Edited: 6/26/13

Hey guys! Another chapter tonight…this chapter was a bit hard for me to write. We meet a new fran yet again. I know y'all love my characters, especially Azizi. He's my favorite :D. Anyways, Atem's part isn't that long sadly…he was giving me a bit of trouble but Bakura's he just came to me so sorry if it seems like I neglected Atem, I didn't mean to….I'm worn out. I had to take two math tests back to back so I had to stay after school today, oh joy right? Thankfully, I don't have school so I can work on my stupid math starting tomorrow. I hate math I really do. I'm doing stupid linear equation. Do y'all know how annoying it is to try to graph things on a computer? The stupid lines keep moving! I know how to graph that shit is easy but it was like those lines were on some crack I tell you….I'm weird. Ha that's why I write such awesome stories.

My psychology teacher said that there's a class at UNCG for developmental psychology and it goes all the way up to a doctor's degree yay! Maybe I'll become a famous psychology one day. My theories are awesome or I'd like to think so anyway…Freud sure was! He's my hero!

Ha, sorry about that, I got carried away, I love psychology so much, that's why I love this pairing because their fights aren't only psychical/magically but psychological as well! I love it! The differences and the similarities between these two are unreal to say the least. LOVE it.

Anyways, this chapter is very psychological, lots of thoughts, not too much dialogue in here, so sorry about that, Bakura is on the edge….that's all I'm going to say. So my loyal fans please enjoy. I love this story so much! It makes me think beyond the obvious and look deep inside someone's mind…that's what being a psychologist is all about: why is someone this way while someone else is this way. Nature VS Nurture best debate ever! This story proves both sides of course ha-ha….because both sides are right.

Okay, okay, go read the story or I'll start talking about my favorite topic: child development.

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 Nine: Best Friend

[Atem's POV]:

I ended up meeting Bakura's best friend: Adom. He was a small boy, being only ten years old when he died. I had grown attached to him. He reminded me of how Yugi was when he and I first met. He was incredible smart. At first, Adom was shy, not wanting to talk to me, but finally he opened up, not as much as I would like, but it hadn't been too long since we had met.

We sat in the park watching the ducks and such swim around.

"How did you and Bakura become friends?" I asked taking a sip of my drink.

"Bakura's mother adopted me after my parents died. I was three at the time. Bakura hadn't been born yet. Koranna and my age range was too far apart so after Bakura got a little older, we would play together." Adom said.

"What would you do?" I asked.

"Mostly play in the Nile. He loved the Nile, he said as freedom to him," Adom said "He thought that Father didn't care about us because he wasn't there."

"I'm sorry," I said

"It's okay," Adom said not looking at me.

"You miss him don't you?" I asked.

"Yeah," Adom sighed, "I do."

"I have a question," I said not looking at the boy "I'm not sure how to ask it and I don't want to bring back past memories"

"What is it?" Adom asked looking at me.

"Why did you die and Bakura didn't?" I asked. "I'm a bit confused on that"

Adom didn't say anything for a while. He just stared out at the water. "I was trying to protect Mother when it happened." he said.

"But weren't you and Bakura always together?" I asked.

"Most of the time yes" I said. "But this day, no."

"Why, what happened?" I questioned "I'm sorry if this is bothering you, you don't have to talk about it anymore."

Adom closed his eyes; tears fell softly against his tan cheeks. I moved closer to the boy, wrapping my arms around him. He opened his eyes, gasping.

"Whatever happened, I'm truly sorry," I said rubbing his back. "I'm so sorry, you're such a sweet kid; you didn't deserve that."

"I miss Bakura," he choked hugging me back.

"I know you do," I said softly.

"Please bring him here," Adom pleaded pulling away. Our eyes locking, my shirt was wet due to his crying. "Please, Atem, I'll do anything, please save my best friend."

"I will," I said, "I promise I will save Bakura."

Adom smiled tearfully, "Thank you."

