inkuranmaricchanbrainrot | [Yu-Gi-Oh! AU] Don't Think Twice before You Listen To Your Heart; Follow the Trace for a New Start

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[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.]

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Mmmm....nnnn....

[Something...something's touching her. Touching along her sides and nudging against her. Gosh, her kitty was so persistent, always nudging her for affection and food first thing in the morning...]

Zuu-chaan...stop...I'll...f-feed...you later...

[Inko's body shifts, and she huddles herself tighter under that touch.]

Nnnnh...I said...stop it...!

[Wait.

Wait, that...

There wasn't fur. That felt like...

Slowly, Inko opens her eyes...]

Nnnn...?

[...That's a man.

That is a man and he is touching her and she's not in her bedroom, where is she where is she what happened, what's going on--

She sits up quickly, screaming at the top of her lungs as she huddles into a ball and backs up against the...bed? Place she's sleeping? Where even was she?! And was that a...?!]

KYAAAA!!! WHO ARE YOU?!

[He doesn't understand a word she's saying even as the poor woman screams.

Curious that she seems whole and healthy. Was she not sealed away on purpose? What's going on?

But he pulls away, as Bakura assumes that's why she's shouting at him. His hand lowers to his jeweled dagger and he debates putting her out of her misery right here and now.

But he's never really been a killer, just a graverobber.

The snake lazily slithers up his arm and curls up around his neck.]

/What are you doing in here?/

[It's not Arabic. If she knows her languages, Inko may recognize it as Late Egyptian.]

[She curls into herself, clutching her body tightly for a moment...

But then she notices; he isn't speaking her language. It isn't Arabic, either. It sounds...it sort of sounds like what "Late Egyptian" sounds like, though she doesn't understand a word of it. The syllables just sound similar, but...

How can that be?

Why would someone be speaking late Egyptian to her?

Why would she be here at all? Wasn't she supposed to be in the museum? Where did she go? What happened? What...?

Breathe. Breathe, Inko. He's trying to speak to you. He doesn't seem to understand a word you're saying.

Inko closes her eyes...breathes...

Takes a deep, deep breath.

Then lets it out.

In...

Then out...

In...and out...

She shakes her head, wiping her eyes and standing on wobbly legs.]

I...don't understand you.

[From the look of the room, it looks like she's in an underground chamber of some sort, standing in the middle of a...

...coffin? Sarcophagus?

What is she doing in there? Oh Gods, what was she doing in the coffin? Was someone going to kill her?! Oh no, she can't--!

Focus!

She takes another deep breath, trying to stop herself from hyperventilating. Panicking won't do her any good; this man is her only hope for finding anything out, and she has to find some way to communicate with him...!

She puts her hand on her chest, biting her lip.

She shakes, just a little.]

Inko. I'm...Inko.

[She pats her chest again.]

Inko.

[Bakura and the snake watch her curiously as she steadies herself.

Who the hell is this woman? What is she dressed in? And why is she here? How is she here?

His hand is about to go to her skirt again but he stops once he sees she's trying to... introduce herself?

Violet eyes study her for a moment.]

Inko.

[He points to her face.]

[She smiles, holding her hands together and jumping up with joy.

Oh, good! They can communicate! Sort of!]

Yes! Yes! I'm Inko!

[She points to him, still smiling.]

Who are you?

[He raises an eyebrow. She's happy? Why? Because she was able to tell him her name?

Bakura glances at his companion for a moment.

No harm in telling her, right? Not like she knows who he is and his reputation.]

Bakura.

[Complete with a unintentional rumble on the "ura."]

Bakura...

[Oh...oh, his name is...lovely.

And that rumble at the end of his name...it makes her face grow a little pink. Come to think of it, he is quite handsome, isn't he...? With his large muscles, his loose robe, his beautiful dark skin and violet eyes...

No! Focus!

Inko takes a step forward and points her finger at Bakura.]

Bakura-san. And...

[And then she points at the...snake? He has a snake?]

Snake-san?

[The thief notices the slight blush.

He's used to it when it comes to women. Sure, he occasionally partakes of such things but usually saves it for after a particularly good heist.

The snake flicks its tongue out. Inko will notice small fluttering wings near where a reptile's "shoulders" would be.

Bakura has no idea what the thing she says after his name is or what she just called Diabound but...]

/My spirit./ Ka. Diabound.

['Ka'? Inko doesn't understand, but she recognizes the last bit; that's clearly a name.

