Stolen Hearts Across Time
Chapter Twenty-One
Lily's Dream Time
Lily was surprised when Bakura stopped at a place other than the tavern. "Where are we?" she asked when he set her down. The place, which was located down a back alley, looked relatively decent and clean, but it wasn't very large.
The thief scowled at her. "I'm here to change clothes," he replied stiffly. "We're going to the tavern once I change." His shirt had blood on it, enough to be noticeable, and she couldn't blame him for wanting to put on fresh clothing.
"Alright." She followed him into the building and then into a small room. The room contained a bed, table, and chest, all in pretty good condition. The bed had clean but plain blankets, the chest was solid, and the table held a basin, a cloth, and a pitcher of water.
Bakura stripped off his shirt and then poured water from the pitcher into the basin. He then began to wash off the blood as she watched, her eyes wide.
'He is a magnificient male specimen,' she thought, staring at him as the water droplets rolled down his shoulders and chest muscles. He body looked so enticing, that it was actually an effort for her to keep from reaching out and touching him to see if he felt as good as he looked.
The thief noticed her staring and smirked, for all that she didn't care. He finished cleaning off all the blood from his face and chest and turned to fully face her, moving so that he was scant inches away from her.
'Oh Isis…' She wasn't sure what to think or do with him so close to her. "Wha-what is it, Bakura?" she asked quietly, her eyes taking in all his damp muscles. His shoulders looked exceptionally strong. 'I sound like some kind of idiot,' she thought. 'But by Ra, he looks perfect. I wish I could keep him.'
"You're staring," he replied, grinning wickedly.
Lily blushed, embarrassed. She hadn't thought the thief would care, and he didn't seem to, but he obviously found her amusing. Honestly, he didn't need to look down on her so, and his eyes held laughter, which angered her just enough to get over her embarrassment. "Just put on a shirt so we can get going!" she snapped impatiently.
Bakura chuckled and then moved away from her, opening the chest and pulling out some clothes. When he put them on, Lily realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Instead, he was wearing a thin, white open robe and a red over coat. The colors went well with his tan skin and blue kilt, but she couldn't help but find him far more distracting than she should have.
When he smirked at her, she realized that he had purposely chosen not to wear a shirt. 'Pompous jerk,' she thought, although she couldn't seem to get her voice to work just yet, and Bakura seemed to be enjoying the whole thing. 'Isis, why did you have to make him so distracting?'
Lily forcibly turned away from him and went for the door. "Let's go," she said, finally finding her voice, although it was a tiny bit squeaky. "The night won't last forever."
"Then follow me, unless you would like to get lost," he taunted, obviously taking pleasure in every second that she showed just how much she found him attractive.
She glared at him, his sharp tone helping to restore her equilibrium. "Fine," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "Lead the way."
Bakura continued to grin as he brushed past her to head outside and lead the way to the tavern. Lily scowled, mentally calling him all sorts of unpleasant names. 'By Ra, someday I'm going to kick him for his attitude.'
By the time they reached the tavern, stopping outside it for just a few moments, Lily had calmed down, although Bakura was still obviously still smug. She wasn't really surprised at that; after all, Bakura had to know what he looked like, and she guessed that having a princess stare at you was something to be proud of.
Lily gave a small squeak when Bakura grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. She looked up at him, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but she saw him smile at her. Her heart fluttered for a second, and she suddenly forgot why she wanted to yell at him. 'I do like the feel of his body, so I suppose this really isn't so bad, and he has a very nice smile.'
"So, my pet, are you ready to help me win some money?" Bakura asked, obviously pleased with himself, if the look in his eyes was any indication. She wondered if he ever wasn't pleased with himself.
"Of course," she replied automatically. She had a feeling she would have agreed to just about anything as long as he continued to hold her close and smile. Isis, she was feeling like a silly female, but it didn't seem to matter with Bakura around.
