Here is the next chapter. I like this one because I didn't have to do very much editing. It's pretty much as I first typed it.
WARNING: Slight swearing and some blood.
I do not own Yugioh. If I did there would be more romance and less card games.
For the Sins of the Father.
Royal Blood.
It took several minutes for Alexander to fully regain his senses after conducting the magic ritual; it had taken a lot out of him. He looked at Bakura, who was slumped over on his side and was unconscious. Shaking his head in dismay, he took a cloth and removed the eye from Bakura's hand, he then gave it to a servant to dispose of. Bakura had disobeyed him, he should have guessed he would do something like that. Alexander asked two more servants to wash Bakura's hand and then carry him to a guest room, where he was placed on the bed to recover from the after effects of the powerful magic.
When Bakura finally awoke, he had a splitting head ache. He noticed a shaft of sunlight coming in through the open window and he could feel a light breeze on his body. He sat up slowly and looked out at the bright eggshell blue sky, by the freshness in the air, it appeared to be morning. Holy Ra, how long had he been asleep? It had been early afternoon when they had done the transformation spell! The Pharaoh had been left alone during all of that time. Bakura hoped to Ra that he had not found a way to escape.
Gasping, he looked at his hand, recalling events from the previous day. Shit, he had lost his temper and ripped some poor bastards eye out! Bakura sniffed his hand, even though it had been wiped, with his highly tuned senses, he could still smell the blood.
"Ah.. Good morning my dear Bakura, I trust you feel refreshed after your long sleep?" Alexander entered his room with a servant following, carrying a large tray.
"I feel like shit! How long have I been out?" He rasped, his throat felt dry.
"Twelve hours. I thought you would never wake, your soul must have been extremely drained. I trust you are hungry? I have brought you some breakfast. No eyes though?" He gestured for the servant to place the tray on the dresser. There were grapes, fresh figs and pomegranate. Greek Yoghurt with nuts and honey. Flat breads with cured meats, freshly squeezed juice and a pot of mint tea.
Bakura laughed. "What did you do with my trophy?"
"That was not funny Bakura. You disobeyed the rules. Interfering with people in the living world is not permitted."
"Screw the rules. I make my own!" He sneered, pleased with his comeback.
Alexander chose to ignore it and told the servant to leave. "What did you see? Did you find the man you were looking for. That wasn't his eye, was it?"
"Nah.. Just some moron who pissed me off. But I found Yugi Mutou, and interestingly, my old side kick from the living world, Marik Ishtar! They were at Kul Elna." He spoke as though he didn't care but his body language told otherwise. He got up and poured himself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and gulped it down. Looking at the food made him realise he was starving.
"Kul Elna! Isn't that your old village? What were they doing there?"
Bakura snarled. "Defiling the memory of my people. Will Kul Elna ever be left to rest in peace?" He picked up a fig and crushed it in his hand, watching as the juice dribbled from between his fingers.
"Their souls are free. You should not be grieving over rubble my friend. You should join your family and let old grievances go."
"I can't... This pain" he thumped his fist on his chest, "never leaves me." He glared at Alexander as if to say this conversation is over; his face a contorted mixture of anger and revenge, which hid the underlying sense of loss and despair. The sounds of their screams, the burning of flesh; the horror would never leave him, no matter how many millennia passed. His Diabound may have been destroyed, but rage still coiled deeply within him and he refused to let it go.
"Mm... I see. I will leave you to eat your breakfast. I will be in my library. If ever you need to talk?" Alexander turned and left. He wished Bakura could drop his thirst for revenge, but knew it was pointless to argue. Any attempts at offering therapy or a friendly chat were always rejected.
Bakura shovelled down every last morsel of food from the tray, his eating habits were appalling but he didn't care.
He picked up his belongings and carefully repositioned Atem's crown upon his head, before rummaging through the wardrobe, to see if any of the clothing took his fancy. His old red robe was getting tatty, he could do with a replacement. Finding a rather handsome robe that was not unlike his own, he tried it on. Satisfied with the fit he took his leave. He didn't bother to say goodbye, he just slipped out of the window and disappeared, back into the shadows without being seen. He urgently needed to check on the Pharaoh.
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Focussing his Heka, Mahad stood with Mana on the exact spot where she claimed to have witnessed Pharaoh Atem's kidnapping. Seto and Isis stood on the bank nearby, flanked by four guards from the palace. They were all waiting expectantly.
"What's taking them so long?" Seto whispered impatiently through gritted teeth, so that only Isis could hear.
She frowned at him and mouthed "Be patient, these things take time. It requires intense concentration."
"Hmph." He folded his arms, it was going to take all day at this rate, he had better things he could be doing. He smirked as he had naughty thoughts about Kisara, waiting for him back at the palace. Upon his death, they had been reunited.
Mahad's shoulders slumped from exertion, both he and Mana had concentrated their powers together, but it still hadn't been enough, Mana had been drained, her heka was not as strong as Mahad's and she was also far too emotional, which had not really helped. Mahad could not focus because her energies had been erratic. Mana needed to calm down so that she could concentrate properly.
"It's no good. I failed." He sighed. "Whoever has taken Atem, covered their trail well. They appear to have used extremely dark heka. They have disguised their location by leaving false energy patterns. When I tried to probe, the shadows lashed out and disrupted the flow of energy. They have been very clever."
"Well.. try again? Isis you help them?" Seto ordered.
