Third chapter of this story. I'm very happy to present it, since it has what everyone has told me what they have been looking forward to, Akefia meeting Ryou Bakura. It is no doubt their relationship that will change the most from canon in this story and I want to do it some real justice. I certainly hope that you enjoy it.
As always, this is merely a story I tell to offer tribute to the show and some of my favorite characters. It is in no way meant to make any profit or is there any Copyright Infringement intended. Please support the original show.
Chapter 3: Fate's Course
"Run faster, you damn fool!" Akefia urged, turning his head back and seeing the men running after him.
A scrawny man, practically dressed in rags ran through the streets of the city, shoving past people with several men in black robes not far behind. He clutched a large piece of golden jewelery in his hand as he panted, rushing through the crowd as fast as he could.
Akefia growled as he followed after him, silently pushing him to run faster. At this point they were going to get caught, and that was the last thing he needed. If this damn thief caused him to have to go back, he was going to kill him... slowly and with as much screaming as was humanly possible.
The Thief King, now the long since dead spirit of the Millennium Ring was in a sense, bored. He had been for a long time, and he was starting to get sick of it. So many years had passed by since he had been freed from the Ring, more than he cared to count, and much more than he felt any mortal had a right to see. Then again, he was anything but a mortal anymore.
He had begun to notice signs, he could feel like something was coming, a change in the air it seemed. For countless centuries, the tomb that had in a way become his home had been largely ignored, undiscovered. They hid way there, in peace, only venturing out when it was required. But these last few years or so... things had become much more active. Akefia didn't think he could put it into words, but it felt... different. Like something was supposed to happen, something important.
He wasn't sure how they had been discovered, if the resting place had just been found by chance or not, but he'd been calmly lazing around when had seen a man come inside the room with the Millennium Stone. The dead thief was curious, watching the stranger as he skulked into the room and up to the ancient artifact. He knew everyone who lived in this tomb, watching all of them as they went about their duties and lives, and this one did not belong here.
He didn't care much when the stranger went up to the stone, at least until he plucked a piece of gold from the alter, Akefia's own Ring.
"H-hey!" he snapped suddenly. "What do you think you're doing! You put that back! Thief!"
The irony of the statement he had just made was not lost on him, but he was in too much of a panic to care. That was his, dammit! No one had the right to steal it! He had taken it from that dead priest centuries ago, fair and square!
He'd been unfortunately jerked along for the ride, screaming the whole time for one of the damn tomb keepers to notice. That was their job after all. He was starting to hate how none of them could see him. The unnamed thief had gotten pretty far too, and Akefia was beginning to wonder if he should just kill the damn fool himself when Shadi had appeared in front of the thief, seemingly coming from out of nowhere. Akefia knew he in fact had, but it had to be quite a nasty shock for the unsuspecting man who had tried to make off with the Item.
"About time you got here," Akefia muttered. "Did you plan to let him just make off with MY Item?"
Shadi said nothing back to him, staring at the man who had tried to make the theft. His eyes bore into his, watching him for a moment before he spoke.
"You seek the Millennium Ring?" he asked softly. "Perhaps you are the one then. You may keep it, if you pass the test."
"Wait, what?" the Thief King snapped. "What do you think you're talking about?"
The living thief seemed just as confused, but before he could protest as well, the other tomb keepers had arrived. Like wraiths dressed in black, they had grabbed the thief, dragging him back to the tomb as he kicked and screamed. Akefia could only watch in fascination as he followed them, wondering what was going to happen. Shadi was obviously not going to answer his questions, and it didn't seem as if he was a little too curious about this new development to fight it yet.
Once back in the tomb, Shadi took the Ring from the man, wordlessly hanging it over his neck.
"Now," he spoke softly, "it is time for your test."
Akefia suddenly lurched forward, as if something had grabbed him. He was tugged against him will, finding himself suddenly pulled into the Ring. He blinked in surprise and looked around. Where was he? It was a dark room, but nothing like his own. It was dank and wet, the walls and floor covered with water. No... not water... blood. The air was rank with it, a horrible stench. Weapons and bones littered the area along with many broken pieces of jewelery hanging from the walls, and he understood immediately, this man was just a murderer and thief. He liked his fancy little treasures and would go to any means to get them.
