Change of Heart
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: See previous chapter.
Notes: My God, this story must suck. I've only gotten 5 reviews, and it's prequel, "Black Eyes, Blue Tears" got over twenty. What AM I doing wrong? By the way, this story is kind of like a side story/epilogue thing to "Fixing What is Broken." I'd suggest reading that first, and "Memories of the Past" if you want to understand some of what's going on.
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Kasku looked around the small living room in a rather curious manner. Being new to the 'real' world, as they liked to call it, she rarely saw much of it, and this living room was one of the places she had never visited. She had seen Bakura's bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, and the hallway, but never the living room. It looked rather quaint, a light green color, with plenty of archeological…things scattered around. She frowned when she saw a painting on the wall. It reminded her slightly of…HIM. The one who had imprisoned her in the ring in the first place. The one who Yami Bakura had once called master. And people wondered how the tomb robber became so cruel. The answer was Kaju. Thank the Gods that Ikira, her best friend, had gotten rid of him. That vile mad did not deserve the air he breathed.
Shaking her head to get rid of bad images, she turned back to the object of her affections. True, she was a Shadow Monster, and he was a human, but she decided to have her illusions while she still could. Besides, she found his reaction to it completely hilarious. Bakura was looking at her, seemingly nervous. He was waiting for her approval. She smiled, then turned to sit down on the couch. To her surprise, it was soft, and she sank down into it. The seat was eating her! The snowy haired boy behind her burst out laughing when she screamed. It took her a minute to realize that the couch wasn't eating her, but just really soft. At that point she threw a pillow at her charge.
"Hey!" Bakura squawked out. He narrowed his eyes at the laughing monster, then picked up the pillow she had thrown. With a grunt, he threw it back at her. She smirked, then caught it in mid-air. Bakura huffed, but smiled as he sat down on a chair across from the couch. He shifted slightly to get comfortable, then looked into his guardian's eyes, "So. If you're so unhappy with how I'm dealing with Yami, what do you suggest I do?" The 'Change of Heart' card scrunched up her nose in thought. He gave her a few minutes, then cleared his throat.
"Well," she drawled, "I can't really give you a sure-fire way to do this, but I'd suggest befriending him," Bakura's jaw dropped open at the idea. Befriend him?! That was unthinkable! His expression got that opinion across quite well, "Look. I know that seems like a stupid idea," she sighed, "But what else can you do? You've always said that you wish you had a Yami like Yugi's. How will you ever achieve that if you keep him locked away? Besides, I've known him for a long time. Trust me."
Bakura sighed, and sank back down against the chair. Befriend the one who had made his life a living nightmare? It seemed like it was impossible. He seriously doubted his Yami even knew what a friend was. But on the other hand, he would have a good Yami, something he had wanted since he met Yugi. Plus, Kasku suggested it, and she could never steer him wrong. She was his guardian after all. But befriending Yami…It left him with the shivers. He thought about it, weighing the pros and cons, then came to a conclusion. He wanted a kind Yami so badly. He would do it.
"Fine," he finally stated, and Kasku visibly brightened, "But how would I befriend him. I certainly can't give him gifts or something, if that's what you mean," he folded his arms across his chest and glared at the Shadow Monster. However, Kasku just smiled. She stood, with some difficulty because she was so far into the couch cushions, and flexed her mismatched wings a bit. She was stalling, Bakura realized, building the suspense. Well, he was getting tired of waiting, so he gestured impatiently for her to continue. She did just that.
" I suggest you talk to him, face-to-face, outside your body. Toodles!" then she spread her wings and swooped through a portal that had just opened in the middle of the room, off to the Shadow Realm.
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Talk to him? Bakura lay awake in bed long after Kasku left. The prospect of actually letting the monster called Yami Bakura out was both sickening and frightening. He would probably beat his lighter half to within an inch of his life for forcing him down for so long. The owner of the Millenium Ring cringed at the thought. Yami terrified him just by existing, but actually standing there in front of you, with that smirk on his face, it would give Bakura white hairs if they weren't white already. To even think of letting him out was like contemplating suicide. Not like Bakura hadn't before.
