Lion's Mouth: Part I (Yu-Gi-Oh)

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I spent the following week focused on learning the basics of Duel Monsters. I had chosen mostly light monsters with a defensive strategy mainly centered around my best monster, Wingweaver. Each of my friends spent one-on-one time with me to help me practice. I looked forward to hanging out with Bakura on Thursday. He talked to me more than before, but we still had not had a long conversation. I hoped to remedy that.

We walked to my house together and set up in my room. Bakura patiently gave me pointers before engaging in a duel with me, which he won, of course.

"So, how did I do?" I asked, smiling slightly. We sat cross legged on the floor facing each other.

"Not bad for a beginner, actually," Bakura said. "You managed to take a majority of my lifepoints, and you came up with some good spell and trap combinations. You will have to work on your overall strategy, which comes with time and experience."

I nodded. "I'll practice – not that I'm trying to become an expert in it or anything. It's just fun to play with friends."

Bakura gave me a small smile. "I agree. I'm glad we finally have a chance to play together."

His demeanor was pleasant enough, but I sensed something deeper down that I could no longer ignore. I shifted uncomfortably and stared at the floor. "Hey, Bakura, is there something bothering you?"

"No, why would there be?"

I sucked in a sharp breath. "You know you can't hide anything from me. What's gone?" I lifted my head and gazed into his eyes. "Ever since Duelist Kingdom..." No, it was during the tournament as well. An awful thought crossed my mind. "Do you – do you not like Yugi and the others?"

Bakura's eyes widened. "No, that's not it at all!" His shock told me he spoke the truth. "It's just..." His eyes moved back and forth, searching. "Something's different between us. Can't you feel it too?"

I frowned. "No. Everything is how it's always been."

Bakura sighed. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

His piercing gaze made me uncomfortable, so I bit my lip and looked away. "I have more friends now, if that's what you mean. We don't mean to exclude you."

"You're not – really. When I say things have changed, I don't mean anything bad by it. A lot of it is good, actually. You've grown a lot since Duelist Kingdom; why wouldn't you have changed?" He hesitated for several seconds. "It's just that, before our adventure, it was just the two of us. We were both fine with that, but now I'm wondering if it wasn't enough. I – I couldn't protect you. I'm the one who brought you there, after all. I'm the one who put you in danger."

My head shot up as a gasp escaped my lips. "It's not your fault, Bakura. I chose to go with you. And that Spirit was influencing you, wasn't he?"

He nodded. "I think so, and that's part of the problem. You told me the Ring was bad news, but I didn't listen. The Spirit is obviously ingenious enough to be able to hide from you while subtly manipulating me." He sighed and ran a hand through the end of his white hair. "I couldn't stop him. I couldn't do anything. But Yugi saved us – and you ended up helping him in return. Both of you are amazing. It's no wonder you've become friends so quickly."

I took a moment to let everything sink in. I felt like I was finally beginning to understand what had been bothering him. It would have been easy if he had simply been jealous, but how could I argue with him when he wanted to see these changes in me? When part of me liked them too? I swallowed, but this did not soothe my parched throat. "The Spirit's gone now. Neither of us will be in danger anymore."