Part Two

Ryou's mind was racing. He had imagined being a great thief like Bakura for weeks and if he put on the Ring, that dream would be reality. He licked his lips as he came closer, took the Ring, and put it around his neck.

The Ring glowed and Ryou felt something flow into his soul and the spark in his heart grew larger and it spread out to merge with the unknown force in his soul. His eyes darkened slightly and an evil smirk came to his face. Bakura also smirked. Looks like it worked. "How do you feel, Ryou?"

"I feel dark and evil," Ryou replied, darkness tinging his voice. "I sense I will be a great thief like you and can't wait to see if that is so."

"Excellent." He leaned down and captured Ryou's lips in a deep, greedy kiss that Ryou responded to in the same manner. Bakura enjoyed this kind of love and looked forward to living with his now dark boyfriend and seeing how good a thief Ryou would be. They parted and exchanged dark and loving grins as they climbed into bed, snuggling up to each other and fell asleep.

Ryou strolled down the sidewalk with Bakura the next day, still wearing the Ring and reveling in the darkness in him. He felt free now that his dark side had awakened. He was ready to see what kind of thief he was now. I think Bakura was right: A part of his own darkens was in the Ring and entered my body. I now possess part of my boyfriend inside me and it feels wonderful.

"So, where are we headed?" Bakura asked.

"I want to collect my supplies," Ryou answered. "I know one store that has no security whatsoever. It will be the perfect test to gauge my new ability."

Bakura nodded. He knew that store too. He had cased it before and saw no cameras, no mirrors, and no security guards. The owners were lax about security, despite having plenty of customers. Yes, it is the perfect test for Ryou.

Ryou entered the store and felt as if he was seeing it for the first time. In a way, I am, he thought. I'm seeing it through the eyes of a thief. The thought sent a thrill of excitement through him. He was a thief now, albeit, an amateur one. He casually went down the aisles, adding the supplies he wanted to the basket. He was pleased that no one was giving him a second look as he frequented the store often. When he was satisfied with his selections, he slipped them into a reusable bag, waited until the owners were concealed by customers, and then quickly left the store. He slowed once he had put enough distance between himself and the store.

"Ryou!"

Ryou spun around to see Bakura approach, a self-satisfied grin on his face. "I watched you the whole time, subtly of course. I figured I let you go solo on this as you know what you wanted."

Ryou grinned back. "It was exciting and a bit risky. It was also too easy."

"Every thief has to start somewhere. You did well for your first time." They continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"It was amazing. I felt like I was seeing the store for the first time. I then realized that I was, in a way."

"Yes, you were. You are officially a thief, dear Ryou."

Ryou beamed at hearing that. He really was a thief now. Together, Bakura and I will be a real thieving team. It will be glorious.

Bakura took in Ryou's response to his statement and felt great at telling him he did well. He had watched him subtly so as to not draw attention to Ryou's activity. The boy acted like a normal customer. He didn't glance around in a suspicious manner, didn't put everything he touched in the basket, and didn't rush hurriedly from the store. It's exactly what I would do in a place with such low security. "You know you will have to buy some supplies so no one suspects you of stealing."

"Of course," Ryou answered. "Best to act normal and steal infrequently to avoid any suspicion."

"Shall we head home and celebrate your success?"

"I think so. I have buildings to create now that I have the supplies." Ryou felt good about acquiring what he needed for free. It was more satisfying to take what he needed and not pay for it. He knew he had to be careful not to get caught as he was of age and could go to jail for shoplifting. Bakura wasn't of age, despite his deeper voice. He could steal and not worry about jail time, but he's an expert and no one's caught him yet. His skill level is to what I am aspiring. I want to be an expert like him.

Ryou spent the next several days creating for his games, planning the video game heist with Bakura, and spending time with his friends. He gave the Ring back to Bakura the day after his theft and kept his dark nature hidden from his friends. He was able to act like innocent Ryou and keep the darkness out of his voice. He did subtly swipe small items he desired while out with his friends, once he had determined the security measures in place. He did pay here and there to throw off suspicion though his innocent looks certainly helped in that regard.

Then, two weeks after his first theft, Ryou was in the game shop with his friends and saw Solomon putting up a display for games for the system Bakura stole. "Mr. Moto, which games do you plan to sell?" he asked casually.

"Hmm? Oh." He plucked a sheet off the counter and handed it to him. "Have a look."

Ryou scanned it with a thief's eye. He spotted a couple of the games Bakura and he wanted and knew that stealing them from the game shop would be easy and hard. Easy as there was no security system and hard as the shop didn't attract a lot of customers.

"Are these popular?" he asked innocently, handing back the paper.

"Oh, yes," Solomon said. "I hope to draw video gamers in and while they are here to buy the games, they may just buy other games as well."

Ryou nodded. It made sense to get in on the video game scene. If one expected to survive in their chosen profession, they need to cater to the consumers' interest and the latest and greatest products. He may even stock the systems and if he gets a lot of people, I may be able to steal the games Bakura and I want.

Bakura nodded as Ryou reported what he learned. "Yes, stealing from the old man will be easy and hard. Let us wait for the games he's selling to see how it affects his business and we'll focus on the other titles. We'll need to case the stores to see what's available and how they're protected. Honestly, I'm surprised how easy it was to swipe the system we have."

"Yes and I would like to acquire another one later on," Ryou said. "If Yugi's grandpa decided to sell the systems, that's sure to grow his business."

"Oh, I'm sure that Yugi will think of that and suggest it as he plans to run the shop after his grandpa."

Ryou knew that and it reminded him of his plans: To create tabletop games…which he could give to Solomon to sell in his shop! He quickly went to his workshop, puzzling Bakura. "Ryou?"

The older boy looked up from his table with an evil glint in his eyes. "I just realized something," he said, the dark tone in his voice becoming more noticeable. "My plans for the future fits perfectly with the present. I could have Yugi's grandpa sell my games in his shop and while he's doing inventory on the pieces, I may steal a few things from him."

Bakura smiled slowly before laughing. "Oh, that's good, really good." He approached and sat at the table opposite Ryou. He watched his thief partner work on his current project, carefully crafting the little details he was proud of. His dark side hasn't diminished his attention to detail; if anything it's increased it. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Sure." Ryou handed him some materials and a blueprint. "I could use some help."