(Alea's POV)

I woke up the next morning well rested and feeling better than I had in days. I had been bedridden the previous day, so I figured today I should get up and walk around. I got out of Bakura's bed and exited the room. "Well, it's nice to see you up and about," a deep female voice said. It was Kiko. "And might I say, you look better than you have in days." "Thank you," I said, smiling. "Bakura is waiting for you…shall we go?" she said. I nodded.

She led me to a large room that was filled with countless riches and in the center was a luxurious red sofa. "I think I'll leave you two alone," Kiko said. I quickly walked over to the couch and sat down next to Bakura. I didn't comment at all on the stolen treasures in the room. He was the King of Thieves, so I might as well get used to it. "How are you feeling today?" he asked. "Much better," I replied. "I think we should remove your bandage," he said. "Okay," I said.

I turned around so that my back was towards him. He removed the bandage from around my head and took out a small knife. He raised it to my stitches and started carefully removing them. It hurt a little bit. "It healed pretty quickly," Bakura said. "Well, it was all thanks to you," I said. I could sense him smiling. Finally, he finished. "Thanks," I said. "You're welcome," Bakura said kindly. "Also, your tiara broke when you fell, so here's a new one." He handed me almost an exact replica of my old tiara. I placed it on my forehead. "Thank you," I said. He just smiled.

Just then, I felt something in my dress. It was soft. I reached into my dress and discovered what it was. It was the rose that had been lying on my bed that day Bakura invaded the palace. "How has this been in my dress without me even noticing?" I questioned to myself. I was surprised. It showed absolutely no signs of wilting or withering. I thought by now the heat would have gotten to it. That's when another thought struck me. "Bakura," I said. "Did you leave this for me that night?" He smiled. "I did," he said. "I felt sorry for scaring you that night and making you fight me, so I thought you needed something to cheer you up." I blushed. That's when I remembered what Suki had said.

Flashback. "Whoever left it must be deeply in love with you…a red rose symbolizes eternal love." End Flashback.

But that's not what he could've meant by that. I mean, we were just friends, weren't we? God, even that didn't seem right. He hated my entire family. The question had to be asked. "Bakura, why do hate my entire family but not me?" I asked. His smiled faded quickly and he was silent. I had a feeling I wasn't going to get an answer. I guessed that if I questioned him further it wouldn't work. I would have to settle with nothing. "I hate them because of what he did," he replied. "What who did?" I asked. "Your father," he said. He didn't look at me when he said that. I guessed he didn't want it to be directed at me. "What…did my father do?" I questioned. He took a deep breath.

"15 years ago, 5 years before we met, your father ordered an attack on this village," he explained. "His sent his brother, your uncle, Aknadin, to lead the massacre, and he and an army of soldiers killed everyone but me and used their blood to create the Millennium Items." I became shocked. My father created the Millennium Items by killing an entire village? But, he couldn't have. It just didn't seem possible. "N-No," I said. "My father would never do such a thing."

"I know you won't believe it, but it's the truth," Bakura said. "He murdered all my family and friends and left me alone and in darkness." Even though I could not believe my father did such a thing, I was sympathetic towards Bakura. It must have been awful. "Sometimes, I can still hear my little sister screaming for me," he said quietly. "And…I could do nothing…to save her." A tear trickled down his scarred cheek. I raised my hand up and wiped it away. He gently grasped my hand and held it to his scar. "You…reminded me of her," he said. "That's why."

"Bakura," I said quietly. Suddenly, he held his chest in pain. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. "N…Nothing," he said. "I'll be right back…you stay here." He got up and quickly left the room. I got worried. Kiko entered the room. "Is he alright?" I asked. "Yeah…it happens when he wears that Ring," she replied. "Oh," I said. She sat down next to me. "So…how did you join Bakura?" I asked, trying to make conversation. "Well, it's a bit interesting," she said.

"Let's see… it was about 10 years ago…after the Pharaoh ordered an attack on my village." What was with my father? "I was the only survivor. I traveled from village to village, stealing food to survive on and some gold at times. One night, after I had stolen some good food, a young boy stole it from me. I chased after him and we fought. When he surrendered, we talked a little and I learned his name was Bakura. We decided that we should stay together in order to be more efficient thieves. I was often ridiculed because I was a girl, so I cut my hair short and wore a special tunic, passing myself off as a man. And…that's when Alexandria came into the picture." She smiled at that memory.

"Oh, you guys have a little something going on?" I teased. Kiko giggled. "Yes," she replied. "Her village was also destroyed. She came here one day, having had nothing to eat or drink in days, and decided to try and steal from us. She was caught, of course, because of her weakened state. A guard brought her before us and offered that we have her killed. But I said no and Bakura agreed. Instead, she became our servant. She was grateful that I saved her life and became attached to me. I thought our connection was weird, considering we were both girls, but…I couldn't hold back my feelings for her."

"That's sweet," I said, expressing my acceptance of their relationship. Kiko smiled. I now began to understand this group of thieves. Bakura had kind of created a family for these people who had been hurt by my father. Perhaps…I was its new member. After all…my father did betroth me to that son of a bitch, Niu.

(Bakura's POV)

I made my way to the underground temple and walked past the Millennium Stone. I approached the back wall of the temple. I removed a brick, revealing a small hole. I started to remove the Millennium Ring from around my neck. It burnt my chest and I grasped it. "Damn you," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm not letting you do this to me…or her." I removed it and placed it in the hole. "You won't hurt either of us," I said, placing the brick back in place.

That Ring had been trying to make me hurt Alea because she is the Pharaoh's sister, but there was no way I was going to do that. If I lost her, I would lose everything. I would never let that happen.