He sighed. That afternoon he had decided to do what Kasku asked, and befriend his Yami. Now, he wasn't so sure of his choice. He weighed these new sets of cons against the rapidly shrinking pros, and saw that cons definitely out-weighed the pros. No way was he going to befriend Yami. He wasn't suicidal…anymore. With another sigh, he rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.
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There was darkness all around. Where was he? There was nothing around to be seen, save a small form in the center of the room that he had missed the first time he looked around. It was white, and looked kind of like a person curled into a ball. In fact…It was a person! Bakura rushed forward, half because he was happy that there was someone else in this seemingly endless void, half to see if the person was okay. When he arrived to the still form, he was shocked to see that it was a young Yami. The small boy had tears running down his bloodied and bruised face, and his eyes were shut tightly. Bakura winced in sympathy, but before he could make a move to help the poor boy, a slamming sound came from behind him.
He whirled around to see what it was and recoiled sharply at the sight. A tall dark man, with ebony black hair and Ice blue eyes stood framed in the doorway, a long whip wrapped in his clutches. He looked absolutely furious, and it was that expression that almost made the snowy haired miss the object around the man's neck. Almost. Bakura's jaw dropped when he spotted it. It was the Millenium Ring! Then, a quiet whimper from his side drew his attention back to his Yami. The boy was shaking like a leaf, as the strange and sinister man drew closer. It was then that Bakura decided that he would protect his Yami, and he snarled at the rapidly advancing man.
"Brat!" the man hissed, letting the whip uncoil, "Get up now, or I'll make you!" Yami shuddered once, then obeyed. Bakura looked on, confused. It was like he wasn't even there. Then it hit him. He was in a dream, or a memory of his Yami's! He didn't really exist here, so he was invisible to the people here. Slightly put out by this observation, he turned back to the scene unfolding. Yami was walking forward, towards that evil man, looking to all the world exactly what Bakura imagined he looked like when Yami decided it was punishment time. So this was Yami's past. That would explain some things. As Bakura watched, the man raised the whip and brought it down hard on Yami's shoulder. The small boy didn't even flinch. After all, this was routine for him.
"That BRAT!'' the man screamed as he whipped Yami over and over again, "He thinks he's so smart! You don't know real power, Pharaoh Yugioh!" With that outburst, the man brought the whip extra hard down on his whipping boy's back.
A shrill scream pierced the night air.
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Bakura awoke screaming. That was his Yami's past?! No wonders he was so cruel! The teenage boy was shaking, and he wrapped his arms around himself. He needed to talk to someone, but Kasku was in the Shadow Realm, and he didn't know how to reach her. Besides, he didn't want her fawning over him when he needed her to be serious. He needed some advice from someone else, and fast. One person came to mind immediately. He needed Yugi.
Reaching out, Bakura grabbed the cordless phone next to his bed that his mother had gotten him for his birthday. Using the third number on the speed- dial, he held the phone to his ear and waited. One ring, two rings, three rings, four…he was about to give up on number seven when someone picked up and hissed, "WHAT!?" Bakura recoiled, but quickly recovered. He needed to talk to Yugi, and now.
"Umm, can I speak to Yugi? It's Bakura," he waited as the person on the other end of the line paused for a moment. Hoping he wasn't going to be cut off, Bakura continued, ''look, if you want me to call back-"
"Bakura?" the voice interrupted, and the said boy realized that it was Yami Yugi, "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Bakura jolted. He didn't have a clue, and said so into the phone, "It's three a.m. Why in the Gods' name would you need Yugi at this hour?" Bakura sighed, and explained his dream about Yami's past. The former pharaoh was silent as he listened, and for a few minutes after. Then he spoke, "Well, I did know that Kaju, my old High Priest, had a slave that had white hair. I just never saw him, only heard about him. The man you saw was probably Kaju. You know, I'm really not the best person to talk to about your Yami's past. Have you tried Kasku?"