This was a perfect soul for Zork to inhabit. He would have loved it.
"No," he hissed angrily. "I won't accept this."
He turned angrily, not surprised to see the thief in the room. He looked largely confused about what was going on, but Akefia didn't give a damn. This man was going to get what he came for, but he wasn't going to like it.
"So, you want my treasure, do you?" he hissed. "Another fancy bauble, another piece of gold for your collection? You don't even know what the Ring is, do you, you damn miserable idiot? Well, I'll be happy to show you."
He paid no attention to the screams as the shadows twisted around the stranger. He didn't really care about his discomfort or fright. This was not his intended host. He would be damned before he let such a soul posses his Item, or his power. He didn't even grant the man the mercy of a quick death, wanting him to see the horrors he had brought upon himself when he had dared come inside of here. Monsters tore from the shadows, ancient and dark under Akefia's control and jumped at the man, tugging him to the ground and ripping into his flesh, following the Thief King's will blindly.
He watched the blood of the thief mix into the rest of the puddles on the floor, the faint drip drip drip now the only sounds in the room, the screaming having died away a long time ago. He merely snorted at the weak display before leaving the room.
The damage he had inflicted on the stranger was not on display on his actual body when Akefia came out and back into the tomb. He merely was laying on the floor, the Ring hanging off his neck and resting on the floor, but he was without a doubt dead.
"If you ever do that again, I'll kill you," he hissed at Shadi. "Now put the damn Ring back."
Despite his threat however, this cycle that had started did not seem to end so simply. They were broken into again, and again. Something seemed to be drawing the damn thieves in, and every time he was the one who had to test them.
He killed them all, not interested in such people having him in their possession. Some of them didn't even get tot the Stone before they were caught, some of them Akefia killed before they even got to the door, and some of them almost seemed as if they were going to get away with their theft, before they were drug back and forced to see if they were worthy.
They didn't always steal the Ring, so Akefia didn't think this was Zork's doing. He was still locked tightly away, and he did not feel the demon's influence. Still, something was going on, and he wanted to know what. He also wanted to know why Shadi kept insisting that the Ring was the one to test these people, even when they tried to steal the Eye.
"It is coming close to the time," Shadi had finally explained to him when he had asked why he was allowing so many people into this tomb. He was practically hanging an invitation over the door from how many invasions were beginning to happen. "Your destiny is almost at hand. Soon the one destined for you will come, and your part will be laid before you to play."
It sounded too much like fate to him. He had no desire to sit around and wait for some moron to finally be able to keep the Ring. What kind of destiny was that? He was not the type to just allow whatever life had planned when he did not like the result. He made his own destiny, and he was not going to let some two bit thief claim him, even if he had to slaughter ever single one of them.
He had long since gotten tired of waiting too. It was then that he had the idea to simply take matters into his own hand. He could not wait for someone to come along and prove themselves more worthy for him. He needed someone sly and quick, someone like him. He needed to get into the world and find out what was going on, and what this so called destiny was.
He could move the Ring on his own now, he had for a while now, but he couldn't do it very quickly. Actually being able to pick it up and move it took a lot of concentration and effort, so stealing it himself and trying to leave was out of the question. He needed someone else, as much as he loathed to admit it. He was dependent on whoever would have the Ring, but that had never meant he would be unable to find them himself.
He'd started to wander, finding the men on his own. He could make the living hear him for short amounts of time, but didn't bother to do it much before now. There was no point with the tomb keepers, and the towns folk would simply think themselves crazy if he tried to talk to them. Still, now that he had a reason, he was more than eager to use his powers.
Gripping the minds of his victims was almost too easy. He couldn't control them, not completely, but they could hear his suggestions, seeming to listen too eagerly to his whispers of treasure. In a land where they were many poor, it was easy to yank their mind in a place where he wanted it, forcing them to try to steal his Ring and make off with it.
None of them that he picked where his intended host, far from it. He had no desire to pick any of them for real, but they could carry the Ring out, they could find his proper host. There was no more time to wait, and with every attempted escape, he grew more and more hungry for the outside world. It would mean being one more step closer to finding the Pharaoh and using him to kill Zork.
