Bakura and Ryou walk down a dark hall; the former keeping his host near and behind him, protecting what is his. The thief can sense the spirits that wish harm on the pair before they reach their destination. These are spirits meant to test the dead before reaching Anubis (1) and if they can reach the door at the hall unharmed, they will be granted to have their hearts weighed.
However, the spirits stay away from Bakura sensing his anger and if they bring any harm, they will never reach the door themselves. It isn't supposed to end this way. Without the millennium items, Bakura needed another way to achieve his goals and he had decided to challenge Ma'at, the goddess of order herself.
The battle between the two had been fierce and with the last blow, the thief would have won except for one small detail. The goddess had pulled Ryou's soul from where Bakura had locked it in an attempt to get him to forfeit. It was a trick that wouldn't work on him and in vain attempt; Bakura took the blow of the goddess trying to protect his host.
When he awakes in the dark hall (2), he is not surprised. He has been here before but was always pushed away from the afterlife. However, when he sees his host, Bakura is beyond angry. The boy isn't even an adult and yet here he is, in a hall of darkness and death. There is the option to send Ryou back to the realm of living but he would be a spirit and Bakura refuses to let him live that life so instead he grabs the boy's arm and starts leading him to the door.
He looks at his host's confused face. There is no doubt that Ryou can sense the spirits roaming around. He always had an odd connection to the spiritual realm. One Bakura had never quite figured out but that wasn't of concern anymore. His host sends a quizzical look but Bakura shakes his head and continues to walk. Ryou will know his fate soon enough.
The walk is long and silent with only the occasional ignorant spirit trying to approach the two. Bakura makes quick of shattering their soul. Eventually they reach the door that is the only light in the hall and Bakura turns to his host, weighing the options of leaving his host in the dark or giving him some warning. When he reaches his decision, he finally speaks.
"Landlord, do you know where you are?" He receives a shake of a head before continuing. "This is the afterlife and through that door lies Anubis. Our hearts are going be weighed before we are granted peace or cast to hell."
"But…" Ryou whispers no doubt thinking about the last time his heart had been weighed.
"No," Bakura cuts him off. "There are different weighing rituals and most of them are more complex than the one the scale performs. I've fought death before and I will not allow you a fate of darkness."
Bakura enters the room first, glaring at the jackal-headed god who stands in the centre of the room.
"Good to see you Touzoku. (6)" The god's facial features seem to be twisted into a smile that brings more anger to the thief's mind. "Though this time you aren't alone. Ryou is a lovely child."
He walks towards the boy, which causes Bakura to pull him close, but finds the act is useless when Ryou appears in the centre of the room, slightly perplexed. He is to be judged first. The scales appear and a feather that is too familiar for Bakura's eyes is placed on one side.
"Bastard! You are using Ma'at's feather? (3)" Bakura growls. This judgement requires saying 42 negative statements and if any of them happen to be false, as in you have committed the act, the scale will lower. At 21, the scale will hit the ground and a soul will be devoured and sent to hell. It is a merciless judgement that can potentially break a person's mind and Bakura doesn't like the thought of it being used on his host.
"I thought it was appropriate and since you are part of the boy's heart, why shouldn't he receive the same judgement as you?"
Anubis walks towards Ryou and grabs his face gently tilting the face up so it would meet his dog eyes. This causes another growl to emit from Bakura. What is the bastard doing? It is supposed to be judgement and then afterlife.
"I'm not going hurt him Touzoku." Anubis laughs before turning his attention back to Ryou. "If you pass, you will be with your family again. They are both in the afterlife and waiting for you but a warning Ryou, if you do get reincarnated, don't play with the occult so much. Opening the doors to the afterlife is a dangerous hobby."
Ryou simply nods and Bakura wants nothing more than to strangle the god for giving the boy false hope. There was no guarantee that he would make it to the afterlife and even if he did, it was vast and he might never find his sister or mother. It was a cruel game.