Though, goodness, the snake...what were those on his shoulders?! Wings...?]

A Magic snake? Is that what a Ka is...?

[Inko takes a step closer, holding her hand out. It looks like she's trying to get Diabound to smell her.]

I-It's nice to meet you, Diabound-san.

[You hold your hand out to animals to make sure they know you're friendly, right...? She's never been close to a snake before, but he seems tame...]

See? I won't hurt you.

[Normally Bakura would have left her if she'd been a native. The fact that she's clearly a foreigner though has him intrigued.

Doesn't mean he'll bend over backwards for her. Getting out of here will be a bit more difficult with Diabound needing to phase her through the walls as well. Hm.

The snake rears up like a cobra and hisses before turning its head away and disappearing back into Bakura's robes.

Bakura just laughs.]

/He doesn't trust you. Neither do I. But we can't just leave you here, now can we? You're on your own when we get back to town though.

As cute as your are--/

[He reaches out to flick some of her hair.]

/--I work by myself./

[Oh...he doesn't trust her. That's sad; she really wanted to be his friend. But she supposes it makes sense...she's a stranger, and he's clearly not a normal snake.

Though, when Bakura starts talking again...

Inko doesn't understand a word he says, though she tries. She scrunches up her face, contemplating each word. She doesn't get it. She doesn't get it.

She doesn't understand.

As he flicks her hair, she lets out a little 'eep', stumbling back and nearly falling backwards--

//He doesn't trust you.//

But that's nothing compared to the little cry she lets out as she hears a voice inside her head.

The same voice that she heard in the museum.]

Haa?!

[She starts, glancing around her suddenly; who was that?

Bakura will notice a flare of energy coming off her, though, not dissimilar to someone releasing their Ka. Except she clearly isn't aware that she's doing it, and seems to be almost...startled by it.

Why is that...?]

[Another laugh when she yelps and stumbles back. Even Diabound finds it amusing.

The laughter stops though when he senses that energy. He knows exactly what's happening.

This woman has unintentionally summoned her Ka.

Which means she'll be in danger the moment they leave this tomb. The Great Priest's men are constantly looking for gifted individuals with strong Ka to rip from their bodies.

... That still isn't any of his concern. She'll just slow him down.

Diabound stands ready, able to switch to its full form at a moments notice. If they need to deal with this foreigner, so be it.]

/Who are you?/

[//Calm down.//

Inko glances around again; Bakura looks so serious, and he asked her something, but she doesn't understand.

But what is that voice?

She feels strange, like something's drawing up from inside her. It wasn't unlike the feeling she had when she was in the museum--]

Who are you?

[//My name is...Mmmm. Maybe I should call myself something that is easier on your tongue.

Call me...Naturia.//]

Naturia...?

[Her Ka flares up, and a small creature perches itself on her shoulder; it looks to be a tiger in the shade of the forest, with legs that are partially made of the trees themselves. Leaves and flowers sprout from his body, and his eyes are gentle and kind.

This creature does not mean anyone harm.

She turns to him and her eyes widen...

And Naturia looks to Bakura, addressing him in a language Inko does not understand, but the meaning resonates within her heart.]

//I am her Ka. I wish I could have emerged under better circumstances; we mean you no harm.//

[Bakura purses his lips, his eyes locked with the creature. Ka generally don't speak. Not even Diabound does.

If they may battle then he'll do so. Even if this creature shows more intelligence than his own Ka.

For now though...]

/Who is she? Why is she here? And why are you able to speak?/

[Naturia sits straight and tall, and Inko glances at him. She doesn't understand what Bakura is asking, but...]

//She is who she says she is.//

[There's amusement in his voice; he clearly knows more than he's letting on.]

//When you live as long as I have, you learn some things. Speaking being one of them.//

[Inko blinks.]

//This young woman hails from a time thousands of years from now. She knows nothing of this land, its culture, and its language.//

[He pauses.]

//And I...do not know why she is here.//

[He's lying, of course. Not that either of them have to know that. If he says something, then he could wreck everything...]

[Bakura doesn't believe the creature for a second. Where she's from, perhaps, but not that he doesn't know as to why she's here.

Diabound is on edge, sticking very close to Bakura and increasing his size to a python rather than a regular smaller-sized snake.

The thief snorts and crosses his arms as he stares down at Naturia.]

/Then what am I supposed to do with her?/

[He smiles, just a little bit.]

//Take her with you. She may prove herself useful.//

[Inko looks between the both of them, and pipes up:]

I...It's all right. Nobody should be forced to do anything they don't want to do; I don't want to be a burden to anyone.