Many of his attempts failed. He was always caught, brought back with the Ring and forced to kill the damn thief. He didn't feel a shred of guilt that he was leading them to their deaths, but the way Shadi was beginning to look at him when no one else was around told him that the wielder of the two Millennium Items knew what he was trying to do. He really didn't care if he approved or not. After all, the Ring did not belong to him.
Besides, Akefia's way of doing things did prove themselves fruitful. One of his attempted escapes had led a strange white haired man back to the tomb. He had looked odd, it was obvious he did not belong to this land, and he had followed them back when he had seen Akefia's latest victim try to get away with the Ring. He had offered to pay for the gold in order to spare the man's life, but Shadi would have none of that nonsense and had warned him about going around while foolishly exclaiming loudly he had enough money to pay for large pieces of gold on a whim.
The foreigner had followed them, had witnessed the gruesome 'test' of the thief being forced to try on the Ring, and had been caught. Shadi spoke of testing him and for a moment Akefia had wondered if he would have to kill this man too, for he certainly didn't seem strong enough to have the power at the spirit's hands. However this time the Eye had been pulled out and given to him.
Surprisingly enough, the Item had accepted the foreigner. Akefia was happy to see it go as well. The Eye had belonged to the man who had, even through the influence of a demon, destroyed his home. He was happy not to have to look at it anymore.
But Akefia was still just as eager to get away from the damn tomb. His escape attempts did not end, nor did he give up. In fact, he had only started to draw more and more mortals to him, sure one of these times he would succeed in getting away and finding his host on his own, because waiting for fate to get off it's ass and actually do anything had long since gotten old.
This mortal was certainly getting farther than any of the others had. He seemed a bit healthier. Akefia could do nothing to really help him speed up, aside from yelling to go faster. He wondered for a moment if Shadi was beginning to get irritated with him over this. Even after thousands of years together, it was still so hard to tell what was going on in that man's head. Of course, Akefia would be just as happy not to know and never have to see him again.
The tomb keepers were getting closer. A bad sign. He actually felt hopeful about this mortal. He wanted to get out of here, anywhere would be better than judging and killing thief after thief in this endless damn cycle. He had always thought of himself as a man of action, but he was being forced to sit like a good boy and wait for who knows what. Well, he'd be damned before he let that happen. Ironic actually. He already was damned in a way.
He spied a corner along the road of the city, forcing the man to turn that way. The Ring had never gotten this far, but Akefia had wandered often. He knew these roads, the twists and turns, where the best place to hide was. He hoped that it would give him an advantage over the keepers, who would go into the city, but had stayed underground more than not.
He did not have much of a plan beyond just getting away, but he was quickly thinking. He was good on his feet, and he was beginning to think that now was a very good time to come up with the next phase of his plan. He was getting very close to the market place. He smirked suddenly as he decided now was finally the time he would get away from those damn idiots.
"Drop it," he hissed in the thief's ear. The mortal did it without question, completely in Akefia's thrall and kept running. The dead Thief King pushed it, able to move the Ring enough for that, hiding it in the shadows and watched the tomb keepers run past him and after the mortal he had been using. He'd run for a while before he would begin to wonder what was going on. It always took mortals forever to be able to break free of his control.
How pathetic.
He waited patiently, watching the people go about, some of them curious what the commotion had been about, but they quickly forgot it. Akefia did not see the tomb keepers come back. Either they had caught the man, which was very likely, and were taking another route back, or they were still chasing. Too bad Shadi hadn't come with them. Too bad for them that is. Akefia never would have been able to hide the Ring from him. He just seemed to have a knack for getting in the way and knowing where the Ring was.
"This is fate now," he muttered with a grin. "Don't interfere, you stupid little ghost."
It wasn't until dusk that Akefia decided to act. He waited for a random mortal before practically jumping her, some teenaged female. She didn't put up much resistance, and without a word, she picked up the Ring from it's hiding place, slipping it under the folds of her skirt. He didn't plan to use her for long. He didn't have much of an opinion on kids, but he had no desire for her to be caught with such an thing. It wouldn't end well for her, that was for sure.