Adom and I would spend days on end together where he would tell me about Bakura and how he would get into trouble. I would laugh at what he would get into. He sounded just like me, when I was a kid, trying to get out of my duties of learning about how to become the pharaoh. How I would run off with Mana and sneak down to the Nile, only to be caught a few hours later and be punished. I never learned my lesson; however, I just kept doing it. Because it was fun, it gave me a rush.

I left Adom alone today; I didn't want to bother him with past thoughts and events. The boy had been through enough. I felt sorry for him. I couldn't believe that Adom was Bakura's best friend; Adom seemed like the type of person that Yugi would be friends with, not Bakura. But then again, I was told I didn't know the real Bakura.

Who was that?

I thought Bakura was Zorc. Bakura and I had been trapped inside of the Millennium Puzzle and Ring for five thousand years in isolation. My memories had been wiped clean, I wasn't sure about Bakura though, I never asked him and quite frankly, I didn't care. We both had our memories back. We waited five thousand years for someone to "find" us.

Yugi Muto, after eight years, solved the Millennium Puzzle, this wakened up my spirit. I had hurt many people when I first woke up. I didn't know where I was, who I was or anything. I was confused. I saw through Yugi's eyes, someone hurting him and I protected him. Sometimes I think I went too far, but maybe they deserve it.

Bakura on the other hand, the Ring was bought by Ryou's father who gave the Ring to him as a Christmas present. I wasn't sure how long Ryou had the Ring until Bakura started to make his presence known. I felt bad that Ryou had to be locked away, not being able to use his own body. Bakura abused him and used him for his own selfish goals.

Everyone said the "evil" inside of Bakura was Zorc, that Bakura isn't truly evil. But is that true? Nalori seemed ruthless and extremely rude, very demanding.

Just like Bakura.

Koranna, she was stern and confident, she kept to herself mostly, but she would stand up for what she believed in.

Just like Bakura

Azizi was very intelligent, he was so sure of himself, so confident, so mysterious. He was so hard to read. So graceful, extremely attractive, in fact, all of Bakura's family members were.

Just like Bakura

The more I was around Bakura's family, the more I thought about him. Why would I think about someone I hated though? I didn't make any sense. I told myself that Bakura didn't deserve to be alone. But didn't he like being alone? Wasn't that what he craved? I'm sure he missed his family but I highly doubt he wanted to be around anyone else.

What would he say if he knew I was willing to save him? Would he try to "kill" me would he ignore me? I couldn't see Bakura accepting me as his savior. He would probably gloat about how I sunk down to his level and I was bored. I wouldn't save someone because I was bored, no.

I save Marik Ishtar, a teenage boy who, at the age of twelve, received the Tomb Keeper's Initiation from his father by having the secret to my power craved upon his back. He, his sister, Ishizu and his adoptive brother Odion had lived their lives underground. After the initiation, Marik asked his sister if they could go outside, but after seeing the outside world and his brother being attack, Marik's other personality came out, killing his father and sending him to the Shadow Realm. Marik's desire to become Pharaoh overclouded his reasoning, because of his carelessness; Odion had gone into a coma because Marik had put a fake Winged Dragon of Ra in Odion's deck. Marik wanted me to believe that Odion was Marik and Marik himself was a good friend who helped Ryou named Namu. I soon learned that Namu was Marik and that Marik had teamed up with Bakura. They had used each other and neither of them won.

I had saved Marik because he knew he had done wrong, he accepted the fact that he was the only one that could save the world from darkness. Without Marik, Zorc would have destroyed everything.

'Thank you Marik,' I thought to myself.

