"Um, Marik? I don't think this is a good idea…" Ryou spoke softly as he looked around the large hall, people passing every so often.
"It's fine I promise! I do have access here. Plus no one is really going to kick us out. They can try." Marik gave a grin towards the quiet boy who only sighed in response.
Yugi couldn't help but agree with Ryou, despite the fact that no one seemed to care that they were here. Both Ryou and himself stood out naturally but here, it seemed like it was normal. Well, it is a magical headquarter or something.
"Marik, you said this was a… magical headquarter? Can you explain a bit further?" The short boy looked up at his friend who nodded and turned and started walking backwards to look at his friends as he spoke.
"So, this organization, Maqual, or so was started a long while ago. Like… 3000? Sometime then. I think it was started because… hm. I think…" Marik came to a stop as he tried to recall the reason.
"It was started because of how little we knew about magic and it led a close friend of mine down a path that killed him." A tall woman stood before Marik with a hand on her hip. It was clear that she was of Egyptian descent. She looked from Marik to the other two when her eyes widened for a moment. She ruffled the Blonde's hair who gave a huff.
"Nailah!" Marik fixed his hair before gesturing to the tall lady, Nailah, and introducing her to his friends, "This, is the lady who started this organization herself! Yes, she's an old lady despite looking like she's in her twenties. I'm determined to find out her secret. And Nailah, these are my friends Yugi and Ryou!"
"Ah, I never thought I would see the day that you get friends." She pretended to wipe a tear away from her eye before dodging the playful swipe that he gave her.
"Rude!"
"Oh come on, for a good long while you were cold and grumpy and almost everyone was intimidated by you." She gave a wink to the two boys who looked at each other with a knowing smile.
"So, what, you ever become king or whatever it was you were talking about?" Nailah put a hand on her hip with a mischievous grin on her look which only grew when Marik's face flushed in response.
"Even better, I grew up. Oh, and, uh, I made friends." Marik looked back at the Yugi and Ryou. Ryou gave a slight pout.
"I think we've been forgotten Yugi." The white-haired boy gave a wink to Yugi who covered his mouth as he gave a soft laugh and played along.
"It appears so Ryou, I'm wounded."
"Guuuuuuuys that wasn't what I meant and you know it!" Marik crossed his arms in a playful pout before the group burst into laughter. Nailah merely watched with a satisfied smile.
"I told you, Marik, the world is harsh if you don't have honest friends at your back. You'll go down the wrong path you know." She spoke in a playful chiding manner, waving her finger at him jokingly despite how serious she meant her words.
"No kidding… If you ever need someone to prove that, Yugi is the one to go to." His sandy-blond hair waving as he gave a few nods before grinning at the short boy who gave a bashful smile and rubbed the back of his head shyly.
"So, what brings you here? I'm sure there is a reason you brought your friends here considering this has pretty strict security for those without a background in Magic."
"I know that! And they do have a magical background! The same background as mine!"
Ryou and Yugi gave look to each other, both unsure if it was alright to tell the woman about it, the feeling only worsening when they noticed the slight change in the woman.
"Oh? And by that you mean…"
"I mean-" He stopped and looked back his friends before noting the frown that Ryou was sporting on his face, "Not the point, I don't suppose you could point us towards any books or scrolls that have something to do with spirits?"
He knew this wasn't what she wanted to hear but Marik understood any reservation that Ryou and Yugi might have. But she shrugged.
"Not that I don't want to help you but that library is huge. And while I'm curious as hell, I can deal with your reservation to tell me your secrets." She smiled and ruffled Marik's hair again, the boy only sighing in response.
"Okay… Not even a suggestion?"
"Try the occult area I guess?" Once she spoke, she noticed Ryou's eyes widen.
"Occult?" His eyes seemed to sparkle at the thought of a huge library filled with magic, real magic, and there was a section occult stuff? That was totally down his alley. His friends only sighed.
