Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh.
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Bakura had known it was over when Yugi appeared in what had been their bed. Atem's bed. He had his own place, his pride demanded it, a tent in between the restored Kuru Eruna. He also had his own room in his parents' house there.
He knew it was over when they came down the next morning. He had never made the Pharaoh smile like that, so fond and caring. He'd seen forgiving smiles, friendly smiles, smiles that would have been called devilish if the Pharaoh wasn't a god, and above all triumphant smiles, but never like that.
Yugi seemed a teenager again. He bowed when the introductions were made, was embarrassed to receive the homage of all present as the other aspect of the god, was as friendly to Bakura as he had been to Ryou when Bakura was still there.
Not as friendly as he had been to Ryou before his death. Bakura didn't want to be as close to him as Ryou had been. He wouldn't do that to Atem.
This was how it was going to be. Yugi had hugged him, Atem had hugged him. Hugged him goodbye.
Bakura had taken his clothes out of the Pharaoh's room when Yugi appeared.
It had, after all, been death do you part. Until Yugi died. Or Ryou.
If Ryou had been here, his smile would have been as transparent as Atem's, as clearly a mask. Even when he looked at Bakura, he was focused on Yugi, on what an effort it was to look away from Yugi.
Yugi took him aside. "Bakura, thank you for taking care of him. You were great rivals, and I'm glad you've forgiven him and were happy together." He looked a little sheepish. "Um, I won't be jealous of you if you won't be jealous of me? Please don't be mad at Ryou. I don't think he would have… he definitely wouldn't have married me if he thought you would be angry. He wrote to you almost every day, you know."
Bakura nodded, leaning against a pillar. "I cast a spell to let me see those letters."
"Were his mother and sister reading theirs?" Yugi asked hopefully.
Bakura shook his head. "They didn't know he was writing them. I started copying down their letters too and delivering them."
Yugi clapped his hands. "Ryou will be so grateful! I knew you were a good person, Bakura, even though you were our enemy."
Bakura snorted. "I was evil and dark, Yugi. I was a thief even before Zorc got a hold of me. I killed guards, desecrated tombs, damned myself a hundred times over, even before I was used to help destroy the world. Don't be so sickeningly sweet."
Yugi wasn't put off. "Ya… Atem forgives you."
"Atem's crazier than I was. So are you." Bakura smiled and put a hand on Yugi's head, squashing that hair.
Yugi stepped back a little so his hair could spring up again. Bakura drew his hand back. Yugi chuckled. "People have always thought I was weird. Crazy about games, crazy to wear a big heavy gold thing like the Puzzle around my neck. But it's not crazy to forgive you for what you did for your family. It was all a big misunderstanding. Atem didn't even know the truth, how were you supposed to?" Yugi sighed. "Even Akunadin did it for his brother."
"He's not here," Bakura replied. Too bad, or Bakura would have made this heaven his hell. Yugi read this in his eyes and sighed.
"He did it for Seth too."
"Seth wishes he hadn't." Seth had loved Atem once. They were still dancing around each other, Atem had forgiven but Seth still hadn't forgiven himself. Survivor's guilt.
He walked in the Shadow Realm with Kisara. He had been a Pharaoh and God as well, but even with Bakura's help they hadn't been able to find Akunadin.
All Yugi could say to that was, "People make mistakes."
"He chose to serve Zorc, Yugi. The world was almost destroyed." If only Bakura had known! Then, way back when, he could have killed Akunadin instead of controlled him! He had had his chance, if only!
If only.
Yugi didn't seem to have anything to say to that.
Bakura smiled. "Look, I'm glad you made Ryou happy. He's had too little of that, and I didn't help much, though I sort of, barely, tried a little, when it amused me." He sighed. "I should have done better by him." Though he wasn't angry. Just puzzled as to why Bakura had done it, Bakura had read in those letters.
"He knows you tried." Yugi patted him on his folded arms. Little kid (but he wasn't a kid anymore, though he looked like it) invading his personal space.
Taking Ryou, taking Atem. Not that he'd had any right to either.
Ryou was going to be spoiled when he got here. Why would he settle for someone rough like Bakura after having Yugi?
Why would Atem bother to think of Bakura ever again? His bag was with his horse, in the stables. All ready to go.
He would slip out like a thief in the night.
"I hope you and Atem are happy together, Yugi." He patted Yugi on the head, smiling. Atem had been the reason he'd remembered how to smile for real.
"I know you and Ryou will be." Yugi darted a glance at Atem, who was nodding at something Karim had said, smiling broadly himself. This was a day for smiles. If 'day' was something that had meaning here. It had been night when the two of them had been alone in Atem's room. Yugi, having sex? He'd grown up. Atem was the god here. Yugi and Atem were the gods here. Bakura was just a lowly thief, no matter how much he'd tortured himself to empower Diabound.
Shimon was calling for a full celebration, dancing girls arriving with musicians, and Yugi returned to Atem's side.
Bakura would stick around for the food.
Then he would go see his family, so he wouldn't be lonely until Ryou arrived.
Lonely, ha! He'd been lonely as a thief and not minded. It hadn't been until he'd learned again what it meant to have people who cared about you that he'd changed. He'd become addicted to love. He'd thought he was stronger than that.
He had to go, as much as he didn't want to. Staying here would be even more painful.
