If You Feel Better

Chapter 8

Aya gasped, awake once again. She called air to her lungs urgently, the burning making her cough and gag as she tried to regain her breath. Her vision was still lost in blackness, whatever that was put on her head still there. She was still being dragged. By the feel of the ground beneath her, she was no longer in her room, which had smooth, stone floors. It had changed to rough dirt and rocks.

She started kicking and yelling. "Hey! Let me go!" she shouted, reaching up to scratch at whoever was dragging her away with little success. "Hey!"

She was practically thrown to the ground, her kidnapper finally stopping and ripping off the burlap bag from over her head. Aya's mouth dropped from pain and she rubbed her head, her abductor tearing out some of her hair when he pulled the bag off. Oh my god, that hurt! she thought, massaging the aching spot.

"Welcome back, Princess." Her eyes shot open at the voice she had hoped to never hear again. No, she thought, wanting to believe that it wasn't true. She slowly looked up, seeing Bakura looming over her with a wild grin. She staggered to her feet, searching around the dark room, recognizing exactly where she was.

"No," she whispered aloud, panicking. "I'm not here. This isn't happening!" She turned to rush for the door, a hand clamping down on her arm, preventing her from doing so.

Bakura threw her down harshly to the ground, laughing, and crudely slamming his foot on her back. "You're not going anywhere!" he told her loudly, finding her terror amusing. Aya, pinned to the floor, weakly looked up at him, pain shooting in her ribs from his forceful actions. "This is very real, so I suggest you pay attention and behave yourself." He pressed Aya down further into the ground with his foot, earning an agonizing yelp and a glare. "You've been quite a pain to me, but I have a feeling you know that already."

He reached down and forced her up, pushing her back ruthlessly onto the bed. She screeched, bouncing on the mattress even further back. Her eyes glared daggers at him, breathing heavily from both stress and the ache in her ribs.

Bakura remained unmoving, crossing his arms and smirking at the helpless girl on his bed. He slowly looked her up and down, not minding at all what he as seeing. "Nice nightdress," he stated. Aya looked down at the nightgown she was wearing. It was made to keep the wearer cool at night, being a bit more revealing than what she usually wore during the day. She hurriedly uprooted the sheets on the bed and wrapped them around herself, hugging them tightly to her body. Bakura chuckled. "No need to cover up. There's nothing displeasing in what I see."

Aya growled "So what're you going to do to me this time? Poison me? Beat me? Tear my skin off?"

"I strongly advise you not to give me any ideas," Bakura spoke, that smirk making Aya sick. "My plans have changed, Princess. I no longer want to kill you. On the contrary. I want you very much alive."

Aya eyed him suspiciously, knowing better than to trust anything that came out of his mouth. "A month ago you wanted to kill me. Now you want me alive? What changed?"

Bakura only watched her with curious eyes, taking his sweet time to give her an answer. "I want you to marry me."

Aya's glare turned into a look of shock. She shook her head, trying to make sure she heard that right. "Wait, what did you say?" she asked.

"I want you to marry me," he repeated, the smile not once leaving his face.

The princess didn't know what to say. She was beyond stunned at such a proposal. "Why?"

Bakura explained "You are directly in line to be the next ruler of Egypt. Or you would be if you didn't have the misfortune being born a girl. That means that whoever you marry is the next pharaoh and I intend to take that place."