"Now Ryou, remember what we are here for! You can look at the other books on your own time here." The blond-haired boy put a hand on his hips and gave his friend a stern look.
"But there won't be enough time!"
"We're staying for a few days. There will be time." He only snorted at the pout his friend was sporting on his face. Ryou certainly didn't think so.
And he was right. The occult section was larger than Marik thought it was.
They were surrounded by books. Marik has never read this many books in a week much less a day. Ryou is in heaven. Occult books? On spirits? Hell yeah. That amount of times that Marik and Yugi have had to stop him from grabbing a book that he caught his attention…
Ryou has a pile of books to read later. A large pile.
Marik was looking up at the shelves of books, trying to see pick out a few more books that he thinks might give them a clue even, while the shortest of the three were sitting at the table, searching through each book for a clue.
The tallest of the three, however, was about to grab a book off the shelf when he looked to the side and his stomach dropped. He slowly put his hand down as he headed toward someone that was not where he said he was.
"Dad?" Ryou stood in front of his dad, frozen to the spot. His dad looked up before his eyes widened in surprise his body becoming stiff. It was silent for a moment, the two keeping their eyes on one another before Ryou's dad spoke.
"You should not be here. This is not somewhere you should be." The older man frowned at his son, who frowned as well.
"You shouldn't be here either. You-" Before Ryou could continue, he is interrupted by Nailah who walks up with a tray of snacks.
"Now, now. This library is welcome to everyone." She set the tray on the table that Yugi was at before looking curiously at the two.
Ryou shook his head in response. That wasn't it. He said he was in Egypt just last night when he called his dad. An important excavation that he wouldn't be able to do anything else not even to talk on the phone with his own son. Ryou wasn't bitter. Just sad.
"Just leave here soon. You don't know what you are doing here." His father spoke softly to Ryou before setting the book he had in his hands back onto the shelve. He left without another word, ignoring the pained look that was shown on his son's face.
"…What was that all about?" Marik looked at Ryou curiously. Ryou shook his head and turned around with a bright smile.
"Nothing to worry about! Just a misunderstanding on my part that's all." He went back to where he had previously been, trying his best to ignore the heavy ache in his chest as well as the tears that were trying their hardest to break through. A misunderstanding. Those words were said out of concern. Magic can be very dangerous after all and that was why he said that. Ryou gave a nod to himself before humming to himself.
Marik frowned and looked at Yugi who shrugged. Nailah couldn't help but notice a strange sense of familiarity but sighed instead.
"If you guys tell me what exactly you plan on doing, I could probably direct you in the correct direction. It would be much faster than… this." She spread her arms in a gesture to the piles of books that surrounded them. She looked at Marik before sighing when he shook his head.
"We got this."
"You don't sound so sure," She sighed and shook her head, "Honestly you are far too stubborn. You know where I am if you need me…"
She walked away, only Ryou noticing the way her footsteps made no noise.
"…Marik who exactly is.. Nailah was it?" Yugi looked at Marik who gave a shrug.
"Honestly, I don't really know much about her either. Just that she kicks ass in both magic and fighting. She taught me how to defend myself which is why we are so close. Other than that, I don't actually know. Which is frustrating now that I think about it." Marik tapped his foot on the ground in thought before giving a huff and walking to the table and dropping another set of books on it.
"She seems… familiar?" Faintly, he felt like he recognized her. But he didn't. At least, Ryou Bakura didn't know her.
It had been a long day, looking from book to book for some hint. And honestly, they didn't even know what they were truly looking for. Something to do with communicating with them? Who knows. But when Ryou went to bed, he conked out. There was no way he would wake up, nothing could make him stir not even the dead.
Which of course was an ironic thought. Because the dead did wake him. Well, thoughts of the dead.
The white-haired boy sat up sleepily, his mind not even half awake as he grabbed the book bag that he had stuff full of paint supplies. The other two boys in the room didn't stir. Even if they did, he wouldn't have noticed. He left the room.
