{1000 Words}{Open/Bakura}

[Selena Kaiba]

Through the wind and the rain
xx
She stands hard as a stone
----------------------------------

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A short haired brunette girl shuffled her feet along the not so busy sidewalks of Domino, although it was sunny the air was crisp and cold. She wore her favorite hat, along with a warm jacket. Stockings, a skirt, shoes and sweater under her jacket. She also wore mittens, it was fall and that meant that winter was right around the corner. Oh how she loved the winter, when the snow fell and people always rushed to get christmas presents. So who was this girl you might ask, it was none other then Selena Kaiba. The only blood related niece to the late Gozaburo Kaiba, but she didn't flaunt that around. She was only 15 and she had two step cousins, Seto and Mokuba whom her uncle adopted. She got along with them quite well, but they were barely home and it didn't bother her all that much.

By her side she carried a penguin named Squiggles, it was a robotic pet and she never left the mansion without it. Did it do anything, oh yes it did alot. It was an alarm clock, it talked and even ran around. As she came near a small cafe, Selena noticed there was a sign outside saying they had a new kind of hot chocolate. "What do you think Squiggles, should we get one and warm up?". The robotic penguin said yes, and she went inside. There was a line-up which made the young girl sigh, typical there would be one with a new hot chocolate out.

She put her hands behind her back, and seemed to rock back and forth lightly on her feet and moved as the line moved. When she finally reached the counter, the girl asked kindly what she wanted. Selena told her she wanted the new hot chocolate, ringing it up she payed the amount owed and waited over on the side. Selena was never into the dueling scene, so whenever Seto and Mokuba went off to try some new duel monster tactic she did her own thing. When her hot chocolate came up ,she put a cardboard ring around it so she didn't burn her hands and left the shop. Wondering what she should do now, it was maybe......early evening and it was starting to get abit dark.

Finding a bench, she went over and sat down. Leaning back to enjoy her hot chocolate, the little penguin scurried off her side and sat beside her beeping occassionaly. Sighing lightly she looked down at the hot chocolate, it had whipped cream with chocolate syrup drizzled on top. Bringing it up to her lips, she gave a small giggle as the cream tickled her nose. She took small sips, and looked over to her penguin. "Hey look, I got a chocolate and cream mustache". The penguin flailed it's robotic arms, and jumped off the bench starting to run back and forth. Selena just shook her head lightly, and stopped him with her foot.[/blockquote][/size]

[Bakura]

Bakura was wandering amongst the city, being pushed and shoved by a few members of the town. It wasn't out of the ordinary, he was easy to forget about, but it was a bit rude. People's attitude towards him is what first motivated his power lust that grew into the evils of the Millenium Ring. On the outside he was innocent, but on the inside he was constantly fighting the power hungry spirit that raged inside him. The spirit always wanted out, like a jackal from Hell pursuing the gate keeper, just growling and roaring until the lock even shows signs of weakening.

Bakura was so caught up in this image that he had stepped on a small dog's tail. The dog yelped and ran. Bakura just stood there, a bit confused, and looked around to see if anyone noticed. Not that many people had seen him. Good. Then, the strangest thought washed over Bakura. Why did he care?

He walked towards a bench where a girl seemed to be talking to a...penguin. Of course. There's always a girl talking to a penguin. Bakura smiled a bit on the corners of his mouth as he walked up to the girl. "Mind if I take a seat?" It was the only person who he felt would pay an ounce of attention to him. Everyone seemed very busy. As the crowd passed by he placed a hand on a memento he had kept from duelist kingdom. It was a star chip he had found in the water. It brought him back to better days, when he still knew where his friends were. They had become very busy, and he had isolated himself from them so they would no longer be hurt. Sure, Yugi had defeated Yami Bakura before, but if there's even one break in Yugi's stratagies the whole thing would plummet down.

