A/N: HEY! :D I've neglected this story, I know! DX I read the reviews again, saw how amazing they were, and became so overjoyed that I couldn't help but to write the next chapter. XD I really do like this story, though. I may not have been a good writer when I first started writing this, but I had a very original idea, something I can't seem to do anymore. D: BTW, shit's gonna be gettin' crazy soon. ]:0 I don't think you guys'll be expecting it, too.):) I was also hoping to make this chapter extremely long so you guys would know that I actually tried. XD

Thanks for reading, peeps/readers! You guys are amazing!

Warning: Language, violence, and sexual themes (Flashback Lime, because I'm mean XD). ;)

I own nothing except the OCs' and the plot. :)

Chapter Five: In The Shadows

Ryoku's chest tightened, enough to feel as if she forgot to breathe; her breath stopped short in her lungs and her body froze in place with her eyes fixed on her disheveled Uncle in the corner of the dismal cave. What was she supposed to do? Immediately be delighted and overwhelmed with joy, hugging both her uncle and her lover? No... that's not how it was and she knew it.

No matter how sweet Bakura was to her, he was ruthless to other's even if she was around then. She'd seen him kill a man right in front of her with his bare hands, for Gods' sake. Death had been the norm for her since she was born, always being shunned by the people she knew because she was different.

She forced herself to look over to the man in the doorway, who eyes were on the ground and refusing to leave. "Why... did you keep it from me for so long?" she asked, her voice hushed from the emotions ripping through her like a tidal wave.

He was silent, which only angered her more; her eyes taking on a dangerous red tint. "You knew I was convinced Yugi was dead! You knew he was the only family I had left! Yet, you still hid him from me!" Ryoku clenched her fist, her face red from anger, "Fuck you, Bakura!"

Bakura visibly winced at the sheer anger radiating off of her.

"Say something to me, dammit!"

"Ryoku...!"

Her head snapped violently over to her uncle, who had crawled his way over to her; his frail hand and fingers clutching to the leg of her pants for dear life. Her eyes returned to the bright blue, softening as she bent down to him. Ryoku took his thin, pale and dirty face into her hands as tears gathered in her oceanic eyes, "Uncle Yugi... I'm so glad you're alive," she whispered, her voice choked up as tears rolled down her rosy cheeks.

He smiled a faint, weary smile. "The feeling his mutual, Ryoku. I'd thought for sure I'd never see you again," he paused, "I tried to stay alive just in case I could see my dear niece again." Yugi's eyes glanced at Bakura for merely a second before going back to Ryoku, "You've done exactly what I was afraid to happen," he whispers, eyes narrowed slightly, "You've fallen in love, have you not?"

Ryoku nodded slowly, asking quietly, "How-"

"You were Atem's cousin, you know, back then." Yugi cut in, voice surprisingly firm.

"I-I know," she stuttered out, "but that doesn't explain how you know..."

"Atem told me what he knew when I came to the past not long after him... He told me of his family, you, everyone... I saw you a few times in the short time we were there, but you were with Bakura almost every time I did..." Yugi grimaced, "Atem told me how you betrayed the palace, the city, and joined sides with Bakura... Seth explained to Atem that their village had been destroyed by Bakura when they were younger, and that you held a dangerous grudge against him- a grudge that even he, himself, would never understand."

Ryoku's gulped and realized how dry her throat was. Even with the two of them talking, she felt as if a thick, suffocating silence was hovering, smothering, them.

She needed to get out...

Now.

Her breathing began to quicken rapidly, her heart pounding dangerously inside her chest. A panic attack. "B... Bakura... get me out of here... now!" Ryoku struggled out through the suffocation that refused to let her breathe.

Bakura frantically made his way over to her, picking her up in his arms and hurrying out of the stone room. He threw the door open to their room quickly, putting her desperate and suffering body down on the satin sheets; Bakura took her face in his hands as his eyes showed a strange, frantic desperation as he looked into her eyes, shushing her, and hoping it would calm her down. "Ryoku..."

It was then that everything went black.

Ryoku watched with boredom as her cousin and brother debated on and on about endless subjects to do with the kingdom. Every time one of them would make a suggestion, almost instantly, the other would disagree and make another suggestion, only to have the first disagree with that.

"I think it would be best for the kingdom if we took more guards from the streets and station them around the city's walls and in the kingdom in order to protect us and the people from Bakura's attacks," Seth says, his lips edged up, satisfied with his suggestion and finally feeling like the Pharaoh would agree.

"I disagree, Seth," Atem said, the brother and sister groaning loudly, "I think we should do just the opposite. If we have more guards patrolling the streets, they might find Bakura or a few of his men/spies in the slums of our city, stealing and whatnot."

"But if we do as I thought, then Bakura and his men wouldn't even be able to make it inside the city," Seth stressed.

Ryoku groaned, rubbing her temples, suggesting, "What if we just summon more guards, and do both of your ideas," she then adds, "Compromise."

They looked at her with wide eyes for a moment, before looking back at each other and whispering for a few moments, then nodding to each other, shaking hands and agreeing. "Nice work, cousin," Atem said, nodding in satisfaction.

Seth gave a faint smile at his sister, "Nice thinking,"

She simply shrugged her shoulders, her face still bored. "I was tired of you two arguing over trivial things." Ryoku stood up from her chair, saying, "I'll see you at dinner tonight," before walking out of the room without another word to either of them.

