Baku, Ra, to Ringu: UnCut

KimyouTeki: I was inspired to start writing this fic when I found the mini-feature Ryou and Bakura watch in chapter one. I watched it again the next day. I honestly didn't know if Samara would come out of the well. I was seriously afraid for days afterward, thinking, maybe, just maybe....

Sometimes I worry that writing stories about Sadamara and thinking about her as constantly as I do, I'm angering her and/or giving her power. Sometimes I fear that my story will bring her to life and she'll come after me. Sometimes I wish my imagination wasn't so vivid.

In researching this fic, I found a few websites with screen shots from The Ring Virus, the Korean remake. The cursed tape in that movie is tinged blue. That, and other scraps came together in my mind.

Have you ever had a nightmare with circumstances exactly like your waking life? It's the same day, the same time, your surroundings are exactly as they were when you fell asleep. It's a high level of realism, which makes it that much scarier. It was so real, beyond real. The girl even had blonde hair, as I've made her in this fic. I thought I was going to die, and trust me, it's very different when she's actually coming for you.

I present this chapter exactly as I dreamed it; I only changed the names.

Welcome to my nightmare.

It was 5 or 6 in the morning. The sun had not yet risen. Bakura was still in bed, wishing he could fall asleep again. He heard Ryou washing up in the bathroom, which was right next to his room. He could also hear Malik and Fluffy in the kitchen making breakfast. His door was closed and the lights were out. Bakura couldn't sleep.

The TV turned itself on.

It was showing nothing but a black screen, but he could hear its hum. Bakura rolled out of bed and fumbled around, trying to find the remote. He looked at the screen and an image flashed for just a moment. Bakura froze and stared at the now black again screen.

I couldn't have seen what I thought I saw...

It had been the well scene from The Ring, and Samara had just climbed out.

I must be mistaken--

The image came on again and stayed. A girl in a white dress was approaching the screen. The picture was tinged blue, and the girl's hair formed a wavy blonde wall that covered her face entirely.

Bakura tried to remember how many days it had been since he'd seen the mini-feature, but he already knew the answer.

Her blonde hair was filling the picture now, pressing against the screen.

Before she could push through, Bakura screamed, and, throwing the door open, ran out into the hall.

He ran into the bathroom, where Ryou was combing his hair at the vanity. Throwing his arms around his light, he cried hysterically and told Ryou what had happened. Malik and Fluffy heard from the kitchen, and came to listen in.

As Ryou tried to calm Bakura, they all heard a little girl's voice:

"Mommy."

They all froze, wide eyed, and listened.

"... Mommy..." It began talking, having a one sided conversation. It was in Bakura's room. The four investigated and found a talking doll sitting on Bakura's headboard.

The room was otherwise unchanged. The TV was off and Ryou tried to dismiss the incident as a strange dream, but Bakura knew the truth. He looked at the TV and knew Samara would come after him as soon as he was alone.

That night Bakura was out on the porch. It was a large deck porch. There was a couch, and, in front of it, a TV. Bakura looked at the TV. It was showing The Ring. The movie was showing an unidentifiable closeup in black and white. A red light on the digital receiver box indicated that it was recording.

Bakura narrowed his eyes. Malik... Fluffy... What a sick joke...

Bakura didn't want to see Samara come out of the TV. He grabbed the remote and frantically pressed all of the buttons. The channel changed, to a comedy, and Bakura sighed relief.

Bakura realized Malik and Fluffy would be mad that he'd stopped their recording, so he decided to put things back as they were and get the hell out of there. He searched the schedule, but couldn't find The Ring showing on any channel, and didn't find anything recorded on the DVR.

o o o

Bakura woke, but didn't open his eyes. The floor beneath him was cold and hard.

The image of the blonde hair pressing against the TV screen was fresh in his mind. It was soft and wavy, nothing like Sadako's or Samara's.

It wasn't Sadako... It wasn't Samara... It was... someone else...