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Yu-Gi-Oh!: Aurora	By : NeonTiger Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 12172 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Aurora

By Neon Tiger and
Yuki Ryu

Chapter Sixteen

----

�� "...Unfortunately
for him that was then the entire pot of ink fell onto his head!"
�� Malik giggled
at that, smiling brightly as he walked alongside Isis.
"I know I shouldn't be laughing but...!"
�� The High
Priestess let out a soft giggle of her own as she returned the smile. "Oh,
it's alright," she said in a rather jovial tone. "Everyone had a good
laugh at the time it happened. Even Mahado couldn't help it. It was a rather
amusing series of unusual circumstances after all."
�� "That's
good." Malik felt a bit relieved at that, as he simply couldn't stop
giggling.
�� Isis let out another giggle of her own, very obviously
delighted at being in the company of her younger brother. They had spent
virtually the entire day together, talking, laughing, and generally enjoying
their time together. They had been so caught up in wandering the palace and
conversing that they nearly lost track of time. Now, after the sun had long
since set, the pair was headed back to the priestess' chambers for some well
deserved rest.
�� "Wow, is
it really evening already?" Malik marveled as he noticed the sky outside
the window. He blinked before making a face, finding himself wondering if
Bakura was alright without him. Though he knew that the thief could handle
being alone easily, as Bakura had done it for many years now, Malik couldn't
help but wonder if Bakura was missing him as much as he missed his friend. If
Bakura had decided to return for him earlier than their agreed time, how would
he know about it? Would the thief risk sneaking into the palace to get him?
�� Feeling rather
concerned about this, Malik continued to stare out the window, as if looking
for a sign of Bakura, even as he turned the corner. Unfortunately because he
had not been watching where he was going he ended up bumping into someone and
hitting his forehead against something rather hard.
�� It was as if
the impact against his head echoed within it. A flash of something dark and
terrifying assaulted his senses for the briefest of moments, leaving behind a
foreboding painful feeling that resounded in his brain and caused him to
stagger.
�� Malik yelped
and clutched his forehead, grimacing as he felt not only pain but a deep lingering
cold in his body. It was the most bizarre feeling, far different than anything
he had felt at his father's hands.
�� "Watch
where you're going!" a rather rough and angry voice snapped.
�� "S-sorry-!"
Malik blurted out instinctively as he lifted his head to see who he had bumped
into.
�� Looming before
the siblings was a tall man with deep wrinkles set into his face, hard eyes,
and a long, gray, tightly braided beard. He wore ornate robes befitting the
position of a High Priest, which were highly decorated in gold and jewelry. The
most striking of all the finery he wore though was a giant golden ring that
hung from his neck by a cord of rope. It was a very strangely shaped object,
with a triangle that was reminiscent of a pyramid surrounded by a circle that
had five sharp dangling points at the bottom. Bisecting the pyramid was a pair
of lines that separated briefly in the middle to form the stylized shape of
eye; the same eye shape that was found on the other Millennium Items that Malik
had seen earlier that day, including on the one Isis
wore.
�� "Malik,
are you alright?" Isis asked as she
immediately moved to her brother's side. She gently placed her hands on his
shoulders, as she obviously noticed the pain that he had been in after the
impact.
�� Malik stared
at the man and the ring-like Millennium Item, his eyes wide. He was staring
face to face with what had to be the scariest piece of jewelry he had ever
seen. While Isis' Millennium Item looked like
jewelry, something about the priest's item scared him. However, Isis' words quickly woke him from his stupor.
"Y-yes... m-my head feels funny, though..."
�� The man
sneered at Malik in obvious disdain before brushing past the young boy rather
roughly, bumping Malik into his sister. The man let out an indistinguishable
grumble to himself, and it seemed as if wherever he was going was far more
important than showing any concern over the reeling teenager who had ran into
him.
�� Isis let out a startled noise as she caught Malik when he
nearly fell into her and shot a glare at the man in spite of herself, though
she managed to hold her tongue. Instead she decided to focus on the wellbeing
of her little brother. "Are you sure you're alright, little brother?"
she asked, her expression troubled.
�� Malik nodded
weakly, though he reached up to gently touch his forehead.
"...Yeah..."
�� "Come,
you need to lie down," Isis said as she
gently slipped her arm around her younger brother's shoulder to support him and
began to lead him down the hallway.
�� Malik allowed
himself to be lead away as he shook his head weakly. He was used to much harder
hits, particularly the ones that were on purpose. It just made no sense why
this one hurt so much.
�� It was then
that the teenage boy heard someone laughing off in the distance. Though the
voice was faint, it was clear that it was filled with dark amusement.