When Ryou fully woke up, he was in the library, sitting at the table they had been at previously. In front of him was a canvas, still wet from the paint. He gave a sigh. This was happening a lot recently. He looked at the painting carefully, wondering if there were any clues it held as to why he was doing this.
The picture of a smiling woman, long fluffy white hair looked back at him. It wasn't his mother. But she felt like his mother. Last time Ryou checked however, his mother wasn't of Egyptian descent. Ryou's mother was almost the exact opposite of the painting. The painting showed a kind woman, her skin a dark tan and scars that could be seen, peaking from under clothing. Ryou's mother, however, was frail and her skin a glowing white.
Ryou gave a sigh, rubbing his eyes and leaning back in his chair when suddenly a book dropped. He jerked his head to the side to see where the noise had come from when he saw a book lying on the ground against the wall. He looked around carefully before standing up and walking over to it. It was a random book, probably wasn't shoved all the way in a gravity pulled it to its inevitable doom.
But see, when Ryou tried to put it back, he couldn't. It wasn't that there was anything physically holding him back or even that he didn't know where to put it. There was a clear space where it should have been. It was just that when he tried shoving it in, it only went three fourth of the way. It stuck out like a sore thumb with the neat row of books, shoved all the way back into the shelf. Which admittedly was strange, now that he stood back and looked at the other shelves, especially considering all the other books were pushed neatly to the edge of the shelf.
When Ryou peaked into the space he noticed some kind of switch or lever. If he just reached in a pulled it… well, he could probably see what it would do if anything.
"And this is where my hand gets chopped off…" he grumbled under his breath and pulled out his phone, turning it out before pointing the screen to illuminate the space. Nothing revealed out of the ordinary and he took a deep breath. When he put his hand back there he shifted around, trying to get a good grasp on the lever.
Something touched his hand.
Oh hell no. He yanked his hand out, knocking over a few books in the process. It was a tiny spider.
"Aww…. You scared me, little guy! Geez… When did I become such a baby." Ryou shook his head before reaching his hand back and pulled the lever which happened to be considerably easier now that the other books were out of the way. Why hadn't he just done that to begin with?
There was nothing at first.
Depressing.
Then, with no sound at all, no dramatic creak or rumbling, the bookshelf slowly creaked backward to reveal a hidden passage.
"This is so. Cool!" He was literally in secret passage that was hidden behind a bookshelf inside a magical headquarter in what was practically a castle. Every bookworm's dream.
He walked down the creepy stoned steps, his glee almost spilling from his chest. It was like being in a movie, there were spider webs in the corner, small windows that revealed the dark outside alongside yet each had a little old lantern that lit up the stairs.
He crept down the stairs as though he was doing something wrong but really, there weren't any signs telling him that it was restricted access nor did anyone say that he couldn't. Every sound spooked him and he continuously felt like a mouse was going to run across the next step.
When he got to the last step he was greeted to bookcase after bookcase. The book upon the book.
Perfect.
"Magic seems to like you."
Ryou whipped around to reveal Nailah. He put a hand on his chest as if trying to stop his heart from ripping itself free from his chest. She only laughed and ruffled his hair.
"You scared me…" He gave a gentle huff before smiling sweetly at the older woman "Do you mind telling me what this place is? I found it by chance and there wasn't anything that said I wasn't allowed to be here so I thought I might check it out…"
"Well, this is where the more, uh, sketchy magic is. Well not really sketchy, but like.." She tapped her foot on the ground, trying to think of a good way to put it, "Well upstairs is more of stories and theories but they aren't ah… they aren't telling you like magic words or actual magic. No Magic circles or the such."
"That makes sense…" Ryou gave a nod, twirling a strand of hair around his finger.
"Normally we would have to give you clearance to access this part of the library but since you are friends of Marik it will be fine. Hey, is your hair naturally white?" Nailah looked at his hair curiously, her own long black hair tied up into a high ponytail.
