A/N: This story somehow spouted from coming up with aimless headcanons about Thief King raising Bakura and Ryou. Originally, I wrote it for nanowrimo, but due to a trip I couldn't work on it any longer. I was ready to pitch it, but because my girlfriend seemed to enjoy the whole concept, I decided I would continue it and dedicate it to her for Christmas. /heart

Rated: T, for language and violence. May go up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I am not making profit off of this fanfiction, it is merely for pleasure.

"The Book Of Going Forth By Day"

Part One

"Get back here, you mangy street rats!"

"Faster!"

But he was already going as fast as his stubby legs would allow. Bare, callused feet pounded into the sand as a pair of boys raced through the streets, narrowly dodging the many bystanders that walked about; mostly women holding baskets and pots. Despite their scrawny, lithe forms, neither of them were as nearly as nimble as expected; they were shouldered and tripped many times, barely managing to catch themselves before pumping their weak legs harder.

"Stop them! Thieves!"

Hands brushed the boy's shoulders to try and grab for them, but no real effort was made expect by gruff looking men that would enjoy seeing a thief get punished, even ones as young as they; it was quite an amusing show to watch a couple of children be publicly thrown into a pit of crocodiles for stealing. Despite their obvious inexperience, they both managed to dodge the groping palms; they refused to let themselves to be caught so easily, if at all. Every stone and pebble on the ground managed to trip both of them one way or another, but the boys refused to lose their meager plunder that they grasped so tightly within their filthy arms.

The slightly taller of the two had something whisk past his ear; a stone.

"That bastard!"

His brother snarled this crossly, but the projectile was avoided; the aim had been horrendously inaccurate. It was assumed this was because the shop-keeper decided that a couple of dusty onions simply wasn't worth the effort.

The final stone thrown managed to hit him right between the shoulder blade and spine, causing him to hiss loudly in pain. However, they both kept kept running; he and his brother needed this food, and no chubby, old shop-keeper was about to stop him with a measly pebble. Then there was a flash of white out of the corner of his eye, followed by a startled scream.

"A demon!"

The taller of the boys cursed and suddenly whipped around a corner, a hand over his hair, guiding his brother along with him. They had entered a narrow alley between a couple of stone buildings. They used this to escape the main road and avoid their chaser, who had obviously lost all interest in the two young thieves.

The taller one finally collapsed on the dusty ground once they were safe. His brother trailed behind him, a slight limp in his step, though this was forgotten when he saw the crimson staining the back of the others pale tunic.

"Bakura! You're bleeding!"

The boy by the name of Bakura whipped his head around, garnet eyes glaring daggers at his brother. "Shut your mouth, Ryou. Don't be so loud. That shop-keeper could still be around."

Ryou didn't flinch at his brother's harsh tone, but he took the words to heart and lowered his voice. "You're bleeding..." he repeated worriedly, kneeling on the ground behind Bakura.

"It's fine. I can't even feel it."

The shorter boy sighed and sat back against the stone house. He gazed at his brother with obvious worry. His eyes trailed up and down his brother's body. "Your wig came off."

Bakura slipped his hands into his filthy, cascading hair, which was of a curious white hue. Ryou had grown used to seeing white hair, but as anybody knew, it wasn't a common hair color in Egypt. He slid is own wig off and dropped it on the ground, feeling better having it off.

Their whole family, excluding their mother, had hair as white as a full moon. Their mother had dark hair, though it seemed none of her offspring bore this trait. She also had dark skin, but their father had skin as pale as a sun-bleached bone, and his children did as well. No matter how often they were out in the sun, the hue of their skin never seemed to darken. It made them look different; being different in a land that thrived for consistency and feared change wasn't a positive thing. If they were lucky, the two brothers would be seen as freaks and were simply cast aside.

But at the worst, they were accused of being demons and damned by Ra himself. Just by existing their souls would be devoured by Ammit, which of course shook young Ryou to the core and made him fear death. However, Bakura had always just scoffed at the cruel threats and words. This always seemed to bring Ryou some amount of comfort.

"Nobody saw," Bakura finally lied.

"I heard somebody shout demon."

"They could have been shouting that at anyone."

"Bakura..."

