I know some of you are probably wondering, 'Where's the lemon?! You said there would be lemons!'. I didn't lie. This chapter has a bit of citrus in it. Unfortunately a certain Thief King saw me squeezing them on the keyboard and chucked them across the room partway through, so blame him for not getting the full on lemony goodness.
Would like to also add the obligatory "I do not own Harley Davidson", though I do own a fair amount of merchandise and apparel.
The sun had set by the time Marik and his tiny kidnapper got off the bus stop closest to the Kame Game Shop, leaving a few blocks left to go before they would part ways. They had spent the remainder of the afternoon looking at and discussing motorcycles with the shop's proprietor until closing time. Marik even walked out with a new black jean jacket with the Harley Davidson emblem between a set of outstretched wings embroidered on the back between the shoulders. Kat had made a comment how every biker should have at least one Harley jacket, pointing out the uncanny resemblance the embroidery had to the brand on his back. He was hesitant at first, but she had made it obvious that saying 'No' was not an option as she handed the clerk her card. On the short walk back they were still discussing Knucklehead versus Panhead engines, stopping for only a moment when a dog in a neighboring yard started growling and barking in their direction. Kat glowered at the dog for a second before hissing at it, sending the canine cowering. Marik hadn't even feigned shock at this, having gotten slightly used to her feline mannerisms. He could even picture a set of cat ears flattened against her skull while she did it, causing him to laugh slightly.
"I'm starting to think I should keep you and demand a ransom." Kat joked as they approached the game shop.
"Well seeing as I doubt anyone could afford it, that would mean you would be stuck with me." Marik laughed in return.
"Oh, the torture! To be stuck with someone who could actually be useful in a garage!" Kat mocked with the back of her hand on her forehead. "But alas, I fear we must part ways."
Marik rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "You know, I wouldn't mind being 'kidnapped' again if you ever need another day to just be...a person...and not something more."
"I'll have to keep that in mind." she replied with a gentle smile.
Marik looked over at the shop, not wanting to go in just yet. Why was that? He should be wanting to rush inside and find out if Bakura had told Yugi and the Pharaoh anything important. Instead he was content to stand outside under the streetlamp with only the sounds of the city. Was is this girl? He had never really spent a lot of time around the opposite sex, with the exception of Ishizu. There was also Tea and on occasion Joey's younger sister, Serenity. None of them left him feeling like this though. Their presence was just that, a presence. He didn't feel a strange feeling of sadness at the idea of them leaving. Even when he left for Domino, he hadn't felt sad seeing his sister fade into a small dot on the tarmac. He missed her, but no more than he missed Odion. This was different. This made his chest feel tight and his stomach knot up. He knew Kat had been joking about keeping him, but her words had made his stomach and chest feel a strange flutter of hope that she wasn't.
"Yugi's grandfather owns this shop, right?" Kat asked as she walked over and peered through the shop's front window.
"Yeah. Did you want to meet him? He's also an archaeologist. I'm certain the two of you could talk about ancient Egypt for hours. I know he did with me!" Marik stated, hoping that by getting her to come inside he could spend just a bit more time with her.
"I wouldn't mind. I have a question about an item in his shop. That is if you think he'll entertain a potential late-night customer?"
Marik shrugged his shoulders. "Couldn't hurt to try?" He opened the door to the apartment attached to the shop. "Yugi! Mr. Muto! Sorry I'm back so late!" he shouted from the entry way.
The sound of a couple pairs of feet could be heard running down from the bedroom upstairs. It was Yugi, followed closely by Joey. Both appeared to be excited to see Marik, but stopped quickly seeing that he was not alone.
Joey stared with his jaw nearly on the floor, pointing at the small Egyptian girl. "Wh-who is that!?" he stuttered. "Is that the girl you was tellin me about!?"
"Joey, this is Katrina Miamosha. She's an immortal elemental like Bakura." said Marik in introduction while Kat performed a mock bow.
Joey ran up and grabbed Kat by the hand, kneeling as he did so. "Will you be my girlfriend!" he shouted out with a ridiculous smile on his face.
Kat looked at him with a dull expression. "Yeah...that's gonna be a hard 'No'."
Marik and Yugi couldn't help but laugh at Joey's reaction as he ran off into a corner to sulk.
"If you're looking for Bakura, he left hours ago. He didn't want to chance running into my grandpa and having to pretend to be Ryou." Yugi stated.
