Disclaimer: I do not own YGO. And even if I did, this pairing would STILL not exist. I mean yes, Mai is a skank and Bakura's a hot sadistic thief, but there is no way in all the bloody hells of all the bloody worlds in all the bloody universes that they could be together. Na-huh, no way, no how, NE-VER. Mai has Jou and Valon, and Bakura has Ryou, Malik, Marik, Yami, Yugi, Seto and well, just above every other male in the damn series. Sorry Compy, it just. ain't. POSSIBLE.

Author's Note: Oh, hey, look! A one-shot that's actually MaixBakura. How many fan fictions do we have on that, like four?

I guess it's time to give some exposure on this hardly-thought-of couple.

This is my Mai Kujaku x Yami Bakura fan fic, or my Conceitshipping one-shot for the YGO Fan Fiction contest. I would never make such a fic for any other purpose. If you have found this fic and are planning to read it, consider yourself blessed. You will NEVER see this pairing from me EVER AGAIN.

… unless I acquire an awkward fetish for the idea. Or if I read a good fan fic on it. THEN I might reconsider.

But for now it is NEVER AGAIN.

I hope you all like it. XD

#2 Author's Note: Thoughts in italics.

Phantasms of a Bleeding Soul

By: Angel's Nocturne

She felt so very, very alone.

Mai traced the words carved into the cold gray stone. She could feel the clean cuts under her fingertips, as sleek as the surface of the slab itself. It was slippery, as droplets of rain slid down the stone and collected onto the brown dirt. It made the slab feel cold—colder than Mai's insides, as she gazed with an empty stare at the gravestone she knelt before.

Inside, she felt numb—more numb than her chilled hand as she continued to gently trace the stone, the arctic winter wind biting into her skin and accentuated so by the icy rain that made her feel as if she were made of frost. Frost… like ice, but not as strong—so easy to break apart, and dissolve into nothing. How she longed to become that nothing; how she longed to dissolve away so that she could no longer feel her heart beat despite the emptiness that plagued her.

But in order to dissolve, someone would have to melt her. Melt her frozen heart… and no one had done that in a very long time.

Mai shivered as she hugged her knees, her body crumpled in front of the plain tombstone and standing upon what seemed to be a mound of dirt, meant for a grave. Her high-heel leather boots dug into the earth, which was now muddy from the drizzle that fell from the dark heavens. The sky was cloudy, though it was hard to tell as night had befallen the cemetery many hours ago. All that spoke of the terrible weather was the rain falling and the absence of a moon in the sky, with no stars to light the way.

Complete and total darkness. No stars to light the way, leaving the traveler to wander aimlessly in a world as cold and unforgiving as their own putrid hearts.

Mai felt a warm wetness touch her mascara-stained cheek, easily identified among the cold droplets of rain that fell on her porcelain face. She didn't bother to wipe away the tears as they cascaded from her eyes, dripping down her chin to join the rain as it soaked into the graveyard soil. She didn't really feel them anymore.

She didn't really care anymore. No one was there to see her cry. No one was there to know she could still cry.

A single streetlamp gave light to her dismal world, flooding the dark and shadowy cemetery with a dull yellow radiance that encompassed the pathway that it was meant to brighten. In the glow of the streetlight streaks of rain hissed through the air, pitter-pattering to the ground like a forgotten whisper.

Mai brushed back a bit of her wild blond hair-- now damp and lackluster-- from her face. With her other hand she still touched the tombstone, never letting her eyes leave the words permanently etched into the cold slab. She caressed it, as if it were a lover, but where perhaps passion and warmth should have reflected in her violet eyes, only pain and ache was seen. Her pouting lips bit back sobs that should have ceased long ago. Her voice wailed in a way that should have quieted sometime in the past.

If only memories could be so quiet, and could be so easily ceased.

"I-I'm sorry…." Mai's once strong and commanding voice quivered between gritted teeth. Her hand shook as it retracted from the headstone. "I'm so… so sorry. I—I… it wasn't m-meant to be this way…!"

The Domino Cemetery had been quiet for some time. Mai felt like a ghost, curled up beside the little headstone, her heart beating like a hollow drum inside her chest. She didn't know how long she had been there for… she couldn't even remember how long he had been there either. How long he had slept under the dirt… the dirt that she kneeled upon, the dirt that her tears dampened and turned to mud.

