Rider (Part 3)

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

Still Ancient Egypt.

The landing was always a little more graceful when she knew that she would land. She grabbed onto his shoulders and laughed. "Hi, Bakura!"

"Well, if it isn't my Rider!" He was just as thrilled. "Life threatened again?"

"No, but my fucking master is about to whip a six year old. I got in the way," she confessed. "My master is . . . I work hard, and I deal with that. She isn't learning, little brat."

"She will, but this is good enough for me." He made his horse start to gallop. "Have you heard of me lately? I am making quite a name for myself. One day, I'll be the greatest thief out there that's ever lived. I'll be the King of Thieves. No, I'll be, The Bandit King. No, I'll be Thief Bandit. The Thief Bandit King of everything!"

She wrapped her arms around him. He wanted every name in the book. "As long as we can hang out again, you'll always be friend Bakura to me."

"Promise me something then," Bakura said. "Hang on, let's go brutally kill your master, and then I'll show you something. We're going on a long adventure."

-------------------------

He had taken her to a place she'd never seen before. It was amazing. From high up the cliffs, she could see it. "The palace of the god."

"The home of the fucking King." His voice was guttural. "He slaughtered everyone, just for the items the court wears. His son is guilty too. He wears the main piece."

"He does?"

"He wears the blood and bone and flesh of my people, like it's stupid jewelry!" Bakura was fuming. "One day, I am going to grow up and I am going to set my people's suffering free. No one will stop it." The horse pattered a little back and forth. "Their suffering consumes me. They fester inside of me. You've seen that."

Yes. Instead of running by on a horse, he attacked everyone inside. They still weren't innocents though. Every one of them, she felt no pity. "It was . . . scary. But, I don't care. You're still Bakura."

"I won't be one day. One day you'll be in trouble, and your monster won't bring you to me, because I'd just kill you." He looked back towards her. Not crying, but clearly in pain. "It only works as long as I am me. Remember when I said that? It's close. This is probably the last time you'll see me. Don't go looking for me. Even if you hear about me. Promise me that."

Oh. The thought of never seeing him again. Never playing with him. Knowing that there was no more protection out there. His heart was corrupted by the suffering and evil of his village. He had no choice. It would always be connected. "I. I promise."

"I have been watching for you," Bakura said. "I know the right final master for you. His wife is sick, he's elderly and frail from the hard work in his life, and he's got seven kids to watch including the newborn that almost killed her. I want you to wait where I put you tonight. I'm going to put her out of her misery nicely. When it's over, rush up in concern. Be as nice as possible and give him anything he wants while he mourns. When he makes an offer, get shelter and food for it. I give it less than 24 hours and you'll be taken as his."

A new master? "You found me a kind master?"

"The best I could." His voice sounded like it wanted to give out. "I will watch. If he doesn't take you, I will get you another, but it won't be as easy. No one's sick in the other house I'd consider."

Ugh? "I'll try very hard." She didn't want to let go.

"It'll be away from here, far away. I would never set you so close to those cursed objects." They started to ride away.

That ride. She could feel it. It would be the last. The last time she would see Bakura. "You are the best of the best to me. You will make a name for yourself. You will be infamous, Bandit King."

Bakura looked back at her. "Best of the best?"

She smirked. "You bested them all by the age of eight. Now, you would say . . ." She lifted her head up high, yelling, "fuck you to all of these assholes!" She smiled and looked above them in the sky. "You know my new name I chose. I use it to grant you everything."

He laughed. "Oh really? What can I have?"

"I decree that the Egyptian sands are your royal carpets. The sky is your never ending palace. I am your Queen, and you are the King. The King of it all!" She gave him one last squeeze. "I will miss you, Bakura."

-------

Yuugi smiled as he heard it. This was good news. ///Yuugi: She was the Bandit Thief's friend! He even helped protect her. He did have a good side. Just like Marik, except he never had a chance. His heart had been seized over time, and he knew he couldn't fight it./// The Pharaoh didn't answer. Unless he couldn't. ///Yuugi: Are you still there?///

///Atem: The Bakura she befriended is back. Ryou Bakura is right, the Bandit Thief now isn't evil. He has memories and hatred in him, but he's not the one I defeated.///

///Yuugi: Are we positive all the evil is gone?///

///Atem: Anzu goes to Ryou Bakura's home, because of the Bandit Thief. That bond is back. He can't be evil and have that bond.///

Yuugi nodded. "I never would have guessed all that. Thank you for sharing." Hang on. ///Yuugi: We just picked her up at Bakura's tonight? She wasn't in any danger.///

///Atem: Then whatever is bothering Anzu, is frightening her deep enough that Satiah is calling to her friend, Yuugi. We have to found out what it is. She shouldn't bear it all on her own.///

///Yuugi: But getting her to open up. Pharaoh? Atem?/// Gone. Yuugi looked at the time. "On the hour of seven." Okay. If they switched every six hours, then they could speak for one hour between. The six was theirs. ///Yuugi: Bakura being given another chance without his evil side corruption, that had to be a critical. Especially now that he had his only childhood friend. That's two for sure.///

And now. If Atem was gone, then Satiah must be gone too. "Anzu?"

