Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh.

2015 Note: Can you believe it took me FOUR YEARS to finish chapter 11, but only four DAYS to write chapter 12?! And I'm practically done with chapter 13! It usually takes me a while after finishing a chapter to go back and edit, so chapters won't be posted as soon as they're done, but I'd say this is pretty fantastic to have the next chapter done in less than month!

Thanks to the lone reviewer for the last chapter, Devin Trinidad. Reviews let me know you guys aren't dead out there... Also, take a minute to tell me what you like about the story! Or don't like. Or who you think the stalker is! I'm interested in hearing your theories!

Rated M for language and mature content.

Summary: When Marik begins stalking Téa and ruining her life, Ryou Bakura offers up his home. He wants her safe at any cost, but Ryou is continuously plagued with illnesses. Téa finds herself left with only Yami Bakura for protection, but the tomb robber is far from anyone's savior. As Marik's attacks grow worse, Téa finds that not everything is as it seems...

Sanctuary

By: Chi Yagami

The week after graduation seemed to drag on endlessly.

Seto Kaiba had filed several police reports against Marik; one for trespassing, another for sexually assaulting someone on the property, another for vandalizing said property, another for attempted robbery, and so on. Until they caught him, however, there was nothing the police could really do. And they would likely never catch him if they became Mind Slaves again. Two days after the incident, Kaiba filed another report for actual robbery: the Millennium Rod had seemingly disappeared overnight. No matter how many times they checked the tapes, the Rod vanished into thin air inside Kaiba's high-tech steel vault. Téa hadn't seen Marik since, so she couldn't say for sure if he stolen it, but she couldn't see the culprit being anyone else. She was also curious to know if the Rod was still broken… Bakura said that it cracked during his fight with Marik, and she doubted a crack in a mystical Item could be fixed so easily with glue. However, Marik had it at the pool party and had used it to break the elevator. She couldn't remember if there had been a crack in it or not. She should try to ask Kaiba if he remembered anything, though she doubted he paid attention to any of the "ridiculous trinkets".

Téa had been forced to recount details of the assault to several officers, all female to make her feel at ease. She hadn't the heart to tell them that she would never be at ease until Marik was long gone. Her parents had phoned unexpectedly to inform her that while they were coming back to Japan at some point, they didn't quite know when it would happen. Téa could only grunt in response. She wouldn't have felt any better if they had flown back right that second; it's not like they could protect her from Marik. She was actually hoping they wouldn't come back until the fall, at which point she would hopefully have been accepted to the dance academy and would no longer have to listen to their suggestions of other, better, real degrees. As for building a new house, Téa could not care less at this point what they did. The cops still hadn't identified the blood, so the house had been sitting there empty for a while. She could bet that the homeowners association was complaining, but since it was an ongoing crime scene investigation, there wasn't much they could do about it. The police had apologized about not releasing Téa's house to her sooner, but she didn't much care. She was happy with her current living situation.

Ryou had been sick for almost a week. Téa didn't start her dance prep class until next week (four days from now, actually), so she was able to take care of him during that time. She did the grocery shopping, checked the mail, cleaned laundry… whatever he needed. Thankfully he had now almost fully recovered, but Téa was starting to suspect he didn't just have food poisoning after all. A stomach bug, perhaps, but food poisoning didn't usually last six days. He had also slept for long periods at a time, and she had no idea what sort of food poisoning could have caused that. Ryou seemed okay so far today, which was good, because it meant he could attend Yugi's birthday celebration at the beach tomorrow.

Yugi had decided to throw a huge beach outing for his eighteenth birthday that would double as one last big shindig before the gang all went their separate ways over the summer. All of Yugi's friends were invited, including the Kaiba brothers, Ishizu Ishtar, and a few other people he had met over the years. The only person not invited was Marik Ishtar, and for good reason. Yugi even told Ryou to bring Bakura, but Téa wasn't sure if the spirit would go or not.

She and Bakura hadn't spoken this entire week. Perhaps that was why it felt so long; ignoring him hadn't been an easy task, even from the help on his end. Since they lived together, Téa had been prepared for times when they would be in the same room. So she had just ignored him and went about her business. But apparently that wasn't good enough for Bakura, who had taken to avoiding her at all costs. He went out during the day and didn't return home until late at night. She had run into him coming through the front door once at three in the morning. She'd needed to use the bathroom, and upon hearing the door open, Téa had checked to make sure someone wasn't breaking in. Bakura took one long look at her before bolting into the bedroom. She didn't understand the guy. Did he really hate her so much that just looking at her bothered him? She had tried to apologize for ruining his supposed reputation another time, but Bakura simply walked into the bathroom and had closed the door mid-sentence.

