The pharaoh's men were fast, but his steed was faster. One more quick turn into the nearest city, and they had lost him. The thief couldn't help but snicker as he watched the guards race past him into the night. At last, he had obtained the millennium ring! All that hardwork he was put through to get it had been worth it. It was finally his!...but if only for so long. Coming to this particular city, The Kingdom of Light, was no mistake. He wanted nothing more than to gain possession of the ring, true, but he was not planning to keep it. Letting his smirk fade into a solemn expression, he rounded his horse and quietly headed towards the palace.
Meanwhile at the palace, a young prince, Ryou, was in his bedroom checking himself over in the vanity. He adorned himself with golden jewelry and silk clothing that previously belonged to his sister, Princess Miho; he had been given them after she had passed away from disease. The jewels and garments had looked appealing on her, but on Ryou, well, they made him seem like a beautiful goddess - his effeminate features strongly supported). He blushed at his reflection in the mirror. Tonight was a special occasion, he had to look perfect; after all, it was his one year anniversary with The Great Thief King, Akefia.
Getting up from his vanity, he gasped. Waiting at his balcony with the curtains swaying in the breeze around him was the thief himself, dressed in an extravagant red robe and carrying a satchel - both of which he more than likely stole. "You've arrived!" Ryou greeted him as he rushed over to his lover and wrapped his arms around his neck (this proved some difficult since the thief was at least two feet taller than the fragile boy).
Akefia chuckled and ran his fingers through the boy's flowing white hair. "Of course," he purred, "a thief always keeps his promise."
Smiling up at him sweetly, Ryou asked, "Were you able to retrieve what I requested?" Patting his head, Akefia then reached into his satchel and pulled out a large spell book that had previously belonged to a magician's young apprentice, Mana.
"I've got it right here, Your Majesty," he said, presenting the book to him. Ryou excitedly took it from him and quickly began skimming through it as he crossed over to a violet carpet below his canopy bed.
"Ah, found it!" He proclaimed, stopping at a certain page. Pointing at the carpet, he announced, "Põrand on nüüd ohtlik, siis tuleb lennata." And suddenly right before their eyes, the mat levitated off the ground. "I did it!"
"Very good, Ryou," Akefia praised him. He walked over to the 'magic carpet' and hopped up onto it. Once he was on, he held out his hand for Ryou to grab and helped him up as well. Next, before either of them knew it, they were flying fast out the window, away from the palace, and into the sky high above the Kingdom of Light. The prince shrieked and quickly covered his eyes. Akefia, though brave and only slightly rattled, was nervous of Ryou's fragile body being blown away by the whipping winds, and thus, held him closely in place. The young royal's heart raced even faster when he felt himself being pulled into the powerful arms of the thief.
After a moment or two, the carpet came to a steady speed and was simply cruising over the city. Akefia gazed around and realized how perfect a view it truly was. Leaning in to Ryou's ear, he whispered, "Your Highness, perhaps you should take a peek." Hesitantly moving his hands away from his face, Ryou scanned what surrounded and lay beneath them. They had been floating in the clouds with the stars as their backdrop - below was the quiet kingdom; it's marble, candle-lit structures gleaming in the moonlight. The sight of it all was captivating.
"It's so...beautiful," Ryou cooed. Akefia placed a small kiss on his cheek.
"Not nearly as beautiful, eye catching or breathtaking as you though," he corrected him. The prince turned away, his face turning a bright shade of red. Obviously you haven't seen many other people, he thought thief king couldn't help but grin. "Oh, I almost forgot one thing." Digging into his satchel, he removed the millennium ring and put it around the boy's neck.
Looking down at the object, Ryou gasped. "Oh, Ra! Akefia this is-!"
"It's my gift to you, celebrating the love we've shared the past 365 days. I worked very hard to get that for you, but it was worth it," the thief interrupted. "Unfortunately, you must make sure that nobody else-" But this time before he could finish, he was the one cut off by Ryou's lips locking with his own.
They stayed like that for a while - a dove and raven intertwined in each other's embrace - before slowly pulling apart. The kiss had not been heated, but the softness and love behind it made the two hold. Gazing deeply into Akefia's orchid eyes, Ryou added, "The ring...it's wonderful." Akefia gave a crooked smile, touching his nose to Ryou's.
"I'm so glad you like it," he responded "but like I was trying to say, you must make sure no one sees it. I did have to steal it, and I wouldn't want you getting in trouble for my actions." Ryou nodded in agreement. He didn't like the idea that his lover stole and put himself in dangerous situations, but he still did whatever he could to please his prince - even if that meant potentially getting him involved with his messes.