"Yes!" Bakura cried. He fell back against the pillow then turned his attention back to the phone, "I've tried asking, but she keeps blocking. Besides, I don't know how to call her out of the Shadow Realm. And that's where she is. I thought you would be able to help!" Bakura listened for a moment. Yami Yugi wasn't answering, but there was some sort of conversation happening on the other end. After a moment, someone picked up the phone again.
"Hey, Bakura?" someone whispered. It was, to Bakura's surprise, Ikira, the guardian of Yugi. He blinked, then listened to what she had to say, "Listen. Open your bedroom window. I'll be right over. See you in a minute!" Then, with a *click* she hung up. He blinked again, but decided to do as he was told. If she was coming over, maybe she had the answers he lacked. He stood and walked over to the window. With a grunt he heaved it open. The cool spring air felt good against his sweaty skin. He took a deep breath and looked out at the sliver left of the moon. It wasn't too dark out, because of the light from the city, but it was dark enough to see a few stars. Bakura sat there for a few minutes, just counting the ones he could see.
Suddenly, a black shape swooped up in front of him. He screamed, and fell back onto the floor. The black shape squeezed in through the window, then stalked over to the light switch. With a *flick* the lights went on, and the figure was revealed to be Ikira, the Shadow Demon, guardian of Yugi and Yami Yugi. She grinned down at him, then offered her clawed hand to help the flustered boy up.
"Sorry about that, I keep forgetting that you humans don't like it," The demon folded her wings onto her back, then walked over to the bed. She sat down lightly on the mattress, then patted next to her, indicating for him to sit. Soon he did just that. She smiled at him, "So, you want to know more about your Yami? Well, I'll warn you now, I'm not the expert on him either, that would be your guardian, Kasku. But I do know a bit about him, mostly from what I've heard from her. Now, what do you want to know?"
"What his past was like, what my dream means, and just about all you know," he said, with a serious expression on his face. He meant every word. Ikira watched him with an unreadable look, then sighed. He noticed that she looked quite old when she did that, and realized that she was very old. Shaking his head to get back on track, he turned to the girl who could help him understand.
"Well, well. Let's see," She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, "When your Yami was alive, he was a slave for Kaju-you know who Kaju is right?" Bakura nodded, "Well, Kaju was a bad man. He HATED his pharaoh, Yami Yugi, with a passion. Unfortunately for him, and your Yami, he couldn't do a thing to Yami Yugi, yet. But that's another story, one I'm sure you know. Anyway, because he couldn't touch the pharaoh, he often took it out on his slave, your Yami. You saw the kind of things he did in your dream," Bakura visibly winced, and the demon chuckled, "But in the end, Kaju was destroyed, and Yami Bakura ran for it. However, the years as Kaju's slave destroyed him. Thus, he became the Yami Bakura we all know and hate. That's all I have to tell," She fell silent.
Bakura looked down at his hands. That explained so much. Why his Yami was so hurtful, why he hated people, Yami Yugi especially, why he was who he was. It all made perfect sense. He was so lost in thought, it took him a minute to realize he was crying, and Ikira was rubbing his back. He listened to her soothing words for a moment, then nodded to himself. He lifted his head, and looked at the Shadow Demon seated beside him. She gave him a toothy smile, then stood.
"I suggest you do as Kasku said. Now that you know all about him, you'll be able to understand your Yami better. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my charges. Goodnight Bakura," and she turned to the window. With one beat of he powerful wings, she disappeared into the night.
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Bakura took a deep breath. It was Monday night at five o'clock. His homework was finished again, he had done his chores, and he had eaten, though he felt he was going to regret that last one. He had finally run out of excuses to put off talking to Yami. It was time, no turning back. Kasku thought he should, Ikira thought he should, heck even Yugi thought he should! He had talked to the group in school, and every single one of them agreed, including Yami Yugi. That meant that everyone was behind him on this decision. All he had to do was pull it off.