�� Malik jumped
slightly at that and quickly looked over his shoulder, wondering if the priest
was laughing at him. However, he found such a thought to be silly, as the
hallway was completely empty save for himself and his sister.
�� "Malik?"
Isis asked as she noticed her brother jump.
�� "Ah,
I..." Malik blushed and rubbed his forehead a bit more. "...I thought
I heard something. I guess it's just the ringing in my ears."
�� At least he
hoped that was all that it was.

----

�� It was a very pleasant, peaceful day. The
sun was shining high in the sky with nary a cloud in sight, as was the norm for
a desert. Many people went about their daily lives within a small village tucked
away within the safe surroundings of a large canyon. Due to the shade cast by
the canyon walls and the underground rivers that had been tapped into by the
people living there, the village had a surprising amount of green, with fields
for farming beyond the buildings, and trees could be seen on occasion through
out the village.
�� Many of the people within the village
sported hair of colors that looked quite exotic and unusual when compared to
those within the Pharaoh's city. Instead of simply brown or black hair with
only the rare exception, here the exception seemed to be the norm, and many
possessed unusually vibrant colors, such as orange or blue. Overall the people
acted very friendly towards one another, and more than once one would pause
whatever they were doing to help another person out with whatever task that
needed aid.
�� Another difference between this village
and the Pharaoh's city was that there didn't seem to be any market. Nearly all
the adults were creating massive statues, intricately designed objects, or
strange devices, while children ran up and down the streets playing games. The
village was obviously one made mainly for the sake of craftsmen to work for
their given expertise.
�� "Where... am I?"
�� Malik stared around about him, his eyes wide.
He gripped his tunic tightly as he stared about, his heart starting to race.
"T-this place is...?"
�� Just then a ball made of tightly stitched
leather hit the ground beside the blond and rolled to a stop in front of his
feet.
�� Malik stared down at the ball before
looking up to see where it had come from.
�� "I've got it!" came the shout of
a very young boy as he dashed towards Malik and the ball. Shockingly he had
wild silvery white hair with vibrant silver eyes and a deep tan.
�� "Ah!?" Malik stared at the boy,
eyes widening in recognition. "Bakura-!?"
�� Bakura did not reply. He did not even seem
to see the teenager standing before him. This was made frighteningly apparent
when he ran right through Malik's body as if the blond wasn't even there.
�� Malik tensed, his breathing hitching. He
hesitated before moving to feel himself, unable to comprehend what had just
happened. Once he saw that he was not injured, and that he did still felt quite
solid, he then turned to stare at Bakura.
�� "Got it!" the small boy shouted
triumphantly as he held the ball up high.
�� "Throw it to me, brother!" a
little girl shouted from somewhere behind Malik.
�� "Okay!" Bakura replied before he
hefted the ball up over his head and flung it with all his might directly at
Malik's head, or rather through it.
�� Though such an action was surprising, it
was less of a shock than what had been said. "Brother?" Malik
murmured, turning his head to try and see who it was that had claimed kinship
to the thief.
�� There were many children gathered, waiting
to catch the ball, and most of them looked to be only about knee high. However,
it seemed impossible to mistake who Bakura's sister was. There was only one
little girl with an uncannily resemblance to the young thief, and they even
wore similar worn tunics with shoes lined with gold. The main differences
between them were gender and her very long, silky white hair that spilled out
from the blue ribbon she wore and fell over her face, nearly hiding her bright
blue eyes.
�� "Who the..." Malik gaped at the
girl.
�� The girl lunged to catch the ball thrown
to her but unfortunately she ended up just barely missing it, and hit the
ground with a grunt.
�� "Kisara!" Bakura shouted before
he ran over to his sister and knelt beside her. "You okay?"
�� Malik stared at Bakura and the girl,
blinking slowly before making a face. "Is this... Bakura's past?"
�� The little girl, Kisara, let out another
quiet grunt as she lifted her head and looked at her brother sheepishly, her
face covered in dirt. "I'm okay," she replied as she brushed her hair
away from her eyes.
�� Bakura stuck out his tongue and made a
face as he helped his sister up. "That hair always gets in your
eyes," he commented. "You should get mommy to cut it."
�� "No!" Kisara protested as she
held her hair, as if protecting it from an impending attack. "I like my
hair this way!"
�� "If this is Bakura's past, why am I
seeing this?" Malik made a face, feeling rather confused.
�� Bakura razzed the blue-eyed girl.
"What's so great about long hair?" he asked. "It always gets in
the way."
