Edit: 6/24/13

*singing* Misery loves company and company loves more, more loves everybody else, but hell is others.

*looks around*

Well hey guys! I'm on a roll yet again. I have writer's block for Stuck with You can you believe that? WRITER'S BLOCK UGGH

Oh well, guess y'all guys are in luck. They have twenty-eight chapters they can read and reread if they'd like. You only have. Well now…EIGHT wheee.

This chapter is emotional! I almost cried for BOTH sides! Things are getting very interesting to say the least. Oh and I should probably warn you, there are hints of suicide in this chapter…they're not too graphic but they're not PG either…so…

DISCLAIMER:

I do not under any circumstances, own Yu-gi-oh. If I did, then Bakura would have been saved just like the rest of the villains. And there would be a lot of Darkshipping.

I own: The OC Characters, the plot, the Realm of Light, the tile Queen Crazy, my Bakura plushie, my Bakura poster and of course myself.

Warning: This story is Darkshipping/Casteshipping so if you have some type of problem with the pairing of Bakura and Atem then you obviously need to hit the back button because I love that pairing. So I'm writing this story. This is a Yaoi story as well and there will be eventually a lemon. If you don't like that either then I suggests you just leave this page.

I hope y'all enjoy the new and fabulous version of this story.

ENJOY :D

Chapter Seven: Misery loves company

[Atem's POV]:

You don't just love my son; you're in love with him.

Those lines replayed in my mind over and over again. Where did Azizi get the assumption that I was in love with Bakura? It didn't make any sense for me to be. I thought that the Afterlife was supposed to be peaceful, that I wouldn't have to worry about helping other people. I thought I was through with the whole "saving the world" thing. I thought after Bakura joined forces with Zorc that I would never have to hear about him again.

But that wasn't the case. Ever since I arrived here, ever since I met Bakura's mother I have done nothing but think of Bakura. Why? It didn't make sense. If I hated him then shouldn't I forgot about him? Nalori said that saving her son was my destiny, but how could that be my destiny? Wasn't destiny over with? I wanted no part of Bakura, but something kept nagging at my chest.

You are just alike, different, but alike.

We were different. I was good, he was evil. No, I wasn't perfect to say the least but I never sought to destroy the world, Bakura had done that. He was a thief, I was a pharaoh. Azizi said we were alike too? How? How were Bakura and I alike? It didn't make any sense. Azizi said that we both loved a challenge, that we were each other's challenges, we were alike in that sense I guess, but Bakura wanted to control everything…talk about a control freak.

But I can't deny that Bakura did give me a challenge. He kept me on my toes and he wasn't easy to win against. The game he challenged me to be like nothing I had ever faced, controlling people from the past to alter the future. What would have happened if Bakura had won? Would he still be alive? Or would Zorc destroy him along with the rest of us?

Something tells me that Zorc would have destroyed him.

I went into the Desert Region. I needed to find Mahad; maybe he could help me on these issues. They were infuriating me very badly. How was I supposed to enjoy the rest of my existence if I had people demanding, asking or outright flipping my thoughts against me?

"Father," I said coming up to my father who was sitting beside my Mother, having a conversation.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Do you know where Mahad is?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Father replied. "Do you wish to speak to him?"

I nodded, "It's kind of important."

"Maybe I can help?" Father said

"I'm not sure if you could," I said looking at the ground.

"Atem," Mother said "Sit down and tell us what's bothering you."

I took a seat beside of them, sighing heavily.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Mother asked me.

"I met Bakura's father yesterday." I replied.

"Ah, Azizi, his words overpowered you didn't they?" Father asked.

I nodded, "Yeah everything I said, he turned it around and threw right back at me!" I shouted "He told me that I loved Bakura, no, that I'm in love with him"

Mother and Father looked at me.

"He's right you know," Mother said after a while.

"Come on Mother not you too!" I cried standing up.

"Sit down Atem and calm down." Father said I did as I was told. "Let your mother explain."

I nodded.

"You have strong feelings for Bakura am I right?" Mother asked.

"Yes, feelings of hatred." I replied.

"But they're not. You don't hate Bakura. You hate Zorc." Mother said.

"But aren't Zorc and Bakura the same?" I inquired looking at my mother in confusion.

She shook her head. "I don't think so; I think Zorc is a different entity than Bakura altogether. Sort of like how you and Yugi are."