Dartz, the man who had been kept alive due to his agreement with the Orichalcos, he had been the king of the ancient city Atlantis. He had told me that the place was a paradise, until the Orichalcos stones appeared, he said that the Orichalcos showed him the truth and that people were evil, that's why he needed to cleanse the world of its impurities, The Great Levithan, the god that Dartz captured souls from people and monsters by using three men: Ralphael, Allister and Valon, corrupting their minds to find Joey, Seto and I to feed the Great Levithan. Joey and Kaiba had gotten their souls taken. Dartz gave up his soul to bring the beast to life, but the Legendary Knights of Atlantis: Harmos, Critias, and Timaesus had set them free, along with Yugi, who had been trapped due to my hate and anger.

That was why I saved Dartz. I knew that he had done wrong but I also knew that he knew that, he asked for my forgiveness, even if it wasn't out loud, seeing him with his family, I knew I had made the right choice. Dartz was a strong leader; he had been fed lies for too long.

Just like Bakura

[Bakura's POV]:

I hadn't moved since Horakhty left, I just sat on the ground, staring at the pond in front of me, watching the colors bounce off of it. She said that I was unhappy because I was empty inside. I was unhappy because I wouldn't allow myself to be. I was unhappy because I didn't have my soul mate.

My soul mate

Horakhty said that your soul mate is the other half of your soul, someone that you cannot live without no matter how "perfect" your life seems, there will always be emptiness inside of you, you'll always be on the edge, looking, searching. Maybe you won't realize that you're searching for that person because you don't understand that the emptiness comes from the lack of the other half of your soul being with you.

But who was I kidding? There was no other half of my soul. I had given everything to Zorc; I was just an empty shell of misery and pain. I didn't know what love was, I had given up the idea a long time ago. Zorc told me that if I ever found anyone attract to use them one time and to be done with it. That's how I lived my life. I never allowed myself to get too attached to anyone. I refused to sink that low.

Hell no!

Happiness and love, that was for fool and weaklings. I had no time for such foolishness. I had things to do in my life time, setting my people free and turning the world into darkness where I would rule, not Atem. Atem, he thought he was so clever, so amazing. Everyone thought he was so perfect. I hate him! No one but me could see how evil he was! I wasn't blind; I could see that he didn't care about me. I tried to tell him that my village was destroyed by his family but did he listen? NO!

Zorc taught me that forgiveness meant forgetting. I thought that would be a good thing, forgetting my past, I was willing to forgive Atem and his family. However, Zorc told me that if I forgave Atem then I wouldn't be able to find send him into eternal damnation where he belonged, where I had been all of my life.

Horakhty told me that Ryou was the other half of my spirit. She said that he was my descendant and that he was created from my light. What light? I had no light. I was darkness. I had given up my humanity to Zorc. I was a weak little boy when I first met him, sad, lonely and miserable. I hated feeling so helpless. Zorc shaped me into something I couldn't have done on my own. He challenged me day in and day out. Night in and night out, I was barely able to rest, but it made me stronger.

I owed Zorc a lot of thanks for making me realize that dwelling in the past wouldn't solve a thing. The only thing I needed to do was to get revenge. If I lost everything, then Atem should as well. That's how things worked. It was only fair that he suffer with me. Why should I be alone when he was surrounded by people that loved him?

Atem wasn't perfect, he had done some terrible things in his life time, yet, and he was more than likely in the Afterlife because he had saved the world from me. Aknadin, the man who literally killed my family, although, ordered to by his brother, Aknamkanon, was probably in the Afterlife as well. Oh so if they kill someone it's okay, but if I do I get punished by being "chained" down into an unknown realm? What kind of justice was that?

Horakhty said I was unhappy because I was lonely.

Ha!

I'm lonely? I never thought of myself as being such a way. I was alone and I preferred that, but being lonely? Who wanted to be lonely? I felt empty here. Thoughts that I had shoved in the back of my mind flooded to me, keeping me trapped here. I couldn't take it anymore.

I wanted out so bad it hurt. I felt the hole in my heart grow larger and large the longer I stand here. I had ignored the pain while I was living. When I would cry, Zorc would punish me severely, telling me that I was weak if I cried. That the only way to become equal is to destroy everything because equality was non-existence, I was the ruler, the king, everyone else, was nothing more than my pawn.