He took another deep breath, then let go of his hold on Yami's soul room. With a flash, the darker side was standing there in front of him. Yami shook himself off slightly, then turned his familiar piercing gaze forward. However, that gaze suddenly turned to a look of fear, the same he had worn in Bakura's dream when Kaju called him. He took one look at Bakura, and let out a small whimper.
Bakura was shocked. He was so scared that his Yami would be angry, and try to hurt him, but he was looking more scared of Bakura then Bakura was of him! He was acting like the English boy was going to hurt him, and flinched when he stepped forward. That's when it hit him. Yami was afraid of Bakura, the same way e was afraid of Kaju. He feared being hurt again. It was then that Bakura realized why everyone wanted him to befriend his Yami. He always acted tough, but on the inside, he was just a scared, broken little boy. With this realization, Bakura smiled softly, even though Yami's eyes were shut tightly, and stepped forward.
Yami was shocked when instead of hurting him, his light side hugged him instead. The boy was crying softly, and rocking Yami back and forth softly, rubbing his back in a comforting manner at the same time. Little did the Yami know, it was in similar fashion of how Ikira had rubbed Bakura's back while she had visited. When Yami realized that he wouldn't be hurt, he relaxed into Bakura's arms. Slowly, the lighter half led his counterpart over to the couch that had 'eaten' Kasku yesterday afternoon. As the two sat, Bakura let go of his dark side, and sat in the same chair as before.
"Why?" Yami suddenly asked, and Bakura was caught off-guard, "Why what?" he asked. His Yami looked at him, half glaring, half suspicious, and spoke again, "Why all this confusing stuff. For the longest time, you were totally submissive. Then, suddenly, one night you get this look in your eyes, and go all cold. And then you keep me hidden for weeks. Now all of the sudden, you let me out, and you don't try to hurt me or get revenge, but you're nice. What gives?"
Bakura looked shocked at his Yami. Slowly, he got the gist of what Yami was trying to say, and he frowned, "Well, Yami. Not all people are like Kaju," Yami's expression of shock was priceless. Bakura really wished he had a camera, and had to fight down giggles. Yami opened his mouth to ask, but Bakura beat him to it, "Ikira, Yugi's guardian, told me. She told me everything. I know all about Kaju and that stuff. Plus, I had a dream about your past, and saw what he did to you. I just can't believe that someone could be so cruel."
Yami smiled wryly. He shifted on the couch, then looked back at his light, "Well, I can tell you, a few of us have a couple of other choice words we'd call him, but I guess cruel will cut it," Yami coughed into his hand. Suddenly, he sobered, the smiling disappearing, "But I can't believe you know everything, and you can still be so kind. What about the time…before?" he seemed reluctant to say that he had beat his lighter side. Bakura nodded, understanding.
"Well, like I said before, not everyone is like Kaju," Bakura slowly stood, then sat next to Yami. He hugged his Yami's shoulders, and watched the boy as he stared at the floor. He soon noticed tears rolling down his Yami's cheeks and started. With a gentle, he reached forward and lifted Yami's chin so he could look into his eyes. He lifted up a pale finger to gently brush away the crystalline tears from the mirror image of his own face. For Yami, that was the last straw. With a sob, he broke down, the cold mask of cruelty shattered. He gripped his aibou's shirt and cried into it. The two stayed curled up on the couch for the rest of the night, as Yami told about his past life, about Kaju's beatings, about his hard times. The whole time, Bakura listened, comforting when Yami felt he couldn't go on. In one night, the two learned more about the other than they had the entire time they had known each other.
"Hey Yami?" Bakura finally asked. He saw on the clock that it was one a.m. Ooh boy, he was going to pay for this in the morning…scratch that, it was the morning. However, one teary-eyes look from his Yami made him feel it was all worth it, "Yes?"