�� "You're just saying that 'cause
people thought you were me until mommy cut yours," Kisara retorted and
crossed her arms with a huff. "You looked better with it long."
�� Bakura's face turned red at the remarks.
"Sh-shut up!" he shouted with obvious embarrassment.
�� "Hey, are you done playing?" the
child holding the ball asked, as nearly all the others playing the game stopped
to stare at the twins.
�� The two white haired children jerked
simultaneously to look towards the other children. "Coming!" they
shouted as one.
�� The similar reaction caused the pair to
blink before Bakura started to pout and Kisara let out a little giggle. They
said nothing more, however, before they ran off to resume the game.
�� "This is... weird." Malik felt at
a complete loss. He couldn't understand what he was seeing, how he was seeing
it, or why he was seeing it.
�� It was then that the sky started to grow
dark and the sounds the people of the village were making slowly quieted.
�� "Eh?" Malik looked up at that,
staring at the sky.
�� The games ceased and work ground to a halt
as the people stopped to stare at the black clouds that formed across the sky
and seemed to literally eat the light of the sun, leaving only darkness.
�� When the light died completely the people
began to scream.
�� Malik let out a strangled cry as he jerked
about, eyes darting about wildly despite the fact that he couldn't see the
people - or the source of their screams.
�� Just then a flicker of gold was seen in
the darkness. It started as one spot in the horizon then grew closer until it
became apparent that it was a river of molten gold that flowed towards Malik,
lit with golden flames.
�� The blond stared at the river before
crying out, glancing around before bolting to the side to get out of the path
of the river.
�� The molten gold seemed to flow in an
unnatural manner, as if some unseen force was directing it, for it moved to
completely surround Malik on all sides, trapping him.
�� Malik came to a stop, simply gawking at
the river in disbelief as all avenues of escape were eliminated.
�� Fortunately the bubbling, burning river
did not advance any further, leaving the young boy an island of sorts to stand
on. Slowly the golden flames died down and then burned out completely just
before the gold itself started to turn black until it became a river of
darkness.
�� "...I must be dreaming..." Malik
mumbled, turning about in circles as he stared at the river from all angles.
�� Somehow the blond was able to still see
the darkened river bubbling around him in spite of the lack of light from the
flames, and he could see himself quite clearly, even if nothing else could be
made out.
�� Suddenly the image of a face formed in the
black goo before a human figure emerged with an
unearthly shriek. It reached out for Malik with a melting hand before being
consumed by the river once again.
�� Malik let out a strangled cry before
stumbling back from the river. Almost immediately he realized that as he was
backing away from one side of the river, he was getting too close to the other
side. This caused the blond to whip about again. He stumbled about for a few
seconds before crouching squarely in the middle of his tiny island of safety,
shaking.
�� All around him more human-like figures
emerged from the river, creating horrible screams as they clamored for the
helpless boy, yet always seemed to fall short before they melted back into the
dark river again.
�� "W-w-wh...
what is this...?" Malik whimpered, shaking badly.
�� "Your fate if you continue
interfering."
�� "Ah-!?" the blond looked up.
�� Surprisingly standing before Malik on top
of the writhing river as if it were solid ground was none other than Bakura.
While the thief's presence should have been a welcome one, the expression of
hatred on his face made Malik's blood run cold. However, the most frightening
thing was how Bakura glared at the former slave with blazing red eyes that did
not seem to belong to him.
�� "B... Bakura?" Malik whispered
breathlessly, staring at the thief.
�� "This is none of your concern,"
Bakura responded with a sneer on his face. "Do not interfere with their
vengeance, or you will be consumed by their hatred like all the rest."
�� The figures writhing in the dark wailed
and clawed towards Malik feverishly, but still they gained no ground.
�� "Bakura, why... how can you say
that...?" Malik slowly stood to his feet, still staring at Bakura in
disbelief.
�� "Because you are trying to stop the
hundredth sacrifice," the man with the red eyes replied with a cold voice
filled with venom.
�� "Sacrifice?" Malik repeated.
�� "The sacrifice of one-hundred is the
key to opening the door to darkness," Bakura said lowly as he held his
hand upwards, fingers spread. "And then this world shall be consumed by
darkness." He then slowly closed his hand, as if he were crushing something
unseen. "If you continue to interfere, I will make you suffer beyond
anything you have ever known." His piercing gaze that never once looked
away from Malik's eyes seemed to become even more frightening as the tone of
his voice grew even colder.
�� "Who is... who is the hundredth
sacrifice?" Malik found himself asking.
�� A small evil smile appeared on Bakura's
face, which grew to become almost too wide for him to possibly make naturally.
"Someone who has been mine since the creation of the Millennium
Items."