In the hissing of the rain and the echoing of her painful sobs, she didn't hear anything approach her from behind. Still, she recognized his presence, as he walked up to her from the cobblestone pathway lit by the streetlamp, and stood staring at her crouched form.

The presence sighed. "If it wasn't meant ta be dis way, den why'd you let it happen, Mai?"

Mai didn't bother turning around. "Jou… you know I never wanted things to happen the way they did…." Mai's voice shook as she felt her heart beat quicken. Jonouchi stood behind her, and she could imagine his face: his dirty blonde hair sopping wet and like a golden halo around his head, his honey-brown eyes glistening with a light of their own. She could also imagine the scowl that replaced his once goofy grin. She could feel his eyes penetrating her.

"You brought dis upon yourself, Mai," Jou's formerly-cherry voice said, an edge laced in his tone. "Why'd you do this to me, Mai? Why'd you let him take you away—?"

"He never took me away!" Mai snapped. She stood up and wheeled around, staring directly at her former love. "He never did! I'm not his, and I've told you—!"

"Dat you belong to no one, right?" Jou finished her sentence. His gaze resembled hard amber, hiding any warmth they once had for her. "Dat you've always been alone, and dat you'll always be alone, right Mai? Is dat what ya want ta tell me?"

Mai's eyes widened. Not from disbelief, though. And not from surprise that he would accuse her of such a thing. She felt her heart sink into the grave she stood upon.

"Jou…."

"Mai… I always thought dat maybe, someday, I could show you dat you didn't have ta be so alone. Dat you had friends, and people who cared about ya. People who loved ya… dat I loved you."

Mai felt her eyes grow misty. Her throat tightened as she tried to hold back the pain. "Jou, I've always known that you love me. I know that. Nothing's changed—"

"Exactly!" Jou exclaimed, making Mai jump. "Nothing's changed! All dis time, you've know dat you've got friends, dat you've got me, and whaddya do? Ya throw us all away like we meant nothin' to you! Like our hearts and our feelings were worthless!"

"It's not true!" Mai wailed. She took a step back, closer to the headstone. "It's not true, Jou! I love you!"

Jou made a noise akin to a snort, as he brushed back some of his rain-soaked blonde hair. "Really, Mai? I dat why you left me? Is dat why you let yourself get stolen away by him?"

"I—I don't know… I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Of course you don't. You wouldn't know, would ya?" Jou's stony eyes stared off into the distance, into the dark shadowy world that surrounded them. "I bet he has ya wrapped around his pale little finger. What did he give ya, Mai, ta make you love him? Diamonds? Perfumes? Dat trip ta Paris you always wanted? All the things I could never get you?"

"He—He's given me nothing!" Mai stammered. Her eyes filled with tears, despite her struggle against the hurting. "I don't care about those things anymore! Jou, your love was enough—"

"If it was enough, Mai, 'den you wouldn't be doing what you're doing. You'd be with me." Jou sighed. "I really thought dat I could make you happy. I thought… I was getting through to you. Dat I was making a difference… I guess I'm always wrong, aren't I?"

Mai shook her head back and forth, as if trying to convince herself of what she said. "No… no Jou. It wasn't… you weren't….."

"I had hoped dat you loved me," Jou continued wistfully. "I thought you did. I cared about ya, Mai! I saved you from death! I placed my life on da line because I thought I could bring you back to me! You made me so hopeful Mai… so why'd you have ta break my heart?"

Mai froze. She felt the emptiness inside, clawing at her, her soul rotting beneath her skin. She could hear Jou's words clearer than any bell, and they hurt. They made the gaping hole in her heart rip wide open, making her inwardly scream.

Jou seemed not to notice this, but he was now more determined, his voice rising in strength and desperation. "I loved ya, Mai. Why'd ya have ta break my heart? Toss me aside like some old play thing? Did I mean so little to you, dat when you got bored you could just find someone else ta make you happy?"

"It's not true…!"

"You did the same thing with Valon," Jou said sternly. Mai gasped at the mention of the name; the name of the other man she felt anything for. "You let him go too. Forgot about him, dropped him like a stone da moment he bored you. Don't ya think it hurt? Don't you think he cried, his heart ripped apart into tiny little pieces? I felt da same thing he did, Mai. You did da same thing to both of us—"

"Stop it! Stop it now!" Mai shrieked.