"Shut up and eat your onion before your stomach caves in. I can hear the damn thing growl from here."

Ryou gave up arguing and did as as he was told. Even if they were twins, he always did what his brother commanded, and this wasn't just because he was born first by a few minutes. Between the two of them, Ryou was meek, soft-spoken, looked and acted like a woman, while Bakura was a natural leader. Though the elder was reckless and had a wild temper, he was very intelligent.

He peeled the crispy outer layer of his onion off before he sunk his teeth into it. It was sour and bitter against his pallet, but after not eating for what seemed like forever, it was the sweetest and most tantalizing thing he had ever eaten. Unable to control his wild appetite, he scarfed the onion down in only a few gulps. He knew eating like this would result in intense discomfort to his normally empty stomach, but he was absolutely ravenous.

The onion was gone far too soon. He began licking his dirty hands, trying to lap off any remaining flavor. It was then that Bakura shoved his onion over to Ryou.

"Take it."

Ryou frowned and shook his head, "I can't take this. It's yours. You need it."

"I'm not hungry."

The youth gazed at his brother, suspicion dancing in his doe eyes, "...Are you sure? You haven't eaten for as long as I have."

"I'm fine. I swear... just eat it."

Ryou bit his chapped lip, but again, he did as he was told. His brother was smart. He was a liar and reckless sometimes, but he was clever too. Ryou trusted him. He nodded obediently and quickly tucked into the vegetable. He tried to pace himself, but he ended up devouring it almost as fast as the first. When he was done, Bakura was already standing.

"Come on. We should get out of here." Bakura commanded, his voice sullen. Ryou nodded and stood. The two headed down the alleyway, hand in hand.

...

"Abbi's[1] home!"

Whenever Ryou heard those words, he had always been filled with excitement.

Amane was always the first to spot him, since she was usually hiding on the roof of their hut and claiming it was her castle. Their father often left from a couple of days to a week at a time. This trip had been long; two whole weeks. He had gone to the nearest village to sell some goods and buy essentials.

That particular day had been boring for Ryou. He had done his chores already that morning, so he drew things in the sand with a stick, but once those words were jubilantly shouted from his sister's lips, he raised sights eagerly to the horizon.

When he came riding in from the distance on their family's elderly horse, Ryou and Amane had bounded out to meet him, kicking sand on their excited wake. He slid off the mount and welcomed both of his children into a hug. Ryou was always excited for his return, and not only because he would go days without seeing him; he sometimes brought treats for them as well, like sugar and honey.

This time he brought new tunics for his two sons, one of which was not present for the man's return.

"You two are growing up. You need them," he explained as Ryou excitedly took the fabric. Up until now, he and his brother went around in small shendis, or nothing at all. Ryou pulled the tunic over himself. It felt weird to have something covering the top half of his normally bare body.

"If you come with me to the village, you must wear that."

Ryou's eyes had lit up at the prospect of going to the village; his father always told the greatest stories about the folk there. "You're gonna take us to the village?!"

His father smiled warmly at his excitement. "Perhaps."

Ryou's eyes continued to gleam with excitement, but then a thought dawned on him and he asked, "Why do I have to wear it, anyways?"

"Because it is inappropriate for a boy your age to walk around naked amongst other people," his father explained, his eyes averted to the ground.

Ryou nodded in exaggerated understanding.

"You must also wear a wig."

He was confused by this; he liked his hair. He thought it was neat and unique, the thought of covering it was unappealing. "Why a wig?"

"Because... other people wouldn't understand."

His father never elaborated further.

…

Ryou snapped awake. He frowned, feeling doleful at the dream he had – though it was more of a memory. He had been having a lot of those recently, and it made him uneasy. A slight whimper escaped him as he nestled up against his brother's side. He knew he would be scolded for being scared and upset by his dream, but he couldn't help it.

"Bakura..?"

His brother grumbled in response and turned his gaze to his brother. He had never been asleep.

Ryou buried his face into the dirt-coated sleeve of his brother's tunic and sniffled. "I had another dream about Abbi."

He heard a scoff come from the elder. "Don't be so weak, Ryou. Crying about it isn't going to bring him back, you know."