�� "Who has been...?" Malik stared
at Bakura before a sudden realization came to him and his eyes narrowed.
"...Who are you? You're not Bakura!"
�� The man pretending to be Bakura simply
laughed, his voice dark and booming, and it almost sounded as if it were coming
from all around Malik. The wailing of the lost souls writhing in the dark rose
in volume and alarmingly they started clamoring towards the blond on all sides,
crawling on top of each other as they reached out for Malik with melting
fingers.
�� Malik yelped as he scrambled back, only to
find more of the lost souls behind him. He screamed and swatted at their hands
as they clawed and grasped at him. Alarmingly they not only clung to him, but
melted onto him, as if trying to drown him within themselves.
�� As Malik was consumed by the darkness,
screaming, he felt himself grow numb, until only the fear and laughter of the
dark creature that pretended to be Bakura remained.

----

�� "Malik?
...Malik?"
�� Malik didn't
hear his sister's voice as he toyed with his breakfast, picking at it with a
fork. He couldn't forget the nightmare that had plagued him the night before.
Worse than that, however were the terrifying whispers that crept in the back of
his mind and became most noticeable when all was silent. At first he thought
they had been lingering remnants of his nightmare, or real people whispering
elsewhere in the palace, but it seemed as if they were neither. What they were
saying couldn't be made out clearly. It was distorted somehow, and it sounded
like many people talking far away, like a distant crowd gathering. He simply
didn't know what to make of it, or what he should do about it.
�� However, he
wasn't thinking so deeply that he didn't notice Isis'
hand touching his shoulder suddenly.
�� Malik jumped
with a squeak and whipped around to stare at Isis.
"A-ah!?"
�� Isis jerked slightly herself at the intensity of her
brother's reaction, her expression troubled. "Malik?" she asked with
obvious concern. "Is something wrong?"
�� "N-no,
I..." Malik trailed off for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders
slightly. "I was just thinking."
�� "About
what?" Isis asked.
�� "...A
dream I had last night," the young boy replied.
�� "I see...
and this dream is troubling you?" Isis
inquired in a gentle tone.
�� Malik simply
nodded. He didn't want to tell his sister about the dream, as it was very
confusing. He was worried that she might think that there was something wrong
with his mind!
�� "Would
you like to talk about it?" Isis offered
as she moved to sit back down at her place across from Malik. They had been
having a rather nice breakfast together, with a wide array of dishes spread out
before them so the former slave could sample a wide variety of food.
Unfortunately due to a disturbing dream and the mysterious voices, the meal
wasn't as pleasant as either of them would have liked.
�� "Well,
it's just..." Malik trailed off a moment. He turned to look at his sister
before making a face. "...Do... do you believe in... ghosts?"
�� "Ghosts?"
Isis repeated, as if she hadn't heard right.
�� "Y-yeah,"
Malik felt his face go red, realizing he must have asked a stupid question.
"Ghosts."
�� Isis touched her hand lightly to her chin with a
thoughtful look on her face. "Well... I can't say that I've ever actually
seen one or know anyone who has, but, yes, I believe that they exist."
�� Malik stared
at his sister for a moment, and then made a face. "How do you get rid of
them? Like... if they're haunting you."
�� Isis was silent as she mulled over what she had been
asked. Suddenly her face lit up with realization. "Was that what your
dream was about, Malik?"
�� Malik nodded.
His dream was about ghosts, he just
wouldn't mention the exact details.
�� That
confirmation caused Isis' expression to relax
noticeably, as if she was relieved that the inquiry was a simple curiosity caused
by a dream, rather than a real concern for her little brother. "Ghosts are
lost souls whose bodies were completely destroyed, so they could not go to
judgment or the afterlife. The only way to appease them and lead them on their
way is through the use of an avatar."
�� "An...
avatar?" Malik made a face at that. Where was he going to get an avatar?
�� "An
avatar is a special person chosen by the gods to take the lost soul or souls to
the afterlife," Isis explained.
�� "...Chosen
by the gods...?" Malik repeated slowly.
�� Isis nodded. "Only those blessed by the gods are
able to see ghosts and communicate with them. It is the duty of those chosen to
guide these lost souls to the afterlife... even at the cost of their own
lives."
�� Malik made a
face at that, as that explanation troubled him. Did that mean Bakura had been
chosen by the gods to guide the souls of Kuru Eruna to the afterlife? But they did not die through
natural means, but rather through evil means. Would the gods get involved then?
�� "I don't
believe you have anything to worry about though, brother," Isis said with a kind smile on her face. "The ghosts
you saw were only a dream."