Jou kept going. "You know what it's like, Mai. You know what it's like ta have your heart shattered, broken so many times over dat it no longer bleeds. Is dat why it didn't mean anything ta you, when you broke us, Mai? Can't you feel our pain in your own heart?"

The rain whispered around them. A grim smile graced Jou's lips.

"Heh… I keep forgettin'… you don't have a heart." His gaze pierced into Mai's violet eyes, like an arrow through her already bleeding soul. "Ain't dat right, Mai? You should know—does something beat 'dere, in your chest? Can you feel it? Can you feel anything?"

"Stop it, Jou!" Mai said. She placed her hands over her ears, and scrunched her eyes shut. "Stop talking! I don't want to hear you anymore!"

"Ya know, maybe dis is the right thing for you," Jou said. He took a step closer to her, to her shivering form as she screamed and screamed, trying to block out his words.

"Go away! Leave me alone!"

"Maybe you're better off with him," said Jou's emotionless voice. "You two are pretty much alike. Think about it. You're both cold. Heartless. You were both alone as children, without any love. It's no wonder you've turned out like this."

"Stop it! That's not true! None of it's true!"

"You both like to cheat. You both like to steal." Again, the grim smile. "He steals treasures and magical items. He's a normal thief, while you… you steal hearts. You steal hopes and dreams, Mai. You stole ours." Jou placed his hand to his heart. "You stole our light. You stole our reason for existing!"

"Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"And together, you both steal lives." Jou's gaze flickered to the tombstone that Mai stood before, then back to her disgruntled figure. "Look at ya. Seeming so helpless… it's the guilt, isn't it? Gnawing at your insides? Tearing you apart, piece by piece? You know you deserve it. Every bit of dat pain, you've earned because of who you are." He shook his head, taking a step back. "I can't believe I actually tried ta help ya."

Mai's eyes shot open, staring at Jou with fear. Her hands shook as she removed them from her ears. "J-Jou…?" She took a staggered step towards him. "Jou, what are you…?"

"What am I?" Jou let out a dark laugh. "What am I? What are you, Mai? What have you become, or, what have you always been?" He shoved his hands in his pants pockets, letting the rain water seep through his damp hair down his chiseled face. "I still can't believe I was so blind… dat I couldn't see what you really were. I was just so naive… just a kid, and you played me like a fiddle. Toyed with my heart… and I thought I loved you."

"Stop it—you do!" Mai insisted. She looked at Jou's expression. It was unreadable, hard… like she could only see the shell of his essence. "You do love me, Jonouchi!"

He shook his head, flicking water from his mop of hair. "No. I once loved ya, Mai. Once, when I could still feel love. But you took dat away from me too, don't ya remember? You took everything away from me, Mai. Just ta be with him."

"It wasn't him!" Mai protested. "It was me! He has nothing to do with this!"

"Keep telling yourself dat, Mai. Maybe someday you'll believe it." He turned away from her, back towards the pathway and the streetlamp. As he stepped away, Mai felt like her heart was fading away with him.

"No!" Mai shouted. She tried to walk towards him, but her foot got caught on the ground and she stumbled into the dirt. She shivered as she stayed on her hands and knees, staring up at Jou, desperation in her every feature. "Jonouchi... please...?"

"Please what, Mai?" Jou glanced over his shoulder at her. His face was shadowed by the streetlamp's light. "Please love you? I would, ya know, but it's kinda hard ta love someone... when you don't have a heart ta love with anymore."

"No...!" Mai clawed at the ground, trying to pull herself towards Jou's departing form. She reached out for him, her eyes filled with tears that made her eyes sting. "NO! Jonouchi--!"

"Mai?" another male voice said from behind her. It was another voice she knew all too well... it was hard to not distinguish that venomous hiss, that sultry growl anywhere. "Mai, what are you doing here?"

Mai choked on her cries as she turned her head, letting her gaze fall from Jonouchi for a moment. Bakura stood by the tombstone, looking down at her form with slight worry and a bit of a sneer.

The Thief King darkly chuckled. "I have been searching for you. You should have come back to my apartment hours ago, my dear." He leaned down and brushed a strand of her damp blonde hair behind her ear. "What has kept you?"