"Actually, I'm not here for Kura. I was actually hoping to ask your grandfather about something I saw from the window outside. I hope that would be okay. If not, I can come back when the shop opens in the morning."
"No need! You're here now." Solomon interjected from behind Yugi. He had decided to investigate the female voice coming from the entry way. "So what is it you wanted to know about?"
"I thought I saw a factory sealed Dark Tower box on one of your shelves….or was I imagining it?"
"Nope! You saw correctly! I was lucky to get my hands on it. Want to take a look?"
"If it's alright."
"Follow me right this way then!" Solomon escorted Kat to the store half of the building, flicking a few switches for some lighting.
"So what were you doing out so late?" Yugi questioned Marik.
"We stopped at a motorcycle shop and kind of lost track of time." Marik replied sheepishly.
"You took a girl on a date to a motorcycle shop?!" Joey chastised, having quickly recovered from Kat's rejection. "That is super lame! Should have taken her to see a sappy movie! Girls love that stuff!"
Marik laughed. "It wasn't a date. We just hung out. Besides, she really liked it. She even bought me this jacket." he said while showing off his new piece of apparel.
"Did the two of you go out to eat?" Joey questioned, his face scrutinizing the Egyptian in front of him.
"We had lunch at my favorite restaurant and grabbed a quick bite before we caught the bus home."
"And ya both went somewhere and had a good time?"
"Well, yeah. We were still talking about motorcycle engines on the walk from the bus stop."
"I dunno...Yug, whaddya think?" Joey asked the spiky-haired teen beside him.
Yugi couldn't help but smile and nod. "Sorry Marik, but I have to agree with Joey. It sounds exactly like a date."
A blush formed across Marik's cheeks, holding his hands up. "What?! No! It was just two people hanging out! It's no different that when I go to the arcade or the mall with you guys!"
"Uh-huh. Riiiiight…." Joey teased, winking.
"You're sure?!" Kat said to Solomon as they walked back into the apartment half of the building. "I have no problem paying full price!" she offered, holding a bag in her hands.
"Nonsense! I'm just glad to know such a rare collectible is going to someone that will appreciate it. Just remember to keep my little shop in mind for the next time you're looking for something hard to find. If I don't have it, I'll scour my resources to find it for you!" Solomon smiled.
"He means it too!" added Yugi with a chuckle.
"I believe it!" Kat said smiling. She walked over to Marik, stopping just in front of him. "I guess I should be going." She placed a hand lightly on his jaw, tugging gently to bring him down closer to her face where she planted a kiss on his cheek. "See you around pretty boy."
Marik's face became bright red. He stood speechless as she walked past him and out the door. He didn't even register the sharp jabs in his rib from Joey.
"Not a date huh? Ya really sure about that?" Joey chaffed.
"Wow Marik! You found yourself a real looker!" Solomon commented jokingly.
"But she's not...we're not...it wasn't…" Marik stuttered, still red faced.
Solomon looked at him surprised. "Could have fooled me!" he chuckled. "I guess you should consider yourself lucky I'm not a young buck anymore! I would steal a girl like that from right under your nose!"
"Sure you would Grandpa." Yugi said dryly.
"I would! We Muto's might be short, but the ladies find us irresistible!"
"Yeah, yeah. I bet." Joey remarked. "I think I better get heading home before gramps here starts tellin us stories about his days as a 'young buck'." he commented, attempting to avoid another of Solomon's tales from his younger days (which always somehow ended up with a story about him on some archaeological adventure).
"Just wait until you're old like me! Then you'll see! You'll wish you had made time to listen to my tales!" Solomon shouted after Joey, who was already halfway down the street. He rounded on Yugi and Marik. "I suppose neither of you have time for an old man either?" he questioned, staring in scrutiny at the two remaining teens.
"Sorry Mr. Muto, it's been a long day and I just want to head to bed." Marik said, realizing how exhausted he was.
"Same here Grandpa. Maybe some other time." Yugi added.
Solomon shook his head. "You're right. It is late. Besides, we have all day tomorrow!" he said excitedly, oblivious to Yugi and Marik's less-than-enthusiastic expressions.
Marik leaned over to Yugi and whispered, "Please tell me you have an idea on how to avoid tomorrow?"
"Not yet, but I'll try to come up with something!" Yugi whispered back.
The two rushed upstairs, both plopping face first onto their beds.
"So did Bakura tell you anything after I left?" Marik questioned after several long minutes.