�� "...Y-yeah,
just a dream," Malik muttered, though he truly didn't mean it.
�� "Just
keep in mind that ghosts can't harm you because of the fact that they don't
have their bodies any longer," Isis said
soothingly. "They can scare you, but that's the worst they can do."
�� Malik went
very quiet at that, as he remembered vividly the sight of his father's horrible
death. It would seem that his sister didn't know as much about ghosts as they
both thought she did.
�� After seeing
that her brother seemed even less assured by what she had just said, Isis grew concerned again. "...If you would like, I
could research more information about ghosts, Malik," she offered after a
number of moments of silence. "I'm certain that the library has documents
recording such incidents. Then you can see for yourself that there is nothing
to fear."
�� "R-really?"
Malik was encouraged by such an offer, relief flooding his expression.
"That would be great!"
�� Isis simply smiled in response, obviously pleased that
she had managed to cheer her little brother up.
�� Malik couldn't
be more thrilled at the prospect. Surely there would be some information in the
palace's library about the spirits of Kuru Eruna and how to help them. After all, it was those at the
palace who did it in the first place. Now that he had that information at his
disposal, he could give Bakura that information. There would be no more sacrifices!
�� "We
better finish eating breakfast before the food gets cold, Malik," Isis pointed out gently before she resumed eating.
�� Malik nodded
at that and proceeded to eat the food that he had been only playing with
before. However, after a moment, he had another thought. The young boy glanced
at his sister again. "Isis, what was
that... thing around that priest's neck? The one I hit my head on?"
�� Isis was momentarily startled by the abrupt question, but
quickly composed herself. "That was another one of the seven Millennium
Items, the Millennium Ring," she replied. "The person who bumped into
you is Runihura, another one of the six trusted High
Priests like myself."
�� "So that
was a Millennium Item," Malik thought, grimacing. "No wonder it hurt
so much. It's made from pure evil." Such a thought caused the young blond
to pause before looking at Isis and the Item
she herself wore. "...How were they made?"
�� Isis seemed caught off-guard by such a question and she
blinked at Malik with a look of confusion on her face. "I'm not entirely
certain of all of the details..." she admitted reluctantly. "...But
from what I've been told, they were created through a sacred ritual priest
Akunadin, the holder of the Millennium Eye, performed before Prince Atemu was
born, in order to save this kingdom from ruthless invaders."
�� Malik looked
at Isis intently before making a face.
"A... sacred ritual." His sister was not aware of how they had been
made, but using a word to describe what happened at Kuru
Eruna just seemed like blasphemy all on its own.
�� Isis nodded. "They were created by the will of the
gods, who helped Akunadin translate the Book of Millennium Magic in order to
make them and save our kingdom."
�� Malik simply
gaped at his sister. Will of the gods? How could the will of the gods involve
sacrificing nearly a hundred people in such a brutal way? What sort of gods did
his sister follow that considered this behavior to be acceptable?
�� Isis either didn't notice Malik's look or assumed that it
was for another reason than appalled distress. "Not only did they bless us
with the Millennium Items, but the gods also blessed us with the sacred tablets
in their image... though I'm afraid that because no one knows their names, not
even the Pharaoh can summon them with the power of his Millennium
Pendant."
�� "...That's
most likely because their names are 'Cruel', 'Evil', 'Destroy', or
'Murder'," Malik thought. "And no one would guess something like
that."
�� Isis tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of
it... I heard that Prince Atemu had been born on that very day. The gods had
blessed us three times over."
�� Malik didn't
feel the same way. What a truly horrible day to be born - the same day that so
many lost their lives! The more he thought about the situation, the more it
unnerved him. For his sister to be so completely oblivious to the evils that
had happened that night, it must truly have been a well-guarded secret - a
hidden shame. He needed to find a way to free Bakura from it.
�� "...A-about
that library," Malik murmured, aware that he was bringing on a rather
sudden change of topic. "...Can you take me there now?"
�� "Certainly,
Malik, but don't you want to finish breakfast first?" Isis
asked as she gave her brother a somewhat perplexed look.
�� Malik blinked
at that and glanced down at his plate, noting the food still there. He
hesitated before taking his fork to shovel the food in his mouth quickly. He
chewed it slightly before swallowing it, trying not to choke. He patted his
chest a bit to help it go down easier before turning to Isis
with a sheepish grin. "I'm done!"
�� Isis blinked, surprised. After a moment, however, she
couldn't help but burst out giggling, and had to cover her mouth to quiet
herself.

