Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Need I say more?

Unwilling Thief

A set of tiny feet ghosted across the smooth Egyptian sand, crunching slightly but virtually silent. The young boy was fleeing, trying his hardest to escape the memory of what he had just seen…and what he had done.

Without any warning, the flat landscape threw an unexpected obstacle in the boy's way, a single jagged rock. It sent the child flying into the air to land with a harsh fall into the sand. Nursing his injured foot, he started to cry as the realization of the night's events caught up to him.

--

His mother had shaken him awake, accompanied by screaming and glowing fire. "Bakura, wake up. You have to run, honey. Hide, make sure they can't find you. Then escape."

"Why, Momma?" the young one asked. "What's happening?"

"I can't tell you now. I'll make sure to find you later, but I have to stay. Now go!" she insisted, shoving Bakura out of a window just as the front door burst inward. "I love you…"

Bakura was already running, but he still whispered back, "I love you, too…"

The small boy found a narrow alley to hide in, watching as all his friends and family were marched to their deaths. Unable to watch anymore, he slid back in the alley until he came to the sheer rock face of the cliffs surrounding his village. Using the houses as leverage, he managed to climb the wall of rock with only a few cuts and bruises.

He sat for a while hugging his knees to his chest, watching the flames, his eyes wide and fearful as screams echoed through the black night. Just as he gathered enough courage to move, he heard someone behind him.

"What have we here?" a low, drawling voice asked. Bakura couldn't help jumping up and whirling around to stand face to face with his enemy. He was wearing the same style armor as the men that had murdered the villagers; the young one briefly wondered if he was going to die.

Before Bakura could think anything else, the soldier lunged for him. Bakura used his small body to his advantage, ducking under the man and kicking the exposed back of his knee. Thrown off-balance, all Bakura had to do was push, and the soldier was sent flailing over the side of the cliff the boy had so recently scaled. Bakura heard the man's neck snap and he gasped, staggering backwards, only to start running as fast as his legs would allow…

--

"I killed him!" the small one sobbed, though no one could hear him. "I didn't mean to! I didn't…!" he wailed, as if he thought some unknown presence would appear to forgive him. But no one came…

Eventually, Bakura's panicked mind calmed enough for him to realize he wouldn't live through the desert night exposed as he was. Since he couldn't find anyone, he would have to make do with his own shelter. He finally picked himself up off the ground and began walking.

The simple movement revealed the extent of the damage to his slight frame. Dark red blood oozed out of gouges in his knees and left elbow. His right arm ached from where he had unconsciously tried to break his fall. But he still trudged on, back the way he had come because he knew he could find refuge in the cliff wall. He managed to keep a steady pace through the pain, but it still took him much longer to get back to the rock face surrounding his village.

The soldiers were still there; he could hear them shuffling around, likely searching for survivors. Regardless, Bakura knew he had to make it halfway down the cliff to the private hideaway he had found only a few months ago. He hissed in pain as he began his descent, his entire body throbbing.

Working his way down was much harder now that his body wasn't flooded with adrenaline, and his movements were slow and jerky. He gasped again when a rock broke away under his hand, causing his knees to scrape the wall as he tried to regain his footing. Bakura held still for a few moments, catching his breath and calming his nerves. Gradually, he inched his foot down to the next purchase and continued down to his secret hideout.

There was barely enough room for him to squeeze into the gap in the wall, but once he was inside, it opened into a larger space with a hidden supply of dried meat and a blanket he had stored there once. Bakura decided to save the meat for later; he wasn't quite hungry after what he had witnessed and knew he would need it later. He instead settled under the small blanket, sand sticking uncomfortably to his sweat and tear-soaked form. Shuddering, he gently squeezed his eyes shut, snapping them open again as the soldier's death replayed behind his eyelids. Realizing he couldn't sleep, Bakura spent the rest the night staring blankly at the wall, occasionally whimpering as he realized the life he had once known was over…

--

A/N: So, what did you think? I'm trying to put more detail into my stories, and I hope it's working. This will hopefully be much longer than my three and four chapter stories, if I can keep it going. See you soon!