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[Selena Kaiba]

Through the wind and the rain
xx
She stands hard as a stone
----------------------------------

[/color][/right]

Squiggles stopped running and flailing, before sitting under the bench to sulk. Leaving him alone for now, she took more small sips of the hot chocolate. It tasted so good. So smooth and went down her throat like velvet, no wonder there was such a long line up in that shop. As she slowly began to swing her legs back and forth, Selena heard a voice and glanced up. Her eyes fell upon a white haired boy, he seemed only a few years older then her. When he asked if he could take a seat, she gave a small nod and smiled. "Sure go ahead, I could use the company". This boy was no stranger, nuh uh. Selena knew exactly who he was, she had seen him on TV dueling against her cousin and Yugi. So it was abit of a shock to her seeing him right beside her, Selena had always wondered what Bakura would be like up close and personal. That is away from the dueling scene, so this was her chance to get to know him.

"Your Bakura right, I watched you duel on TV". Though she found it so odd, one minute he seemed so innocent and sweet. The next he was like a different person, she never quite understood that. Seto always did tell her that people look different on TV, then they do off screen. Giving a small shrug she took another sip of her hot chocolate, and waited for him to take the seat on the bench. Shifting her position on the bench, she was now kneeling and looking behind and down. "Come on Squiggles, come out and say hello to our new friend". The penguin beeped and shook it's head, not wanting to come out. Although she didn't duel, she knew that Bakura was somewhat of a good duelist. Yugi was the best and #1, and Seto.......well he always tryed to find someway to beat Yugi.

It annoyed her sometimes, but she bit her tongue when it came to his dueling tactics. Sliding her right leg back, she let her shoe touch the ground then slid her left to the ground. So now she was standing once more, but tripped at the last minute and her hot chocolate went flying landing on the ground. "Oh no, and it tasted so good too". Selena went and slumped back on the bench, guess she could go back to the shop and get another one. She didn't have to worry about money, after all she was a Kaiba. All she had to do was pull out a credit card, or change or bills and voila she could get whatever she wanted. But she was never greedy, she loved to help those in need who were less fortunate then she was.[/blockquote][/size]

[Bakura]

"Oh no!" Bakura said, responding to the hot chocolate on the ground. "That's a pity. I guess it could be worse though." This person spoke with a familiarity that almost made it seem like she knew him. He wasn't quite aware of the duel she was talking about that was televised, but he imagined it had something to do with the Battle City Tournament. He tried to think back to that day.

The air was cold and the night sky had completely blanketed the arena. Whispers of death had found their way inside of Bakura's head. His consciousness was phasing in and out, slowly sleep settled in and his body grew numb. He could see his breath, but that was it. His body moved on its own. It was like a nightmare. It was a nightmare.

Bakura shuttered the thought away. "Well, anyways, I've changed a bit since that little match." Bakura just smiled. It was obvious that he was hiding something. It almost looked as if he was a bit nervous. He didn't really talk to anyone about dueling for quite a while. Usually his conversations were about school work and the like.

[Selena Kaiba]

Through the wind and the rain
xx
She stands hard as a stone
----------------------------------

[/color][/right]

Oh well was right, it was just hot chocolate and she could just go back to the shop. But since it was starting to get late, she had no idea how long that little cafe would be open. She sat back on the bench and sighed lightly, knowing he was right. It could have been much worse, she could have spilled it all over him. And that would have just been terrible, spilling a hot beverage on somone was rude and well it would have been an accident but still. The duel she had seen had been the Battle City tournament, but hadn't there been others broadcasted as well. This is why she hardly ever payed attention, even so she had seen this boy duel along with many others. Hearing some shuffling under the bench, she smiled as Squiggles finally emerged. "Well now you decide to come out, you silly penguin. This is my robot pet Squiggles, oh and how rude of me. I know your name but you don't know mine, i'm Selena Kaiba". Picking up the penguin, she put him beside her on the bench.

Glancing up to Bakura as he spoke, she tilted her head abit. What did he mean that he's changed since that match, like was he more better at dueling then he was before. That's what he probably means, but he could probably not be better than Yugi Mutou or her cousin. "I just watched the match because I was bored, i'm not that interested in dueling". The cards may look really neat, but she wouldn't even know the first thing to do with a trap card or monster if she had them in her hand. Sliding off the bench once again, she grabbed Squiggles and shuffles her foot on the ground. Trying to think of something to say, to not make this anymore akward. But what else could they talk about, she wasn't a duelist and he was. "Um so, did you want to do something. We could take a walk".