"I-I know... but I can't help it," Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura, ignoring the disgruntled noises that resulted in the gesture. "I miss him."

"Ryou, you're a boy. Boys don't cry."

A silence stretched between them as Ryou cried into his brother's sleeve. He knew boys his age didn't cry – at age nine, he was nearly considered a man – but he couldn't keep the tears from escaping him, nor the whimpers from bubbling up his throat.

An arm slithered around his lithe form and roughly patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort. Ryou looked up from the stained tunic, red-faced, as Bakura kept his stoic expression masked across his features. His brother gave him no recognition other than the arm secured around his frail shoulders. The youth smiled softly and nestled himself against his brother's side, slipping his eyes closed.

Ryou felt absolutely uneasy with their surroundings; they were under a broken crate. His toes were frozen, and the cold night winds were barely broken by the rotting wood that made up their shelter. Still, the boy felt better with his brother next to him.

His smile remained on his face as he slipped into a light doze.

...

Like every morning, he slept past Ra's awakening. He was a heavy sleeper, and he enjoyed remaining in a comatose state for as long as possible. In fact, he probably would have slept the whole morning away if not for...

"Ryou! Ryou! Mut[2] says it's time to wake up!"

He peeled his eyes open to see the beaming face of a young girl. There was a gap between her front teeth as she grinned at her sleepy brother.

"Come on! You hafta help make clean up after breakfast since you slept in!"

"Okay, Amane."

He whined, though he had expected this punishment; he got it just about every morning. He peeled his body off the mat and yawned. Apparently his face was funny when he did, because the girl began giggling.

Their hut was already buzzing with activity. It was curious how he even managed to sleep through his mother putting together breakfast, his brother being obnoxious and his father constantly walking in and out of the main room. He scratched at his body as he accepted some bread and water from his mother. He scarfed it with zealous, enjoying the way it felt on his stomach.

He then cleaned up after his messy siblings and helped his mother tidy. Before he retreated outside to play, his mother beckoned him closer. She smiled and passed him a small cup of goat's milk, which he eagerly drank. Milk was a treat since they only had two milking goats and a family of five. He thanked her before racing outside to find his brother and sister.

As usual, Bakura was terrorizing Amane. He was jumping out from a rock while wailing loudly, causing Amane to jump with fright and tumble to the ground. She laid in the dust, her recently cleaned shendi filthy now, and glared at her older brother.

"Not funny, Bakura!"

He cackled and raced off while shouting, "It so was!"

Ryou smiled and went to her kid sister. He squatted down next to her, a playful smirk gracing his lips. "You wanna get Bakura back?"

Amane, who had been quivering and frowning, instantly brightened at his words. "Yeah!"

…

"Are you sure there's food here?"

"Shhh!"

Ryou frowned and clenched his grumbling belly. It had been a whole two days since they had those onions, and he was starving. After much persisting (complaining) he finally convinced (annoyed) his brother into making another attempt at getting some food without stealing it. Ryou, despite his hunger, didn't support his brother stealing their meager meals.

However, Ryou wasn't very convinced they would find food here. It was an abandoned remains of a hut on the outskirts of the city, and it had obviously already been picked clean by beggars. Still, the elder wasn't deterred as he picked through the rubble. Ryou hovered near what was once the entrance to the hut, shuffling his feet in the sand and stone.

"Come on and help me, or you aren't getting anything I find."

Ryou's stomach grumbled at the prospect of going without food any longer, so he walked into the crumbled stones and picking through them. It was hard work for his young and frail body; he could barely lift the stones that were half the size of his cranium. As he looked around, he only found ragged clothes and broken pots. Some rats scuffled out from some of the unturned stones, startling Ryou into nearly falling.

"I don't like this," he complained as he kicked a piece of a broken pot.

"Tough," Bakura grumbled harshly, obviously not up for Ryou's bellyaching.

He knew he had to help his brother, but the task of picking through stones was so grueling and difficult, he wasn't sure how long he could keep it up. The harsh Egyptian sun beat overhead, making his blood boil and his skin fry. His mind began to feel fuzzy and light; he wondered if he was going to get heat exhaustion at this point. Normally during midday, they would be resting in some shade, not out lifting stones. Ryou yearned for the days where the most work he had to do was feed the animals and help his mother in the field.