"Oh! Um, yes, it has been white for as long as I remember. Um… Miss Nailah-"
"Just Nailah is fine. Makes me feel old ya know?" She gave a grin when the younger boy gave a laugh.
"But you are old! At least I would consider over 5000 years is pretty old." His eyes gave a little twinkle and smile when she gave a pout.
"Don't you know not to tell someone they're old? So mean. But what was your question?"
Ryou hesitated. This question could reveal far too much and if Nailah was not someone he should trust… He let out a breath and spoke. After all, standing there and doing nothing wasn't going to get him there.
"In Ancient Egypt… Did you- Did you know someone who went by Bakura?" He looked at her, aware as to how she reacted. First, her eyes widened. Then she smiled and nodded.
"So I'm not crazy! I do know a Bakura. We are talking about the infamous 'King of Thieves' Correct?" Her eyes twinkled mischievously and he nodded, his voice was far too twisted in his throat for him to try and speak.
"I know him quite well actually, he saved my ass." Her response untied his throat.
"Tell me more." Someone who knew Bakura. And not just like how Marik knew him, but someone who knew him closely. He was glad when she nodded in return.
"Alright, but in return, you have to tell me your connection to him."
"Of course." Not that Ryou really knew that himself.
She gestured for him to follow her and he did. They walked to past shelves and shelves, this room seemed far larger than he thought it should. It had only been a tower right? When they stopped before them was two armchairs facing towards each other.
"Now tell me," She started after they both sat down, "what connection do you have with him?"
"Well… it all started when my dad gave me a golden pendant for my birthday…"
"Well, I can see you've certainly been through some shit… And I have half a mind to beat Marik's ass." Nailah releases a sigh, the air shuffling her bangs slightly. The person who she thought she knew… she didn't.
"Don't be mad about what Marik has done. We have all forgiven him. Besides, I know he still beats himself up over it." Ryou gave a soft smile, his hands folded neatly in his lap.
"If that's what you wish-"
"It is."
"But what bothers me… is how different your Bakura is from mine… Well, not entirely. Sure there is still that gruffness but yours… for him to be so cruel. And the fact that there were so many things that he didn't tell us…. He just disappeared and ended up dead!" She was upset. Of course, she was, Bakura the king of thieves, was like a brother to her.
"I- If it is any consolation, Bakura's harshness… I think is more of the result from his connection to Zorc who resided within the ring with him. There were times where… he was not so harsh. Like his time with Marik! I mean other than the fact that he stabbed my shoulder with a pocket knife that I really don't know how he got… That was a harsher time. And some days his presence was different… Er, I'm sorry, I don't really know how to explain it… and now I'm rambling…" Ryou gave a sigh, running his hand through his hair.
She couldn't help but compare this boy to Bakura. Ryou was so overwhelmingly kind and gentle while Bakura, you had to dig and search for the kindness that he kept hidden under a guise of apathy. The boy before her was gentle and weak. The other was firm and strong.
"I appreciate it. I suppose it is my turn to tell you about my Bakura."
"How did you two meet?" Ryou spoke, shifting in his chair as he leaned towards her, eager to know more about a man that was such a mystery to him.
"Well, I was eleven or so and I was starving on the street. My family had no more room for me or money so they dropped me off at a village and left."
Ryou gave a small gasp, covering his mouth with his hand. But he dropped them when he saw the shake of her head.
"Perhaps it might be cruel now, but then, I can understand. They had two boys and then me. I wasn't likely to bring in money or the such and they were struggling to feed us already. We were poor. I couldn't find it in myself to hate them and I still don't hate them even now."
"But how I met him… Well, I tried to rob him." She gave a grin and he gave a snort at the thought.
"I can't imagine that went well." He spoke, a small smile on his face. She shook her head.
