Jaazi: Thanks much to all of my reviewers! Redconvoy, Fear of Falling, Hakudoshi-chan, DemonicMistress Kree-kun, xShatteredSoulx, Lady Samurai, T.Lei, Punkergirl-Aira, Kikyou-sama, Puffin, Chibikitsune.

DJ: Yeah, yeah, get on with the fic already!

Jaazi: Hmph! Fine!


Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not Ryou, not Bakura, not Tomb-Robber Bakura's cool red cloak thing…I really like that cloak thing, if I stole it no one would notice right? (shifty eyes)

Previously

"L-Life Debt?" Malik and Ryou questioned simultaneously.

Bakura smirked maliciously. This is going to be fun he thought


Chapter Three: Life Debt

Bakura smirked at the shocked expression on Malik's face. Malik's shocked expressions melted into a smug expression as he glanced over Bakura.

"Nice try, but only Demons can call on a Life Debt and only high ranking Demons at that," Malik retorted.

Bakura's arrogant smirk widened. During the carriage ride, he had hid his wings, fangs, claws, and other such Demonic attributes. Now, he looked pretty much human, Mortal. Since he was being denied his Life Debt, he extended his majestic wings and showed them off shamelessly. His wings were larger than most Demons and it's talons were bigger and sharper than most also. Not all Demons had such impressive, well cared for wings, such as his. Malik gaped and spluttered angrily. He then turned to Ryou.

"How many times have I told you to STAY AWAY from Demons! Never to let them do favors for you! Now I have to…to…," Malik choked.

Over the past few weeks since he had found the little foreigner, he had grown quite attached to him. Malik was in charge of the poorhouse and took Ryou in. He had found it odd that Ryou couldn't remember anything but his name. For this reason, he had looked after Ryou personally, especially since Ryou was such a softie and easily hurt. Now, he thought of Ryou as brother. He had warned Ryou to avoid Demons at all costs, also. Several times, actually and now, because he left him alone for a few minutes, he was going to have to agree to a Life Debt. To the PRINCE of Demons, no less.

"Um, excuse me. What's a Life Debt?" Ryou's timid voice broke the silence that the three of them had fallen into.

"To put it simply, so that you Mortals can understand," Bakura sneered, "I saved your life, now you OWE me your life. You are to become my servant and do as I wish."

"Servant! SERVANT? He's going to be practically your SLAVE! You Demons are heartless BASTARDS!" Malik screeched.

"And what are you going to do about it, Mortal?" Bakura glared.

"I won't let you take him away!" Malik spat.

"You know the law, you either cooperate with me, or I'll kill you," Bakura replied icily. He wasn't going to give up this green-eyed beauty without a fight.

"I'd like to see you try, Demon," Malik spat angrily.

Malik suddenly found himself lifted three feet into the air by a very infuriated Prince. Bakura was never denied of something he wanted. Never. If he had to snap this weak Mortal's neck, it was no skin of his back. Malik struggled against Bakura's grasp. He choked, started to feel the effects of lack of oxygen. Bakura's hand tightened around Malik's neck as he bared his fangs to the Mortal who dared defy him.

"NO! Put him down! Please put him down! I'll go with you just let Malik go!" Ryou pleaded. He had fallen to his knees in panic and was tugging on Bakura's arm. Bakura looked down at Ryou and gave him a cold glare, but dropped Malik to the ground. Malik landed roughly on his rear. Bakura grasped the back of Ryou's neck.

"At least one of you have some sense. Come Ryou, I'm taking you to my castle. We're going to have so much fun together," Bakura sent one last glare at Malik and practically dragged Ryou to the carriage. Ryou whimpered.

Bakura and Ryou were safely in the carriage by the time that Malik recovered from his daze of being dropped to the ground like that. Malik had tears in his eyes as he watched the carriage and Ryou leave. There was nothing he could do, once a Demon claimed a Life Debt the Mortal in question had no choice at all but to follow their new Master. Malik walked back into the poorhouse, tears streaming down his face. A girl with red-brown hair stepped up to Malik. She had seen the entire thing.

"Brother Ryou is gone? He's not coming back?" the girl asked, she couldn't be any older than ten or so.

"No, Serenity, he's not coming back," Malik managed to choke out. Serenity's bottom lip quivered, but she refused to let her tears fall. She held onto Malik.

She was an orphan that Malik had taken in. They were practically family. Malik considered most of the people in the poorhouse family, being an orphan himself. He had inherited the poorhouse from his parents, who had been the ones previously in charge before they both died of an illness. Serenity sighed sadly as she watch Malik suffer the loss of another one of his "family members."


