If You Feel Better

Chapter 13

It was a rough night for Aya. She had been wide awake for hours, frozen in place, Bakura wrapped around her. A murderer hugging her as she slept made for a natural stimulant, preventing her from falling asleep. Any move she made only seemed to tighten Bakura's arms and draw her even closer to him, if that were possible. She felt every breath he took, every move he made, and every piece of skin against her own.

Eventually, many hours into the night, she finally grew tired enough to knock out, waking up the next morning to find Bakura already gone. The knife was gone off the floor too. She hadn't expected that it would still be there. Bakura was smart. But even so, she had hoped for some miracle that it would still be there.

She was, once again, left alone for hours. She was sat up in the bed, touching her fingertips together in thought. Well, last night was an absolute failure, she said to herself. He was right. I couldn't kill him. So what do I do? Am I really at his mercy? No. I can't let that be the case. There has to be some way to either kill him or get out of here. Think. There's a wooden table, wooden chairs, and a wooden bed. Are any of those useful to me? Hmm . . . Could–

Bakura slammed the door open, strutting inside with a smile plastered on his face. "Good morning, Princess," he greeted, uncharacteristically happy. "I hope you slept well."

Aya rolled her eyes and stretched her legs out. "Of course I didn't," she stated coldly. "How could I sleep with you next to me?"

Bakura shrugged, crossing his arms across his chest. "I don't think I moved very much throughout the night or made any noise, which is more than I can say about you."

Aya eyed him perplexedly. "What're you talking about? I don't snore."

"No, but you squirm around like a snake. You kept me up the first half of the night."

"I was trying to escape you," Aya proudly explained. "You had your arms around me. Did you expect me not to?"

"I did, but you were more persistent than I thought. My presence beside you in bed is something you should get used to. We'll be doing more than just sleeping soon enough," Bakura told her with a devious grin.

Aya shuddered at the thought. That was something she didn't want to think about. Not in the least. She had to figure out a way to get out of there before that happened.

"Anyway, chin up, Princess. I brought you a gift." He pulled a neatly folded cloth out from inside of his robe and threw it at Aya, who caught it skillfully.

She unfolded it and held it out in front of her. She gasped when she realized what it was. It was a dress, much unlike her own. It was plain, beige, and linen. There was nothing special about it, except that that was exactly was made it special. It was just like the ones Aya used to admire in the market, but was never able to buy. She had always wanted to purchase one, but she had never had money when she snuck out and she knew her father would never allow her to keep it if she did manage to get one. But now, she finally had one of her own.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up. For a moment, she forgot where she was and who she was with.

Bakura raised an eyebrow at her excitement, but didn't say anything. It was just a simple dress. The one she had on now was far grander and more intricate than anything he could ever possibly find outside of the palace.

"You didn't kill anyone for this, did you?" she asked Bakura, her expression turning serious again.

He scoffed. "As if I would murder anyone for a dress," he answered. "I pick and choose my battles, Princess. Causing a ruckus in the marketplace wouldn't be the smartest move for going unnoticed. And I don't want the palace guards coming after me over a dress."