"It didn't. He whooped my ass. I should have expected it, really. Sure, he was only a year older than me but he wasn't starving or stick thin like I was. But when he left, I noticed a gold ring in my pocket. I recognized it as one that he had been wearing. It was what had caught my eye and made me make him a target. I asked for it and he gave it to me." She leaned back into the chair. It was a fond memory despite getting her ass kicked.
"So I went and found him. I asked him to train me and to tell me his tricks. He laughed in my face and told me to fuck off." She pouted, crossing her arms like a child.
"But after days of hounding him, trying to convince him, I found him in a sticky situation. See, he was surrounded by a few guards and his shoulder was wounded as well. He had a rip in his iconic red jacket. It was too big for him right then though but he rolled up the sleeve so that it didn't hinder him. He looked ridiculous of course but he grew into it."
Ryou couldn't help but imagine a small Bakura in an oversized red cloak. He couldn't stifle the small laugh and Nailah nodded in amusement.
"Absolutely ridiculous. But anyway, I jumped one of the guards, catching them off guard and grabbed his arm and we ran. We ran and ran and my god those guards were fucking persistent. Annoyingly so. I found a horse up the road and I was like, you gotta knife? Cut the rope and I'll jump on the horse and pull you up as well. Now, he didn't like being told what to do. Never really did but I'm glad he listened. I jumped on the horse and yanked him up. Somehow we managed to get on and I got us away as fast I could. I knew how to ride a horse because my dad raised horses. Boss did not. He held on as tight as he could as he looked back at the guard."
"Boss?"
"Oh, that what I and the others typically call Bakura. I was just the first one he helped." She gave a grin, running her fingers through her ponytail absentmindedly.
"Others…? Where you guys like a gang?" His eyes sparkled as he leaned forward, imagining the scarred Bakura dressed as a Yakuza and laughed at how well it fit him. His Bakura did like wearing black though and he was pretty tough.
"I suppose that's pretty close. A group of tomb robbers. The such." She gave a small shrug. She only robbed the dead. Nothing bad about that; it wasn't like the dead need riches. They were dead.
"But- um…" He hesitated to ask such a personal question, "Were you two….. together? Like-"
Before he could continue, she burst into laughter. She just guffawed loudly, curling up as she laughs. Ryou turned bright red and rubbed his hands together as he waited for her to calm down.
"N-no! Haha, Gods no! I'm too gay for that. He's more like an annoying old brother!" She leaned over and ruffled Ryou's hair who merely pouted.
"I just thought- You seemed to admire him and-" He stopped when she shook her head.
"I do admire him. We all do. He's called the King of Thieves for a reason ya know."
Ryou shifted back in his seat when a sudden thought popped into his head. He pulled out a pocket-sized notebook from, get this, his pocket and began to write using the tiny pen it came with. He gave a grin before holding it out to Nailah. She frowned at it, trying to decipher what it said.
"Tou-zoku? Touzoku? I'm sorry I don't-" She scratched the top of her head slightly with a little frown and the boy in front of her flushed slightly.
"Um- it means King of Thieves! I thought- I mean I figured it would be easier than saying My Bakura and your Bakura cause that sounds weird. So, yours is called Touzoku! Cause he- He was the one that really did the stealing. Of course, I'm not saying Bakura didn't steal per se, he did often and the number of times I've found a bunch of money in my pocket- Sorry I'm rambling again…" His face was flushed and he fiddled with the little notebook in his hand.
"That's clever! I think he would approve too." She gave a grin before leaning over and ruffling his hair for what seemed like the millionth time that month. He didn't try to fix his hair and just grinned right back.
"I thought so too!" With a proud grin, his chest puffed out slightly, they both laughed. It had been a while since Ryou had such a loud heartfelt laugh like that. It left a warm feeling in his chest.
"But really, you should probably get to sleep. It's pretty late." Nailah smiled at him and he nodded.
"Yeah… Just let me give a quick glance around and then I'll pop right back into bed."
"Well, you know yourself better than I do." She gave a smile before standing up and leaning back into a long stretch. She left while yawning, leaving the white-haired boy to himself.
