Destined to be Yours

Chapter 69: The Hunter and the Hunted

"His vitals are all normal," the doctor on deck said after he finished examining Rishid. "However, he remains unconscious. Most likely he fell into a coma due to extreme mental shock."

"How are you feeling, Akia?" Yugi asked his sister.

"I'm feeling just fine, actually," Akia responded.

"That's strange, isn't it?" Jounouchi inquired, "how come Rishid is still unconscious? Especially that you had multiple hits dealt to you."

"And why did it seem like the lightning was targeting you, anyway?" Anzu asked.

"And why did the Red Eyes Black Dragon show up out of nowhere like that?" Honda questioned.

"I'm also wondering why my Millennium Ring resonated with you as you got up. And that voice..." The Spirit of the Ring, still impersonating his host, added.

"What I want to know is why you lied to us," Mai said with a slightly hostile tone.

After Akia took a moment to process everyone's questions, she took a deep breath.

"First, I want to apologize for lying to you all about Marik's identity..." Akia started.

"It was my doing," Ishizu interjected, "I told her to not tell anyone about it, lest it awaken the evil within him."

"Still, you could've talked to me about it," Mai retorted, "what? You don't think I can keep a secret or something? Even this Ishizu chick trusts you more than you trust me!"

"Mai-san, it's not like that...!" Akia tried to defend herself.

"Don't you think you're being a little unfair, Mai?" Jounouchi said.

"Yeah, sure, now it's my fault for feeling betrayed that she blindsided all of us?" Mai replied.

"Yeah! Akia probably had a good reason to do that," Jounouchi was starting to get aggravated by the conversation.

"So you're taking her side? Of course," Mai scoffed, feeling hurt by how the blond young man was taking a stance against her. "Whatever, I don't need you. I've done great on my own so far. This little fake friendship was a waste of time."

The blonde woman then quickly left the room. Akia tried to run after her, but Jounouchi stopped her, "leave her be. She's clearly having a moment. I'm sure she'll come around."

Akia was feeling a lump of anxiety build up in her chest. She hated the fact that she hurt Mai this much. Maybe the latter was right and Akia should've trusted her enough to confide in her. The red-eyed girl was just so confused about everything that she was not able to think straight for the past few days.

"I guess I'll explain myself to Mai later..." Akia took a deep breath. "I had known about the fact that Rishid was not Marik from the beginning. I wanted to tell everyone, but... It seems like it would've angered him and awakened whatever evil that was slumbering within him. I'm really sorry I lied to you guys."

"It's alright, Akia-chan," Anzu put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, I knew you had a good reason," Jounouchi replied, "Mai is just overreacting."

"No, she's right," Akia said, "I broke our trust."

"More importantly," Bakura, still possessed by the Spirit of the Ring, interjected, "did anyone hear a strange voice as well just before Akia got up?"

The group looked at Bakura and denied it either by saying no or shaking their head.

"Yeah, I heard it... It told me to stand up, and it was really scary sounding. It also called me its priestess," Akia tried to convey what she experienced.