Mai sobbed a little as she rose to her feet, her boots now slick with fresh mud. Her knees wobbled as Bakura held onto her arm, giving her support.

"I was... I was just..."

"Shhh." Bakura held the blonde woman closely, placing his finger to her lips to silence her cries. He stared into her violet eyes with his chocolate ones, which resembled the graveyard dirt they stood on. "It's the memories again, isn't it?"

Mai nodded numbly.

Bakura smirked as he stroked her hair. "It's no good for you to be out in this weather, you know. You'll catch a cold or something, and I do not wish for my pet to be so... unseemly."

Mai wanted to argue back at him-- she was not his pet, and he should have known that. But his sultry snarl and his deep russet eyes only stifled her protests, holding them firm in her throat. She let him hold her, despite the fact that his embrace was even colder than the headstone itself.

Cold, numbing... numbing away the pain, numbing away the memories.

Bakura patted her on the back gently. "Well, come along now, my dear. This place holds nothing good for you anymore. You did what you had to do, to be happy. Just try to forget what you've left behind... I can help you. I can ease your pain." He cupped her chin in his hand and forced her to look into his endless eyes. "But only if you allow me."

Mai nodded, trying not to let the tears fall from her eyes. "Y-Yes... please...?" She didn't know what she was saying anymore. Everything felt like a haze when she was around him... this embodiment of darkness...

Bakura smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist. He helped Mai as they walked side by side, into the dark, shadowy world that surrounded the streetlamp and the tomstone.

"You know the voices will stop soon, don't you?" Bakura asked absently, as he stared into the darkness ahead. "After the guilt is gone... time can heal any wound. I should know-- after killing so many people, it doesn't even bother me anymore. You won't have to suffer like this in time."

Mai couldn't help but nod, dazed. "Yes... they will go away... someday..."

"But if you keep coming back to his grave, you'll just hurt yourself more."

"I--I know, but..."

"Then do not come here anymore," Bakura commanded sternly. "You'll only hurt more if you stay here. You don't want that anymore, right? The pain..."

"No!" Mai shrieked. She clung to Bakura tighter. "No more pain... please! No more pain!" She shook in his arms.

"Then you'll do as I say, and forget about him. Forget about them both," Bakura sneered. "They were never what you really wanted. They never satisfied you the way I can."

In the back of Mai's mind, she almost thought she heard Jonouchi hiss at her. "So is dat it? You just wanted what you couldn't have, huh? You could've had me or Valon, but dat wasn't good enough. You wanted what will never be yours...!"

Mai gasped, her eyes wide. She wheeled around in Bakura's arms to look back at the grave.

Bakura blinked. "What is it?"

Mai stared at where Jonouchi had been. There was no sign that he was ever there before. Mai could see where her boot prints lay on the graveyard dirt. Jou's footprints were gone. Only the grave and the streetlamp remained.

Mai shook her head. "It was... nothing. I just thought I heard something."

Bakura nodded. "Don't be foolish. There's no one here." He gave a quick glare off in the direction Mai was looking, before gently towing her away. "Now, let's get you home, my dear."

As they walked away, back into the city and far from the realm of death that they were once apart of, the streetlamp flickered oddly. The wind gave a ghostly wail as the sheets of rain dampened the tombstone, with droplets sliding down the face of the headstone and over the words.

Small words they were, but words nonetheless. Words permanently etched into stone, forever displaying the dark end of a fate destined for better. Of a heart that could no longer love...

The gravestone read one message...

Katsuya Jonouchi

1988-2006

May you always rest in peace

A dreary laugh pierced the air... sounding similar to that of the young blond duelist whom Mai Kuajku once loved, and who knew that she felt so very, very alone.

---

Author's Note: Okay... that was dismal and creepy. I hope you all understood the ending. I have a bit of a hard time understanding this story myself (it gives me the willies).

Hopefully the next pairing in the YGO Fanfiction Contest will be a little more... cheery, or at least have the potential to be cheery. This one just reeks of angst.

Um... thanks for reading, and if you get a chance slip the authoress a review if you thought it was good. Or if you thought it sucked donkey balls. Whatever you want-- I just want an honest opinion.

Happy Holidays, everyone!