I had lost myself to the darkness, I thought it was the end of me when Atem had found out his true name and called upon Horakhty, I knew that Zorc and I didn't stand a chance against the Goddess of Light. I would be done for, destroyed by the light that gave everyone else happiness.

Happiness

Something that everyone desires, something that no one can live without, something that makes you feel alive, something worth living for, but what is happiness? They say money can't buy happiness, that all the materialistic things in the world won't make you happy, you'd be content, yes, but happy? No.

How did he feel to be happy, to know that someone loved and cared about you? I knew that my family loved me when I was younger, but would they still love me after they found out what I did? Would they love me that I did everything in my power to set them free from those items? Or would they push me aside where I belonged.

"You wouldn't understand you've never had a friend in your life," Atem said sitting at the table during our RPG.

If Zorc hadn't of taught me patience, then I would have used my Shadow Magic to blast that stupid Pharaoh clear across the land. How dare he say I never had a friend in my life! Who the hell did he think he was! Sure, maybe I didn't have a lot of friends like he did, but to say I never had a friend hurt. It reminded me of my best friend, my only friend, my brother, Adom.

We would play together for hours; he was a bit older than me, but not by much. We would get into so much trouble, seeking off to the Nile or trying to find Father. The last time I saw him was the day before the massacre.

"Let's go play," I said bouncing up and down in the kitchen.

"Bakura," Mother said "Adom can't play with you today,"

"But why not?" I asked I had stopped bouncing. "Please Mother?"

"Maybe tomorrow," Mother said "I need him to help me with something today and it's important."

"Oh come on Mother," I cried "It can wait."

"No it cannot," Mother said, "I will not tell you again Bakura, go to your room."

"But…"

"NOW!" she yelled

"I'll play with you tomorrow Kura," Adom said softly "I promise, but I promise your mother I would help her today, you understand right?"

"Yeah, sure," I said.

I went to my room shutting the door. I sighed leaning against the door. Why was Mother so angry? Why would she need Adom? What were they doing?

I hadn't realize I had fallen asleep until Koranna pushed the door open, the look in her eyes, something wasn't right. I felt it.

"Sister," I whispered but she didn't say anything, just grabbed my hand, jerking me up, walking through my room to get to the underground sanctuary.

Tomorrow never came for him, tomorrow came too much for me. He, along with the rest of my people had been trapped in the Millennium Items, powering up the Pharaoh so he could rule the world. I wanted to set my people free that are the only thing I wanted to do. This whole thing with darkness, I wasn't sure about, but Zorc told me that the only way to set them free and to get revenge by turning the world into darkness. He told me that I had darkness in my heart; the world should feel my pain.

But should they?

I knew that I wasn't the only person in the world who had suffered in their lifetime but I just felt so miserable. How could I cope with something so horrific and still be the same person? Horakhty asked me why I wanted to leave her realm. I told her because I hated it here, I felt empty, exposed, lost and helpless. I hated feeling this way. I wanted to be in control and I was out of it. I didn't know who to turn to. I didn't want anyone to help me, but I couldn't do this on my own.

She asked me what I wanted. I told her I wanted to "die" to become non-existing, to be fed to the crocodile Goddess. That's what I deserved right? I had done terrible things in my lifetime, it was time to give up the hope that I could be saved, because I could not be. It was pointless to drag something as stupid out as this. But Horakhty insisted that I stay here, alone in this horrible place, where every thought I had matched up to my feelings, where I couldn't block out my emotions. Where tears fell down my cheeks without warning, where no matter how hard I tried I could erase the pain that the world had dealt me. I had blocked it out from my mind; I had become numb, swallowed the light and entered the darkness.