''Do you think we could be friends now, like Yugi and his Yami?" Bakura whispered. Yami blinked once, twice, then his face broke into a relieved smile, "Of course…Aibou," Bakura was surprised at the warmth that spread through his body with that one word. He smiled, then lay down against his Yami's chest, "I'd like that," he murmured, then he fell asleep. Yami smiled, patted his head, then he too joined his light in slumber.
Outside the window, Kasku and Ikira sat in a tree limb, grinning like they had just won a million dollars. They looked at each other, then shared a high-five, "YES!" they both hissed at the same time. They burst into a fit of giggles, and almost fell off the tree branch, "Well," Ikira giggled as soon as she had gotten he balance back, "I'd better get back to Yugi and Yami. They want to know how this went, so I have to report," The Shadow Demon spread her wings and dropped out of the tree. Hovering slightly below, she turned back to her best friend, "Bye!" the two girls said at the same time again, and Ikira flew off into the night. Kasku giggled again, then opened a portal to the Shadow Realm and dived through. Soon, the night was peaceful once more.
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I'm done, now what? Someone give me a suggestion, just not another multi- chapter, please. Anyway, see you later!
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: See previous chapter.
Notes: My God, this story must suck. I've only gotten 5 reviews, and it's prequel, "Black Eyes, Blue Tears" got over twenty. What AM I doing wrong? By the way, this story is kind of like a side story/epilogue thing to "Fixing What is Broken." I'd suggest reading that first, and "Memories of the Past" if you want to understand some of what's going on.
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Kasku looked around the small living room in a rather curious manner. Being new to the 'real' world, as they liked to call it, she rarely saw much of it, and this living room was one of the places she had never visited. She had seen Bakura's bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, and the hallway, but never the living room. It looked rather quaint, a light green color, with plenty of archeological…things scattered around. She frowned when she saw a painting on the wall. It reminded her slightly of…HIM. The one who had imprisoned her in the ring in the first place. The one who Yami Bakura had once called master. And people wondered how the tomb robber became so cruel. The answer was Kaju. Thank the Gods that Ikira, her best friend, had gotten rid of him. That vile mad did not deserve the air he breathed.
Shaking her head to get rid of bad images, she turned back to the object of her affections. True, she was a Shadow Monster, and he was a human, but she decided to have her illusions while she still could. Besides, she found his reaction to it completely hilarious. Bakura was looking at her, seemingly nervous. He was waiting for her approval. She smiled, then turned to sit down on the couch. To her surprise, it was soft, and she sank down into it. The seat was eating her! The snowy haired boy behind her burst out laughing when she screamed. It took her a minute to realize that the couch wasn't eating her, but just really soft. At that point she threw a pillow at her charge.
"Hey!" Bakura squawked out. He narrowed his eyes at the laughing monster, then picked up the pillow she had thrown. With a grunt, he threw it back at her. She smirked, then caught it in mid-air. Bakura huffed, but smiled as he sat down on a chair across from the couch. He shifted slightly to get comfortable, then looked into his guardian's eyes, "So. If you're so unhappy with how I'm dealing with Yami, what do you suggest I do?" The 'Change of Heart' card scrunched up her nose in thought. He gave her a few minutes, then cleared his throat.
"Well," she drawled, "I can't really give you a sure-fire way to do this, but I'd suggest befriending him," Bakura's jaw dropped open at the idea. Befriend him?! That was unthinkable! His expression got that opinion across quite well, "Look. I know that seems like a stupid idea," she sighed, "But what else can you do? You've always said that you wish you had a Yami like Yugi's. How will you ever achieve that if you keep him locked away? Besides, I've known him for a long time. Trust me."
