Destined to be Yours

Chapter 42: Uncontrollable

"What did she tell you?" That was the first thing Bakura asked Akia when she joined back up with him. Judging by his eagerness to know what happened, Akia knew that it wasn't a good idea to tell him anything. She knew that she was dealing with the Spirit of the Ring now.

"Nothing too important. She just told me a bit about the history of this exhibition," Akia replied, avoiding eye contact.

Bakura frowned at her. He wasn't buying it. "Then why wasn't I invited in as well?"

"I don't know."

"You obviously know. Why wasn't I allowed in as well?"

Akia was starting to get annoyed at his persistent behaviour. "Because you're an evil asshole! Now just go away and give Ryou back his body!"

Bakura frowned at her. "How come you always know when I take over?"

"Because Ryou wouldn't act that way."

The Spirit of the Ring gave up on trying to hide his identity and smirked. "Admit it, you'd much rather spend time with me than with that wimpy kid."

Akia looked him in the eyes, glaring at him. "That's where you're wrong. Ryou is much more important to me than you'll ever be."

Bakura smiled widely. He was enjoying this more than he wanted admit. He brought his finger under her chin and lifted her face up towards him. "You really drive me crazy, you know that?"

Akia slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me."

Bakura chuckled. "Oh the things I'd do to you..." He mumbled under his breath low enough that she wouldn't be able to hear.

"Fine, I'll let the weakling take over for now, if that'll make you happier." With that, the Spirit of the Ring receded and gave way to the real Bakura. He then looked around with his innocent eyes, confused as to where he was. "Where...?"

Akia's eyes softened and, without thinking, she hugged Bakura. Surprised by the sudden contact, Bakura flinched a little, but eventually returned the hug.

"What's gotten into you, Akia-chan?" He said softly as he held her tightly, not wanting the contact to end.

"Ryou, I... I get so worried about you when the Spirit of the Ring takes over," Akia explained her actions.

Bakura sighed and smiled. "To be honest, I get scared, too. I get scared that he might hurt you. His thoughts... Most of them are of you. Sometimes I even feel guilty about spending time with you, since it gives him a chance to hurt you."

Akia was feeling warmth squeezing her heart. She felt feelings that she'd never felt before. Those feelings were for Bakura Ryou. She held onto his shirt. "Don't say that, Ryou. Don't ever feel guilty about us seeing each other. I... Ryou, I..."

Images of Marik as a kid then started flashing in her mind. She opened her eyes widely and immediately backed away from the hug. Her heart was beating painfully fast. She brought a hand to her chest while taking shallow breaths. Her eyes were shaking.

"Akia-chan? Are you alright?" Bakura was starting to get worried, seeing her act that way. He held her by the shoulders. "Akia-chan? Akia-chan!"

Akia's head snapped up and looked at Bakura. She blinked a few times. "Ah... Sorry... I don't know what happened to me there..." She was perplexed by what had just happened to her. "I was about to confess to Ryou... But, for some reason, my head got literally invaded with thoughts of Marik. Why? I've only spoken once to him! I have way more feelings towards Ryou! This isn't me... Someone or something planted these thoughts in this very moment to prevent me from saying how I feel. Why can't I just like who I want to like? No, I'm probably overthinking this. I'm just really confused from everything that's been happening. I shouldn't put too much thought into this."