Though working in their field was hard work, he usually did it with Mut, who helped make a game of it. She would also share old wife's tales and stories of the Gods, distracting him from the many tasks that he had to do to maintain the crops. With all the games and story-telling, it hardly seemed like work to him, but rather a time to bond with his mother.

But his brother needed him to help. He bit back a complaint and continued to work, only to be startled by a sudden crash.

"Bakura!"

Ryou's voice was horrified as he practically swam through the rocks to get to his brother, who had collapsed lifelessly onto a pile of stones. He panicked as he tried to grab Bakura's body, which lay lifelessly against the dusty ground.

After a horrifying moment, Bakura gave a weak grunt and peeled his eyes open. Ryou breathed a sigh of relief.

"I told you boys don't cry," His brother grumbled as managed to sit up. Ryou winced; the simple task looked as if it was difficult. He then pressed his fingers to his eyes, feeling the beginnings of tears.

"I thought you were dead! What happened?"

"All I did was pass out."

Ryou was sick with worry. "We should get you out of the sun –"

"No!" Bakura hissed and shoved his brother off of him. "We need to look for food in this pile of rubbish, because somebody doesn't want to steal it."

Ryou looked away guiltily; he knew better than to argue, even if he wanted to. He got up and went back to work, but he kept a close eye on his brother, who was now shaking.

In the end, they only found a piece of discarded moldy bread. Ryou almost downed it right away, but Bakura ripped it from his hands, flung it to the ground, then stepped on it with his heel. He then growled that they would not to sink so low as to eat food that had obviously gone bad, that it was bad enough they had to search for scraps like a couple of mangy rats.

Ryou knew this was his fault; he insisted they not steal.

Even if he was starving, he wouldn't steal from other people. His father had been very adamant on telling them that thievery was bad, and Ryou took that to heart.

...

The two kept their distance from their brother. It took a lot of plotting and planning, but the two had come up with the perfectrevenge. The two children cackled as they moved in. Alone, Ryou was always very meek, but her spunky younger sister always gave him confidence to do things he would never consider doing.

Bakura had went to the river that evening to bathe. The two knew that Bakura resented the water, and didn't even wade in the shallows to wash. He simply took a cloth and wiped his own body down while standing only ankle-high.

Ryou and Amane were crouching in the reeds, watching Bakura approach the bank. He seemed unsuspecting of his siblings as he took of his shendi and dipped the ragged cloth into the river. In the dwindling light of dusk, the two younger siblings easily moved in without being spotted.

Ryou mouthed a countdown to his little sister before the two burst from the reeds, screaming and waving their arms.

Bakura cried out, startled, and fell into the river with a loud splash. Both Ryou and Amane exploded into laughter, daring not to go closer to the drenched Bakura who was pulling himself from the muddy shallows.

He panted, still appearing to be afraid, before his eyes focused on Amane and Ryou. He then darkened and pounced up, "Why did you do that?!"

"That was for scaring me earlier!" Amane laughed before she turn and ran, followed quickly by Ryou, then by an angry, wet, naked Bakura.

A string of curses that shouldn't be spoken by any nine year old escaped Bakura's mouth as he chased the two of them around the muddy reeds. This only made the whole situation funnier; Amane was screeching with laughter while Ryou had a wide grin plastered across his features.

The two ran into the shallows of the river and stopped to catch their breath. Bakura hesitated on the bank, looking as if he were debating whether it was worth wetting himself further just for the sake of punishing his siblings for getting him so drenched in the first place. He took some tentative steps into the river, only to hiss and retreat as Amane made a gutsy move and splashed some water at him.

The two giggled as they watched Bakura seethe on the bank, looking much like an unhappy, sodden feline.

"Get over here so I can teach you a lesson!" Bakura growled, clenching his fists and glaring daggers.

"Never!" The two siblings chirped. The elder of the three then lost his patience and ran into the river, ignoring his dislike of the liquid for the sake of catching his siblings. The two weren't ready for this and yelled out in fright, retreating down river to avoid their livid brother.

They continued this game of cat and mouse until Ryou suddenly stopped, noticing the sky. "We need to go home. Mutwill have supper waiting."