The only time he had stayed in a room long enough to hold a conversation was when Ryou asked how Kaiba had let him off the hook.

"The tapes proved it wasn't me who tried to enter the mansion. You were the one who'd left the room late at night," Bakura said suspiciously. "Your bathroom break came at the worst possible time. Stop being so sick!"

"It is sort of weird how you were gone for so long while all that was happening," Téa had mused aloud. "I still can't believe you were in that bathroom for four hours…" Poor Ryou; it must have been awful.

Bakura had narrowed his eyes at Ryou after this statement of hers, but then, as if remembering that he said he would kill her if she annoyed him, he had huffed and gone out somewhere. This was even more annoying to Téa than when they constantly bickered.

She turned off the shower and dripped dry in the steam for a few minutes, mulling over all of those thoughts. Téa didn't know how much longer she could play Bakura's little game before it drove her insane. But maybe that was what he wanted…? For her to grow tired of this charade and just move out? Well, too bad for him because Téa Gardner didn't give up that easily. Still… this whole thing was an unnecessary pain in the ass.

Determined to confront Bakura at the next possible chance, she wrapped a towel around her body and got out of the tub. Well, crap. She had left her clean clothes in the bedroom! And since Ryou was sorting laundry, he had offered to reach in and grab her dirty things on the way down to the basement. Oh well, Téa knew that Ryou was probably downstairs, and she was fairly certain Bakura was still out doing whatever it was he did these days to avoid her. Her room was only a few feet away, and Ryou wouldn't say anything perverted even if he did see her. Making sure her towel was secure, Téa slowly opened the door, listening for anyone nearby. Hearing the washing machine start, she knew for a good fact that Ryou was indeed down there (and how thoughtful of him to wait until she was done showering).

Téa stepped out into the hall and walked straight into Bakura.

"Woman!" he yelled. "Didn't I tell you to–" He faltered at her appearance. Téa's cheeks blazed and she couldn't help but recall him asking for a favor the other week. Remembering her decision, she fought back the embarrassment of Bakura seeing her practically naked and seized the opportunity while he was standing there.

"I can't do this anymore," she announced. Bakura clearly wasn't expecting this. "I don't know if you're hoping I'll get annoyed and move out, but that's not happening. And really, Bakura, no one thinks any less of your stupid bad boy reputation, as proven by the fact that they guys still were worried about my safety even after telling them of your 'heroics.' I'm not sure what your deal is anyway. You say you're not out to collect the Millennium Items with Marik, so why can't you just sit back and enjoy life? It's not like you have responsibilities or anything! Give Ryou a break occasionally. As for me, I'm tired of this little game. Avoid me all you want, but I'm not concerning myself anymore."

His lips were folded in their regular frown, but once or twice his eyes narrowed in a way that indicated he was actually paying attention. It dawned on Téa just how close they were still standing then, and she was in only a towel! Finally recovered from his initial shock of running into her, Bakura noticed the distance as well, eyes lingering on her wet skin. Before he could say anything rude, however, Téa pressed on.

"And by the way, you say you never left the room that night at the pool party, but when Ryou and I came in, you weren't there," Téa stated, crossing her arms over the towel. "Both the room and bathroom were empty. So just where the hell where you and how did you manage to leave and come back without being caught on camera?" It was all highly suspicious, and she wondered if he used his Ring to turn invisible or something. Hey, it technically was a ring… even if not that kind.

Tearing his eyes away from the towel, Bakura's frown deepened, and he crossed his arms as well. "Not that it's any of your business, but I wasn't lying. I never did leave the room."

She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "I was in the bathroom. I was still in the shower when you and that weakling walked in. I wasn't about to just fling back the curtain. I mean, I was naked. Or were you interested in seeing that?" He smirked when Téa blushed profoundly.

"I thought not. Since I hadn't closed the damn door, I just waited until you two fell asleep," he explained. "I eventually dried off, closed the door, and just stayed in there until I was oh-so-rudely awakened."

"Yeah sorry about that," she apologized, scratching the back of her head. "Uh, anyway…"

"You just now heard me walking by and couldn't resist?" he supplied with a smirk. Bakura leaned in and looked back down to her towel. "I'm ready for that favor any time you are."

"Creep," she muttered, blushing and crossing her arms tighter over her chest. Bakura chuckled, but he didn't move away. "Are you coming to the party tomorrow?" she asked, switching topics.

Judging by his expression, Bakura was completely caught off guard. So off guard, in fact, that Téa would venture to guess that Ryou had never actually invited the spirit. Which thinking about it, was a bit weird. Ryou didn't really withhold information from Bakura, but perhaps he was worried the spirit might get angry and hurt him again. Or anyone, really. She would have to ask Ryou about it later.

