Inko Midoriya (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
motherlypeace) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
inkuranmaricchanbrainrot2024-02-11 02:51 am
motherlypeace) wrote in inkuranmaricchanbrainrot2024-02-11 02:51 am
Entry tags:
[Yu-Gi-Oh! AU] Don't Think Twice before You Listen To Your Heart; Follow the Trace for a New Start
[This was supposed to be an exciting class trip.
The spring semester was about to come to a close, and Inko Hakuba's first few months in high school were supposed to end with a fun trip for everyone before the summer vacation began.
Said fun trip?
Going to Egypt.
Truth be told, she'd been looking forward to this trip for weeks; it was meant to be a trip for the senior students, but after a particular incident that was not disclosed to the public, the funds and tickets were given to the first years for free (so long as the student had a usable passport) as punishment for the students in question in lieu of barring their chances at graduation.
So Inko and her class were shuttled onto a bus, put on a plane, and were sent to Egypt as a cultural studies trip.
Her very first trip, her very first trip without her parents, and to a foreign country, no less! She was being taken to a land of adventure, full of beautiful golden sands, priceless artifacts, and ancient magic and wonder.
(Of course, it was not actually like that; but nobody had the heart to tell the poor girl that when she excitedly got on the plane. She was only fifteen, less than one month off from her sixteenth birthday, and she was clearly very excited!)
Their first stop was an outdoor market near Cairo, which was clearly trying to appeal to tourists like Inko who bought into the idea of the country rather than the reality. An old woman with graying hair reached out to Inko as she passed a stall, and stopped her as she was about to walk past.
Her classmates didn't notice that they left her behind.
"Yes...?" She asked in clumsy Arabic.
"You...I've seen you before."
The woman spoke in perfect Japanese, but it was clear that she was not a native speaker. Her mouth moved in a strange way, and they didn't seem to match her words, but Inko understood her perfectly.
"I...Excuse me?" Inko blinked.
The woman fished under the counter, pulling something out and holding it to Inko.
It looked like some kind of stone, almost the size of her fist. The image of what looked to be a tiger was carved on it, and the stone...looked old.
Quite old.
"For you. Don't worry about paying."
Inko took it in her hand and held it to her chest, and it felt warm in her hand. She didn't understand what was going on, but she nodded.
"I...if you're...thank you."
She bowed quickly, hurrying to catch up to the other students that were milling around nearby at another stall.
She dreamt of a voice that night, speaking to her. It was faint and muffled, and she couldn't understand it.
It wasn't until the next day, when they went to visit the Cairo museum, that she understood the words:
"Find me."
When she and her classmates went to the museum, she found herself stopping at a stone tablet on the wall with the same tiger etched into it; it looked like he was staring right at her...but that couldn't be right! That was a carving!
And yet...
She felt the stone in her hand growing warm, almost burning to the touch as she felt it...
Phase inside her body.
And something opened up under her, swallowing her whole as she fell into an abyss to the horrified screaming of her classmates nearby.
...
And there she was, lying in her Domino High school uniform inside what looked to be an open sarcophagus, the mummy long since removed. She was in the fetal position, short hair in disarray as she hugged herself.
She was unconscious...
And she wasn't in the museum anymore.]
The spring semester was about to come to a close, and Inko Hakuba's first few months in high school were supposed to end with a fun trip for everyone before the summer vacation began.
Said fun trip?
Going to Egypt.
Truth be told, she'd been looking forward to this trip for weeks; it was meant to be a trip for the senior students, but after a particular incident that was not disclosed to the public, the funds and tickets were given to the first years for free (so long as the student had a usable passport) as punishment for the students in question in lieu of barring their chances at graduation.
So Inko and her class were shuttled onto a bus, put on a plane, and were sent to Egypt as a cultural studies trip.
Her very first trip, her very first trip without her parents, and to a foreign country, no less! She was being taken to a land of adventure, full of beautiful golden sands, priceless artifacts, and ancient magic and wonder.
(Of course, it was not actually like that; but nobody had the heart to tell the poor girl that when she excitedly got on the plane. She was only fifteen, less than one month off from her sixteenth birthday, and she was clearly very excited!)
Their first stop was an outdoor market near Cairo, which was clearly trying to appeal to tourists like Inko who bought into the idea of the country rather than the reality. An old woman with graying hair reached out to Inko as she passed a stall, and stopped her as she was about to walk past.
Her classmates didn't notice that they left her behind.
"Yes...?" She asked in clumsy Arabic.
"You...I've seen you before."
The woman spoke in perfect Japanese, but it was clear that she was not a native speaker. Her mouth moved in a strange way, and they didn't seem to match her words, but Inko understood her perfectly.