Bakura finally managed to make it to his brother. He punched him lightly in the shoulder, "I'm eating your serving."

"But I'm hungry!"

"Yeah well, you shouldn't have pushed me into the river."

"I didn't push you. We scaredyou into falling."

"Pushed!"

The two brothers bickered as they raced towards their hut. Amane was a pace or two behind them, giggling openly at their banter. When she stopped. Ryou cast a quick glance back at her, raising his brow curiously. She was staring out at the horizon, a look of concern on her normally carefree features.

Ryou stopped as well. "What is it?"

"There's... fire."

Ryou looked. Sure enough, against the darkening horizon, there was a flickering glow. His eyes widened and he wondered what it could mean. Perhaps it was a caravan daring to travel at night...?

"We should go tell Mut," He said, concerned.

Bakura scoffed, "Who cares what it is? I'm hungry. Stop gawking and let's go get supper."

Amane seemed okay with the prospect of eating and forgot about her inquiry, however Ryou was still uneasy...

…

Ryou woke, once again, in the early hours of the morning. Ra had yet to awaken when he heard the voices. Flecks of fire and light, broken by the silhouettes of men, appeared down the alley. His heart raced as memories surfaced, but he didn't feel fear until he heard what the men were saying.

"Are you sure they had white hair?"

"I told you, one of them had white hair, but the other one was obviously wearing a wig."

"And you saw them in this area?"

"Yes..."

His heart pounded in his chest as he turned to Bakura, who was sleeping against him. He shook him by the shoulder and whispered loudly, "Bakura, we need to get out of here."

Bakura didn't even stir.

"Bakura? There are bad men coming."

No answer.

"B-Bakura?" Ryou's worry grew. His tone grew more frantic as he shook his brother's shoulders. "Bakura, come on, wake up!"

"Shh! Wait! I hear something coming from this direction."

Ryou whimpered and shook his brother harder. There were tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "Bakura wake up! Don't be dead! Don't be dead! Please!"

"Yeah, I hear it too, this way!"

The youth was scared as he tried to open his brother's eyes, only to receive no response. "Bakura! BAKURA!"

"There! I see them!"

Ryou cried out as a cruel slab of a hand grabbed him by the arm and yanked him away from his brother, who slumped lifelessly without support.

"NO! Let go!" He was hysterical as he tried to get away from the arms that were so much stronger than his meek body. He shook as men – soldiers – swarmed around them. They were big, meaty man with large weapons on their persons, raging from spears to swords. One of them scooped his brother's limp body up with ease.

"These can't be the offspring of the Thief King... they're pathetically scrawny and as pale as a bone."

"They're probably bastard sons."

Ryou paid little attention to the men's bickering. He was staring in horror at his brother who was being held up by his hair. Fear of these scary men kept his mouth shut, even if he desperately wanted to shout at the soldier to not hold his brother in such a careless and disrespecting manner.

One of the soldiers turned to a scruffy looking merchant, whom Ryou realized was Bakura and his pursuer from a couple day ago. He was eagerly received some kind of reward – something gold, no doubt, judging by the shiny glimpse Ryou got as it was placed in the merchant's grimy hands.

"Alright, let's go. They can join the rest of the cargo the soldier commanded, his eyes and voice full of authority.

Ryou suddenly found himself being dragged from the alley he and his brother had been sheltering in. He cried out and began to writhe desperately; fear of his own life was fueling his fight or flight instinct – and his instinct was telling him flight. He had to run and to hide – these men were bad and scary.

But he couldn't leave his brother. His poor brother, who was limp in the rough hands of the soldier ahead of him.

"Don't!" He cried out, "Don't treat him like that!"

Suddenly, the air was knocked out of him as he was kicked to the ground. The soldier that had been handling him growled at his discarded form, "Quiet,hayawan! Didn't your father teach you to respect your superiors?"

Ryou coughed violently before he was hoisted into the air again. His body hurt terribly, so struggling was becoming more and more difficult. His movements became sluggish.

It wasn't long before they exited the alley. It was then that Ryou was forced to the ground again. A knee pressed into his back as his hands were twisted behind him and tied together with a rough rope. The body lifted off of him and pulled him harshly from the ground. Ryou whimpered, finding his arms to be tied.