He led her to the market. He felt a little bad for her, sure she had a family that could use some money for food. She looked pretty skinny, then again, who didn't here? The first stand that looked promising was his target, and he forced her to walk to the one and reveal with Ring. The shop keeper was immediately interested, but only offered a measly price. Just because he could, the Thief King gripped the man's mind too, making him give her a better offer. It was still nowhere near the worth of it, but this whole damn city could never pay for an Item of nearly limitless dark power. No city could. That sort of thing was worth so much more than what monetary wealth could ever achieve.
Feeling he had gotten away finally, he let himself relax. He didn't bother to wonder what had happened to the mortal he had used, nor did he care much. He released the girl as well. She would surely be surprised by the money now clutched tightly to her chest, but if she had half a brain, she'd not question the matter and just use it. She'd seemed intelligent enough when he had overshadowed her. She'd be a good girl and get some food. As it was though, he had no more interest in her than he did for the thief he had abandoned, now that she had done her part.
He kept his influence on the shop keeper though. He didn't trust the man. He seemed slimy somehow. Probably the kind of men who made profit off the pour by giving them pennies for their goods and then selling them for ten times as much, if not more. He didn't want the Item passed off in greed. He needed to find a good host, someone he could trust his revenge to.
He waited a while, the days passing by. He didn't see anyone who caught his eye, settling into his new home as it were. There were some tourists, but mostly the city was filled with people who lived in the street. Some of them seemed more than well off, and some seemed so poor they might as well have lived in his time, they had so little to their name. He didn't see any of the tomb keepers either, which had surprised him. He had thought they would come looking for the Ring, or that Shadi would come back to claim it. Neither happened and he was glad for it. Now that he was free, he was determined never to go back to that stinking pit he'd lived in for so long. He'd almost come to hate it as much as his own damn Soul Room.
It wasn't until the second week was coming to a close did something interesting happen. A man dressed like some explorer had come to the table, wearing a warm smile and glasses. He seemed to be a little hot, his blue hair tied in a pony tail and sweating a little, even under the shade of his hat. He even had some dirt on his hands and face. There was nothing very interesting about him, a little bit more tan than most of the tourists, but still pale in comparison to the people who lived here.
He spoke fluently though, something most tourists didn't. Often Akefia had to listen to half sentences and mangled phrases, but this man definitely knew the language.
The smiling stranger introduced himself as Dr. Bakura. Apparently he was a historian of some sort, and came here to work often. He babbled something about an interesting find he'd been asked to come look at, and how he found the work fascinating. Akefia, usually caring little about what mortals had to say to one another, listened with rapt attention. This man... he was perfect. A historian, and apparently he was an expert on Egypt. There would be no better prospect that would come along, and he knew it. This was his host, he was sure of it. Still young, and he looked strong too. He'd have to have plenty of resources as well, all sorts of knowledge to tap. Who knew, maybe he would even have a way to find the Millennium Puzzle, and in that, the pharaoh.
He had the shop keeper sell the Item immediately, offering the doctor a good price. Akefia was practically laughing at how well things were coming along, glad things were FINALLY falling into place for him. He had known waiting would do him no good. He never would have found this man waiting for him in the tomb.
He didn't immediately take over the doctor, nor urge him to do anything with the Ring. He felt like observing him would be a better choice for now, see what he did under his own influence. Besides, now that things were finally going according to plan, he didn't not feel terribly rushed. Next was to find the dead king and find out what he had done to defeat Zork. He doubted this Bakura man had the Puzzle in his pocket though. No, there was time to see what was going on, and to plan his next step based on the information he would soon have at his disposal. For now though, Akefia felt like relaxing.
Waiting in his Soul Room seemed logical, even though there was nothing to really do there. He considered opening the door to Zork, just to taunt him, but didn't bother with it. He had a feeling Zork could see what was going on just as well as he could, if not better. He was not going to risk that demon being able to influence his soon-to-be host, fighting him for control. No, best just to let the thing stew in its little cage, as Akefia had been forced to do for so many years.
It seemed calming, to know he finally had achieved the biggest part of his need for revenge. With a host, things would be much easier. The ability to move around, to bring the Ring wherever it needed to go. A permanent body he could rely on would be a welcome change of pace, especially since he had gone so long without one.
