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

[motherlypeace]

[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.]

Comments

[motherlypeace]

[Inko ponders for a moment.]

I was leaving the Market on the north side. I just passed the fruit stall near the end when I started to feel it.

[Her pack was...much smaller than his, but full of as many things as she was willing to carry. Her scrap cloth from her uniform was in a heap; she wasn't going to need to use it anytime soon. Best to leave it behind.]

[thefinalsacrifice]

Hmm... Best to leave out the east then. They'll run we either headed south or west to beat the sun.

[He looks out over the city.]

We'll take the rooftops for as long as we can. Once we can't, I'll use Diabound to get us through the rest of the city unnoticed.

Are you ready?

[motherlypeace]

[Inko nods. Gods, her heart's racing...]

Y-yes. I'm ready.

[She wants to get away from those men, from that itch under her skin...]

[thefinalsacrifice]

[Bakura nods and leads the way. He never leaves her far behind, always glancing back to make sure she's following. They escape over the rooftops with relative ease and eventually slip out of the city unnoticed. The only issue is traveling while the sun's out.

They'll need to find a cave to escape the heat and travel by night. He knows of a few in the area but they're easily found. They need one that's far harder to discover.

He glances back at Inko, his hood and cloak wrapped around his face.]

How are you holding up?

[motherlypeace]

[Every step felt like she was tiptoeing across broken glass. Hopping and vaulting across the rooftops was the easy part, but the back of her head kept buzzing, and Naturia was on edge, hackles raised in case something would happen.

If they messed up and got caught, far worse things could happen than a trip or simply being noticed.

Inko's chest was tight, but not from exertion.

Her throat was dry, but not from thirst.

She clutches her cloak close to her body, glancing up at him.]

I'm...I'm all right.

[Her voice is hoarse and her eyes wild with adrenalin, but her steps are steady. Her legs aren't shaking.

She tries to smile, but it's a wobbly one.]

I will feel better once we can get out of sight, I think.

[thefinalsacrifice]

Just a bit further.

[As they walk further into the desert, Bakura skips the first group of rocks and caves they come across. Those are too obvious.

As the heat and sun rise, the thief finally finds what he's been looking for. He leads Inko towards the rocky formation, somewhat hidden by the sand, and enters first to make sure everything is safe.

Doesn't seem like anyone used it years... no animals or insects to worry about either.

Once they're both inside, he removes his overcloak and slinks down to the ground where it's cooler.]

This should be good... we can stay here until nightfall.

I generally don't like to travel as far as we did during the day... How are you doing...?

[motherlypeace]

[Inko stumbles a bit and removes her own overcloak before gently setting it aside.

Her face is flushed and she pants just a little; she just needs to cool down. She'll be okay with some rest. She kneels down on the ground and presses her face against a cool stone to bring her temperature down.]

I am...all right.

[She exhales a soft breath, shoulders slumping with relief.]

I just need to cool down, I think.

[thefinalsacrifice]

[Bakura pulls the jug out of his pack and sets it next to Inko.]

Rest. Sleep if you feel like it. We aren't moving until the sun is down. We've likely already lost them though.

[motherlypeace]

[Inko takes the jug gratefully and drinks a few gulps before setting it down.

She has to conserve water, especially if they were going to be on the move.]

You should rest, too.

[She sits back, watching Bakura with a worried smile.]

You're probably pretty low on Ba after all that, right...?

[thefinalsacrifice]

[The thief slinks down to the cool ground, closing his eyes as he tries to conserve energy. Diabound slithers out to join him.]

I am... Don't think... I've used up that much in quite some time...

[motherlypeace]

[She slides over to sit next to him and runs her fingers gently through his hair.]

Let me know if there's anything I can do. If we need to stay an extra day to give you some more rest, I can find food to bring it back for us. I may be able to find some forage outside the cave after dark.

[Bakura has done so much for her already...