Ryoku sighed as she flopped down on her exquisite bed in her equally exquisite room, covering her eyes with her hand and letting an exasperated sigh slip from her pink lips. She gasped in surprise when a hand ran up the inside of her exposed thigh slowly before pulling back even slower; she uncovered her eyes, her eyes meeting with red tinted grey eyes. Ryoku smirked faintly, "Hello, Bakura,"

He kissed the inside of her thigh softly before pulling himself over her, looming with a predatory gaze that made her skin burn furiously with want. "You took longer than expected," he stated, eyes narrowed slightly.

She sighed again, only in annoyance at the reminder, "They refused to come to a decision, so I was the one in the end to finally get them to agree to something and move on."

He hummed in approval, licking her slender neck slowly, and pinning her hands above her head with one hand. "I'll make you mine one day," he states firmly- knowingly- with determination layering his words like a thick layer of malicious, "even if it takes me a thousand years to do so."

This time, Ryoku gave him a faint smile, leaning in and pressing their lips together ever so slightly, "Your never ending determination for my heart and body is... exhilarating."

Bakura smirked licked his lips in anticipation, diving in for her lips again, but deeper, more passionate this time around. "You tease me with your very presence," he gasped through various pants when he pulled away and began kissing down her body, pulling off whatever clothing that was in his way when making his descent.

Ryoku's eyes snapped opened, her breathing coming in rapidly like it had before she passed out, and her body was covered in a cold sweat that left her shivers when the equally cold hair hit her like a winter's storm. "Bakura..." she then felt a hand quickly grasp hers tightly- desperately.

"Thank Gods..." he whispered, "I'd thought you'd left me for good," he heaved a nervous chuckle, trying to play off that he was fine, despite the fact that his frame shock slightly.

When the raven haired teen's breathing steadied, she turned on her side in the bed she laid in, looking over at Bakura, who held her frail, pale hand in both of his pale, slender hands tightly- desperately. "I'm okay now, Bakura..." He was falling apart- losing control of the grip that he held so tightly upon his emotions for so long. "I'm not mad at you, Baku..." she stated, getting right to the subject that was weighing heaviest on his mind.

Bakura took in a deep, long, and shaky breath, gulping. "Thank you,"

Ryoku reached out a hand and touched his face softly, "I promised I wouldn't hold anything personal against, didn't I?" he nodded, "Then don't be so surprised or relieved- I keep almost every promise I make."

He chuckled another nervous chuckle, "Boy, am I glad you do..."

She smiled faintly at him, scooting over just enough for him to lay down next to her, "Lay down with me, Baku... I'm tired,"

He nodded and slipped down next to her- his face mere centimeters from hers. Bakura leaned down ever so slightly, capturing her lips with his in a softly passionate kiss.

Vera sneered as she wiggled her way out of her light's lover's arms, moving off the bed and out of the room. She looked around in the long hall, her deadly narrowed eyes caught the sight of a suspicious man lurking past the hall; a smirk edged up her lips in a deadly fashion as she strode her way quietly over to him, and before he could even register the fact that another presence was there, he was pinned against the wall, her hand gripping his neck, mercilessly. "And who might you be?" she hissed, her eyes narrowed dangerous despite the fact that a satanic grinned was carved onto her lips.

"Y-you're King Bakura's mistress, correct?" he asked nervously, his body shaking even more when he felt her hand tighten ever so slightly on his neck and when he saw anger flash in her eyes before being pushed back down.

"Close... but I'm afraid you're unfortunately wrong, for your own sake," her hand became unbearably tight on his throat, her desire for death came upon her and made her unable to stop till all the breath from his body stopped completely. Vera sighed when his body fell lifelessly to the black floor, "What a shame," she muttered, a frown etched on her red lips, "I was hoping to have actually had fun while killing him... I'll find another, though."

Her demonic eyes searched around once again, only to find nothing this time around; so, she decided to search further, the desire for blood making her mouth water in anticipation and driving her to search every place possible for a victim no one would notice was gone. It was then, that she came to the dungeons, where she found Yugi. "Ah... Yugi,"

He turned around from the wall he had previously been facing, his eyes wearying looking at her and he immediately mistook her for Ryoku. "Ryoku...?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Uncle, but I'm afraid not."

Yugi sighed, turning back around. "What is it that you want?"

Vera smirked and walked into the cell, sitting next to her light's uncle. "I don't wish anything of you,"

"Why are you here, then?"

"Because I was led here in the middle of my search looking for a murder victim, but Bakura's got this place so tightly secured that no one can even make it twenty feet of this place before being taken down by thirty to forty men," Vera stated, a frown edging back on her lips in disappointment. She glanced over at Yugi after a few minutes of silence, a surprisingly curious look swimming in her red eyes, "Why did you crawl over to Ryoku earlier today? Couldn't you have just walked?"

The elder's face stayed monotone as he replied, "When I was put into this dungeon, Bakura cut my Achilles tendon, leaving me unable to walk or stand ever since."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Interesting..."

They sat there in a silence for quite some time till Vera saw that it was nearing dawn, and decided she should let Ryoku get back to Bakura before he noticed their absence.