"Everybody's going," Téa continued before he could find some snide comment to reply with. "It might be the last time we'll all be together for a while."

"What do you mean?" he inquired, trying but failing to suppress the hint of curiosity from his voice.

"Well, we all just graduated. I mean, everyone besides you," she reminded, raising an eyebrow.

"I never asked to go to that stupid school in the first place."

Ignoring his rising exasperation, she continued explaining. "We're all going off to different universities and such, and Yugi and Yami are heading off to Egypt–"

"The pharaoh's leaving?" he rasped, not even trying to hide his reaction.

She nodded. Bakura stared at her thoughtfully before glancing down and catching sight of the towel again. He bent down next to her ear, and Téa was reminded of how close they were standing, and just how naked she was under the towel. Her instinct was to back away, but she refused to let Bakura win.

"Don't go giving him any favors as a goodbye present when you still owe me," he whispered indecently. His hot breath in her ear sent shivers across her body that Téa wasn't sure had anything to do with her damp skin.

But two could play this game.

She dared to relax her posture, loosening her arms just enough to let the towel slide a fraction of an inch. Even though nothing was really showing, she felt the action was justified when Bakura's attention shifted to her chest. "Don't worry," Téa reassured him in a heavy tone, "I haven't forgotten.

She almost lost her nerve, coming onto the tomb robber like this, but then Bakura swallowed and pulled away marginally, and Téa considered it a small victory. Bakura was uncomfortable! Time to put the icing on the cake...

She caught him by surprise when she stepped forward, closing the distance between them once more. "But I don't know if I'll be able to help myself if Yami shows he has... more to offer," she informed him slyly, letting her gaze bounce down to his waistline and back up to his eyes. Bakura seemed almost flustered, with his eyes open just wider than normal, not able to fire off a comeback immediately.

But he recovered soon enough.

"Would you like to see just how much I have to offer?" Bakura practically purred, eyes dancing with amusement. Téa, too, found that she was actually enjoying their banter.

Someone squeaked, and Téa turned to find Ryou standing at the end of the hall with a basket of laundry in his hands.

"Umm..." His whole face was red, hands gripping the basket tightly. His eyes darted between Téa, still clad only in a towel and skin damp from her shower, and Bakura, who was leaning in awfully close to the brunette. Ryou didn't look like he wanted to believe the snippet of conversation he'd just witnessed.

The tomb robber withdrew and threw a sneer in Ryou's direction, before he stalked off to the kitchen. Téa blushed horribly, and, without offering any explanation to the other boy in the hallway, she scampered into her bedroom and closed the door.

What the hell had she been thinking, playing with fire around Bakura? That may have just been witty banter, but what if Ryou hadn't interrupted them? Téa was sure that Bakura would carry the joke too far, possibly even removing his pants to prove his point. Her face grew hot imagining just what sort of evidence that would be. She sucked in a huge breath and forced her thoughts elsewhere, before her imagination got carried away.

Yugi's neatly wrapped gift was sitting on the bed, but she still hadn't picked out a swimsuit for tomorrow. Normally she would go for a bikini; what better way to make Kaiba see what he's missing out on? No, that was a very bad idea. She was trying to fall out of her feelings for him, not further into them. Also, what if Marik showed up?! A comfy one-piece was just as good as a sexy two-piece. Téa knew that it was completely Marik's fault for being a creep (and that she should be able to wear whatever she pleased), but she would rather play it safe and stay as covered up as possible…

. . .

They could not have asked for better beach weather. It was a warm and sunny day but not too hot or humid, there was a nice breeze coming in from the ocean, and the waves were perfect for surfing. Mako Tsunami was already out there, in fact, "tearing it up" as he called it.

It was a really nice area, too. Rolling hills overlooked the pristine beach, and the water was practically crystal blue. When Téa had arrived, she was incredibly surprised to see that they were the only ones occupying the area. That was until Yugi had informed her that this beach was the private property of the one and only Seto Kaiba. "It was the only way I could get him to agree to come," Yugi had whispered with a smile.

Téa hadn't been the first to arrive, but she certainly wouldn't be the last (Yugi told her that Joey was running late). She and Ryou had been up early and ready to go, but it had taken a while to get Bakura into the car. For half an hour after waking him, they didn't even know if he was going or not. Ryou had been in the kitchen packing the dessert basket with a little hum, and Téa had been in the living room checking the amount of beach blankets and sunscreen.

"Do you think five towels is enough?" she had asked, trying to flatten them as much as possible as so to fit inside the big tote. "Or should I bring extra in case Bakura goes swimming too?"