----

�� Malik stood outside
the palace gates, pacing slightly. While he knew it was safe, he also knew it
never paid to be at ease. Darkness filled the area due to the late hour, which
only added to his anxiety as he waited for Bakura. As they had discussed days
prior, he was to wait there for Bakura to pick him up, and then they would go
home together.
�� It took quite
a bit of assurance to convince Isis to let him
wait outside alone, without even any guards around to keep an eye on him, as
she seemed fairly concerned at such an arrangement. He had been afraid that he
would have to sneak out in order to meet with Bakura, but Isis
finally relented after she was given assurance that he would at least remain
within hearing range of the guards.
�� "So that
worked out," Malik murmured. Had it really been four days since he saw
Bakura? Time certainly seemed to fly once he got into the massive library. He
had overestimated the reading skills Bakura had taught him, finding that the
books spoke nothing short of nonsense and squiggly lines to him. Such a fact
shocked Isis, as she had apparently assumed
their father would at least teach him to read.
�� In the end, he
was very grateful for Isis reading the books
to him - and even helping him learn to read some himself! He was able to not
only spend time with his sister but discover an enormous amount of information
on ghosts and dealing with them.
�� Much of what
Malik had learned simply reinforced what Isis
had said. However, he had grown to believe that the books would not cover what
had happened at Kuru Eruna
- after all, those involved were lying about it and trying to hide it. Instead,
he used the information available and decided to apply it to the situation.
�� He needed to
find a way to pacify the ghosts of Kuru Eruna without bloodshed, without death. He knew that such a
thing would not satisfy them; in fact, all the books suggested that it would worsen their plight as their desire for
vengeance would increase, never to be sated.
�� Unfortunately,
the books couldn't tell him of any alternatives. Either the authors did not
know, or were not allowed to write it down. He had no idea how far the
deception went - even the Pharaoh could have been in on it.
�� "I'll
have to get my hands on untainted
books," Malik thought to himself as he stopped to look at the sky, staring
at the moon intently. "I'll have to look through the books back home...
the books that belong to Bakura. I don't think he'll read them to me... so I
need to teach myself how to read and go from there. I'll... figure this out.
I'll save the people of Kuru Eruna...
and Bakura."
�� Such thoughts
were abruptly interrupted as someone suddenly grabbed Malik from behind.
�� Malik tensed
up and let out a thin squeak, his eyes widening. He whipped his head about in a
panic, ready to scream for help.
�� Fortunately
such a thing was quickly proven unnecessary, as the blond caught sight of
silver hair and could feel the grab had quickly become a rather tight hug. It
was none other than Bakura who held him closely from behind.
�� "Sorry
I'm late," the thief murmured in Malik's ear, his voice underlined with a
strange emotion that was hard to identify.
�� "Bakura..."
Malik let out a sigh of relief before giving Bakura a slightly irritated look
over his shoulder. "You scared me!"
�� Bakura buried
his face against Malik's neck, making it impossible for the other boy to see
his expression, leaving Malik just the sight of messy silver hair. He paused
for a few moments before answering so that he could breathe in the blond's
scent. "Sorry," he muttered simply, the word tickling Malik's skin
due to how his lips were pressed against his friend's neck.
�� Malik blinked
at that before he grew concerned and his expression reflected it. The thief
seemed to be behaving strangely. "Bakura? Is... is something wrong?"
�� Bakura was
silent for a few moments before answering. "I just... really missed you,
Malik," he murmured.
�� Those words
were an understatement of how Bakura had felt. Though he had not taken the
decision to leave Malik at the palace lightly, and he had good reasoning for
doing so, he couldn't help but wonder the entire time that they were separated
if he had made a grievous mistake. Such worry was a very dangerous distraction
when trying to acquire a sacrifice for the spirits...
�� It was only
after it was far too late to turn back did Bakura realize that had essentially
handed over his most precious thing into the clutches of the Pharaoh. He felt
quite relieved that nothing had apparently happened to Malik because of the
blond's stay at the palace. Even if his worrying seemed to be for nothing, he
never wanted to risk Malik like that again.
�� "I... I
missed you too," Malik replied, his face tinting slightly red as heat
filled his cheeks at the thief's words. "I was really anxious to see you
again."
�� Bakura made a
quiet sound at the back of his throat. "Good," he mumbled before
reluctantly leaning back and loosening his hold so that Malik could turn
around. "Come on... let's go home."
�� Malik nodded
at that as he turned about to fully face Bakura. However, the suddenly stopped
short once he got a good look at the thief and stared at Bakura's hair. It was
considerably shorter, almost alarmingly so. "B... Bakura-!?"