"I...Excuse me?" Inko blinked.
The woman fished under the counter, pulling something out and holding it to Inko.
It looked like some kind of stone, almost the size of her fist. The image of what looked to be a tiger was carved on it, and the stone...looked old.
Quite old.
"For you. Don't worry about paying."
Inko took it in her hand and held it to her chest, and it felt warm in her hand. She didn't understand what was going on, but she nodded.
"I...if you're...thank you."
She bowed quickly, hurrying to catch up to the other students that were milling around nearby at another stall.
She dreamt of a voice that night, speaking to her. It was faint and muffled, and she couldn't understand it.
It wasn't until the next day, when they went to visit the Cairo museum, that she understood the words:
"Find me."
When she and her classmates went to the museum, she found herself stopping at a stone tablet on the wall with the same tiger etched into it; it looked like he was staring right at her...but that couldn't be right! That was a carving!
And yet...
She felt the stone in her hand growing warm, almost burning to the touch as she felt it...
Phase inside her body.
And something opened up under her, swallowing her whole as she fell into an abyss to the horrified screaming of her classmates nearby.
...
And there she was, lying in her Domino High school uniform inside what looked to be an open sarcophagus, the mummy long since removed. She was in the fetal position, short hair in disarray as she hugged herself.
She was unconscious...
And she wasn't in the museum anymore.]
no subject
So it's like a painting but... a light transfer. A copy of what the eye on the camera sees.
The thief hums in thought before his expression softens.]
... Take a "picture" of me. I have only seen myself in water reflections.
no subject
She bites her lip in thought.]
Okay. Sit over...
[She points over to where she took the photo before: moonlight is streaming through the thin fabric of one of the tapestries, and the entire area has an almost ethereal glow to it.]
There. There's much better light there.
no subject
If this does harm me somehow, I won't be happy.
[His offshoot way of saying "I'm trusting you with this."]
no subject
My soul has not been taken so far! I promise, everything will be fine!
[She steps back, analyzing the scene. If she stands in this angle, the...
Wait.
She steps forward towards him, gently touching his face and tilting his head slightly to the side.
Inko speaks softly:]
Keep your head there. Just like that.
[She takes a few steps back, crouching down and aiming her camera...
And shoots; a loud click fills the room, and then there's that whirring sound as a photo comes out.
Inko smiles.]
Oh! Bakura! You look so handsome!
[Uhhhhh...]
Look!
[She hands him the photo, not realizing what she even just said, and...there's Bakura, sitting casually in his spot, head tilted slightly with the moonlight hitting it just so, his eyes almost glowing.
He certainly does look...handsome.
Exotic.
Does this photo reflect the perspective of the artist, one can wonder...?]
no subject
The click startles him too. It's a miracle he didn't mess up the photo.
But Inko steps over to show him and he blinks, looking down at it.
That's... him?
He's always known he was decent looking. Exotic due to his strange form of albinism - white hair and violet eyes. Bakura studies the image before him.
... He almost looks like a great king. A pity he's no true monarch. Just the Bandit King.
There's a sad smile on his face without him realizing it as he hands it back to Inko.]
Hn. Thank you.
no subject
Something clenches at Inko's heart at the sight of it.
There's so much she doesn't know about him, but she wants to know more. She wants to get to know him better, break past his walls. Understand him.
She wants...
To be his friend. To be someone he can genuinely call his friend.
Inko takes the photo, and digs around in her bag for a little bit of scotch tape, which she uses to tape the photo onto a notebook page, alongside the other photo of the tapestries.]
If you ever want me to take another one, you just have to ask. I...I like taking pictures. I do not remember much of my childhood, so I like to take photos so I do not forget anything.
[Everything before seven years old was a complete blank. Her parents do not talk about her early childhood, and she met Micchan when she was nine.]
And you are a person I do not want to ever forget, Bakura-san.
no subject
Such kindness. He doesn't deserve it. Clearly it's just because she's naive.]
... You're better off forgetting about me, Inko.
no subject
Naturia says nothing; simply watches them.]
...I don't think so. You have already done more for me than you know.
Than I can put into words.
[She pauses.]
Forgetting you would spit in the face of the lessons you already taught me.
[She lets out a small breath.]
And I...don't want to forget you.
no subject
Stubborn. He should have known better than to help her. He doesn't need a baby chick following his every move.
A click of his tongue.]
If you wind up dead, don't say I didn't warn you.
[Bakura turns to look down at her menacingly, venom in his voice. Diabound hisses and bares its fangs for emphasis.]
And if I wind up dead because of you, I'll curse you.
no subject
I understand.
no subject
This is going to take some getting used to.]