Now that light was coming back and it terrified me. The longer I stayed here, the more and more I found myself slipping away into the light, remembering everything good that happened in my life, before everyone I loved and cared about died. Everyone in my village was close; we looked out for one another. Koranna put me behind the wall, making sure that no one saw me. She gave up her life to save me, but why would she do something as stupid as that? She deserves to live to. Why didn't she let me die with the rest of them? Was it just Koranna who thought of the idea to put me behind the wall, or was it someone else as well?

I sighed. I hated feeling this way. I wanted out of this place, it was horrible here, and too much emotional trauma went through my mind. The "what ifs" and the "I should have done this instead" played through my mind over and over again. I was alone. I had no one to help me. I could only help myself. I refused to ask for help, I refused to sink to everyone else's level

I was better than everyone else. Zorc told me that I was a king and I needed to start acting like one. But how could I act like one if I didn't feel like one? I felt as though all my secrets were being ripened from my mind and written in a language I didn't understand, read out loud and mocked. I felt as though I was weak, trapped in my own prison. Horakhty said I couldn't escape here until I found my soul mate, but how could I find my soul mate if no one was here? I was all alone here.

That's what I wanted right, to be alone, all by myself with no one to tell me what to do? It seemed fitting for someone like me. I wasn't one to take ordering so easily, I hated to follow rules. Why should I listen to anyone? It didn't make any sense! I wasn't anyone's puppet! I was my own person. I had every right to do what I wanted as everybody else had.

I had given up my thoughts of equality after I spent time with Zorc. I was the ruler everyone else was my peasants, my pawns. I deserved everything, they deserved nothing. That's what Zorc had taught me. As long as I did what he said, he would protect me against everything. He told me that's the reason I made it out of Abubakar's tomb alive, because he had saved me.

At least someone was willing to save me…

Horakhty was foolish if she thought that I could be saved. I had no soul mate, I had no one. I was lost, hopeless and I gave up believing in happiness a long time ago. She needed to give up on me. I had already given up on myself.

Who else was there? Mother always said if you give up on yourself then who will help you? Who will be there when the time is tough? If you give up on yourself, no one will be there, because you don't want any help you don't want to know how tomorrow is going to be, because you're stuck in the past. You could care less what everyone else thinks, all you can see is your misery. People can try to help you all they want but if you give up, no matter what they try to do: they'll fail.

I had given up, I couldn't take this anymore. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I tried to wipe them away but they kept coming. I hated them so much! They were weakness, weakness was this realm, strength of the Shadow Realm, yet, and Horakhty had won against Zorc.

How? Wasn't darkness stronger than light? Or should have been anyways, it didn't make sense that Zorc, being so powerful lost to Horakhty. Pathetic if you ask me!

If Zorc would have won, I would be ruling the world, just like a king should. I was a king. The King of Thieves, I took everything that I ever desired, there was nothing I couldn't steal. I was the best thief in my time and no one would ever match up to me. I ever surpassed my father; Father never went into Abubakar's tomb, much less come out of it alive. I only received my facial scar, the scar that would forever make me Bakura Touzoku: the King of Thieves. It was proud of that title to say the least.

Everyone desired me, I desired nothing but revenge. People lined up at my feet, giving me everything I wanted. I used them for everything from sex to getting a meal. They were my bitches and I was their king. Zorc was proud of me when I didn't let my feelings of being alone get to me. I mask that up, hid it in the back of my mind. I knew that I wouldn't be able to save my people if I had someone constantly around me, so after I was done with them, I killed them. It was a simple thing for me to do. Some allowed me to, others fought for their freedom, but I wouldn't let it happen. No, I was in control and they did what I said.

I never raped anyone; however, they all came to me. Begging for me, I didn't always comply though, I wasn't that way. Women would throw themselves at me, especially after I became the King of Thieves. I never understood what it was with women and "bad boys" I knew most of them had husbands; they would sneak off at night to find me raiding a tomb or something. One woman would not leave me alone. It was like she was in love with me or something, it was a bit strange. She was beautiful and she had helped me a lot, making sure that I wasn't caught by the Pharaoh's men. She worked both sides of the fence so to speak. The sex with her was unbelievable, that's probably why I kept her around. Who knows, but after I started attacking the palace, I never heard from her again.