"Good." He steered her inside, and once again she found herself almost overwhelmed by her surroundings. The smell of alcohol and the noise definitely took a second to adjust to, and she was still somewhat taken aback by all the scantily dressed women.
Bakura sat down at a table with his friends just a few feet away from where Lily stood, and she took the time to become accustomed to her surroundings. It would definitely take a few more trips to the tavern before she could walk in and not be fazed by it.
A black-haired serving girl bumped her hip against Lily's hip. "You look a little overwhelmed, but relax." Lily looked at her in surprise, and the serving girl interpreted the look correctly, khol-lined brown eyes kind. "It's easy to see you're used to quieter places, while your guy likes noisy ones. Give yourself some time; you'll get better. Until then, take off the over-robe, and go entertain Bakura. Later on, if you want any advice, come find me. I'll be around." With a wink and a light shove, the girl walked off.
Lily smiled. Obviously some didn't mind someone new in their territory. She did as the girl, who she now considered a friend, suggested, stripping off her robe as she went to Bakura. As she hung the robe on a chair, she noticed the men staring at her, and she realized that she hadn't changed clothing. She had remove the eye and lip color as well as the jewelry; however, she hadn't thought about changing the outfit.
"Nice dress," Mekh commenting, the look in his eyes showing how much he appreciated it.
Fighting back a blush, she sat down in Bakura's lap, wigging for a moment in her nervousness. 'Why do they stare so? The other women are dressed in less.' Looking about the room, she spotted the serving girl from earlier smile at her and give her a quick hand gesture that she took to mean something positive. At least someone was on her side.
"Well, well, well," Bakura whispered in her ear. "You surprised me, although it was a very pleasant surprise. You should dress like this more often." Looking at the men as Lily blushed, he grinned. "Shall we begin?"
The men began to place bets, all of them inebriated in varying degrees. The more alcohol the man had consumed, the more money he placed on the game. Anub placed the largest bet, and she had a feeling they were all feeling pretty secure since they were going to be playing against a female, even if the female had Bakura helping her.
Finally, the game started, with Bakura going first and placing a white piece on the board. Anub and Gaib quickly ganged up on Bakura, which was probably why they had both placed such large bets. They had privately agreed before hand to help each other out. 'May Ra strike them down, the cheaters,' Lily thought, frowning at them.
She didn't need to worry about her white-haired thief. He could give it as good as he got, and as the game continued, Bakura took to rubbing her arm with his thumb almost absent-mindedly. Her body had somehow become his thinking stone, or something.
Lily smiled and turned just enough to kiss him on the cheek. "Want to play like we did last time?" she asked him softly, letting her lips brush his ear gently. He smelled good, and she suddenly felt a strange urge to lick his skin to see if he tasted as good as he smelled. She resisted it, of course, but she was still curious.
Bakura snaked his left arm around her waist and placed his right hand over hers. "Of course," he replied. "And you try to distract them."
'Distract them? How?' she wondered, gently chewing on her lower lip. 'And I'm not about to ask Bakura. He'll answer me, but he'll be rude and condescending about it.' She mentally sighed, unsure of what to do or who to ask. Surely Bakura knew that she wouldn't know how to distract anyone. He had to know, since he knew that she was the princess.
She played with the long ribbon that wrapped around her torso right under her breasts and came around to tie in the front. It helped keep her dress more fitted to her form, which Hollic had said she was very important. In all honesty, she was wishing she hadn't let Hollic tie the dress. It drew too much attention to her chest.
'If those drunken men don't stop constantly looking at my chest, I'm going to scream!' She didn't want to admit to herself that she was drawing their attention by playing with her clothes. She also didn't want to admit that she was doing what Bakura wanted. Having Bakura look at her was one thing; having the other men look at her was quite another. The reasoning behind this was so silly that she didn't even bother to think on it.
Bakura, using her hand to move the pieces, kept on winning. Poor Gaib was the first one to lose, which he didn't seem to mind. 'It's probably because he's staring at me,' Lily thought.