[Naturia quickly translates her words.]

//It is up to you, of course, but...I think it would be the best for both of you.//

[Why, though...?

He's not saying. That's his secret to tell.]

[There's an unimpressed look on the thief's face.]

/I don't work with others. They only hinder me and get me into trouble. Occupational hazard, you see./

[Diabound slowly continues to grow until it's the size of a green anaconda, slithering off of its master. Bakura climbs on to him in turn with a grin.]

/If you're her Ka, surely you can get out yourselves, right?/

[Inko looked at him, and then at Naturia. She was missing the conversation, but she recognized that kind of look.

That grin.

That was the kind of cocksure grin that Mitsuki had when she was trying to prove something.

Was he challenging her...?

He was clearly turning to leave...

Inko bites her lip, then balls her fists.]

W...we'll get out first!

[Naturia stares at her a moment, clearly not expecting that response, before quickly translating what she said.]

I don't know why you're here, Bakura-san, but i-if you're challenging me...then I accept!

[Not that she knew the first thing about getting out, but...he had a magical snake, and she had Naturia. Clearly she would be fine...?

...

So clearly that meant for her to just stubbornly hop out of the sarcophagus and power-walk towards the door.]

I'll beat you to the exit!

[Naturia hops off her shoulder, trying to stop her.]

//Inko, wait--//

[Ohho. A feisty one, isn't she?

Bakura's laugh echoes throughout the room as Naturia translate what she's saying -- as well as when she heads for the door. Even Diabound hisses in amusement.]

/You'll get yourself killed, Inko! Have fun with the traps!/

[Inko stops right outside the door, where a fire trap should have been.

She turns around, ready to respond--

When she winces and holds her head, bursting with energy. A few small cuts dig into her arms, but...

...

The trap doesn't fire. At all.

It's almost like it wasn't even there.]

[Bakura watches and.

That was not what he was expecting.

He and the snake exchange a look. They'll figure out how the hell she did that later. Right now...

They need to beat her out of the tomb. Bakura clicks his heels against Diabound and the massive snake begins slithering towards the wall. Just when it looks like they're going to collide with it...

They turn transparent and then vanish completely. Only Bakura's muffled laughter can be hear for a bit longer before going silent.

There's no way she'll beat them out. Diabound's ability allows them to not set off the traps at all and pass through walls seamlessly.

Eventually they make it outside, the bag of treasure still slung over Bakura's shoulder as he climbs off of his partner. Diabound shrinks back to a travel size, slithers up his leg and back into his jacket to rest.]

/Let's see if you make it out alive, girl.../

[Inko is not quite acrobatic, nor is she as athletic as others in her class. She's a girl that often stayed in the nurse station during sports days and dreaded physical education.

But the Japanese school system was relentless, and insisted that all students adhere to a certain level of fitness.

Bakura-san wasn't kidding when he talked about traps, though. He could go through walls! He literally could do magic! There certainly weren't as many as she was expecting (though she got headaches and cuts at certain intervals -- did she scrape on something? -- that she didn't understand. Naturia told her he'd explain later, and they needed to focus on getting out of the tomb), though goodness, there were plenty of pits! She nearly fell into at least two, and after that she trained her ears for that familiar "click" and jumped before it could open up under her.

Around ten minutes after Bakura got out, Inko was running out the door, looking...harried, but not dead.

Her hair was unkempt, her skirt was clearly torn, and bloody cuts were on her face, but she and Naturia made it out intact.

He was a bit...bigger than he was before, though. Less the size of a stuffed animal and more the size of a big cat.

She leaned against the wall of the tomb, panting hard and falling to her knees in the sand.]

[Well, color him surprised. She's certainly determined, isn't she?

Bakura gives a patronizing clap, albeit a bit quiet as his one hand is full with carrying his bag, and slowly approaches her and her Ka.]

/Either it's a miracle or dumb luck that you made it out alive. I'll give you a tip as well: You'll want to secure water soon before the sun rises.

But other than that, you're on your own. Try not to die out there./

[He turns on his heel and begins to leave. The man needs to cover some ground before the sun rises, as well as putting distance between himself and the tomb.]

[She looks at him with glassy, soft eyes, before letting out a little wheeze--

And Bakura will hear a loud "Flump" behind him as her body clearly hits the sand face-first.

Naturia vanishes, as she can't even keep him manifested due to her weakened strength.]

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