They remained silent for a few more seconds, only the sound of wind moving past them as they floated through clouds and past the moon was heard. It wasn't long, however, before Akefia's lips formed into a frown. Noticing this, Ryou began to grow concerned.
"What is it?" he questioned. After taking a deep breath, the thief let out a heavy sigh.
"There's something I must tell you," he started off, taking the prince's small hands and staring into his big, chocolate eyes. Ryou waited anxiously for him to continue.
"The reality is, Ryou, my life will shortly be coming to an end. Everyone working under Pharaoh Atemu is after me, countless others from surrounding kingdoms are hunting me down...it's only a matter of time before I finally get caught." Ryou's eyes widened in disbelief. That was definitely the last thing he wanted to hear. There was just no way! Tears threatened to release themselves as he searched for what to say.
"A-akefia...no...please, you can't!" he spluttered. "You don't need to!...You and I...we could fly faraway, right now if we wanted! We could live our lives together, and we could be happy on our own. I don't need my riches, Akefia, I need you!" But the thief ignored him.
"I'm sorry, Ryou, but I can't keep running for the rest of my life. Besides, you have such a bright future ahead of you; I wouldn't be able to forgive myself knowing I let you give all that up. Unlike me, you're loved by many. Unfortunately, if you're seen with me, who knows what'll happen. What if we are found, and they take you as hostage just so they can force me to hand myself in? Risking your life is not an option which is why I must soon face them all." He paused and watched as merciless tears streamed down the porcelain skin of Ryou's cheeks; he had bit his lip to prevent himself from bawling.
Gently, Akefia cupped the prince's face in his hands and tried to assure him, "This isn't the end." Ryou sniffled and eyed him oddly, so the thief continued, "When I'm gone, my soul will be transferred into the millennium ring. That way, I'll always be with you. Even if you lose it, I'll make sure it gets back to you; even in the next life - we will always be together. That's a promise."
"And a thief never breaks his promise.." the boy finished for him. Akefia forced a weak smile and nodded.
"That's right." While Ryou huddled himself closer to his lover and attempted to flush out his negative thoughts, Akefia tried his best to lower the carpet as it swung near the prince's bedroom balcony. Eventually, he was successful, and the two were back where they started.
Dismounting the floating mat, Akefia held his arms out and caught the prince who jumped down after him. Instead of putting him back on his feet, the thief carried him to his bed and laid him out before climbing ontop of him.
Ryou gulped, blushing up at him. "W-what're you doing?" he stammered. The bigger male carefully pressed his knee to the boy's groin, causing a soft moan to escape him.
Akefia smirked. "Since I haven't got much time left, it's important I make as many memories with you as possible. If this is the last one, it has to be 100% unforgettable," he explained. "And if you don't mind, tonight, I'd like to make you mine." Ryou felt his heart about to leap from his chest. If they were not able to spend the rest of their lives together, this would be the one thing that would seal their relationship for the next life. The prince was indeed a virgin, but he knew he wanted nothing more than to give himself to his lover.
"Yes," he finally said, barely above a whisper, "I want you to make me your's."

That night, Ryou experienced the most incredible, unforgettable feeling in his lifetime. During their love making, he completely forgot about all that was wrong, and his only focus was his passion for the thief king. The two had felt stronger together than ever before. However, the next morning, Ryou was reminded of the lingering pain when he woke up naked and alone in his bed. All traces of the thief's presence had disappeared with the exception of the millennium ring on the nightstand and a fresh new white rose that lay beside it.

~OoO~

Present Day

8 year old Ryou Bakura sat alone in his house, anticipating his father's arrival. His father, an archaeologist, had called him the day before with news that he found a fantastic object that he was going to bring back for him as a gift. As excited as Ryou wanted to be, he couldn't figure out why instead he was feeling nervous. The young boy turned his attention the window at the sound of his father's car pulling into the driveway. Moments later, he was at the door calling out to Ryou.
"Son!"
"Welcome home, dad."
"You won't believe what I found!"
"...my goodness, what is that?"
"They say it's a special, rare item; not to mention 'magic'. Apparently, it also once belonged to a prince."
"What do they call it?"
"The Millennium Ring, and now it's all yours."