"Well, there went that money." Gaib grinned unabashedly, and Lily giggled. Perhaps he was staring at her a bit much, but he was acting silly. "Perhaps Bakura will buy more dresses like that for you. I know we all would appreciate it." He winked at her.
She blushed even as she frowned at him. 'Isis, strike him down for being a pervert toward me!' She knew the goddess wouldn't do it, but oh well. "Bakura will decide what I wear, not you. And he may not want you all looking at me all the time; Bakura doesn't like to share." She knew her tone was stiff and arrogant, but she didn't care. By all the gods, she wanted the men to start looking somewhere else.
Gaib merely laughed as the game continued. Bakura slightly tightened his grip on her waist in a warning. Obviously he wasn't pleased with her outburst.
Lily mentally sighed and relaxed into his hold. The white-haired man continued to guide her hand in placing the pieces, and once again she was amazed at his skill at nine-men-morris. He seemed to be able to plot multiple moves in advance as well as predict his opponents' moves.
The end of the game saw Bakura as the winner. Anub coughed up a gold anklet studded with gems the color of the sea. Osik, Mekh, and Anub all produced coins. She had a feeling Bakura could probably make a fortune every night simply by playing nine-men-morris, he was that good at it. Of course, he would have to find new people to play against but it was entire possible that he could.
Lily turned to find Bakura grinning at her, a devious twinkle in his eye. 'Isis, do I even want to know what he's thinking?' she wondered as he picked up the anklet and slowly dragged the cold object down her leg. Goosebumps rose on her flesh at the sensation. He slipped the anklet over her foot and then dragged his bare hand up her leg, running it under her skirt as he did so, and she gasped quietly.
Bakura must have heard her quick intake of breath, because he gently squeezed her thigh. She wanted to turn and glare at him, but the feeling that spread from where his hand touched her had moved throughout her entire body, distracting her. It was certainly a pleasant feeling, and it took her a moment to force her brain to work again.
The thief continued to rub her thigh gently as he chatted with his friends. "Hold still," he whispered in her ear when she started wiggling."
"Then stop placing your hands all over me!" she hissed back. 'Isis, doesn't he know what he's doing?' she wanted to know. He had to know, because his eyes certainly revealed that he did, and he was proud of himself.
Bakura laughed, the sound deep and rich, and her annoyance instantly evaporated as his laugh filled her with warmth. "Alright, little one." His dark eyes were lit with amusement, his smirk infectious. "We'll get going."
"She must be very eager," Anub commented, grinning. "You're a very lucky guy."
"Of course," Bakura replied, slowing gliding his hand across her stomach.
Lily fought the urge to frown at him. Ra, he was arrogant. Yami had his moments, but then he was the Pharaoh. Bakura, for all he was a commoner, definitely outclassed Yami in arrogance. And if he didn't stop toying with her, by Isis she was going to hurt him!
"Think I might be able to convince you to share her?" Osik wanted to know, looking at her wistfully.
"Not a chance." His tone was firm, so no one else asked, thankfully.
Osik sighed. "We'll see you later then." The others said their farewells, Gaib staring at her so intently she became uncomfortable. She almost breathed a sigh of relief when Bakura released her. Getting up, she grabbed her cloak, wanting more than anything to cover up and hide her body from everyone. She wanted them all to stop staring at her.
The white-haired thief stopped her from putting on her cloak, actually taking it out of her hands and laying it over his arm. Yep, she was definitely going to kill him now. She was plotting his death as he led her outside and down a few streets into an alley. She had even started to wonder if sacrificing him to Bast's temple cats would be any fun.
"Well, Princess," he began, pulling her flush against his body, causing her to blush. "I'm surprised you wore such a dress." He nuzzled her neck, his lips brushing her ear, and she froze in surprise. He was being gentle, and his actions were starting to make her knees feel weak. "I do have to say that I approve. It made you look like you belonged with me in that tavern." The arrogance in his voice pissed her off, and she struggled against him, for all it did no good. He was far too strong.