Bakura sighed, and sank back down against the chair. Befriend the one who had made his life a living nightmare? It seemed like it was impossible. He seriously doubted his Yami even knew what a friend was. But on the other hand, he would have a good Yami, something he had wanted since he met Yugi. Plus, Kasku suggested it, and she could never steer him wrong. She was his guardian after all. But befriending Yami…It left him with the shivers. He thought about it, weighing the pros and cons, then came to a conclusion. He wanted a kind Yami so badly. He would do it.
"Fine," he finally stated, and Kasku visibly brightened, "But how would I befriend him. I certainly can't give him gifts or something, if that's what you mean," he folded his arms across his chest and glared at the Shadow Monster. However, Kasku just smiled. She stood, with some difficulty because she was so far into the couch cushions, and flexed her mismatched wings a bit. She was stalling, Bakura realized, building the suspense. Well, he was getting tired of waiting, so he gestured impatiently for her to continue. She did just that.
" I suggest you talk to him, face-to-face, outside your body. Toodles!" then she spread her wings and swooped through a portal that had just opened in the middle of the room, off to the Shadow Realm.
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Talk to him? Bakura lay awake in bed long after Kasku left. The prospect of actually letting the monster called Yami Bakura out was both sickening and frightening. He would probably beat his lighter half to within an inch of his life for forcing him down for so long. The owner of the Millenium Ring cringed at the thought. Yami terrified him just by existing, but actually standing there in front of you, with that smirk on his face, it would give Bakura white hairs if they weren't white already. To even think of letting him out was like contemplating suicide. Not like Bakura hadn't before.
He sighed. That afternoon he had decided to do what Kasku asked, and befriend his Yami. Now, he wasn't so sure of his choice. He weighed these new sets of cons against the rapidly shrinking pros, and saw that cons definitely out-weighed the pros. No way was he going to befriend Yami. He wasn't suicidal…anymore. With another sigh, he rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.
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There was darkness all around. Where was he? There was nothing around to be seen, save a small form in the center of the room that he had missed the first time he looked around. It was white, and looked kind of like a person curled into a ball. In fact…It was a person! Bakura rushed forward, half because he was happy that there was someone else in this seemingly endless void, half to see if the person was okay. When he arrived to the still form, he was shocked to see that it was a young Yami. The small boy had tears running down his bloodied and bruised face, and his eyes were shut tightly. Bakura winced in sympathy, but before he could make a move to help the poor boy, a slamming sound came from behind him.
He whirled around to see what it was and recoiled sharply at the sight. A tall dark man, with ebony black hair and Ice blue eyes stood framed in the doorway, a long whip wrapped in his clutches. He looked absolutely furious, and it was that expression that almost made the snowy haired miss the object around the man's neck. Almost. Bakura's jaw dropped when he spotted it. It was the Millenium Ring! Then, a quiet whimper from his side drew his attention back to his Yami. The boy was shaking like a leaf, as the strange and sinister man drew closer. It was then that Bakura decided that he would protect his Yami, and he snarled at the rapidly advancing man.
"Brat!" the man hissed, letting the whip uncoil, "Get up now, or I'll make you!" Yami shuddered once, then obeyed. Bakura looked on, confused. It was like he wasn't even there. Then it hit him. He was in a dream, or a memory of his Yami's! He didn't really exist here, so he was invisible to the people here. Slightly put out by this observation, he turned back to the scene unfolding. Yami was walking forward, towards that evil man, looking to all the world exactly what Bakura imagined he looked like when Yami decided it was punishment time. So this was Yami's past. That would explain some things. As Bakura watched, the man raised the whip and brought it down hard on Yami's shoulder. The small boy didn't even flinch. After all, this was routine for him.
"That BRAT!'' the man screamed as he whipped Yami over and over again, "He thinks he's so smart! You don't know real power, Pharaoh Yugioh!" With that outburst, the man brought the whip extra hard down on his whipping boy's back.
A shrill scream pierced the night air.
