place for some time due to family related issues and the difficultly of the next chapter. This chapter is up quickly and is very long partially because of that; you can’t really complain now. ^_~ But, all comments are encouraging, so please be kind enough to leave a review.