She looked up at him, frowning. "I don't give a damn. Everyone stared, and you need to learn to keep your hands to yourself!" she snapped at him. Her anger kept his deep, dark brown eyes from affecting her too much, and it helped her resist the feel of his body. Although, she had to admit his bare chest felt wonderful against her own.
"Oh? And here I thought you were enjoying yourself." His tone was teasing, and he gently nibbled on her neck.
Lily wasn't about to admit he was right. "I'm afraid you were mistaken." She kept her voice as stiff as cold as possible. She was not going to let anyone walk all over her so easily.
Bakura laughed at her. "I'm never mistaken, princess, although I almost thought I was wrong about you, for a moment. I never thought to see you in such an outfit, and it made me wonder if you really were the princess for a little stretch of time," he replied, tone so arrogant her jaw dropped a little bit. "You act like a princess and a normal female in turns. It's highly amusing."
"I hate to tell you this, but I'm not here for your amusement. I'm here so you can teach me how to survive out here on my own. You remember, the lessons you promised me?" She stared at him, her expression schooled to perfect arrogance.
"Very well then. He's a new lesson." Suddenly he was kissing her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck so she wouldn't collapse on the ground. She had kissed him, and while it had felt good, it had felt nothing like what she was experiencing now. Warmth spread throughout her entire body, and wherever he was touching her tingled. He massaged her lips with his own, nibbled and licked at her bottom lip, and then somehow his tongue found its way into her mouth.
Lily completely melted against him, clinging to him with what little strength she had left. She wasn't sure if she would be able to walk after he was finished kissing her, and she wasn't she cared if she could or not. Isis, she didn't care what Bakura had said, she didn't care how arrogant he was. If he kept on kissing her, she would die happy.
Bakura finally moved his lips from her mouth to her ear. "That was your lesson. Your last kiss was horrible," he whispered in her ear.
For all that she should have been angry with him, she couldn't bring herself to be. She was too busy feeling incredibly good and trying to catch her breath.
He noticed her condition, because he smirked at her. "It seems that you learned that lesson quickly and enjoyed it too. In two nights perhaps we'll continue on with this lesson."
That caught her attention. "Why not tonight or tomorrow?" she asked, her voice sounding breathy even in her own ears. She wasn't sure if she wanted to wait that long. 'I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, but I want him to kiss me again.'
"Because I have things I need to do tomorrow night," Bakura replied, and for all that his tone should have sounded rough, impatient, and rude, it was calm and somewhat soothing. He sounded relaxed, to a certain extent. "And I wish to sleep some tonight, so I'm ending the lessons early."
'I am not leaving here without at least one more kiss.' She was feeling reckless, but she didn't care. It wasn't like he was going to hurt her, at least not over a kiss. "As you wish," she replied before standing on her tiptoes, grabbing him behind the neck, and pulling him down for a kiss. Somehow she had remembered everything he had done to her and used it on him, and it felt just as good. She licked, nibbled, and even sucked on his lips, using her tongue to tease him.
The thief resisted for all of a moment before he gave into her. The thrill of triumph coursed through her as did the now familiar warmth and tingling. Her hands left his neck to run down his chest and across his shoulders, finding his skin smooth but firm. When his muscles flexed her hands, she began to gently rub them. His hands were all over her, and she didn't mind in the least, even when he grabbed her butt and attempted to pull her closer, for all it was completely impossible.
A cat ran between their legs, yowling and startling them both apart. Lily blinked and then frowned. Cats were sacred to Bast, so perhaps the goddess was trying to tell her to stop for the night.
"Perhaps I had better be going now. My bother will be furious if he finds me gone." Reluctantly she smiled a soft farewell at the thief. "I will see you night after next."
"If a cat doesn't kill you by then." Bakura seemed grumpy now, although she wasn't sure why. She was still feeling far too good to worry, so she let him be and walked off to the palace.