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Bakura awoke screaming. That was his Yami's past?! No wonders he was so cruel! The teenage boy was shaking, and he wrapped his arms around himself. He needed to talk to someone, but Kasku was in the Shadow Realm, and he didn't know how to reach her. Besides, he didn't want her fawning over him when he needed her to be serious. He needed some advice from someone else, and fast. One person came to mind immediately. He needed Yugi.
Reaching out, Bakura grabbed the cordless phone next to his bed that his mother had gotten him for his birthday. Using the third number on the speed- dial, he held the phone to his ear and waited. One ring, two rings, three rings, four…he was about to give up on number seven when someone picked up and hissed, "WHAT!?" Bakura recoiled, but quickly recovered. He needed to talk to Yugi, and now.
"Umm, can I speak to Yugi? It's Bakura," he waited as the person on the other end of the line paused for a moment. Hoping he wasn't going to be cut off, Bakura continued, ''look, if you want me to call back-"
"Bakura?" the voice interrupted, and the said boy realized that it was Yami Yugi, "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Bakura jolted. He didn't have a clue, and said so into the phone, "It's three a.m. Why in the Gods' name would you need Yugi at this hour?" Bakura sighed, and explained his dream about Yami's past. The former pharaoh was silent as he listened, and for a few minutes after. Then he spoke, "Well, I did know that Kaju, my old High Priest, had a slave that had white hair. I just never saw him, only heard about him. The man you saw was probably Kaju. You know, I'm really not the best person to talk to about your Yami's past. Have you tried Kasku?"
"Yes!" Bakura cried. He fell back against the pillow then turned his attention back to the phone, "I've tried asking, but she keeps blocking. Besides, I don't know how to call her out of the Shadow Realm. And that's where she is. I thought you would be able to help!" Bakura listened for a moment. Yami Yugi wasn't answering, but there was some sort of conversation happening on the other end. After a moment, someone picked up the phone again.
"Hey, Bakura?" someone whispered. It was, to Bakura's surprise, Ikira, the guardian of Yugi. He blinked, then listened to what she had to say, "Listen. Open your bedroom window. I'll be right over. See you in a minute!" Then, with a *click* she hung up. He blinked again, but decided to do as he was told. If she was coming over, maybe she had the answers he lacked. He stood and walked over to the window. With a grunt he heaved it open. The cool spring air felt good against his sweaty skin. He took a deep breath and looked out at the sliver left of the moon. It wasn't too dark out, because of the light from the city, but it was dark enough to see a few stars. Bakura sat there for a few minutes, just counting the ones he could see.
Suddenly, a black shape swooped up in front of him. He screamed, and fell back onto the floor. The black shape squeezed in through the window, then stalked over to the light switch. With a *flick* the lights went on, and the figure was revealed to be Ikira, the Shadow Demon, guardian of Yugi and Yami Yugi. She grinned down at him, then offered her clawed hand to help the flustered boy up.
"Sorry about that, I keep forgetting that you humans don't like it," The demon folded her wings onto her back, then walked over to the bed. She sat down lightly on the mattress, then patted next to her, indicating for him to sit. Soon he did just that. She smiled at him, "So, you want to know more about your Yami? Well, I'll warn you now, I'm not the expert on him either, that would be your guardian, Kasku. But I do know a bit about him, mostly from what I've heard from her. Now, what do you want to know?"
"What his past was like, what my dream means, and just about all you know," he said, with a serious expression on his face. He meant every word. Ikira watched him with an unreadable look, then sighed. He noticed that she looked quite old when she did that, and realized that she was very old. Shaking his head to get back on track, he turned to the girl who could help him understand.
"Well, well. Let's see," She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, "When your Yami was alive, he was a slave for Kaju-you know who Kaju is right?" Bakura nodded, "Well, Kaju was a bad man. He HATED his pharaoh, Yami Yugi, with a passion. Unfortunately for him, and your Yami, he couldn't do a thing to Yami Yugi, yet. But that's another story, one I'm sure you know. Anyway, because he couldn't touch the pharaoh, he often took it out on his slave, your Yami. You saw the kind of things he did in your dream," Bakura visibly winced, and the demon chuckled, "But in the end, Kaju was destroyed, and Yami Bakura ran for it. However, the years as Kaju's slave destroyed him. Thus, he became the Yami Bakura we all know and hate. That's all I have to tell," She fell silent.