They were also tying his brother's arms. Ryou cried out when they threw his body to the ground, "Don't hurt him! He's already sick!"

"Keep your mouth shut, boy."

The soldier smacked the back of his head as he said this, causing him to fumble to the ground. The man watched, a cruel sneer on his face, as Ryou wriggled around in the sand in a desperate attempt to get to his feet. His head was pounding, his vision distorted. He looked like a fish out of water as he writhed in the dirt. His pathetic attempts to stand were obviously amusing, because the soldiers began to scoff and snicker.

Fresh tears prickled in Ryou's eyes as he gave up and laid on the ground. The man took this as a signal to grab him by the hair and hoist him onto one of the awaiting horses. He threw him stomach-first across the beast's shoulders, as if he were nothing more than a sack of rotten vegetables.

Ryou watched them throw Bakura in the same manner – if not a bit harsher – onto another horse. He stared in desperation, praying for his brother to wake and figure a way out of this.

He wasn't even sure if his brother was alive anymore. The thought made him whimper again; he couldn't afford to lose another family member; he still wasn't over Mut, Abbi andAmane.

"B-Bakura...! Wake up!" He begged, earning another slap from the man.

"The next time you talk, I won't hesitate to gag you."

When the man said this, he screamed and writhed around, startling the horse.

"NO! BAKURA! WAKE UP!"

His sobbing and begging and shaking made the horse begin to move around in a panicked manner. The soldiers attempted to calm it down, bringing even more anxiety to the poor animal. The horse heaved itself into the air, bucking its front hooves out as the soldiers grabbed for its reins. Ryou cried out as he tumbled off the horse. As he hit the ground, agony spiked throughout his head and blackness overcame him within moments.

…

Smoke filled every orifice. Ryou cried out, desperately trying to spot his parents through the thick haze that blanketed his vision.

"Mut? Abbi?!"

The only replies were more screams. Ryou whimpered and pressed himself against the floor, fear and panic ripping through him. He knew the scream had come from his mother, who was somewhere outside the hut. He couldn't make out his father's voice or form anywhere within the hut; most of the building was being consumed by fire. Their food, their furniture, their mats were all becoming lost to the flames.

It had all happened so quickly, Ryou's head was still spinning. They had been eating dinner, chuckling and talking amongst one another. He had forgotten all about the fire he had seen in the distance, his thoughts replaced instead with freshly made bread and stew.

And then the sound of horse hooves. Cruel voices spouting curses that his mother told him never to utter. His father's gaze snapped to attention, his eyes gleaming with fear. Ryou barely had time to think before a flickering arrow whisked through the open window, setting everything in the hut aflame. He felt the arms of his father around him, steering him away from the lapping flames. He was flung onto the ladder up to the loft.

"Hide. Do not make a sound. Do not come out no matter what."

Ryou had heeded those words and scrambled over to his parent's bed, hiding under the blankets and trying to stifle his sobs. He had prayed to the Gods to protect his father and the rest of his family from the bad men outside the hut.

The ladder creaked. Ryou peeked out from the blankets, seeing a shadow of a man against the flickering fire. He chocked on a sob and withdrew under the blanket, praying for a miracle.

His blanket was ripped off of him, and his brother's voice filled his ears, "Come on, get up, we need to leave."

Ryou looked up at Bakura, his face tear-stained, "A-abbi told me not to leave."

"Forget him."

Bakura grabbed him by the arm and heaved him to his feet. Ryou continued to cough and sob as his brother practically dragged him across the loft, down the ladder and through the back door. The journey had only been a few moments, but Ryou's whole body felt burnt and sore. He was shaking when they made it out into the cold night air, but his brother didn't give him a break as he was guided away from the hut.

"Where's Mut? Where's Abbi?" Ryou whimpered, clenching his brother's arm. He wanted the comfort of his parents; he was scared, and he needed to know they were safe.

But the words his brother spoke made the pit of his stomach go cold

"Dead."