"But that doesn't explain how I could be in love with him" I said. "Maybe my hatred for him has lessened, but what he did is unforgivable"

"You must understand something son," Mother said "When I was pregnant with you, I was very ill. It was all I could do to give birth to you, your father raised you and you turned out wonderfully. You learned right from wrong. Bakura, he doesn't know right from wrong. Bakura's family died when he was seven years old. He never learned that things happen for a reason. I'm not saying that you need to go to the Gods and ask where Bakura is. No, you need to do it if you want to. But, Atem, my son, please do not deny things of such."

I looked at her dumbfounded. My mother had such a way about her that could pull you in and make you understand things. It was like she wanted me to help Bakura, yet do it on my own terms. She made the conclusion that I was in love with Bakura too.

Was I?

That didn't seem logical. Though, it would explain the emptiness inside of me. But why would I be in love with Bakura? I have never been in love before. Sure, I loved people but being in love? No. Had Bakura ever been in love? Had Bakura ever fought for someone, besides his family? I doubt it. He didn't seem like the type to settle down and being the King of Thieves, I didn't think he practically cared whether or not someone loved him. His mind was on revenge.

That's all that he thought about. Was how to get back at my father and me for ruining his life, Azizi and Mother were right, he didn't have a chance to grow up. How did he grow up? How did he raise himself at such a young age? Battling the guilt he must have felt for being the sole survivor of his village.

The guilt he must have felt. He probably blamed himself for his family's death. Most children do. How did he cope with that? Knowing that no one would ever be there for him? Did he feel alone? Trapped? Did he want to kill us or did something snap inside of him? Was he born with hatred or did it develop? Was the love for his family so strong that he would risk losing himself to the darkness just to make sure they were happy?

"You must do what your heart tells you to do, my son." Mother said, "Do not let pass feelings and past wars affect how you feel about someone."

"Son, listen to your mother, and don't stress too much about this okay?" Father said putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Alright," I said with a nod.

Both of them got up to leave. I sat on the bench staring at the desert. It looked almost exactly like Egypt, yet it wasn't hot here. It was perfect. I had everything I could possibly want. But why were thoughts of Bakura that I had never felt before erupting inside my mind. The "what ifs" and the "it should have been this way" thoughts filled my mind. How would my life of been if I hadn't of met Bakura?

Mahad had told me that the spell to create the Millennium items required the souls of ninety-nine evil doers. But if that were true, how could Nalori, Azizi and Koranna be here? It didn't make any sense.

"Pharaoh," a familiar voice said breaking me out of my trance.

"Mahad," I said "You know not to call me such."

"Yes I know," Mahad said taking a seat beside of me. "Your parents said that you wish for my assistance."

"Yes," I said.

"What seems to be troubling you my king?" he asked.

"I have everything I could possibly want," I replied. "I'm finally here in the Afterlife; I can talk to anyone or do anything I want, whenever I want. Yet, I feel….I'm not sure how to explain it. I've had run ins with Bakura's family recently. Bakura's father and my own mother claim that I'm in love with Bakura, but how could that be?" I asked looking up at Mahad. "I'm so confused Mahad. All I can think about is how my life would be if Bakura never was in it. I'm not sure if I like the idea to be honest. Bakura's father said that Bakura gives me a challenge and that I give him a challenge. He said that Bakura feels the same way that I do. But I don't love Bakura. I don't care anything about him! I just want to forget about him, but I can't!" I cried.

Mahad looked at me for a moment. "Why is Bakura's family coming to you?" Mahad asked.

"Bakura's mother is demanding that I save him." I replied. "She pissed me off so bad, Koranna, his sister asked if I would listen to talk about her brother, I refused to listen though."

"Why?" Mahad asked.

"Would you listen to the tale of evil?" I asked

Mahad didn't say anything.

"Then, the other day, I met Azizi, Bakura's father, no matter what I said he would turn it around and throw it back at me. He said that he could see it in my eyes, how I really felt about Bakura."

"How do you feel about him, my king?" Mahad asked.

"I don't know," I sighed "I thought that I hated him, but the more I hear about him, the less I think that. Azizi said that his son wouldn't pass judgment now if I was to bring him here, but for some reason I feel as though Bakura does deserve a second chance. I know that he and I had lived two lives but, Bakura's people died when he was seven. I'm not sure if he ever got to live like he should have. If I was Bakura, I would be angry too. I would be angry at myself and angry at the world. I love my family and friends very much," I said. Mahad smiled at me. "I'd do anything for you."