"Not really. Just that Yami apparently did something to hurt Kat pretty badly. He wouldn't go into details though. What about you? Did you learn anything that could help the Pharaoh?"
"Not really. Just that the Pharaoh and Kat were apparently pretty close. She also agreed with me that he is pretty dumb." Marik chuckled. "Also his paranoia towards me is apparently a normal thing for him. She said something about asking if he remembered what she told him about saying stupid stuff."
Yugi looked over at Yami floating in his ethereal form with his arms across his chest. He appeared to be be...pouting?
"What's wrong?" Yugi questioned through their link.
"I am not paranoid."
"Well…"
Yami's pout deepened. "And to answer the question: Yes I remember what she said. Though I doubt she could hit me as I am now."
"I don't know...she could see you somehow. Plus what if she hits you while you're in control? Then I'm going to be the one with a headache."
The Pharaoh's pout dissipated. "I wouldn't let that happen."
"I hope not."
Yugi looked over to his roommate, who had stood up to change for bed. "So...about that date…"
Marik picked up his pillow and flung it at Yugi. "It wasn't a date!"
Bakura hadn't told the Pharaoh much else. Even if he had the ability to, he didn't want to. The Pharaoh had hurt someone he cared about. Bakura had simply escorted the Pharaoh and his host back home and left. He wandered about after that, getting re-acquainted with his magae. He hadn't realized how incomplete he felt without his magic and his elemental essence. He practiced a few old tricks such as vanishing and reappearing elsewhere, along with basic levitation. He also connected to his element to shift his gaze to various locations around the city. He contemplated focusing beyond the city, but decided against it for the time being. It was best not to push his limits just yet. The body he now inhabited needed time to adjust, just as his old one had in the beginning. He recalled the physical damage that it had inflicted. Sure it healed, but much more slowly than it should have and was extremely painful. He didn't mind physical pain, so long as it was over quickly.
As the sun set over Domino, Bakura made his way back to the flat Ryou had called home. He debated whether to keep it or find something a little more his style. Ryou had decorated it to feel like a proper English home, complete with a small area dedicated as a tea parlor. It was cozy and warm, but Bakura preferred extravagant and luxurious. There was also the matter of school. Should he continue going parading around as his heir? He hadn't put any effort into pretending to be Ryou, but no one outside of Yugi and his little gang of friends appeared to notice. He supposed they weren't too bad to be around. The Tomb Keeper wasn't bad company. Joey, while a bit too Joey at times, was fairly entertaining. The other two, Tristan and Tea, were a bit boring, but he could probably tolerate them. Yugi wasn't that bad either. The Pharaoh on the other hand was going to test his patience. Especially with Katrina being back in the picture. Bakura knew that the anger she had addressed towards the Pharaoh was actually an attempt to hide her pain. He knew she felt betrayed by one of the few people in her life that she had allowed to see her for who she really was.
Bakura made his way to the bathroom, deciding to take a relaxing shower before heading to bed. The stress of the past few weeks had really gotten to him. He leaned forward, resting his forehead on the shower wall. He allowed his mind to go blank, not wanting to think about anything. Not about Ryou's new status in the Afterlife. Not about what to do with the flat or school. Not even about his own restoration. He just wanted to focus on the sound of the hot, flowing water on the back of his neck as it flowed downwards between his shoulders, washing away all the built up tension.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, and didn't really care. The water had begun to run cold though. Bakura turned the water off, then grabbed a towel to dry off. He stared at the reflection in the bathroom's fogged up mirror, wiping away the condensation to get a better look. It was strange seeing Ryou with his eyes. No. Not Ryou. This was him. He was going to have to get used to recognizing that reflection as his own. No more muscled bronzed skin. No stitched scar across his face. Just soft, pale flesh with a trailing mane of fluffy white hair. The only scar, a jagged line on his upper left arm, was a barely noticeable pale pink. He cringed at the memory of it's origin. Bakura finished drying off, wrapping the towel around his waist before proceeding to Ryou's room, which was now his room. He didn't bother turning on the light, instead choosing to just proceed towards where he knew the dresser to be. After rummaging through several of the drawers he found a pair of loose pajama pants. Bakura could never understand Ryou's need to be fully clothed at all times, even while sleeping. He personally preferred sleeping entirely nude, but out of respect for his former host he chose to at least keep the lower half covered.
