When it was finally around 11:30, I snuck out the front door, bag in hand and Duel Disk on my wrist, and made my way to the heart of the city. I found the alley, went to the center, then leaned against a wall and waited.

I was waiting for about five minutes when I heard rustling in the shadows. I jumped, immediately alert. I squinted as I searched the darkness, then sighed in happiness and relief when I realized who it was.

"I honestly didn't think you would come." I said quietly, the relief evident in my voice.

Bakura was smirking. "What on earth would ever make you think that?"

I smiled, a tear escaping my eye. I couldn't hold myself back; I ran over and hugged him.

He seemed shocked, not doing anything in response but standing there like a statue.

"I'm so sorry." I cried. "I thought maybe I could beat him, but I was wrong. I shouldn't have accepted his challenge. I should've locked myself away in a room and hid. I really am sorry."

Bakura relaxed slightly, and I felt his arms wrap around me, comforting me. I was surprised. Bakura was holding me?

"You did the right thing. There's no need to be apologizing."

I glanced up at him, wiping the tears from my face. "What? How?"

"How did Yugi get into the house in the first place?"

I shrugged. "I didn't let him in."

"Exactly. He would've found a way to get you to go with him either way. At least now you've dueled him, and you know what he's capable of."

I nodded. "But, Bakura, I didn't duel the Pharaoh. I dueled Yugi. It was like he wanted to be the one who dueled me. It was weird."

Bakura nodded, showing he understood. He held me for a moment longer before pulling away completely and grabbing my left hand, holding it up for the Duel Disk to catch a small shimmer of light. "You entered?"

"It was Yugi's idea," I replied. "He said it would be a good way to get people to start taking me seriously. I kind of just went with it."

"It's a good idea. You can be on the lookout for Items during the tournament, and I'll search elsewhere."

I nodded, smiling. "So this means you're taking me back, right?"

Bakura smiled a little. "I suppose it does."

I squealed with joy, hugging him again. He laughed, then let me go. "Go back to wherever you were and stay the night. We don't need anyone freaking out."

I nodded. "Yeah. That's probably a good idea."

I said goodbye to Bakura, then made my way back to Tea's house with a smile on my face. Once in her house, I went to the guest bedroom and flopped down on the bed, instantly falling asleep.

***

I awoke to Tea yelling for me to get up. I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed my bag, and made my way to the kitchen.

Tea was there, cooking breakfast. She smiled at me as I walked in, grabbing a chair at the table.

"Hungry?" she questioned, placing a plate in front of me. I smiled at her. I really wasn't hungry, but it wouldn't hurt to eat something. Plus, I didn't want to make her feel bad because I didn't want any. I looked down at the plate, and silently ate the eggs laid before me.

She fixed herself a plate, then sat at the table across from me. We were silent as we ate, and once we were finished, we cleaned up and got ready for school. I didn't have any of my school clothes, because they were all at my house. Tea let me borrow some of her's, which were actually a perfect fit.

I grabbed my purse that had only my journal, the Eye and my Duel Disk, which was all I had, then walked with Tea to her waiting spot for the guys.

We were there for only a couple of minutes when I turned to face her.

"Hey, I'm going to go ahead and go to school. There's something I need to do."

"They'll be here any second."

"I know, but I'd like to get a head start. I have a project I need to finish."

"Alright. See you there!"

I waved to her, then hurried away. Once I'd rounded the corner, I heard Yugi and Joey shout to Tea. I sprinted toward the school, not wanting them to catch up with me and stop me. Yugi probably knew that I didn't have a project, and that I was meeting up with Bakura.

I heard distant, rushed footsteps from behind me. Are they really trying to stop me again? I'm going to help Bakura defeat you, Yugi. I made a promise. You and the Pharaoh are just scared. I smirked to myself as I thought this. He had to be scared. It was the only obvious explanation.

I finally made it into the school, but didn't stop rushing. I had to get to class. I had to get to Bakura.

Then Ally stopped me in the middle of the hallway.

"Woah, Aria. What's the rush?"

"Oh, hi, Ally."

"I haven't seen you in forever!" She whined, hugging me. I heard the rushed footsteps behind me again, and a sigh of relief from someone.

I gave up on trying to catch Bakura before class started. Ally wasn't going to let me out of her sight.

"Yeah, it's been forever. I have so much I need to talk to you about."

"Well, class is about to start. Can it wait until lunch?"

I forced a smile. "Yeah. It can wait."

We went into the classroom right before class started. Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Joey were right behind us. Bakura was already there, smiling as he read a book like always.

I took my seat right behind him. He glanced at me as I passed, but I didn't acknowledge it. I could feel Yugi watching me, waiting for a sign that I was still going to help Bakura.

Class started a moment later, and the entire time, I felt eyes on me. I could see Yugi out the corner of my eye, watching me. Joey would follow Yugi's gaze, confused. Tea would glance at me with worry. Ally would stare at everyone, confused out of her mind why everyone was staring at me. Only Tristan and Bakura seemed to not pay any attention to me.

By the time lunch finally arrived, I stood quickly and left the room, Ally right behind me. The eyes followed until I was in the hall, then stopped as the walls became a barrier between us.

"What is it? Are you alright?" Ally asked, confused and worried. "Why was everyone staring at you?"

I stared at her, trying to think. I couldn't tell her everything. I had to stick to the plan. I had to tell her I was leaving.

I suddenly got a much better idea of what to tell her.

"I need to talk to you. Alone." I said. She nodded, and we walked down the hall to the cafeteria, where we grabbed a table in the corner, and I prepared to tell her what I had to.

(Hey, guys. So I completely forgot to let you guys know, but voting is now open for the YuGiOh_WattyAwards, and it would mean the world to me if you took the time to vote. Simply go to the account above, click on the 2016 voting book, and go to the chapter titled Yami Bakura/Thief King Bakura. Then you vote for this story in the comments using the title and my username. It really would mean a lot to me if you guys voted, because I work very hard on this story trying to keep it interesting. Speaking of which, I need some help.

(SPOILER ALERT!! DO NOT CONTINUE TO READ IF YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING SPOILED FOR YOU!!! But for those of you who don't care, I could really use the help.)

(So, obviously, Aria has to get on Kaiba's blimp. I wanted it to be her as a finalist, but I don't want to mess with the actually plot of the anime, meaning that Yugi is still going to win and all that fun stuff. But should I alter how many finalists are allowed on the blimp? Or should she just sneak on when no one's looking to be there with Bakura? Like I said, I really don't want to change the story too much. I would really appreciate the feedback. Thanks guys, and I love you! Don't forget to vote!)