He sat there for a moment, unsure as to what he would start at first until he heard a door creak open. He gently stood up from his seat. Well, these strange occurrences were what led him down here and they have yet to lead him down the wrong path. Yet. He gave sigh and walked through the door.
He walked into the room and looked around. It was cold and depressing. Stone walls stone floors ugh. Well, it certainly gave a medieval feel to the room and this was a castle after all. In the middle of the room was a book, covered in chains.
"Well this is a classic retelling of hey, this is a forbidden book, don't read or you will foreeeeveeer be cursed." He groaned and took a few steps forward, "It certainly is captivating though."
He took a step forward when the chain snapped on the book and fell to the floor with a clatter.
"That didn't help the creepy factor either Mr. Ghost," The chain gave it moved quickly to the other side of the room, "Mrs. Ghost?"
Nothing.
"Mrs. Ghost it is then. Sorry about that." Ryou took a careful step towards the book and when nothing else happened, he picked up the book. Hieroglyphics.
"Well I can't-" Before he could finish his sentence, the words shifted into Japanese. He stared. He blinked. What the hell… I mean seriously, how many times do you see words change languages? Freaaaaaky.
He took a look around. Back to the book. Still Japanese.
Communing of Souls.
This… was well, kinda creepy to say the least. So, a ghost wants to talk to him? Okay….. I mean, that much was obvious. But maybe this could help him speak to Bakura as well!
He gave a nod and flipped open the book. I mean, sure, he should probably get back to sleep but this could hint to what they had been looking for the whole day!
"This book has a table of contents." There was a stifled laugh before he gave a deep yawn. He really should go to bed…. Nah. He sat down as his legs started to complain from standing in a deathly stillness.
"…So I can't talk to ghosts that are currently lingering in this plane or… whatever." He gave a frown before looking up.
"I can always use an Ouija board for you but I can probably talk to Bakura using this couldn't I?" Ryou waited before realized that he was likely talking to himself and gave a sigh. He was not losing his mind. Unless he had never had one. Anyway.
He peeked out of the small room looking for something he could use to write with. To the corner of the room, adjacent to the room, was a small kitchen. Which is weird, he wasn't going to lie but it sure was handy. Actually, that was probably why it was there. Easy access.
He returned to the room, trying to ignore the oddities that he found in the kitchen, holding a large container of salt. That should work.
Looking at the words before him, he muttered them under his breath, over and over again until he stopped saying it wrong. Then he said it a few times more. It's important to be diligent when fucking with magic.
He poured out the salt, meticulously fixing the magic circle. It doesn't hurt to be too careful, especially when dealing with magic that calls on spirits. You wouldn't want to call the wrong one. Evil spirits like Bakura. Wait…
Once he was finally ready he sat on the cold cobblestone ground before waiting. He wasn't quite sure what he was waiting for, his heart pounding in his chest like a jackhammer. He took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it go.
And he began. After the short sequence that he spoke, he concentrated on the spirit he was looking for.
Bakura. Bakura. Bakura.
There was a shine of light and he shut his eyes. For a split second, his mind went back to his conversation that he had just a few moments ago. Touzoku.
Dear god if he let this boy just wander around on his own he would die.
That was the first thought that the king of thieves had when he saw Ryou. He looked at his surroundings, a cold room that was made of stone that he was different than what he saw in the tombs he robbed. Only the rich could have such a room. He looked down when he noticed the salt surrounding him in a particular design.
"…Was I summoned or something?" He looked up at the other boy who blinked and gave a slight nod. Summoned? What was he, a demon? He was human, thank you very much. Although he supposed he might have lost any semblance of humanity when he set forth on a path of revenge. But that 's whatever.
Ryou looked at the man in front of him. See, this wasn't the Bakura he meant to call. This Bakura didn't know him. He guessed that he should just be glad of the fact that it had work and that the book he found in that secret passage didn't call out something undesirable.