He was aware of the man as he worked. He watched him from the Ring, interested in what he did. Mostly it seemed he poured over old books and text, some of them older than even Akefia himself was. He was always absorbed in his work, and was a focused man. Not once did Akefia doubt himself for choosing him. It was the perfect mortal for him to use.
Akefia had expected the doctor to stay in Egypt for a while, but it was only after a few days of finding him that he was leaving. Explaining to the colleagues he worked with he had a very important affair he had to get to, and that he would be back in a few days, Akefia had been forced to follow him, the Ring still in his possession. It was only curiosity and the urge to learn more about this man that he did not just take him over then. Who knew, maybe there was more to learn wherever they were going.
He stayed hidden in his Soul Room, not liking the plane thing they had flown in. Akefia had seen a few in the sky, but he didn't like them. He didn't understand how something other than magic could allow such a large thing to fly, and it seemed more than faulty to him. If it fell out of the sky and killed his future host, he would be beyond pissed.
However, the flight was an easy one, and Akefia watched as the man walked though a country he had never laid eyes on. The building looked sturdy and large, and everyone was pale colored and dressed in odd clothing. If anyone could have seen Akefia, he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. The doctor eventually came to a large house, his home without a doubt. The Thief King had little interest, until he saw the door get thrown open by a... no, it couldn't be...
Akefia had to rub his eyes, though as a spirit, there could have been nothing in them. But... he was looking at himself... somehow.
The boy was small, but a mop of white hair and pudgy cheeks. It had been so long since Akefia had been a child, so long since he had seen himself in water or a dusty mirror, but the kid looked exactly how he had. It was odd, there was so little in common with the boy. His skin was like alabaster, he was so pale, even more than the others and his green eyes dazzled in a way Akefia's was sure his own dull blue eyes never had... and yet he looked... exactly like him. He didn't see how it was possible for the boy to look identical and yet like his opposite at the same time, but he pulled it off somehow.
The young boy, Akefia guess maybe seven or eight, ran up and hugged the man. They spoke in a language that he had never heard, so he ignored it. Was this man a father? A bad development if he was. He'd planned to have the man to himself, to do what he wanted with him without being interfered with.
He paused for a moment before shaking his head. This was getting more complicated than he had planned. Ra damn this life he had. He was thinking too much. No, he was just going to rest from the damned trip for now. He could work this all out later.
He wasn't sure how long he waited in his Soul Room. Time couldn't technically be watched in this room, not unless he was watching things happen outside of the Ring. He wasn't bothering to though. He had a feeling nothing interesting would happen at the moment, and he just wanted to be able to relax for the time being. He watched the door that housed Zork without much interest, wondering how much longer it would be before he could kill the thing.
He would have drifted to sleep if he could, but such a thing had never happened to him again. He felt bored though, and wondered if the damn doctor had gone back to Egypt when he felt it.
His whole Soul Room shook, a tremor had had never felt before. Akefia quickly scrambled to his feet, wondering what was going on when his door burst open, light filling the room. He quickly covered his eyes, wondering what in all the god's names was going on when the light faded and he looked out of the door.
He blinked in surprise, not seeing the expanse of white nothingness he was used to. Instead, there was nothing outside but a hallway. Curious, he moved closer, peaking his head out the door, incredibly surprised by the door just across from his own.
The door was ajar and Akefia quickly moved forward to shove it open. He didn't know what was happening, but a gut feeling in his stomach told him that he was not going to like it.
If he had been expecting another room like his own, barren and empty, it was not what was waiting for him.
The room was bright and happy looking, the walls not made of stone at all. In fact, the whole room was like something he had never even seen before. The walls that surrounded them were like a long mural, paint blue with white clouds decorating the top of the walls and ceiling. They weren't moving, and he knew they were just painted, but Akefia wondered if he reached out and tried to touch one what he would feel, solid wall or the vapor of the water, the images were so convincing. There were many other things on the wall, a painted rainbow and a castle, a dragon flying overhead and many other wonderful and happy looking things. It was bright as well, as if the painted sun was real and actually beating down on his skin, and the square patch of ground underneath him was covered in grass.
In the grass, there was many small figures, they looked like people, but they were all crudely made. They were of various sizes and appearance too, but they all looked rather happy.