Ryou had stopped humming, and she turned around in time to see his shoulders stiffen ever so slightly as he continued packing. "What do you mean?" he had asked innocently enough. She went back to the folding.

"Well, I got two for both you and me: one to sit on and one to dry with. I have one for Bakura to sit on, too, but I can barely fit it in the bag," she had explained, struggling with the stupid cloth. "If he plans on swimming, I won't have any extras."

"You invited Bakura?" Ryou asked, his voice a tad sharper than usual. Barely noticeable.

Noticeable enough to catch her attention though. Téa had finally managed to squeeze in the last towel, so she faced him again. His shoulders were tense and he had stopped in his routine altogether. If she hadn't known better, Téa could have assumed he was looking out the window. But something was different. Her suspicions about him not inviting Bakura were confirmed.

"Yeah," she had finally replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Why didn't you? "I happened to mention it to him yesterday, though he never gave me a straight answer."

Ryou continued to simply stand there with his back to her, and a thick tension had settled in the air.

"I hope that's okay," Téa continued as casually as before, watching for his reaction.

But when he had turned around, he was all smiles. Whatever tension there had been, it melted away as quickly as it had come. "Of course! I just can't believe I forgot to tell him myself," Ryou replied, looking sorry. "I hope he didn't get angry with you…"

Had he been imagining what Bakura might have done to her if Téa accidentally pissed the spirit off? He was just worried about her? And perhaps what Bakura might do at the party? Téa let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and she smiled back at him. Of course Ryou was just worried about the trouble Bakura might cause today. He'd been living with the spirit for a long time, most of those years spent in darkness. It was only natural for him to worry. Still… she couldn't forget that tone in his voice.

After they had finished packing, Ryou went to wake up Bakura. Téa had offered to dump a glass of water on him, but Ryou didn't want the spirit sending her to the Shadow Realm. So Ryou had ventured into the bedroom alone while Téa listened to their muffled conversation from the doorway. Ryou had emerged moments later, a pink tinge sprinkled across his cheeks, but he wouldn't explain what happened. She had turned around to peek back into the bedroom when she came face to face with Bakura.

"You failed to mention this party was in the morning," he had growled, leaning on the door frame.

Téa shrugged. "You can sleep in the car."

He eyed her warily but said nothing more about it for a minute. Then, "Why aren't you wearing any pants?"

Téa looked down at the breezy blue tunic covering her swimsuit. "It's a cover-up," she had explained, lifting the hem slightly so he could see the edge of the suit underneath.

"You're not very covered," he mused, smirking at her legs.

"I suppose you're right," she nodded, thinking over her words carefully. "And once I take this off, I'll be even more exposed." Téa smiled sweetly.

A bit thrown off by her smile, Bakura paused before breaking out into a wicked grin, and Téa knew she should probably stop playing this dangerous game.

"A little sex on the beach might quench my thirst," the tomb robber admitted lowly, toying with one of her tunic sleeves.

She almost choked. This was going too far. "We're not old enough to drink," she stammered, face heating up.

Bakura chuckled and drew closer. "You know very well I wasn't referring to alcohol." His fingers dropped her shirt and stroked her skin instead.

Téa fought to control the rush of emotions, though it was very hard when Bakura's fingers burned every inch of skin they grazed. Their war of words was entering far more dangerous territory than she was comfortable with, although she wasn't exactly sure why. She was used to arguing with Bakura. But these games he kept starting were beginning to terrify her in a way she couldn't pin down. What were they doing? Bakura seemed to almost enjoy these sparring matches; Téa knew he was trying to make her uncomfortable, but she couldn't believe he was willing to go this far. Physically threatening her one week, then teasing her about sex the next? Téa worried she would drown in these mind games of his one day.

She hadn't given up yet though. "That's cute you think I will have time for you," she whispered teasingly. "But I'll be too busy saying goodbye to Yami, if you know what I mean."

Bakura's smirk twisted into a scowl, but a cough from the end of the hallway saved Téa from having to continue the stressful, suggestive conversation.

Ryou had stared at them openly, and Téa suddenly wondered what this must have looked like, with her so close to Bakura and his hand on her arm. Her face heated up as she quickly stepped away. Ryou had obviously thought it looked like something, judging from his raised eyebrows.

"Fine," Bakura had announced loudly, brushing past her. "I'll think about it." And then he had disappeared into the bathroom.

Ryou continued to stare at her for an explanation, but Téa had excused herself and gone to the refrigerator for a much-needed cool drink of water.

It had taken roughly thirty minutes for Bakura to give a straight answer on whether or not he was going, and at least another twenty for all three of them to get into the car and out onto the road. They had only arrived here at the beach about ten minutes ago.