…

He obviously wasn't out cold for very long; as Ryou peeled his eyes open, he found himself laying across the shoulders of the horse just like before. A soldier sat behind him, guiding the mount through the city. His whole head hurt – no – throbbed; just having his eyes open was painful. A whimper escaped his dry throat as he looked around his surroundings.

"Go back to sleep boy, or more trouble will come for you."

The man's tone was bitterly unsympathetic, and it only made Ryou want to cry more. He sniffed quietly and looked away from the cruel man. He searched around for his brother, and felt relief when he saw him on the other horse. Though he was still unconscious – or dead.

"Bakura?" He whispered, then winced; using his throat hurt terribly. He was parched. He looked to the soldier now and gulped. Abbi had always told him there was goodness in people, perhaps there was goodness in this man. Perhaps he was cruel because his job demanded it – perhaps, on the inside, he was a kind person, with a loving wife and children.

"E-excuse me? Efendim[3]?" He struggled to speak. The man looked down at him, his eyes glittering with animosity and annoyance.

"I-I'm really thirsty... could I have something to drink?"

All the soldiers scoffed and snickered at the question, making Ryou redden and regret ever asking. The man on the horse grinned – though the expression wasn't particularly friendly.

"Go ahead and give him something to drink."

Suddenly, a flask was forced into his mouth. Something rancid and bitter slid down his throat, causing him to gurgle and sputter. He choked the mysterious liquid back up and proceeded to cough repetitively.

All of the man laughed through his choking. The flask was thankfully removed, but Ryou was left there in pain and discomfort. He looked over to his brother, finding relief in his expressionless, lifeless features. More tears began to appear behind his eyes, and he found himself silently crying, thankful he was being ignored now by the men; they would surely taunt him for shedding tears.

Boys didn't cry. Men didn't cry.

But he did.

What did that make him?

A startled yell erupted through the air, startling Ryou from his sorrowful brooding. He turned his head to the noise just in time to see the man on the horse in front of them suddenly slither lifelessly to the ground, a pool of crimson seeping out from under him. The man on his horse grabbed the reins tightly, struggling to control the startled beast.

"What happened?!"

"Watch out!"

"Draw your weapons!"

Shouts and commands surrounded him as the soldiers jumped into action. Swords were unsheathed, spears were raised. The men were ready for whatever threat had just slain their fellow soldier. Or at least, they assumed they were ready. Suddenly another terrorized screech cut through the air as another man fell forward, a knife that came seemingly from nowhere lodged right in his back. The skilled force went unseen as more and more of the soldiers fell, dying before they even had a chance to defend themselves. The men were obviously growing scared as their gazes darted to a fro, trying to make out their invisible enemy in the darkness.

The soldier on the horse jumped off the horse and grabbed Ryou, holding him roughly at his side as he raised his sword to seemingly nothing. "Show yourself! I know it's you Thief King!"

There was a cackle. It was dark and sultry as it echoed along the streets, through the alleys, and into the night sky. With a spatter of blood, a knife was suddenly lodged into his jugular. Ryou whimpered in fright and took a step back. The cruel soldier sputtered, cursing the man in front of him before slipping lifelessly to the ground, the dagger sliding out of his throat with a sickening noise.

With the soldier dead, Ryou was now face-to-face with their mysterious attacker. He was a massive man in crimson, sharp, gray eyes gleaming dangerously beneath a head-dress. A smirk was plastered against his scarred face. It seemed to raise as he watched the man bleed to death at his feet.

Ryou mewled in fright and stumbled backwards, falling onto his rear. The strange man watched him for a moment before stepping over the soldier and walking towards him.

The boy cried out and tried to scoot backwards, but it was futile as the man easily caught up with his weak body. The man bent over, pushing Ryou onto his stomach. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook, expecting a blade to cut into the back of his neck, ultimately ending his life at the meager age of nine...

Until he felt his arms loosen. The man had released him of his binds. Ryou sat up and rubbed his wrists, looking up at the man with pure awe. The look he got in return was a stoic expression that reminded him so much of his brother...

Bakura!

When he was reminded of his brother, all fear for the man in red left him as he jumped up and ran past his attacker – no, savior. At some point during the attack, Bakura had fallen off the horse that was nowhere to be seen. He laid motionless in the dust, his broken and lifeless form making Ryou cry out in worry.

