If You Feel Better

Chapter 25

The room was filled with the laughter and chatter of Bakura's men. Most waded in the water pit while some sat on the stone floor and drank instead. The public bathhouse was always very busy, but the owners always cleared it out when Bakura came. They knew better than to deny him anything.

When they showed up, they were given anything they wanted: drinks, food, and women.

Nearly every man was being tended to by a beautiful woman. They all wore extremely revealing clothing, breasts only covered by strips of cloth crisscrossed over their chests and translucent pantaloons stretching down their legs. Beads dangled in intricate patterns over their stomachs and golden jewelry jingled against each other on their wrists.

They each gave their full attention to the man they were serving. Their arms were running up and down their bare muscles, filling their chalices with booze, and massaging oil onto their bare skin. They giggled at every word that was spoken, some even leading their men away for other sensual services in private.

But Bakura himself was alone, sitting in a wooden chair away from most of the action. He had been looking forward to this trip to the bathhouse for a long time. He was known to partake in the pleasures of a woman or two every time he came. But this time, for the first time, he was in no mood.

He sighed in irritation and looked up at the clouds slowing passing by above. The bathhouse had intricately decorated walls and pillars that extended up to a second story, but no roof. They were exposed to the sky, letting the steam from the water escape instead of keeping it trapped creating humidity in addition to the heat of the natural climate.

He drowned out the noise around him by keeping his mind a blank slate. He didn't dare to yield a single thought as he feared his psyche would drift into dangerous waters. It has proven that it can't help but wander if allowed.

A beautiful woman with a broad smile across her face and a bottle of wine in her hand swayed over to Bakura, thinking him incredibly handsome and muscular. "What're you doing over here all by yourself?" she asked in a seductive voice, pushing some of her black hair over her shoulder.

Bakura lazily shifted his gaze to her, not impressed in the least. Normally, he would be raking his eyes over her perfect figure, admiring the light tan tone of her skin, and imagining all of the things he would be doing to her within the next few minutes. But now he simply didn't care.

"I don't want any services," he spat, crossing his arms and turning his attention elsewhere.

"Aw, don't be like that," she said, not losing her sunny disposition. She walked around behind him and massaged his shoulders. "You seem upset. Why don't you talk to me about it?"

He slapped her hands away, losing his grip on his composure. "Get off of me," he spoke in a low growl.

Still, the smile remained plastered on the girl's lips. Trailing her fingers down Bakura's arm, she came around to the front of his chair and placed herself temptingly in his lap. She wrapped an arm around his neck and traced his jaw with her finger, leaning her plump lips in close. "Perhaps what you need is to relieve some stress," she teased.

He forcefully shoved her off of him with all of his might, pushing her aggressively against the hard stone where she squealed on impact. "I said get off of me, you harlot!" he yelled, staring down at her with a deadly scowl.

All other noise immediately ceased, all eyes glued on the two of them. Everyone was frozen in their place, watching in shock at the scene their master was causing. The girl stared frightened up at him, not daring to move a single muscle from her spot on the floor.

Becoming increasingly aware of the intensity of everyone's gaze, he stormed past the woman on the ground, stepping over her as if she were just a puddle. He made his way to the second floor, the voices and movement around him slowly building up again once he was out of sight.

Once at the top, he leaned on the balcony overlooking the pool below where everyone but him was having a good time. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself back down, but the voices of some of his men made their way up to him.

"What's wrong with the Lord?" one asked another. "He's never been one to turn down a beautiful woman."

"He's been acting strange for months," the other said. "It seems like he's never fully there."

"It's the princess!" a third chimed in. "He hasn't been acting like himself since she left."

"Why would the princess have anything to do with this?"

"Are you saying he misses her?"

"Wouldn't you miss having a beautiful girl by your side every day?"

He clenched his fists in anger, not at the men, but at himself. He didn't want to admit it. It was painful to accept it. But they were right.

He watched, silently seething, as all of his men were enjoying themselves with their female companions, but the woman he wanted as his female companion wasn't there.

Even though he hadn't been actively thinking about her, he knew that the reason he no longer wanted any of them was because they were nothing like Aya. None of them could produce a single clever thought. None of them were strong enough to stand against him. None of them had the willpower to keep on fighting.

They were pretty on the outside and that was it. But now that wasn't enough. Women were good for only one thing, and now he couldn't even enjoy that. He slammed his hand on the edge of the balcony in rage.

What has that princess done to me?! he thought to himself angrily.

He stalked to a smaller water pit in an empty room behind him. This one was filled with cool water to contrast the hot bath down below. He let his red robe fall off his shoulders to the floor and stepped into the water. He splashed it over and over onto his face to wake himself up from this horrible dream.

But it had no effect. He dunked himself completely under the water, trying to wash away this feeling, but when he arose, nothing had changed. He still felt hazy, unsatisfied, and empty: the same feeling he had been feeling for months.

He leaned forward on the edge of the pool, hunched over in grave defeat. The water dripped from his hair back into the pool, penetrating the otherwise dead silence. This isn't working, he thought.

He had tried not to think about the princess, to force himself to feel normal. He tried and tried and tried. But no matter what he did or how much time had passed, he wasn't the same as he had been before. And now he realized he never would be again.

Bringing Aya into his life was a mistake, but it was a mistake he could not undo. He could not function anymore as things currently were. If he wanted any semblance of normalcy, there was only one thing left to do.

I have to get her back.