"You know, you probably shouldn't sit like that. You're wearing a-" He couldn't think of the proper word of it, "A not-skirt."
The man before him stared blankly.
"…You mean my shendyt?"
"That's the word!" Ryou clapped his hands together cheerfully, a bright smile on his face. The smile shifted into a pout when he saw the amusement in the man's face.
"We don't wear shen- shen-"
"Shendyt"
"Shendyt. We don't wear shendyts! Not anymore." Ryou gave a huff and crossed his arms.
"Anymore?" The thief cocked his head curiously and gave a thoughtful hum. So, he wasn't just in a foreign land.
"Er, well if what he said was correct, you're from… 3000 years in the past? Or maybe it was 5000…" The man before him froze, his eyes wide. Oh, you know, he's suddenly so far in the future… It's nothing. Happens all the time.
NOT!
"Wait, wait, wait… How many years?" He tried to reach out a hand to grab the boy in front of him when his hand was blocked by an invisible barrier. He frowned at that. The other boy blinked before scratching the back of his head.
"Sorry that was a bit of a heavy piece of information, wasn't it? I think he said 5000 years. The times have changed, any civilization that you may have known of have changed and died by now. See, I wasn't trying to call you really. I was trying to call a spirit that is…. Connected to you in a way?" Ryou tugged on a strand of hair as he tried to think about the best way to explain it. At this point, however, the man before him was struggling to grasp on that fact, his mind spinning.
"The beginning. Start… from the beginning." He rubbed his temples from the budding headache that was emerging.
"Right. Um… It started when I first got this ancient Artifact from my dad. Which, um isn't ancient to you. Actually, you're older than it." Ryou gave an awkward laugh as he looked anywhere except the man in front of him who narrowed his eyes.
"This artifact…"
"You know it well…" he spoke softly, the Millennium items had ruined the thief's life, "The item I received was the Millennium Ring that you're wearing around your neck right now."
There was a dark look that spread across the man's face and his hand grasped the pendant that dangled around his neck. He hated it. There was something morbid about wearing something made from people you cared about. Or even just wearing something that used to be human.
"I didn't know about what it was, how it was made, or about the spirit that had resided in it." He knew the last thought caught the Egyptian's attention.
"Spirit?"
"Mhm. I think… I think the spirit had said he was a piece split from your soul. Your rage, your pain resided in him. He sought to continue the revenge that you had and he tried his best. And dear god he can really hold a grudge. He held it for 5000 years." Ryou stopped and watched as the man before him processed this information.
"…So I didn't get my revenge? And from the sound of it, he failed too didn't he." Ryou shook his head and the other tsked in response.
"Neither of you did. But I feel like there's… I don't know. You guys were seeking revenge on people who had nothing to do with the death of your villa-"
"The hell do you know!" The Egyptian clenched his fists, his cloak held in a tight grasp, "You don't know shit! So fucking what if they had nothing to do with it?! The royalty has for years taken from the poor and killed and slaughter for no other reason than the fact that they thought they were better than us peasants."
He spits out the last words and Ryou flinched at the rage. But the smaller boy had grown used to rage and he was tired of being an absent thought.
"I know more than you think! I dream of that night every day! I don't- I don't know why I have your memories. But I saw exactly what you saw. I saw the corruption in those guards. I know the corruption that was in the people that led this… But goddammit murdering everyone isn't going to fix anything! You kill one off, another appears!"
"So then I'll kill them too!"
"You kill and you kill and you kill! Death fixes nothing all it does is harm the innocent people around you and does that make you any better?! You're killing innocent people just like those guards have!" Ryou shouted and he let go of a shaky breath that he hadn't realized that he was holding. His hand which had at some point wounded itself tightly into his shirt dropped to his side.
"I-" The Egyptian stopped for a moment, his mind a blur and the headache was raging, blocking any thought he tried to form, "I can't think."