"I know, my Pharaoh," he said softly. "Thank you,"

"I try putting myself in other people's shoes," I said. "When Yugi was captured by the Seal of Orichalcos, he told me that I needed to open my eyes to someone else's pain. He told me that I was selfish if I could only see mine. No matter whom they were or what they were doing, everyone deserved to be happy. I want to believe that, I really do. But how can I? Bakura has hurt so many people…."

"But we're here now aren't we?" Mahad asked.

"Yes," I said. "But it still doesn't justify what he did."

"Perhaps not," Mahad said "But I think I'm starting to understand why Bakura's family is going after you to save him."

"Why is that?" I asked my friend.

"They know that you and he have a history together, they know that you and Bakura supposedly hate each other. I think they want both of you to be able to understand each other." Mahad replied.

"I'm not sure what to do," I said. "How do I forgive someone that kept me from paradise for so long? I'm in it now, and I'm grateful for that. If things hadn't of happened the way that they did, I wouldn't have met Yugi or my other friends from the "future" but at the same time, I didn't need to live that extra life. I didn't need to bring harm into his world. But I feel guilty for leaving him trapped, wherever he is. I know that he's been alone all of his life. He doesn't deserve to be alone. People here love and care about him. I'm not sure if he even knows they're here or not. Who am I to say whether or not he deserves another chance? I don't know how to forgive him though. I need to know if he is willing to forgive me though. I feel as though I should search for him, Mahad. My heart is telling me that it's wrong to keep him isolated like that. I know he's alone, I can sense it. Even if Bakura doesn't make it into the Afterlife, I just hope he can see his family one more time before he ceases to exist. I'm sure he doesn't want to go through this existence alone."

"I'm sure he doesn't," Mahad said.

I stood up "Mahad," I said looking at my friend once again. "I'm going to talk to the Gods; I think it's time for this fight to end."

"What are you going to do?" Mahad asked.

"I'm going to find Bakura, and bring him here, where he belongs."

[Bakura's POV]:

Why is there so much light?! I want to sleep, yet the light is keeping me from such a task. Is it so much to ask for one "night" of sleep? I have been up for "days" now wandering around in this dump. I stormed up to a body of water, throwing my clothes off and stepping in. I need to relax things were getting out of hand here quick. Too many thoughts of my childhood mixed in with my thoughts of afterwards. I thought I had given up such stupidity a long time ago. Zorc had made me push my childhood and thoughts of being "happy" behind me. Yet, here, they were resurfacing. The more I stayed here, the more and more I thought about my family and how I wished to be with them. But I knew that would never be the case. I knew that I would be alone for the rest of my life.

Horakhty said that my true soul mate would set me free from this place. But who was that? No one, that's whom, no one in their right mind would ever be my soul mate. Love is a game for fools. If someone fell for me, I would not aid to their heartache when I tell them off. No, I would not return the favor. I couldn't. It's too painful to think about. Being alone made much more sense, I lived all of my life in solitude. So why was the fact I was alone now bother me?

Isn't that what I wanted? To be alone, where no one could bother me ever again? Where I didn't have to listen to rules or regulations? Where I didn't have to look at the stupid Pharaoh all the time?

Atem

It was his fault I was like this! Everything was his fault! He and his group of good-doers, saving the world from the so called "evil doers" he didn't know how it felt to be trapped in your own darkness. His life was utterly perfect. He was perfect. He saw me as some type of rat that he needed to get rid of and I saw him as a king not worthy of his throne. Atem said he cared about other people but did he really?

Or was that Yugi who did?

I wasn't stupid; I knew how ruthless pharaohs could be. Zorc told me that Aknamkanon ordered the attack on my village by sending his brother, Aknadin to do his dirty work for him, and then he pretended that he had nothing to do with it by pretending he didn't know what Mahad was talking about. Mahad said that Aknamkanon died shortly after "finding out" about Kul Elna. Ha! That's a damn lie! He knew where the power of those items came from. He knew that by placing the items on the Millennium Stone, ultimate power would be handed to whoever lay the items down upon the stone. And he knew that someone had survived the massacre.

That's what ultimately killed him. It had nothing to do with guilt of having people slaughter, no; it had to do with fear. He feared me and left the burden to his son.