Although Yugi was supposed to be the birthday boy and guest of honor, he had stayed mostly by the large picnic tables, greeting everyone as they arrived and helping them figure out where to place the food and presents. Tristan was setting up the two large grills, and Joey would help him once he got here. Mako was out surfing, Mr. Muto was trying to get Yugi to relax, and Kaiba was sitting in a heavily shaded chair not too far away. As soon they handed off the food to Yugi, Bakura immediately distanced himself and went for a walk, and Téa hadn't seen him since.

"Hey, Téa! Ryou!"

Mokuba Kaiba was racing across the sand in his wet shirt and trunks, fresh out of the ocean. "Want to go for a swim? Big brother is too mopey."

"Why is Kaiba moping?" Ryou asked, glancing over at the CEO.

"Probably because Serenity isn't here yet," Téa replied briskly. Mokuba said nothing, but Ryou seemed to know what she was thinking. She gave him a reassuring smile. And really, she was getting over Kaiba. She was! He just made it so damn hard because he always looked so good… Téa mentally slapped away the hormonal thoughts and grinned at the younger Kaiba.

"Yeah, a swim sounds like a great idea! Ryou?" she gestured, peeling off the tunic and dropping it onto the tote. He blushed and muttered something about it being too early. Whatever! "Fine," she replied with a smirk, "but you owe me later!"

"Wow, Téa, your swimsuit looks great," Mokuba exclaimed.

"Thanks!" Téa had to admit, she did good picking this cute one-piece over a bikini. The suit was a vintage style, with a thick halter strap and flowing skirt. It had a dark green color with white polkadots and ruching around the stomach. And it covered her up top pretty well too.

"Come on," Mokuba said, grabbing her hand and leading Téa down to the beach. She waved goodbye to Ryou and hurried off after the young teenager.

Ryou watched longingly as Téa ran after Mokuba Kaiba, kicking up sand as she went down the beach towards the waves. She was already pretty on any given day, but she positively glowed under the sun. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, how perfect that swimsuit was for her body, but they were just friends and that was not something just friends tell each other.

God, he was hopeless. Hopelessly in love with a girl who would never be in love with him. And why should she? He wasn't anything special. Ryou was sick more often than not, he wasn't ugly but not dashingly handsome, and he couldn't even protect her from Marik. No, Bakura had been doing that for him. Why, Ryou did not know. It wasn't in Bakura's nature to be a protector.

He sat on one of the towels and watched Téa splash around in the waves. Ryou hated feeling jealous, but he couldn't help it lately. He kept walking in on Téa and Bakura talking in hushed tones and standing awfully close together, like he had intruded on something private and... indecent.

And he didn't like it one bit.

Ryou doubted Bakura had any real feelings for Téa; he wasn't jealous because of that. He was jealous of how easily Bakura could appear charming in a sort of dangerous and intriguing way, and Ryou could never pull that off. Maybe if he was more daring, Ryou could have swept Téa off her feet.

He had noticed her interest in faulty men. She was such a kind and gentle soul, who deserved so much better, and yet she was drawn to men with problems, men she thought she could fix. She had clearly not been as guarded with Marik as she should have been, at least not at first, probably hoping she could somehow get through to him. And then there had been Kaiba, another individual who could surely use Téa's warm friendship; but he had already found comfort in Serenity Wheeler. And though Ryou was angry at Seto Kaiba for making her cry, he knew that Téa was better off without that rich jerk. She deserved better.

However, Téa kept picking the wrong guys, and Ryou was very worried about these little meetings between her and Bakura. Bakura was another tortured soul in need of healing, but he was far more dangerous. Ryou was afraid that Bakura might actually bewitch Téa into caring for him, a feat he surely would not return. Ryou knew the tomb robber better than anyone else ever had and ever would, and the last thing that had ever been on Bakura's mind was women. He'd maliciously string Téa along until he was bored and then he'd toss her aside without a second thought.

You should tell her how you feel, came a tiny voice from inside his heart.

But he couldn't. Téa didn't like for others to worry over her, and she already believed she could handle Bakura, so his concerns would fall on deaf ears. But what else could he do? He didn't want to see her get hurt by the same person who had abused him for years.

If she wouldn't listen to reason, Ryou would just have to be there for her. Maybe he couldn't stop Marik, but Ryou felt he had advantage when it came to Bakura. He'd have to stop things from going any further, so that Bakura never got the chance to cause her harm. He couldn't let the spirit keep cornering her like he had been. It wasn't right.

Mind made up, Ryou decided to take Téa up on her offer, so he stripped down to his swim trunks and went to join her in the water. A smile graced her features when she noticed him approaching, as if she was happy to have him by her side, and Ryou felt his anxiety slip away.