The boy knelt next to his brother and shook his dusty shoulders. "Brother! Wake up! Come on, the bad men are dead!"

Of course, he got no response. His brother didn't even show the slightest signs of life, making Ryou tear up once more. He continued shaking him, hoping that he would see a pair of angry irises stare up at him.

His red savior suddenly appeared noiselessly next to him, crouching down so he was able to reach his fallen brother.

"Don't hurt him!" Ryou begged, his doe eyes wide and blurry with tears.

The man's expression remained flat as he took the lifeless Bakura in his arms and tossed him over his shoulder. He then stood, turned, and began disappearing down an alleyway, his brother in tow.

Ryou watched, wide-eyed, before he jumped up and raced after him.

…

Dead? Dead...? Their mother, their beautiful, lovely, sweet, kind mother dead?

"You're lying!" Ryou cried, trying to yank his arm from the iron grip his brother had on his arm. "Mut says you shouldn't lie!"

"She's dead, Ryou! Now shut your mouth! Those men are still around!"

Ryou barely heard him. He quivered, fresh tears welling up from his already-blurry eyes. He allowed himself to be dragged, whimpering all the while. Bakura remained quiet as he pulled Ryou away from their hut, their home, and out into the desert.

They walked for what seemed like forever. Ryou's sobs eventually turned to sniffles and quiet whimpers. Bakura went from dragging to allowing Ryou to hold onto his hand. Ryou knew his brother hated it, but right now, he didn't care. His whole body was in agony; his skin felt hot and dirty. His new tunic was coated with smoke and soot, his throat was parched, his eyes were dry...

But worst of all, their home had been destroyed, and their family was nowhere to be found. He took to clenching Bakura's hand each time that thought flitted through his mind.

"A-are we going to the village?"

Bakura didn't answer.

"Are we going to meet A-abbi out here? Or Mut?"

Silence.

"I-I hope they made it out okay... We need to find them, Bakura –"

Bakura yanked his hand away, whipped around, and screamed, "Shut up! SHUT UP! Don't you understand? They're dead! Mut is dead, and so is Abbi, and so is Amane! I wasn't lying when I told you they were gone, Ryou! Get it through your head; THEY'RE DEAD!"

Ryou winced as if he had been struck. He then took a step back, disbelieving. "I-I don't believe you..."

"Well you better, because I'm speaking the truth!" Bakura was snarling viciously. "They're dead, Ryou, and we're on our own. So shut your mouth and stop crying like a baby!"

"B-but..."

"There are no buts, Ryou! They're gone! GONE!"

He snapped and burst into tears. "NO They can't be gone!" He whipped around and began running in the direction he though their hut was.

He was roughly grabbed by the tunic, effectively ripping the fabric. "Stop! You're going to get yourself killed if you go back, idiot!"

Ryou yanked at his arm, wailing at his brother, "They aren't dead! We're going to go back and they'll be there!"

"Their bodies will, if they haven't been burned! Ryou, they're DEAD! I saw them DIE!" Bakura was shaking as he clenched tighter onto Ryou's arm. "They beheaded all of them... even Amane..."

Ryou's blood ran cold. "A-amane..."

"We need to leave, Ryou."

"..."

"Before they catch up with us."

"..."

"Come on."

Ryou slid down to his knees, his arm slipping from Bakura's grasp. He hunched over, his fingers digging into the sand as began sobbing again. He sobbed for his family, who were now all dead. He sobbed for his mother, his father, and his sister... his sister who had only recently turned six...

He'll never know their company ever again... Never to see his mother's smile, enjoy his sister's laugh, or hear his father's stern yet loving tone. Tears spilled from his eyes, moans left his parched throat until he started coughing and choking. Saliva, that turned gray from smoke-inhalation, sputtered out from his mouth as coughs tore violently through his weak body.

They're dead.

They're all dead.

"B-bakura..." Ryou wailed as he buried his face in his hands, "W-what are we going to do...?"

There was a long silence before Bakura answered, his voice hard with determination.

"Survive."

[1] "Abbi" means dad.

[2] "Mut" means mom.

[3] "Efendim" means sir.

I used Google search to find these out, so it could be wrong. R&R.