Some kind of father he was….

I sunk deeper and deeper into the water, falling under, I gasped trying to lift myself back above the water, but I remembered that I could breathe underwater here. I stared off into the distance, nothing but sparkling clear water surrounded me. The colors danced off of the perfectly temperature water. I was being punished, by being alone.

I was alone.

I was miserable.

I was afraid.

I had given up all those things after being around Zorc, yet they were coming back to me. I was feeling lost and hopeless. I was no longer in control of my existence. I feared the next second since I got here. What would happen? Did anyone know I was even here? What would they do if they found me? Would they leave me here, because of what I did?

The answer is yes, they would leave me here. I didn't want to exist like this anymore. I hated being here. All I could do here is think, nothing else, just think, whether good or bad thoughts. I couldn't cloud thoughts of my family out of my head like I had in the Shadow Realm, no those thoughts were the most potent here, the longer I stayed here, the more and more I thought about them.

And it hurt.

I missed them, but I would never see them again. I knew this before I even died. I knew that I would never make it into the Afterlife, not after what I had done. The Gods would never allow me to even try to pass judgment; much less pass the damn thing.

I would be trapped here forever.

Alone

I never felt truly alone as I did right now, in this realm. I've never been so exposed before. So empty inside, I wanted out of here. I wanted to either get eaten by Ammunt, or go to the Afterlife. I was sick of trying. I tried too much and it got me nowhere.

I give up.

I'm lost.

I'm hopeless.

No one will ever forgive me.

I'll never forgive myself.

It's my entire fault.

Yes, I blamed myself. If I just reached my hand out to hold Koranna back, she would have lived, if only I would have not listen to her and stayed put, I would have died along with them, where I belong. Zorc taught me that giving up wasn't an option, that revenge was the only thing necessary to find peace in this world.

Revenge

It got me where? I tried and tried time after time to avenge my people, but I ended up here, alone, trapped in my own misery, trapped in my own thoughts, exposed by my own pain. The gods were laughing at me, I felt it. Horakhty said that someone would save me?

Where were they?

Was I destined to stay here for all eternity?

I was alone.

I was lost.

I was trapped.

I wanted nothing more than to die.

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I was weak

I was pathetic

I was nothing more than a weakling, ruled by fate. My fate to be miserable was to be lonely, I was lucky to even be born. I shouldn't have ever been born. Then, I wouldn't be here.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Zorc's voice boomed. I had my knife in hand, ready to plunge it into my heart. I couldn't live like this. The guilt was eating me alive. I wanted the pain to end. I hated this suffering, being tormented by this beast. I couldn't take it anymore. Tears fell down my face as I lifted the knife above my head, plunging the knife into my chest.

"AKEFIA!" Zorc shouted.

I fell to the ground, blood pouring down my chest and out of my mouth.

I heard roars and hisses but I couldn't make out words. I could see nothing but light trying to enter the darkness, but soon, the darkness took over and I slowly opened my eyes, coughing up blood.

"What the hell is wrong with you Touzoku?" Zorc shouted angrily.

I didn't say anything; tears blinded me, rolling harshly down my cheeks. What was I supposed to say? I failed at dying, if I couldn't even kill myself, how could I kill anyone else?

"You're pathetic you know that?" Zorc shouted. "Utterly pathetic!"

He was right. I was pathetic, pathetic that I couldn't end my life right then and there, Pathetic that I couldn't save my family for their deaths.

"You'll never be happy; you're not allowed to be. Not when you give up!" Zorc yelled. "If you die now, you'll fail, you'll fail them and they'll never forgive you, Touzoku, do you want that?"

No, I didn't want that. I wanted them to be happy. Their happiness means everything to me. I wanted, no needed to know if they were happy, it's all I ask. Then, I could be swallowed by the light and disappear forever….

POOR Bakura! *cries* The Realm of Light is doing its job. The Shadow Realm makes you miserable and makes you forgot about your humanity, the Realm of Light shows you that you are human and there's more to life than revenge. Ah, so now Atem is going to seek out Bakura. How will that play out? Things are about to get interesting oh and just because Atem is willing to help Bakura doesn't mean that he is forgiving him okay? I just want to make that clear. These two have a LONG way to go before any forgiveness and love is involved.

So anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see y'all lovelies' next time wheeeeeee…..