Oh that was smooth Selena, you've just met this boy and your asking him to go on a walk. Though they went to the same school didn't they, but she hasn't really talked to anyone in the halls or had any real conversations. Sure she had a few friends, but that was about it. She also wasn't the type of girl who got picked on either, she did well in her studies and got good grades. There has been some question on what she is going to do after her time in highschool is up, that was still a couple of years away and she hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Selena already knew that she wasn't going to take over Kaiba Corp, but she did like teaching and also working with animals so maybe something in that major.[/blockquote][/size]

[Bakura]

"A walk? Sounds fun. Where should we walk too?" A walk wasn't bad, it wouldn't involve anything that would make the spirit of the ring come out. As long as it wasn't stressful the spirit would be able to remain inside. "Perhaps, while we walk, I could show you about dueling? It would be pretty funny to see the look on your brother's face if you beat him." Bakura smiled and gave a small laugh.

Bakura stood up and tugged at the millennium ring. It seemed to be reacting towards something. He sighed and tried his best to ignore it by tucking it in his shirt. An instant reflex happened where Bakura felt a sharp stab of pain. Instantly, Bakura fell to the ground and a trace amount of blood dripped from his mouth. He wiped the blood with his wrist and coughed a bit more out. "Sorry," he said, after the last cough, "sometimes that happens..." his voice trailed off as a question proposed itself. Should he tell her about the ring?

He decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do was to set himself apart from everyone else. He stared at the blood on the ground while he got rid of what remained. As he slowly stood up, he lost balance and fell backwards on the bench. He stared up at the sky as only one thought moved in his head, Why? A response came back, She's the sister of Kaiba. She knows things that we need to know, but you haven't asked her anything! Bakura's eyes began to white out, but seemed to return back to normal. "I'm really sorry, I'll be alright."

[Selena Kaiba]

Through the wind and the rain
xx
She stands hard as a stone
----------------------------------

[/color][/right]

Hmmm that was a good question, where should they walk to. There were alot of places to go, but it was getting late so she had no idea what was open still. Of course they could just take a leisurely walk around Domino, that was always fun. So making sure she had a good grip on Squiggles, Selena picked a random direction and started to walk. Maybe she should phone her cousins and tell them she would be a little late coming home. Then again, Seto might be staying late at Kaiba Corp or busy with something. Still......she didn't want to worry them, so taking out her cell she dialed Seto's number hearing it ring until it went to his voicemail. Typical, so he is probably busy. Leaving a message she hung up, before trying to phone Mokuba but she got the same thing and left a message before putting her cell away.

She gave a small smile when he mentioned showing her about dueling, though at his next response she simply shook her head. "Oh i'm not his sister, Seto and Mokuba were adopted by my uncle Gozaburo. Noah was my blood cousin, but that doesn't mean I don't love Mokuba and Seto any less". After all they were the only family she had, and she wasn't worried at all about Kaiba Corp. Seto could run it just fine, even though he ran it a different way then her uncle had. But Selena never once questioned Seto about it, and besides she wanted to do something different when she graduated from highschool. Maybe work with animals, or become a teacher. Of course it has made her curious, did her uncle ever mention her or bring her name up to the people he worked with at Kaiba Corp.

Selena suddenly stopped walking, her eyes traveled to the ring around Bakura's neck. It glowed, but watched as he quickly tucked it in his shirt. Yugi had one of those things too, she saw he wore it around his neck. Just what were those things anyways, oh wait now she remembered hearing it mentioned. A millenium item, whatever those were. Suddenly Selena watched as Bakura fell to the ground, and he seemed to be in pain. Seeing the blood she stepped back abit, a little scared before he mentioned that it sometimes happens. "Are you alright, maybe you should go to the hospital or to the doctor to get that checked if it happens alot".

They hadn't gotten very far with walking, at all. He would up falling back on the bench, as Selena glanced down to Squiggles who was beeping lowly. If this sort of thing happened alot, or even sometimes he should go and get it checked out. That scene just now was scary, had it been because of that item around his neck. Maybe she should ask more about it, or maybe.....not. "You certain......, really we could go to the hospital if you want".[/blockquote][/size]

[Bakura]

Bakura gave a smile. "It's alright, really. I don't think a hospital would be much help anyways." He stood back up and walked towards Selena. "Why don't we head on over to the game shop? We could get you a deck and I could teach you how to duel. It's really fun when you learn." Bakura's voice had a bit of a difference to it. It wasn't extremely obvious, but it sounded a bit...darker. He began to walk towards the card shop when he turned back to Selena.