That caught Ryou off guard. First, they were shouting at each other and now, the other spoke in a soft whisper. It was only until he noticed of the gleam from the Ring.
"Take the ring off. Inside it is Zorc and, I dunno, it might be unrelated to your headache but I've worn the Ring for years…" The other man looked up at the other boy before sighing and taking off the pendant. As if magic the headache swept away. He frowned at it before sighing.
"…Tell me more about the spirit. That was… a piece of my soul? How does that work?" He gave another sigh at the shrug he received.
"I don't really know how it works. Bakura would though- that's the spirits name. Er, and mine. Well, my last name. My first name is Ryou."
"…We share the same name." He received a hum in reply.
"I think Ishizu mentioned something about reincarnation. I think… I might be your reincarnation?" he tugged on his long hair gently when he heard a laugh from the man before him.
"We are nothing alike. Perhaps there's a similarity in our hair but everything else is entirely different. You're thin and weak and far too soft." He looked at the boy across from him who had his cheeks puffed out in a pout.
"Well, in this day and age, we don't really have any need for muscles! Nor do we need any cruelty, thank you very much." The other man rolled his eyes with a scoff.
"Suuuuure. You're trying to tell me that there's no violence or corruption in the future? Humans take violence like a duck takes to water." He grinned in triumph when the other boy gave a huff.
"I mean of course there's violence and corruption but at least the normal people have a little power… Yeah, there's violence but life is mostly tranquil and if you are in a bad place, there are people and places to go to get you out of it. There's more compassion, I think… And corruption is bound to be where power is. But not everyone is corrupt. Like Atem wasn't corrupt." Ryou spoke confidently but shrunk back slightly when he heard a growl from the thief.
"Bullshit. There's no way that he isn't corrupt. royalty is corrupt."
"Sure, and all 'peasants' are moral-less murderers" Ryou spoke, putting air quotes around the words peasants, "Humans have so much variety that you can't tie a whole group of people to one thing. There will always be exceptions. Not all thieves are evil. Not all Royals are kind."
"So what? Was I supposed to just let it go?! Oh, you murdered my whole village and dumped them in molten hot gold while they were still alive but that's alright I forgive you?! Do you know how ridiculous you sound?!" He scowled and the other boy scowled right back.
"Of course not! That's a load of shit! But murdering people won't change what happens! It just makes it worse! Maybe you took your revenge in a different way? Like- Like- Like imagine if you took the truth to the people! Do you really think the citizens would have let that slide?!"
The Egyptian gave a sharp laugh.
"Yeah! They fucking would! They don't give a damn if there's a kid dying in an alleyway from starvation and there's no way they would go against fucking royalty! The same thing will happen to them!"
"Well, you have to build trust! How can you expect trust from others if you won't give it to others yourself?"
"Isn't it the same like-wise? Why should I give my trust if they don't give me theirs?" He crossed his arms and Ryou gave a low groan, covering his face with his hands.
"That would just go nowhere! Ugh, we're talking in circles…" Ryou shook his head, his head still in his hands. This was ridiculous.
"The world is cruel."
"The world is what you make it. It's cruel if you're cruel. It's kind if you're kind. If you want to change the world then you have to start with you first. Person by person. It takes time…" He had lifted his head from his hands and looked at the other man.
It was silent for a bit, neither speaking to one another.
"I lost my whole village Ryou." It was a weird name for him to say. He never realized just how tired he was. He wanted it to be over and for the blood to be paid in full.
"It never should have happened." The smaller boy spoke in a whisper before the room fell into silence yet again. Neither spoke for a bit until Ryou gave out a loud yawn.
"I suppose I should send you back…" Despite their argument, they both hesitated. Neither wanted to leave. It was quiet here and Ryou had someone to talk to, finally in so long. He was tired of being by himself.
"Yeah."
"Goodnight Touzoku." Ryou gave a sad smile and before the King of Thieves could inquire as to what that last word meant, he was back in his heartless sandy home.