Ryou cowered into the corner of the carriage as he watched the an ominous stone castle as it grew nearer. He wanted nothing more than have Bakura wrap his arms around him and whisper soothing words into his ear. Ryou blushed at the thought and shook his head. How could even think of THAT? He had only just met the Demon and as far as he knew, he was an evil coldhearted bastard who would kill to get his way…but then, why would he save him? And it felt as if he had seen Bakura before too. Ryou cast the Demon a shy glance.

Bakura really was…dangerously beautiful. He was so dark but…there was something else, he just couldn't put his finger on. Everyone had to have emotions, even the coldest of Demons. Ryou believed that there was some good in everyone and if he succeeded in bringing the good out of Bakura, well, that would be enough to make him happy.

Ryou was startled out of his musings when he realized that Bakura had opened the carriage's door to let him out. Ryou stepped out meekly, his white gown causing him to stumble into Bakura's arms. Bakura, instinctively, outstretched his arms to catch him. The little angel fit in his arms as if he was made specially for him. Ryou blushed, the pink tinge making him look even more adorable than ever. Bakura's eyes widened as he realized what he had been thinking and quickly pushed Ryou away from him. Ryou stumbled backwards, but managed to maintain his balance, a hurt expression on his face. Bakura ignored it and began walking briskly into the castle.

"Come," he said roughly.

Ryou followed obediently. He eyes darted everywhere, admiring the dark wonders of the castle. There were several painting and tapestries adorning the stone walls. Most of them depicting Demons feasting on the blood of an unfortunate Mortal or Angel. The Demons feastingon an Angel's blood seemed to be in sheer ecstasy.Some paintings, though, were there to show the splendor of darkness and night.

As Ryou admired the amazingly descriptive paintings and tapestries, Bakura took the chance to look him over. Ryou's skin was as pale as milk, even paler than Bakura's, if that were even possible. His hair was a delicate silvery-white, looking nothing more than moonlight, itself. His gorgeous green eyes shone with innocence and purity.

Bakura noted that Ryou was wearing a simple white gown, made of cheap, coarse, material. The gown reached a little below the boys ankles, and although it was roughly made, it showed off Ryou's lithe, feminine figure. The gown was a bit big for Ryou, it looked more like a very long t-shirt than anything else. The sleeves kept slipping off of his shoulders, leaving them exposed. Every now and then, Ryou would attempt to pull the sleeves up to cover his shoulders, but it wouldn't stay up. Bakura, of course, didn't mind it at all.

Bakura led Ryou through several halls and a few stairways. Along the way, they were stopped by a Demon. The Demon had long blonde hair and purple eyes. She was scantily dressed in purple and black clothing. She took one look at the boy and smirked at Bakura.

"Now, where did you find a sweetie, like him?" she asked Bakura.

"Back off, Mai. He owes me a Life Debt and you know I don't like sharing my servants," he growled. Mai cackled.

"Servants? That boy's a slave until you decide to let him go! And judging by how he pretty looks, I'd say you're not letting go anytime soon. What's the sweetheart's name?" Mai asked Ryou. Ryou blushed at Mai's compliment.

"I-I'm Ryou," Ryou stuttered. Mai resisted the urge to squeal at his cuteness.

"Well, Ryou, aren't you the most adorable little thing I ever did see? If Bakura hurts you in anyway, let me know and I'll rearrange his face for you," Mai said playfully. Bakura growled at her.

"Enough! Get some of the servants to bring some clothing and an extra cot up to my bedroom," Bakura ordered crossly.

Mai smirked arrogantly. She gave Bakura a mocking curtsy, "Of course, Your Highness, anything for you…But you hurt that cutie and I'll hurt you. Got that?" and with that she left.

Bakura growled under his breath, making random comments on 'that good-for-nothing wench, Mai' or 'stupid Yami, lousy King of Demons' and even a 'hope Kaiba gets caught by Angels and tortured'. Ryou found these comments very random, odd, and slightly amusing.

They had now reached the top of a tower and walked into a room. The room had stone walls like the rest of the castle. There was a four-poster bed. It's coverings were pitch black and so was it's canopy. The floor was covered by a red rug thing. It wasn't a bright scarlet red, either, it was one of those dark, dark reds that seemed as if it had been laced with black. It was a bloody red, to match the Demon's eyes. The dresser was black too. It seemed that everything in the room was either black or dark red. There was even a fireplace, although it looked as though it had never been used.

Abruptly, a cot materialized near the four-poster bed and on it was some proper fitting clothing. The clothes were exactly like the gown Ryou currently had on, only more snug fitting and the gown was not as long. It only reached to his knees and there were also sets of trousers to go along with the gown-thing.

"B-Bakura?" Ryou whispered.