�� Bakura was
momentarily surprised by Malik being so startled, but could quickly guess
exactly what his companion was staring at. Unthinkingly he reached up to touch
a lock of his now much shorter hair. It was as messy as ever, but now ended
just past his chin in a rather jagged cut. "So, what do you think?"
he asked, trying to sound casual.
�� "What
happened... to your hair?" Malik murmured, staring at it.
�� "It was
in the way, so I needed to cut it," Bakura said dismissively as he lowered
his hand.
�� Malik stared
at Bakura intently, his mind trying to fathom what possible reason he could
have for cutting his hair. What was Bakura doing that his hair was 'in the
way'?
�� All at once,
the reason occurred to him from a memory of a time when the servants would tug
at his hair back when he was his father's slave. There was no other time in
which his hair couldn't be simply tucked out of the way. This brought him to a
realization that Bakura had to have been in a situation where someone pulling
his hair was a danger to him. That thought made Malik's expression grow pained.
�� Bakura had
been out killing someone.
�� The thief had used
Malik's visit with his sister as an excuse to sacrifice someone else to the
ghosts. That was why Bakura had been
so intent on Malik visiting his sister, and even suggested such a thing. Malik
should have been more suspicious that
Bakura was willing to deposit him in the one place the thief loathed the most:
the Pharaoh's palace.
�� Bakura had
needed a way to keep Malik occupied so he could kill someone else, like he had
killed Malik's father.
�� Malik felt
hurt and upset, but at the same time overwhelmingly concerned. It simply
brought to mind what he had learned at the royal library. Bakura was becoming
further entangled in the revenge plans of the spirits of Kuru
Eruna. The thief was being dragged down with them in
their madness, and he would become lost if the Malik didn't do anything.
�� Malik needed to find a way to save the spirits
and Bakura.
�� With that in
mind, Malik forced his expression to change - erasing the pain and putting on a
pleasant smile.
�� "I take
it you don't like it," Bakura commented when he noticed the pained look on
Malik's face. Such an expression made him feel rather uneasy. Even the smile
that followed it didn't change that feeling of ill-ease.
�� "No,
no," Malik replied, still smiling. "It just took me by surprise! It
looks really good on you... and it must be a lot cooler this way, too. It'll
take some getting used to, but I still like it."
�� Bakura wasn't
entirely certain whether or not Malik was just saying that to appease him or
actually meant it, though he suspected the former. He decided not to press
Malik however, since the truth had been that the blond's silent guess was
absolutely right. Bakura had underestimated his captive and let down his guard
because he had been so worried about Malik and whether or not Isis
would protect Malik or do something horrible to her brother, regardless of
blood ties or fond memories Malik had.
�� It was because
of this worry that Bakura had neglected to search his captive thoroughly for
weapons before testing the man's heart. The moment his guard had accidentally
slipped the man struck out at him and had grabbed the thief by the hair to get
him off-balance.
�� Really, Bakura
had been doubly careless. When he used his own knife to try and cut off the
man's hand to get free he accidentally cut off his own hair instead.
�� The only
positive thing out of it was that there was no question of the man's guilt and
Bakura had been able to sacrifice him to the spirits without remorse. Afterward
the silver-eyed boy had cut his hair shorter with his knife to even out the
chunk that he had hacked off and to make sure that no one could use it against
him like that again.
�� His only
problem now though was preventing Malik from ever knowing the reason why he had
cut it.
�� "Let's go
home," Bakura said as he took Malik's hand in his, changing the subject.
�� "Yeah,
let's go home," Malik agreed as he gripped Bakura's hands tightly. He had
his work cut out for him, but the thief didn't need to worry anymore.
�� Malik was
going to save Bakura.

----

�� Drip. Drip. Drip.
�� Malik grimaced as his eyes opened, the
sound of liquid dripping piercing the silence of his mind and growing louder
with every droplet. Groggily, he sat up and glanced around at his surroundings.
�� The room was completely dark - there was
no ground, no ceiling, and no walls - nothing but darkness and emptiness.
�� Confused, Malik fumbled to his feet and
rubbed the back of his head. He glanced around for the source of the dripping,
more than a little confused.
�� Suddenly, a red light flickered in the
darkness before two torches appeared in front of the young boy. An enormous
statue made of obsidian appeared in front of him, nestled between the two
torches.
�� The statue was of an enormous jackal,
sitting upright and glaring off into the distance with clear crystal orbs for
eyes. The orbs shimmered, always changing in color and never lingering long
with any one hue. Gold circled its neck like a collar and created Egyptian
designs along its face, much like makeup.
�� "A jackal?" Malik murmured
breathlessly, confused. "...Anubis?"