He made his way back across the room, stopping next to the nightstand. Bakura gingerly removed the Ring from around his neck, the first time since before he had gotten trapped within it. He felt both relieved and exposed. It had been a constant weight, one that felt safe to him. He wondered if Ryou ever felt the same whenever he took it off. "Probably not" he thought to himself. As he placed the Ring down on the nightstand, he saw the outline of a familiar object. Even in the low light he could make it out to be a golden ankh on a thin string of leather. He didn't need a light to know that there was a ruby in center of the ankh's crook. Two golden hands wrapped around from behind him, gently placing themselves on his pale chest. He felt the warmth of her body press up against his back.
"What did you say to him?" Katrina's voice was nearly a whisper, but it sounded loud in the silence of the flat.
Bakura slowly took in and let out a lungful of air, trying to subdue the sudden urge that had filled his new body. "Nothing more than that he had broken his promise to not let anyone hurt you. I didn't give any details. And you? Did you say anything to the Tomb Keeper?"
"We talked. I filled him in a bit more about our lineages and how we came to be. Nothing too detailed. Mostly we just talked about motorcycles."
Bakura chuckled lightly in amusement while shaking his head. "That does sound exactly like the both of you. So no 'fun' with your new toy I take it?"
"No." she replied casually. "You know my rules with virgins anyway. It has to be on their terms. I won't initiate anything."
"And yet here you are."
"I'm making an exception. It's only a technicality anyways."
"You sure? Or this just part of our same old song and dance?"
"Perhaps if you had gotten up the courage to tell me how you felt on the day you gave that to me we wouldn't be stuck in this rut. Instead we play this game and each time one of us walks away." she commented, indicating towards the ankh on the nightstand.
"Perhaps if you stopped telling people you're my sister…"
"There's no blood between us. We both know that. And we both know that it's just an excuse you continue to use. We also know that we are both afraid of what might happen should things go south between us." She paused, letting her words sink in. "I'm not here for emotional attachment. It will be strictly casual. I'm certain I don't need to remind you how casual works. You've had your fair share, as have I."
Bakura took another steadying breath. "Casual? You think we could ever cross that line with just 'casual' and pretend it never happened?"
Kat pulled away, taking him by the hand and leading him towards the bed. "Only one way to find out."
She was already undressed, making it even harder for Bakura to fight the lust that screamed at him for control. He ran his fingers through her hair, gripping tightly at the base of her skull and pulling her face to his. His mouth hungrily found hers as he pressed her down onto the bed. In that moment the room vanished. It was just the two of them. Their pulses thundered in their ears, but they couldn't hear it. Everything was pure animalistic instinct. His body lingered just above hers, his lower region screaming to seek out her inner flesh and it's moist warmth. Her touch sent shivering pulses throughout his body as she dug slightly into his shoulder. His mouth hungered for more as they came up for breath. He brought it down, trailing her jaw up to her ear, nibbling. She make a sound that called for more, and he was more than happy to oblige. He continued down to the base of her neck, biting roughly. She took in a sharp breath, her body pushing into the bite. Her claws dug deeper, making him want to give in to the temptations of the rest of her body. He continued southward instead, taking up a small mountain of flesh in his mouth. The body beneath arched upward, a small mewl of ecstasy escaping from somewhere above. Everything had become a hazy fog, and he could no longer make out details. He somehow had went from the mountain of flesh back to the sweet taste of her tongue on his. He came up for another breath, trying to look down at the golden figure beneath him through the haze. He wanted to see the two bright blue gems looking back up at him. He stared into them, lost in everything but how they sparkled. Something pale beneath them caught his attention. It stroked against the golden flesh, caressing. The haze slowly cleared as the pale object pulled away, bringing itself closer to his face for inspection. The fog of ecstasy vanished, as the room and all of it's objects reappeared. Bakura forcefully pushed himself away, walking across the room and stopping at the doorway. His breathing was heavy as he continued to come down from the lust filled high. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned his head against the door frame.
"Kura?" Katrina's voice questioned, her breathing just as heavy as his.
"I can't...not yet. Just...go."
"But-"
"GO!" he shouted without looking at her. He couldn't. He was too irritated with himself.
Bakura felt the quick burst of warmth from her flames, signaling her departure. He balled up a fist and slammed it into the door, breaking it in two. This aggravated him further, causing him to snap and rip the remainder of the door off it's hinges and throw it across the room.
Please don't hate me. Remember, lack of juicy lemon is to be blamed on a certain Thief, not me...the writer.