"Ryou, I am going get you to repeat the 42 Negative Confessions as written in the Papyrus of Ani (5). If they prove to be false, the scale will tip. Do you understand?" Anubis waits for the teen to nod before continuing. "The first one is I have not sinned."
"I have not sinned." Ryou repeats and eyes open in fear as the scale moves closer to the ground. He looks back at Bakura who tells him through their connection that it is okay. No one passes the first statement.
It continues on like this with Ryou looking back at Bakura everytime the scale tips, the teen looking back and his darker half who reassures him that it will be okay although by the time he passed 15 statements, he gets worried. However, Ryou utters the last statement I have not slaughtered the cattle belonging to God and remains at 16 falsehoods. Not enough to send him to hell.
"You may proceed." Anubis points towards doors of the afterlife.
"But Bakura…" Ryou says conflicted about leaving without the thief.
"No, landlord. Go to the afterlife." Bakura commands. "I am the dark and therefore I will die with the dark. You are not permitted to come with me."
Ryou stares but Bakura forcefully sends the command once again through their connection and, as always, Ryou follows orders and walks into the warm light with one quick glance back at his darker half, leaving the whole as a half.
"I'm surprised he doesn't hate you." Anubis smiles when the door closes leaving only Bakura before the god. "But then again, humans are complex. Aren't they Touzoku? You may have infused your soul with a dark deity but the human is still there. You have grown to care for, what do you call him, oh yes, your landlord."
"I needed him to get ahead." Bakura scoffs at the thought. Ryou had belonged to him and his possessions did not get hurt. There was no other emotion.
"Your words may say that Touzoku but your actions and your heart speak differently. Do you know how many of the sins you have committed?"
"42." Bakura replies without a beat. Many he had to do to get ahead and others he had committed to spite the gods, the one who allowed one of their descendants to kill his village.
"Exactly. All of them. It's a shame though. That boy that you claim to not care for could have been your redemption. There is a reason that Ryou's life parallels yours, though in a less drastic measure. The gods aren't cruel Touzoku or wait, you preferred to be called Bakura now don't you? That's cute. Why do you think that your host shares the same last name anyway?"
"Stop with the bullshit." Bakura glares not wanting to hear any of this crap.
"Shai (4) had planned for him to be your saviour Bakura and I'm sure somewhere in the darkness you know it but of course, the gods have granted everyone free will and you, unfortunately, let revenge conquer your heart. Like Atem, your host could have saved you but instead you pushed him away. Such a shame."
"Shut up and kill me already." The thief snaps.
"You didn't let him become you. That is admirable yet he will never know this. Still you say you don't care for him." Anubis lets out another laugh circling around the man's body. "42 sins Bakura. You'll be lucky to be reincarnated and even if you do manage it, you will still be so twisted that you will end up right back here. Fate is cruel."
"Shut up." Bakura says with pure anger. "These mind games won't work so cast me to hell."
"As you wish."
Anubis snaps and Bakura can feel himself being devoured while trying to forget the words the god had spoken.
(1)God of the dead. Before Osiris came along and took over.
(2)Technically if I was to go with the actual beliefs, it is a maze
(3)During my research, I stumbled across that it is Ma'at's feather that weighs the heart although this probably changed somewhere along the line.
(4)Egyptian God of Fate
(5) The Book of the Dead
(6) You are probably like you can't count right now but I put this in after but I don't think Gods really need to follow the polite thing. Plus Anubis is kind of doing it to piss Bakura off
The number 16 isn't random either. I went through that list and checked off each one that Ryou had committed or I think probably has committed. It came to 16/42 so yes, Ryou isn't going to hell ladies and gentlemen!
I started this awhile ago but then I had all the silliness happen and I left it alone and then I came back to it today while not doing homework. I like it. And now you have a choice, you can either leave it here or you can read the epilogue which is a different tone then this and short.