Yep. She wasn't meeting him in the eyes. "Satiah can't change with me anymore."

"Yep, Atem's gone too." Would that make it easier? No, she didn't look any better. "Anzu."

"I'm not feeling good at all, Yuugi." She sounded like she might get sick. "I think I'm going to throw up," she said. "I need to go!"

"Go if you need to, just don't feel stressed." He didn't want her going all the way to Bakura's house again. "We can talk later." But they would talk. ///Yuugi: Anzu. What's wrong?///

Jounouchi's Place

Mahado stayed with his legs crossed on the couch. He knew what several things going on around him were. He knew his 'host' name was Jounouchi. He knew what a refrigerator had been. He knew the woman staring at him oddly with quiet dagger eyes was going to be the mother of Mana, his assistant when he had been alive.

Pharaoh Atem was far away, but he had been told to listen to his host. Before he lost contact with Jounouchi, he had to do a few things. He had explained who he had been to Mai Kujaku so she wouldn't be scared off. He also couldn't leave, he needed to watch Mai Kujaku. She had called Pharaoh's vessel Yuugi to get it all confirmed.

Apparently, Pharaoh and his vessel were changing on and off. As of yet, he hadn't switched with Jounouchi again. All he could do was stay up and wait to see when his host came back.

"You need to eat," Mai said to him. She gave him a sandwich. "Eat. I'm going to bed. Not to be rude but don't bother me until you are Jounouchi." She almost walked off. "And Jounouchi, if you come back, still don't bother me unless it's important. Too much to deal with today. I need rest."

Jounouchi never gave him instructions to eat, but he seemed like someone who put others before his own welfare. His stomach did feel hungry. He ate the sandwich for his host, but then Mai Kujaku came back out, still fully dressed from her room. "I changed my mind. I'm going for a drive. I'll be back with some pleasant company."

----------------------

Game Shop

Anzu came out of her door and then crept down the hallway. She deactivated and reactivated each door as she went. She doubted Satiah would stop her, or make her come back.

Just a little further in the dark, she saw Mai's car. However, not surprisingly Yuugi followed her out.

"Where are you going, this late?" Yuugi asked. "Anzu. Please? I need to know, what is it?"

" . . . I can't be with you, Yuugi." It was the truth. "My bad luck went through more than just jobs. People I tried to love. Every time I went out." Yep. "They were hurt, if they were lucky. The closer I got and they didn't back off, the more likely something really bad happened. I was even . . ."

"What, Anzu?"

"I lost someone, years ago," she confessed. "He died. After him, I dated again, but the bad luck just grew." Yuugi was quieter. "Satiah always believed you and Atem's presence in my life had cursed me, but I always said it wasn't true! I didn't want it to be true."

"We . . ." Yuugi didn't know what to say at first. "Someone died?"

"Yeah. He was an actor, and he was attacked onset with a real sword." Anzu sighed softly. "I thought I could handle this, Yuugi. But."

"If it's any kind of bad luck, it isn't from us," Yuugi denied. "It has to be from these people that are interfering with everything. Maybe they saw the whole potential of us being together like Atem did." Now, he didn't look so good. "I swear, I wasn't hiding Atem, he showed up right after you went up to make sandwiches."

"I have to go. I'm going to go with Mai and Jounouchi."

"It's not real, there's no curse! People were causing this to happen to you, but it's not our fault!" Yuugi protested. "Don't leave. Please? Anzu, I'm not afraid of any curse. Don't leave." Mai started to come out of her car, toward them. "Don't take her. Go back to Jounouchi's, we are working this out."

"Hon, I never take commands," Mai warned him. "It usually causes the opposite effect. Now, Jounouchi and I were supposed to talk to her about this. It looks like everything has been brought to a boil. Now?" She looked toward Anzu. "Let's go back to my place and talk things out, like we were supposed to. After that, we'll figure out the next step. Okay?"

"Talk," Yuugi encouraged Anzu. "Then please come back to me?"

"I'll . . . I'll call if things change," she agreed before running off to Mai's car. Anzu practically slammed the door and waited for Mai.

Mai started the car. "How did we go from 'I want to spend my life with Yuugi and figure out this whole thing' to 'I want to run away to save him'?" She asked. "You know there's no curse now, people have been manipulating you."

Yep. "I know." It made a good excuse. It made it easier to take. She gripped the side of her head. "I don't want him to see me when it happens."

"When what happens?" Mai asked.

"Just drive, Mai."