"Master. It's Master Bakura. Mai's right, you belong to me until I decide I don't have any need for you any more. You are my slave. You have to obey my every command without complaint," Bakura said coldly. Ryou looked a bit put out by the statement, but got over it quickly. Ryou gave him the kindest, softest, most gentle smile he could muster. He didn't mind having to serve Bakura, he just wanted to make Bakura happy. He wanted Bakura to be pleased with him.

"Yes, Master Bakura. Master? Are those clothes for me?" Ryou asked. Bakura gave him a sharp nod, "What will be me my chores from now on?"

"You will be my personal servant. It'll be your job to make sure I get what I need. Mostly, you'll just be waking me up in the morning, making sure I get my meals on time, just your basic odds and ends. You'll be with me at all times, in case I ever need you to do something for me," Bakura said absentmindedly.

"Oh, okay! So, do you want me to change or something?" Ryou asked cheerfully. Bakura nearly flinched at Ryou's cheerful tone. His back had been facing Ryou this entire time. Ryou was rather hurt his master wouldn't face him. Was he that unworthy for him? To distract himself from his hurt, he glanced around the room again.

Ryou barely managed to smother a gasp. On the wall, hung a painting, two in fact. Now, Ryou had seen plenty of amazing, if a tad gory and frightening, paintings and tapestries. But these two, he fell in love with at once. The first one was hanging over the fireplace.

It was a painting portraying a clearing in a forest, the grass and trees' leaves were a dark, dark green. There was a dark blue-black sky, glittering with stars and a full moon shining onto the clearing. The greatest thing in the painting, however, was the two figures standing in the clearing. A Demon, with it's large black leathery wings encompassing an Angel. The Angel was in the Demon's arms, gazing up at the Demon with gentle eyes, his wings an amazing silver-white. The Demon was looking down at the Angel captive in his arms, his eyes showing a fierce protectiveness. Ryou loved the painting the moment he set his gaze upon it.

The second painting was hanging on the wall to the left of the wall that fireplace. This painting seemed to be split in two parts. The left half of the painting had a Demon in it. The background of it was a swirling mass of black and fiery flames. It seemed to be drenched in a bloody red color. The Demon was doubled over in…pain? The eyes of the Demon seemed to hold so much sadness, regret, and loneliness. It looked as if he was begging for the other figure in the painting to accept him, love him, and chase away the loneliness. The other half of the painting was white, it had some strokes of the palest blue, barely noticeable. It also appeared to have a slight silver shimmer in it. It contained a beautiful Angel. The Angel gazed down upon the Demon with such tender care, it was reaching out a hand towards the Demon. The whole Angel radiated loving care, his hand stopped right at the border between the two halves. The Demon's outstretched hand also stopped at the border. Both so close, but never making towards each other.

Bakura turned to face Ryou, when he heard his stifled gasp. Bakura's eyes widened when he realized what Ryou was gasping at. He actually liked those paintings?

"What are you gaping at? Those things are horrible." he said irritably. Ryou blushed and looked down towards the floor.

"I'm sorry, Master."

"Whatever. Just get into your cot, it's late and I'm tired. I want to be awoken at sunrise. I have a meeting with Yami and I don't want to be late."

"With pleasure, Master."

Bakura changed into black silk pajama pants with a matching pajama top. Ryou blushed bright red at the sight of Bakura in only boxers (which were black silk also). His bare chest and abdomen had very well-toned muscles(1), Ryou noted before he ducked his head to hide his blushing. Bakura inwardly smirked at the boy's shyness and modesty. Ryou didn't even bother changing from his gown, which made perfect sleepwear.

Bakura drifted into a slumber shortly afterwards. Ryou on the other hand, didn't. He was restless and he kept glancing at the two paintings hanging in the room. He didn't understand why they had such an impact on him. The Demon reminded him strongly of Bakura and the Angel…he just felt…odd at the sight of the Angel. How he wished to be the Angel in the Demon's arms, how he longed to save the Demon from his torment. And above all, he wanted the Demon to be Bakura. He turned to watch his Demon Master. He watched him for quite some time, he was the sight that Ryou last saw before he finally fell asleep.

TBC


(1) You can all stop drooling now! You don't want to fry your keyboard! (DJ leaves with a few buckets of drool)

DJ: Like you almost did? (glares) I don't want to lug your drool around anymore!

Jaazi: (blushes) Hehehe, er, yeah.


Jaazi: Third chapter! Finally. I've got veeeery good news for my readers! Guess what it is!

DJ: (bored) What is it? Just tell your pathetic bit of news already.

KK: Such enthusiasm. (sarcastic)

DJ: (grins) I know.

Jaazi: (glares at DJ) ANY ways, I'M OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE SUMMER! That means more updates! YAAY!

KK: REVIEW PLEASE!

DJ: RIGHT NOW!

Jaazi: (points to DJ and KK) Listen to them, it'll make me happy!