"By the way, what does Seto do nowadays?" Bakura seemed a bit curious. In reality, the spirit had taken over. He wouldn't do anything to harm Selena. As of now, she was much better alive. Yami Bakura didn't want to make an enemy of her. If he made an enemy of her, he'd make an enemy of Seto and eventually Yugi. That was something he had to avoid right now. Though he had the power of the shadows, he knew they had limits.

Still, it was odd that the girl would have Bakura go to the hospital. He didn't see anything at the hospital he could exploit, but if this girl was a friend of Bakura, she could be a great use. She's definitely better alive. A smile formed once more. "I bet he's a busy man now. Dueling has become more and more popular."

[Selena Kaiba]

Through the wind and the rain
xx
She stands hard as a stone
----------------------------------

[/color][/right]

A hospital wouldn't be much help, he just coughed up blood and collapsed. How can a hospital not help him, but hey if that was his decision she wasn't going to force him. Watching him stand up, and come towards her. After that frightning incident he seemed to be alright now, infact he was acting like nothing had happened. He then asked her if she wanted to go over to the Game Shop, and get a deck. That way he could teach her how to duel. This game shop, it was the run by that old man. And Yugi was his nephew right, no wait grandson. Selena could feel a small blush coming to her cheeks, she had always wanted to meet Yugi. Why did she sometimes have to always be shy. "I've never really liked dueling, I may have been curious about it but that's all".

Watching Bakura head towards the shop, Selena seemed to notice a change in Bakura's voice. Or maybe she wasn't paying much attention, and he had always been talking like that. Shaking her head she just followed after him, Squiggles wriggled out of Selena's grasp and landed on the ground beeping lightly. The brunette didn't seem to hear him, or even feel the penguin leave her grasp as Bakura mentioned Seto and what he did nowadays. "What do you think he is up to. Day after day he tries new things to defeat Yugi, Seto is not happy being second rate". He was always trying some new tactic to get at Yugi, it was all she heard about every single day. And it was giving her headache as well, hence the reason why she went out quite often.

As she continued to walk, Selena seemed to notice something different. Had Bakura always been a little taller, she could have sworn he was abit shorter before. Just talking to this boy was making her have stranger thoughts about him, and she was curious to know if it had something to do with that ring he had hid under his shirt. Selena didn't want to be nosey and ask questions though, as her uncle always told her. There were some things that are just meant not to be asked about, to keep your mind on another subject. But she was just so curious, and without thinking she blurted out her question. "Why do you have that strange golden ring around your neck?". She quickly covered her mouth, like she had just said a bad word.[/blockquote][/size]

[Bakura]

"So Seto's not doing anything new? That's a shame. I could always give him some pointers on beating Yugi, but I'm not sure if he'd take them." Bakura smiled, but it didn't look like a happy one. It seemed a bit more mysterious. He then heard her question about the ring. His eyes narrowed a bit and his smile fell, but he wasn't offended. He just had to think of a way to talk about it without giving anything away. What was that story Ryou thought of? Oh, right.

"My father had been traveling around in Egypt," Yami Bakura began, "a merchant offered him this ring, saying it was believed to possess unbelievable power. My father, being the collector he is, had to have it. He gave it to me in his will. Its just been a good luck charm since then." Bakura knew this story was believable, and since it had the death of his father involved the subject probably wouldn't be questioned further. The goal at hand now was to know about Kaiba's where abouts. He wanted to tell Kaiba the secret of defeating Yugi. Yami Bakura couldn't do it by himself, he'd have to get Yugi in a double duel.

He then thought of something. Selena would make fine bait. After all, how many times had Kaiba saved Mokuba? Don't even think about it! Bakura's voice echoed in Yami Bakura's head. Yami Bakura just smiled, and the voice seemed to go away. "Well we seem to be getting close to the gameshop now. It doesn't seem like that many people are in it, though." Bakura frowned, he wanted to see Yugi. Not Yugi's Yami half, just the regular Yugi.

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