. . .

By afternoon, the party was in full swing.

Joey and Tristan were busy grilling up hamburgers, hot dogs, and tofu for lunch, with Mr. Muto supervising over their shoulders (though honestly, Téa had caught him sneaking a peek at Mai once or twice, the dirty old man!). Speaking of Mai, she was stretched out on a long towel on the beach just south of the grills, and Téa suspected she had picked that spot on purpose. Too bad for her, Joey had kept his eyes glued to the food.

Serenity had talked Kaiba into a game of volleyball against Duke and Miho (with Mokuba reffing), though from the looks of it, the game was more of a war. Duke and Miho no doubt still held small grudges against Kaiba and Serenity, though only Kaiba seemed to have noticed. Not that Téa had been watching! Nope! She had taken no notice of how easily Kaiba could spike a volleyball. None at all! Mako was still surfing, though he was now trying to teach Yugi and Rebecca. Téa, Ryou, Yami, and Ishizu had all been talking excitedly about the places Yami wanted to visit once they got to Egypt. When Téa had pulled her aside to ask about Marik, Ishizu replied that she hadn't seen her brother since before Kaiba's graduation party. That did not comfort Téa whatsoever. Sensing her unease, Ishizu reassured her that Odion was out looking for him.

"Speaking of tombs," she said, turning to Ryou, "I know life has been difficult for you, but I'm afraid I cannot take the tomb robber back with us."

Téa looked up, surprised. Ryou had asked about that? He sighed. "I figured as much…"

"Don't worry; rest assured that Shadi is keeping a close watch. However, considering this trip is mostly for the pharaoh and Yugi, we figured it best not to bring the thief along," the tanned woman explained, looking truly sorry for Ryou's situation. Téa patted his back sympathetically, but she was secretly relieved Bakura hadn't been invited.

It was strange, but there was definitely a part of her that liked having Bakura around. He had rescued her from Marik more than once, even if he wasn't doing it for her. Téa had always hoped that Marik was somewhat afraid of Bakura, and she had wanted to believe that Bakura's presence, no matter how annoying, had kept her safe.

Guilt washed over her with these selfish thoughts. Téa didn't want Ryou to be miserable just so she could feel better. Then again, Bakura hadn't been so bad lately. Of course, that was only because Shadi supposedly was keeping a close eye on him, but still… Téa had been doing her best too, to keep Bakura from hurting Ryou. Although, most of it had backfired right in her face. Ever since she had started living there, Ryou's misfortune seemed to be worse than ever. It would indeed be better for him if Bakura went to Egypt. Téa stopped to wonder if Bakura would try to return to Egypt on his own terms, or if he even wanted to go back. He led an easy life, living off of Ryou; Téa couldn't picture him getting a job and saving money for a plane ticket. Then again, he'd probably just rob a bank.

Joey called everyone in for lunch then. She stood and brushed the sand off her skirt, looking around for the spirit. "I'll go find Bakura," she told Ryou as he headed off with the others. There was a pained expression on his face, but she smiled and told him not to worry; she could handle Bakura. Téa tugged on her tunic and set off over the sand in the direction she had seen Bakura headed earlier. It shouldn't be too hard to spot a black blob against all of the sand…

It didn't take her too long to find him. Climbing one of the hills to get a better view of the beach, Téa spotted the tomb robber sitting on the hillside to her right, out of the sun and out of sight from the beach. No wonder they hadn't been able to find him earlier.

Even walking as quietly as possible under the loud wind, Bakura heard the footsteps from afar and watched suspiciously as she sat down next to him. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting," she replied, mimicking him by lying her legs out in front and leaning back on her hands. Then she threw his own question back at him, though without the suspicious tone. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged, picking at a blade of grass. "Where's the rest of the geek squad?"

"Eating lunch," she answered, rolling her eyes at his description of her friends. "I came to see if you wanted something."

Bakura looked at her with such an intensity that her breath caught in her throat. "What?!" she coughed out, choking on the air. He turned away, staring out into the ocean. He said nothing, merely tugging at his coat. She knew Bakura had refused to wear a pair of Ryou's swim trunks again, but did he really have to wear his black trench coat to the beach?!

Téa wasn't sure if he was hungry or not, but either way, he likely didn't plan on joining them for a group meal. Whatever. If he wanted to sit here and stare at the sand, so be it.

"Are you thinking about Egypt?" she asked bluntly, surprising both of them. She hadn't meant to ask that aloud.

Bakura studied her face for a while before answering, probably trying to figure out if she was even worth the time. It wasn't that nosy of a question, was it?

"What makes you think that?" he replied at last, returning his gaze to the beach.

