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inkuranmaricchanbrainrot[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
Date: 2024-02-21 12:22 am (UTC)I hope you don't mind it's a temporary home. I plan to eventually pack up and move on.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 12:54 am (UTC)Living on the road...sounds nice. Going from place to place...taking care of yourself and learning new things along the way...
I know it's not easy, but I think...it's better than being coddled and told how to live your life.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 12:59 am (UTC)I don't know how the Pharaoh lives as he does. A pampered life, away from the hardships of the land he rules... so... disconnected from everything.
[He looks distant for a moment.]
... A graverobber isn't a glamorous life but... I have fun with it.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 01:04 am (UTC)Disconnected...where the priests do as they please, and so long as it's for the Pharaoh, it doesn't matter what they do.
[There's something about her voice. There's a bitterness there, but the kind of bitterness that only comes with experience. Something happened.
But what...?]
It doesn't matter who gets hurt.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 01:16 am (UTC)They'll pay soon enough.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 01:20 am (UTC)After what they've done...
[Clarity returns to her eyes. It's almost as though those previous things didn't happen. Instead, she closes her eyes, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.]
But...being a thief doesn't sound so bad. I have a good teacher, after all.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 01:37 am (UTC)Bakura gently rubs the back of Inko's head as she curls up against him, chuckling softly.]
A good teacher? I'll have you know I'm the Bandit King!
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 01:50 am (UTC)And that chuckle?
Nnnnh.]
Who better to teach me than the best?
[She chuckles a little.]
The Bandit King is not just the best thief, but the best lover; you are a man of many talents.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 03:00 am (UTC)Indeed I am.
[Humble too.]
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 03:04 am (UTC)[She chuckles to herself.]
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 03:17 am (UTC)Depends on how well you do.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 03:35 am (UTC)[Her eyes dance in the darkness, full of mirth.]
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 03:48 am (UTC)[He strokes her hair.]
It does have a nice ring to it...
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 03:51 am (UTC)[She leans into his touch, almost like a cat. If she had the capability, she would be purring right now.]
Inko, the Bandit Queen...comrade of the great Bakura, the Bandit King...
[She chuckles.]
You're right, it does have a nice ring to it...