She slipped over the wall and back inside without a problem. Hollic was waiting for her, and she did receive a small scolding for being out so late, but she didn't mind. She was feeling far too happy to let anything bother her, and after hugging her friend, she changed and went to bed, still smiling.
End Dream Time
Lily woke up feeling warm and comfortable. Ryou had covered her with a blanket while she had slept, which caused her to smile as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She saw Ryou in a nearby chair, calmly playing with his deck.
"How long was I asleep?" she asked him, voice soft.
He looked up from his cards, and she lost herself for a moment in his dark brown eyes. "Only for three hours. It's late in the evening," he replied, smiling at her. She looked unbelievably cute when she was disheveled from sleep and wearing his shirt. He wished he could see her like that more often. "Are you hungry."
Lily nodded her head. "I'm starving, actually," she admitted with a small blush. It was understandable. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and that had been hours and hours ago.
"I made dinner a little while ago, so I'll reheat some for you." Ryou set his deck down and went into the kitchen, leaving her alone for the moment.
While the white-haired boy was in there, Lily took a look at his deck. She was somewhat surprised to find it full of dark cards and trap cards. It was incredibly well built though, and she figured the deck reflected Bakura more than Ryou. Ryou was all light and joy, and Bakura was darkness, traps, and secrets.
Of course, Bakura can also kiss like a god, Tigrililian stated suddenly.
'No arguments here,' Lily replied as she set the deck aside. There was definitely no way she was going to argue with that point.
Ryou brought her a plate of food and chopsticks, easily noticing that she had taken a look at his deck. He didn't comment at the moment though; merely handed her the food and utensils and sat back down in the chair.
"Thank you," she told him, accepting the food gratefully. "It looks delicious." She began to eat slowly and politely, humming her pleasure. The food was excellent. Somehow she was going to have to find a way to eat dinner with him more often.
The young man smiled, feeling proud that she was enjoying his cooking so much. "So what did you think of my deck?"
"I can tell you spent a lot of time on it; it's very well constructed," she answered, appearing thoughtful for a moment. "You would have a slight problem against an anti-trap deck, or a deck that's based almost solely on defense, but those are few and far between. It would be interesting to see how I would do against you, but I left my deck back at my apartment."
"We can play another time," he offered, smiling at her when she yawned. She really was adorable. "Do you feel up to going back to your apartment tonight? Or would you rather stay here?"
Lily thought about that for a moment. "I should be able to make it back to my apartment without a problem, although thank you for the offer to stay here." She finished off her food and then went into the kitchen to wash her dishes. "However, I would appreciate it if you could walk me home, just in case."
Ryou followed her into the kitchen. "Of course I'll walk you home," he replied. 'She was just kidnapped, so I'd rather not let her out of my sight,' he thought as he watched her move about his kitchen, perfectly at home. "Would you also like me to meet you tomorrow at your apartment?"
"That would be sweet of you, but it's not needed. I shouldn't have a problem arriving at the Yugi's game shop safely," she answered, drying the dishes. "But it's fine with me if it'll make you feel better."
He had to admit, she was taking her kidnapping rather well. He was surprised she wasn't shaking or crying. 'I'm not sure if I would be reassured if she did start crying or anything,' he thought. "It would make me feel better, so I'll pick you up about noon."
She turned and smiled at him brilliantly. 'I do feel better knowing that I'm not going to be alone while I'm outside.' She mentally sighed in relief. "Sounds perfect." She went to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be ready." She paused. "Now, perhaps I should change. Would you please tell me where my clothes are?" She blushed slightly.
Ryou chuckled at her and then retrieved her clothes. Once she had changed, he walked her home, keeping an eye on everyone and all the vehicles as he did so. She was not going to be kidnapped again.
He didn't relax until she was inside her apartment with the door locked. Then, feeling much better, he went back to his place, whistling the entire way.