"Well, you're looking out at the beach," she said, trying not to stumble over her words. "I thought maybe all the sand reminded you of Egypt."

Bakura snorted. "Different type of sand. This is a beach; Egypt is a desert. Leave it to you to not be able to tell the difference."

Fuming, she decided not to respond with a rude remark and instead Téa gave him a cold look. But the corners of his mouth were twitching upward. Was he actually teasing her?

"Let me guess," he said, breaking her thoughts, "the pharaoh was discussing his plans for his travels in Egypt? Is that why you're asking me about it?"

She nodded, surprised he realized that. Then again, she had mentioned it offhandedly yesterday. And he had been interested.

"That's why you came, right?" she inquired softly. "To say goodbye?"

Bakura glared, and she hurried to clarify. "I mean, in your own twisted way. Whether challenging him to one last duel or trying to steal his Puzzle."

He sighed exasperatedly. "I have no interest in either of those."

"Do you want to go back to Egypt?" she asked him. Now that was a nosy question! Téa quickly pretended to be admiring the horizon so she didn't have to see his ticked expression.

"I don't know."

To her surprise, Bakura's answer was soft and raspy, as if he was lost in his own thoughts. She wasn't sure how to continue the conversation, or if she should even push her luck, but Bakura continued without prompt, surprising her yet again.

"I… I don't know," he repeated. "There's not much left for me in Egypt. With Shadi watching my every move, I can't exactly go plundering the pyramids. Besides, the idiotic archeologists of today haven't even uncovered half of what lies out in the desert."

Téa raised her eyebrows at this, but he offered no explanation. So there was not much left for him in Egypt… That begged the question, what was left for him here?

But she didn't dare ask that. It was a personal question, and she was already walking a thin line asking the spirit of the Ring such things. Also… she hated to admit it, even to herself, but Téa was partially afraid of what he might say. That he would realize there was nothing here for him. There was no reason for him to stay here. But she couldn't bring herself to point that out.

"You're not interested in collecting the Millennium Items anymore?"

Oh, Téa and her big mouth! She chanced a glance at Bakura; he regarded her carefully still. A funny expression spread across his face, but she couldn't quite place it. Not funny as in comical, but more of an odd expression Téa couldn't begin to describe. A contorted kind of bitterness, perhaps?

Several long minutes of silence followed that question. Téa almost wanted to get up and return to the group, but she also didn't want to draw any more attention to herself after asking that. The last time she had asked him this question, he punched her in the neck!

"There's no point," Bakura responded finally, looking out over the ocean. "I wanted revenge on the pharaoh for so long… but it turns out that revenge was misplaced."

She faced him directly at this, trying to look interested but not too interested in case he felt she was prying. Bakura had never talked about his past before. At least, not like this. Téa would be lying if she said she hadn't been curious about it.

"When I was young, my entire village was slaughtered and sacrificed for the creation of the Millennium Items."

Téa couldn't help but gasp. His entire village… murdered? Just to create those, those things?! His family and friends gone just like that. It was no wonder he wanted revenge.

Bakura chuckled darkly at her expression. "Don't bother pitying me, Gardner. I slaughtered hundreds of people in return."

She felt as though that statement should bother her more than it did. Here she was, sitting and chatting with a self-proclaimed murderer and spirit of darkness who could snuff her little life out at any second. But all she could do was pity him. Téa knew it wasn't right, but that's how she felt, and she felt guilty with herself for feeling this way. She felt sick.

"It wasn't enough, however," Bakura continued quietly. "Everyone knew the Items belonged to the pharaoh and his high priests. I wanted revenge on the pharaoh. So I succumbed to darkness."

Téa didn't bother asking him to elaborate on that; she was not sure she wanted to know what all he had done. She felt ill already, and she didn't need any such details making her feel worse.

"I had been prepared to die for my cause. I knew I wouldn't make it out alive after killing the pharaoh, but I had accepted my fate. I was willing to be a sacrifice. But it didn't go as I planned, and somewhere along the way I realized how foolish it was to accept death. Had I stayed with my original beliefs, I wouldn't be here right now. But the will to survive is so much stronger than the will to die," he stated, glancing at her. "Because of my will to live… my need for revenge… my soul was sealed inside the Ring for a long time. If my will had been weak, I wouldn't have survived the process.

"I didn't find out until a while ago, when Shadi released me from the Ring, that the pharaoh wasn't to blame," he said. "It was his uncle who ordered the slaughtering of my village. And that man has been dead for thousands of years." Bakura curled his fingers into fists. "I can never have true revenge."

Something wet slid down her cheek, and Téa realized she was crying. She hurriedly brush the tears away, but Bakura saw them anyway. He scowled.