�� At the mention of the Lord of the Dead,
the jackal statue's eyes suddenly glowed bright red. Malik jerked in surprise
and stepped backwards, startled by the reaction.
�� "Chuuuu."
�� Malik's face contorted comically as a small,
miniature creature stepped out from behind the statue and moved to stand
in-between its mighty paws. The creature looked like a jackal pup with face
markings much like the statue's, in gold. It wore a red robe with gold and
white trim, covered in ancient runes. A pair of gold wings, laughingly tiny,
peeked out from its back as it stared at Malik - the left eye empty of any
pupil, the right a soft blue.
�� In its paws was a small doll in the
likeness of a very familiar silver haired bandit.
�� Malik gasped in surprise, eyes widening at
the sight of the doll. "Bakura-!?"
�� All at once, at the very mention of the
name, Malik felt an intense emptiness inside of him. The emptiness was
immediately followed by need, a need to find the thief in question.
�� "Bakura... where is he?" Malik
demanded, stepping towards the tiny jackal creature. "Where is he?"
�� The jackal didn't respond, instead holding
the doll up for Malik to get a better glimpse. Upon closer inspection, the doll
revealed itself to be quite sinister. It wore a necklace around its neck with
tiny charms, one of each Millennium Item. Its expression was half pained, half
pleased - as if it were torn between intense agony and intense pleasure.
�� Malik was taken back by the bizarre doll,
then shook himself and stepped forward again. "Where is he?" he repeated, growing irritated.
�� The jackal again didn't respond, holding
the doll up for Malik to see.
�� "Yes, yes! It's a doll! I can see
that!" Malik snapped, irritably. "But that's not Bakura! Bakura isn't
a doll! He's a human being!"
�� Suddenly the jackal statue trembled. Malik
jumped back in alarm, jerking his head up to stare at the statue. The statue's
eyes glowed even more brightly, finally revealing the source of the dripping.
�� Blood was oozing down its face and dripping
to the ground, like tears.
�� Alarmed, Malik returned his gaze to the
jackal pup only to find it and the Bakura doll gone. The young boy felt alarm
fill his very being as the dripping increased in intensity.
�� The blood tears increased in volume, oozing
along the statue's face slowly at first before bursting forth like a river,
spewing the crimson fluid as if it had a gaping wound.
�� Malik stepped back in alarm as twin blood
rivers formed around him, disappearing into the darkness. Some of the blood splattered
onto his purple vest and pants, causing him to cry out in alarm and disgust.
Grimacing, the young boy hurried to the platform the statue rested upon,
getting away from the blood before it flooded the room and encased him.
�� The moment Malik stepped on the statue
platform, the room came to life. Light erupted from all corners, illuminating
his surroundings and chasing away the darkness. It revealed that he was not in
emptiness, but instead in a massive room.
�� A room made out of corpses.
�� Malik gawked, as he could see arms, legs,
and other body parts in the floor, the ceiling, and the walls. Faces stared at
him with wide eyes, mouths moving in silent words as fingers wiggled and toes
twitched. It was as if the entire room was alive - and yet very much dead.
�� Even worse, the blood was flooding the
room and quickly rising to the platform's level. Panicked, Malik looked around
desperately for any method of escape.
�� "You're not giving up just because
it's difficult, are you?" a voice hissed, deep and gravely like grinding
bones.
�� Malik turned about quickly and let out a
surprised gasp as he found himself with a twisted, disgusting sight before him.
A creature loomed before him, looking like the jackal pup, except a more adult
form, a form that was also rotting. Its clothes were tattered, its bones
showing through dead flesh. It looked partially devoured, its wings torn apart
to just the bare frames of one with a few black feathers clinging to the
wretched flesh. It glared viciously at Malik, its right eye blank and left eye
piercing and unfriendly.
�� "W-what...?" Malik gasped. The
creature grinned, flashing its wicked teeth at the boy.
�� "Why don't you back up your
words?" it taunted, before chuckling deeply. Its body quivered at the
action, bits of flesh dripping from its body with each movement.
�� "Back up my words...?" Malik
repeated, very disturbed.
�� "A bit of a parrot, aren't you?"
the creature observed, arching what was left of an eyebrow, before he leaned
back. As he did so, the room began to disappear into darkness once more.
"Do you ever think for yourself? Pathetic."
�� Malik cried out in alarm as the darkness
crept up around him, swallowing his legs as well as the statue. The creature
continued to grin at Malik as it too disappeared into the darkness until only
its eyes and mouth remained.
�� "I look forward to your visit,
boy."
�� And then, there was nothing.
- 15
- 16
- 17
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Yu-Gi-Oh!: Aurora