I almost stole the world until Atem snatched it back. He always had to be in control….talk about a control freak. As long as he was in control that's all that matter. He hated me because I was better than him. I wasn't one of his little cronies to bow down and do as he willed no. I challenged him, battling with him face to face. I refused to obey a ruthless dictator who hated me. Who destroyed my home, who massacred everyone I ever cared about before my very eyes.

No child should have to go through what I went through.

But it made me stronger; it made me realize that the Pharaoh hated everyone that wasn't like him. It made me realize that I didn't have to listen to his stupid laws that I could do whatever I wanted. I was a thief because I was meant to be. I stole and I killed it was the way of life for me. It gave me a rush like nothing I had ever felt before and battling Atem made everything extra sweet.

I loved keeping him on edge; I knew I was doing my job when he had to step in. He sat back idly for a while, watching his men do all of his work. But Diabound had destroyed them, leaving them incapable of doing anything. As soon as Atem stood up, I knew it was show time. The excitement that I felt being near him, I had never that way.

I hated him more than I had ever hated anyone in my life, I knew he was not to blame but he was his son and I had to take my anger out on someone, so why not Atem? Unfortunately, I failed at that. Like I had failed at everything else, I had always been good at everything I did as a child, no challenge was too great for me, but Atem, he was more than I could handle. He made me question things I never thought of before and I hated it.

Yet I loved it at the same time.

I couldn't steal a win from him no, I had to earn it, and I had to work for it. I couldn't steal from him without a fight. He didn't throw himself at me like everyone else did, no he stood up to me, he challenged me, he made sure that I wasn't going to rule, that he would be the ruler. He won eventually, after five-thousand years of locking himself and me in the items and splitting Zorc's soul into the seven items, finding his name due to his friends help, the called upon Horakhty the ruler of light to destroy Zorc.

Where was Zorc?

I had no idea, honestly, I didn't care. He had failed me and I had failed him. It was over. I didn't want to deal with him anymore. I just wanted to die. That's what I wanted. But I couldn't do that because Horakhty said that I had to find myself that my destiny was up to my soul mate. They didn't exist! Why was the Goddess of Light being so damn difficult? It wasn't fair!

Being in this place, it reminded me of how my father was never around, always on his raids with his men. He barely played with me but when he did, those were the best moments of my life. I smiled thinking about all of the times he and I played together. He would play with Adom as well. He treated him just as he would if he were his son as well. I saw Adom as more than a friend, he was my brother, and we understood each other better than anyone else could understand us. We looked out for one another; we helped each other, coping with things. He never left me behind, always right by my side. I could come to him and talk to him about anything. He was my idol and he protected me. Then he died and I had no one but Zorc.

Zorc taught me the opposite of what I had learned; he made me give up the fact that I used to have a friend. He told me that friends were nothing but pieces of trash because all they did was use you and would throw you away. Better to throw them away instead right? Now, I'm wondering if that's really true. Was Zorc right? Did Adom care about me? If he had why didn't' he say good-bye? I hated thinking of him and the others; it upset me because I knew I would never see them again.
Horakhty said in order to escape from here I need to find myself and become unlocked from the darkness, but I didn't exist anymore. My soul mate would never come because they didn't exist. I would be trapped here for all eternity. That's how it goes: that was my punishment: loneliness.

I could steal everything in the world, but the one thing I desired most of all: happiness.

Me: did we think too much?

Readers: *falls in the floor*

Me: Good, I did my job

Bakura Plushie: Review mortals

Me: Isn't he so cute? *squeezes Kura plushie…

Bakura: *death glare*

Me :D