"What are you crying about? Don't you dare cry for me, Gardner! Don't you dare!" he growled. "I don't need your pity or your tears! I am a cold-blooded killer, and you would do well to remember that!"

She was shaking, both from fear and sadness. "No," she told him quietly, not even shying away when he turned his piercing eyes on her. "No one deserves that. So you darn well bet that I'm going to cry for you, Bakura! You were a child!" She sniveled a bit and wiped away the rest of her tears. All of those years, Bakura had been alone. All that time, no one had cared for him, cried for him. Téa didn't care what sort of things he had done, no one merited such childhood memories. "No one deserves that, not even you," she choked, the words coming out as more of a whisper.

She tentatively placed her hand over his. He flinched at the contact and watched her with hard eyes. But he didn't pull his hand away. Téa stared at their hands, wondering if hers felt just as warm to him as his hand felt to her. Her eyes traveled back up to find that his face was much closer than before. His expression was still distant and unreadable, though not nearly so angry as before. Bakura's eyes, she noticed, were a deep brown that bordered on crimson. Of course, she had never been this close to him either. She found herself leaning in to get a better look at his eye color.

Bakura leaned in, too, raising his free hand. Before she could really even think about it, he placed his hand behind her head, pulled her toward him, and brushed his lips to her forehead.

Her entire body tensed, and Téa couldn't breathe because her heart was trying to jump up into her throat. His lips were warm and soft on her skin, much softer than she ever would have guessed. Her hand tightened instinctively around his as her other hand grasped at the dirt. Finally remembering that she needed air, Téa breathed in deeply, the smell of the ocean and Bakura washing over her completely. His scent was almost completely foreign, and that somehow made it all the more intoxicating. Her skin underneath his lips began to burn at the contact, and she knew her cheeks were also burning with a ferocious blush that she couldn't contain even if she had tried.

She thought Bakura must have felt her skin burning, too, because he pulled away at last. He wore a carefully guarded expression. Was that his way of saying thank you? His hand lingered at the back of her head, and Téa could feel her heart absolutely racing. She had always had a fast heartbeat around the tomb robber, but usually it was from fear or anger. Right now, her heart felt like…

"Téa."

Her name passed his lips in almost a hoarse sort of sigh that had Téa catching her breath again. This was only the second time he had used her first name, at least that she could recall. And hearing her name on his tongue just sounded so…

Right.

Her brain couldn't keep up with the rush of emotions, and Téa was so completely confused. This was the spirit of the Millennium Ring who just admitted he had killed hundreds of people, and here she was, letting him kiss her forehead and hold her hand. What the HELL was she doing?! This was bad; this was exactly what happened with Marik, she remembered with a chill. It was a bit different, however, since Bakura was neither stalking her nor was he interested in her. And Téa wasn't interested in him, either. Definitely not.

Bright, gold rays burst forth from between them, and the moment was broken. Bakura withdrew his hand and reached into his shirt, pulling out the Millennium Ring. Téa felt a stab of panic that perhaps he was just using the time to get her to lower her guard so he could do something sinister–

"What–?" she started, feeling dizzy from both the blinding light and her own emotions.

"Something's wrong," Bakura said seriously. His voice was back to its normal gravelly tone. He stood abruptly, still clutching her hand and so pulling her up with him. He immediately let go and peered down at his Ring. The light was so strong that Téa could barely see him now, just his edges. Finally, the light faded and only the Ring remained glowing. The five dangling arrows were all pointing to the left.

"What does that mean?" she asked, feeling the wind pick up and whip her hair around wildly.

"Trouble," came the curt answer. Bakura was suddenly walking quickly away. Téa stood there dumbstruck until a hand stretched out and grabbed her. With his vice-like grip on her arm, Bakura dragged her along as he walked, seemingly following the pull of the Millennium Ring. She recognized that they were heading back towards the group, when–

"Ryou!"

She screamed his name again and broke free of Bakura's death-grip, even as the tomb robber tried to pull her back. Téa ran madly down the hill to where Ryou laid still on the beach.

"Ryou! Oh god, Ryou! Someone call for help!"

Dimly aware of her friends' panicky shouts in the background, she knelt down next to Ryou.

His white hair was flecked with blood from a deep cut on his head. There was another huge splotch of red on his side. Téa could feel the bile rising. Oh my god, oh my god. His chest barely rose and fell, and oh god, there was just so much blood. Tears poured down her cheeks, and her voice was so hoarse that Téa couldn't even scream out his name anymore. She looked over his body again, and what she saw had her choking on the bile rushing up her throat.

There, on his upper left arm, a crude drawing had been etched into his skin. Even with fresh blood oozing out, she knew what it was.

A rose.