Mahad shook his head. "It will do no good, Mana is weakened and emotional. Even my powers need some time to recover. We should return to the palace for now. I am out of practice, I have not had to use my most powerful heka for a very long time. I need to meditate and increase my strength to a point where it cannot be easily challenged by such cloaking spells. "
"I will not accept that we cannot locate my cousin. Let me know when you are fit enough to try again. I suggest that we return to this spot before the sun casts long shadows from the west." With that said, Seto mounted his horse and rode back towards the palace, leaving Isis, Mana and Mahad standing there.
"Come on Mana? Let us head back to the palace, you need food and rest. We will find Atem, I promise." Mahad put his arm around Mana's shoulders to comfort her. He had known her since she was two years old. She had been identified as being a potentially gifted magician. It had not been thought wise to leave her with her birth parents, because they didn't understand the power their daughter possessed and had initially thought her to be cursed. So she had been brought to live and be educated at the palace harem, with all the other children. Of course her parents had been handsomely rewarded and were relieved to know their daughter would be safe from the harm of ignorant people, who struggled to understand the gift Mana had been given. Mahad had been seven at the time and since his own sister had died as a baby, he had quickly taken her under his wing as his little sister.
Mahad was also fiercely loyal to Atem, he and Karim had been like big brothers to the small, cheeky prince. He remembered fondly, the times they had taken the blame while trying to cover for Atem and Mana when they got into mischief. Both had made a vow more than 3000 years ago to protect him, and both had given their lives in the process. He tightened his grip on his staff. He would never break that vow, not in life or in death.
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Splash! Atem was startled awake by water being thrown over him. He blinked in confusion for a moment before his senses returned. He realised that he must have passed out. The shackles were digging painfully into his wrists where his body had slumped forward, forcing his arms to take his body weight. How on earth the pain hadn't woken him, he had no idea.
"Wakey, wakey, Pharaoh!" He focussed his blurry vision on Bakura standing in front of him grinning, empty water pot in his hands.
"Where have you been?" Atem hissed, pushing himself back to stand properly, taking the strain off his red raw wrists and painful shoulders.
"I have been on a little visit to the living world." He smirked, fingering the gold thread on his new stolen stolen robe.
"How!?" Atem rasped.
"I am the Thief King. I can do anything I wish. Saw your little Aibou, or should I say not so little! I hardly recognised him but for the hair." Atem's eyes widened slightly before narrowing to glare at Bakura and his body tensed as he clenched his fists.
"Where? You had better not harm him, do you hear?" He was snarling, frustrated at his helplessness at being chained up. Bakura was finding Atem's reactions highly amusing.
"Relax. Why get so uptight at the mention of Yugi Mutou. I didn't do anything too him! I wasn't permitted; rules of alchemy and all that crap. But he has made my plan a lot easier. He is at Kul Elna. Right over the sealed entrance to the Shadow Realm."
"Kul Elna! What is he doing there?"
"Dunno.." Bakura picked at his nails, trying to look casual. "Everything looks so different. My village was buried, reclaimed by the desert sands. They were digging. Probably trying to find the millennium Items..Fools!.." He suddenly flew into a rage. "How dare they defile the remains of my people!" Picking up the clay pot, he threw it hard onto the ground, causing it to shatter. The pieces flew up and hit Atem's legs, making him flinch as a couple of shards nicked his shins.
Maybe he could reason with Bakura, it was worth a try. "Listen to me Bakura? I urge you to stop this madness. Your people are safe now, they are all resting in the afterlife. Do they know you are doing this? If they did, I am sure they would not wish for any more people to be harmed. I am sorry for what my uncle did to your village, had I been old enough to know about it I would have stopped it. But what is done is done, we have to accept it and move on. If you let me go, I will go back to my family and let you go back to yours. I bear you no malice, but help me Ra, if you harm Yugi or his family in any way, I will show you NO mercy in your suffering."
"If only you could hear yourself!? Your pleading makes me sick. Is that how you controlled your subjects? With pompous, arrogant speeches. Well, let me tell you something, I am in control here. From where I stand, you are as helpless as a kitten. You don't even have any control over the shadows any longer. You are nothing! The age of the Pharaohs is long past, I saw it with my own eyes. Your kingdom only exists in your happy little afterlife, and Yugi looks to be doing just fine in the real world; without you... For now!" Bakura then drew out a sword, and plunged it into Atem's stomach so hard that it went right through him. Atem gasped at the sudden pain and shock. His body would have crumpled had it not been for the chains holding him up.
Bakura slowly withdrew the sword, twisting it slightly, he smiled as Atem tensed at the pain. He stepped back to admire the blood coating the blade. He slowly ran his finger along its side, watching as the crimson liquid trickled down the back of his hand.
"Mmm.. Royal blood." He liked his finger, Atem grimaced as Bakura sliced his own wrist open and licked blood from the open wound.
"You are sick Bakura." He growled.
"Just tastes like blood to me. I can't tell the difference between yours and mine. Either that means you are an ordinary man, or that I am a King!" His laughter echoed, bouncing off the shadows that swirled and danced as they fed off the malice radiating between the two men.
Mad men are unpredictable and Bakura seemed truly deranged. Atem was afraid about what he might do, and chained to this damn wall he felt helpless to stop him. "What do you really hope to achieve Bakura. Please think about your actions? It is not too late for you."
Bakura smirked. "It was too late for me a long time ago. Your wound will keep you amused for a little while. I'm just off to have some more fun with your Aibou. See you later." He was looking forward the next part of his plan. If everything worked as he hoped, Yugi would come to him.
There you have it folks!
I decided to make the underground temple as a sort of gateway to the shadow Realm. A bit like the Hell Mouth in Buffy. Makes it seem more like a real place that way. Plus it makes it easier for my plot :-)
I will aim to get the next chapter up on Friday.