She wants to give back. Not just because she feels grateful, but because she loves him.]

You got us away. I can make sure we're fed.

[thefinalsacrifice]

Nhhh...

[That feels nice. Bakura relaxes more at her touch.]

Perhaps... Let me just rest for a bit... See how I feel at nightfall...

[He opens one eye to look up at her with a small, tired smile.]

... You did impeccably.

[motherlypeace]

[She smiles, continuing to scratch and massage him as though she's taking care of a particularly large cat instead of a grown man.]

Take all the time you need.

[But then...he says that.

Warmth flutters in her stomach, pride bubbling up and showing on her face. Her eyes.

Shy pride, but pride nonetheless.]

O-Oh...I'm...I'm glad. I was just trying to focus on moving forward; it was hard to think, let alone breathe.

[She pauses a moment, and she can't even believe the words that fall from her lips:]

It was...exhilarating, in its own way. I don't think I've ever felt that alive before. Is that...strange?

[thefinalsacrifice]

[Oh, that's nice... Very nice... Bakura purrs, that husky rumble of contentment as she massages him.]

Not at all. You've experienced an adrenaline rush. The life of a thief will give you plenty of those.

It's rather addicting, isn't it?

[motherlypeace]

It is.

[She says it without any hesitation.]

I...I felt like I could do anything. Even right now, I...

[She shivers. Gods, he sounds so good like this.]

I feel a bit jumpy, now that I'm not hot or tired. Like I can't quite sit still...

[thefinalsacrifice]

You'll eventually learn to control it. It won't be as overwhelming or uncomfortable.

For now though, you should relax. Conserve your energy...

[Like he is. The massage helps tremendously, of course.]

[motherlypeace]

Relax...

[She smiles, kneading his muscles with deft and gentle hands.]

Yeah... that sounds...

[Her stomach drops a bit, and she tenses slightly.]

G...good.

[She ate this morning, right? Why was she feeling nauseous?]

[thefinalsacrifice]

[... Something is off. Bakura opens his eyes to look up at her.]

... Are you alright? Are you suffering from heat exhaustion?

[motherlypeace]

[Inko smiles, shaking her head.]

I don't... think so. My stomach's just a little--

[Her stomach churns, and and something inside her pulses. She holds her mouth as she struggles not to retch.]

[thefinalsacrifice]

[Bakura sits up immediately and looks around for something. A bag. It has some supplies in it so he empties it out and hands it to her.]

Here.

[motherlypeace]

[Just as he holds it out, she takes it and heaves. There isn't anything in her stomach to pass, but she certainly does reach.

She keeps retching for what feels like hours, but it's only a few minutes.

Inko falls to her knees, trembling and exhausted.]

[thefinalsacrifice]

[He rubs her back, hoping it provides her with some relief. Once she finishes, he tosses the back out to the opening of the cave.]

I don't have any ginger... but you should drink some water. To get something in your stomach.

[What could it be? Heat exhaustion possibly but maybe something she ate?

He brushes some of the hair out of her face, frowning.]

[motherlypeace]

[Inko relaxes under Bakura's touch, but her body feels so weak. What did she do to make herself so sick? Is it the adrenalin? She knew that when you got too excited, you could get jumpy or sick depending on if your body was used to it. She did get sick once or twice after her first tense encounters, but it was never like this.

Did she catch a virus?]

O...okay.

[She makes sure to wipe her mouth with a bit of scrap linen that fell on the cave floor, and she put some water in her mouth.

Swishes it around.

Spits it out.

Before taking slow, small sips out of the decanter for close to a minute.]

Baku...thank you.

[thefinalsacrifice]

[He grunts.]

There's no need to thank me. We'll stay here for the night so you can rest, in case you've caught an illness.

[motherlypeace]

[She smiles softly.]

Yes, that...that sounds wonderful.

[She curls up on her side, hugging her knees to her chest as she rests against the stones.]