He had not expected this doctor, Bakura to have a Soul Room like this. He had to have had quite the imagination, and must have been more childish than he let on.
It was only then when he turned his head to a corner of the room he had not inspected did he give out a strangled gasp, seeing something he had not expected at all. Something that filled him with horror even in this cheerful little place that suddenly felt every bit as cold and ghastly as his own Soul Room.
There, watching him curiously, was the little boy. He had a black and white bear clutched in his hands and looked as if he had been playing with it before Akefia had come inside.
"No," he hissed. "No, no, no, no, no. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen."
"Konnichiha," the boy spoke suddenly, grinning widely and showing a small gap in his teeth. "O genki desu ka?"
"What?" Akefia asked, not understanding a single sound coming out of his mouth. What kind of garbled language was that?
The child merely stared at him, clearly expecting more of a response than that.
"Look brat, I don't know what you're saying," he stated, crossing his arms. Oh, this was just getting better and better, wasn't it?
The boy looked at him a moment, tilting his head in a quizzical manner. It was obvious Akefia was making about as much sense to this boy as the boy was to him. He sighed angrily, not at all happy with this situation. Why was his Soul Room attached to this little kid's? He... there was no way.
"Dammit. How did this happen? Don't tell me... you're my host?"
He received nothing but a few blinks in an answer. Oh, this was going to get old quick.
"Anata ga omoshiro, misutaa no you na mono wo hanasu."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Unless that means, 'No, I am not your host. This is just some sick joke because the gods want to make your afterlife just as miserable as when you were alive,' I don't want to hear it," he muttered.
He considered his options. He had seen countless rooms, but his had never been attached to any of them. It was unfamiliar territory, and he wished he didn't know what it meant... but he did. Somehow, instinctively he knew, this boy was his host. There was no picking another, not anymore. Had his plan to possess the doctor been for nothing? It seemed so... or maybe it had just been fate bringing him to this boy.
He was glad Shadi wasn't there. There was probably a big, fat "I told you," speech with his name on it when he saw the ghost again. Typical.
"Could this affair get any worse?" he growled out before he felt a tug on his cloak. Looking down, he saw the boy grinning at him, a smile that seemed to big for his own face and he held up his stuffed bear to the thief.
"Purei shitai desu ka?"
He didn't understand the words any better than the first ones that had come from the boy's mouth, but he figured he had the gist of it.
"Sure kid," he said, taking the bear and sitting down in the grass. The child seem appeased, running off to grab another toy before coming back and sitting down in front of him, giggling in a way only a child could.
"So, you're my host, huh? I gotta say, you're not that impressive, Ryou," he muttered as he waved the bear around to appease the child, unaware how he even knew the young one's name.
End of Chapter 3
I can not tell you how badly I wanted to write this chapter, only for that last scene there. I wanted to do the scene of Ryou meeting Akefia since the beginning and it was tempting just to start the story there. Still, I'm happy that I wrote it as I did. I think it worked out very well.
There is never a full explanation how the Ring got from the tomb it was in that Shadi guarded to Ryou's hands. Except for the small scene with the shop keeper and Ryou's father, I don't think there was much of a forthcoming story how it all worked out, neither was there a time line of when he even got the Ring. You get the impression in the anime that it was recently, since Duel Monsters was mentioned during the sale and the game was considered somewhat recent but in the manga such a thing is never mentioned. Also, in Season 0, Yami Bakura mentions thoughts and desires Ryou had as a child and stating he's been with Ryou for years, so it's all a little jumbled. I decided to go with Ryou getting it at a young age, since the more years those two could have together, the better.
As for Ryou speaking Japanese, I don't often have Japanese text in my stories. There's a bad rap you get when you slip in words like kaiwi or desu and I avoid it for that reason. Usually there isn't much reason to put it in, but I wanted to show Akefia really has no idea what the hell the kid is saying. I felt it would work better if the reader also didn't really understand what was being said either, and as it was a short conversation, I think it worked. Besides, Ryou was doing little more than babbling anyway.
Oh and for anyone who noticed, yeah I'm going with Ryou's original eye color. There's not too much of a reason other than I like him better with those colored eyes.