Bakura looked down at his hands. That explained so much. Why his Yami was so hurtful, why he hated people, Yami Yugi especially, why he was who he was. It all made perfect sense. He was so lost in thought, it took him a minute to realize he was crying, and Ikira was rubbing his back. He listened to her soothing words for a moment, then nodded to himself. He lifted his head, and looked at the Shadow Demon seated beside him. She gave him a toothy smile, then stood.
"I suggest you do as Kasku said. Now that you know all about him, you'll be able to understand your Yami better. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my charges. Goodnight Bakura," and she turned to the window. With one beat of he powerful wings, she disappeared into the night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bakura took a deep breath. It was Monday night at five o'clock. His homework was finished again, he had done his chores, and he had eaten, though he felt he was going to regret that last one. He had finally run out of excuses to put off talking to Yami. It was time, no turning back. Kasku thought he should, Ikira thought he should, heck even Yugi thought he should! He had talked to the group in school, and every single one of them agreed, including Yami Yugi. That meant that everyone was behind him on this decision. All he had to do was pull it off.
He took another deep breath, then let go of his hold on Yami's soul room. With a flash, the darker side was standing there in front of him. Yami shook himself off slightly, then turned his familiar piercing gaze forward. However, that gaze suddenly turned to a look of fear, the same he had worn in Bakura's dream when Kaju called him. He took one look at Bakura, and let out a small whimper.
Bakura was shocked. He was so scared that his Yami would be angry, and try to hurt him, but he was looking more scared of Bakura then Bakura was of him! He was acting like the English boy was going to hurt him, and flinched when he stepped forward. That's when it hit him. Yami was afraid of Bakura, the same way e was afraid of Kaju. He feared being hurt again. It was then that Bakura realized why everyone wanted him to befriend his Yami. He always acted tough, but on the inside, he was just a scared, broken little boy. With this realization, Bakura smiled softly, even though Yami's eyes were shut tightly, and stepped forward.
Yami was shocked when instead of hurting him, his light side hugged him instead. The boy was crying softly, and rocking Yami back and forth softly, rubbing his back in a comforting manner at the same time. Little did the Yami know, it was in similar fashion of how Ikira had rubbed Bakura's back while she had visited. When Yami realized that he wouldn't be hurt, he relaxed into Bakura's arms. Slowly, the lighter half led his counterpart over to the couch that had 'eaten' Kasku yesterday afternoon. As the two sat, Bakura let go of his dark side, and sat in the same chair as before.
"Why?" Yami suddenly asked, and Bakura was caught off-guard, "Why what?" he asked. His Yami looked at him, half glaring, half suspicious, and spoke again, "Why all this confusing stuff. For the longest time, you were totally submissive. Then, suddenly, one night you get this look in your eyes, and go all cold. And then you keep me hidden for weeks. Now all of the sudden, you let me out, and you don't try to hurt me or get revenge, but you're nice. What gives?"
Bakura looked shocked at his Yami. Slowly, he got the gist of what Yami was trying to say, and he frowned, "Well, Yami. Not all people are like Kaju," Yami's expression of shock was priceless. Bakura really wished he had a camera, and had to fight down giggles. Yami opened his mouth to ask, but Bakura beat him to it, "Ikira, Yugi's guardian, told me. She told me everything. I know all about Kaju and that stuff. Plus, I had a dream about your past, and saw what he did to you. I just can't believe that someone could be so cruel."
Yami smiled wryly. He shifted on the couch, then looked back at his light, "Well, I can tell you, a few of us have a couple of other choice words we'd call him, but I guess cruel will cut it," Yami coughed into his hand. Suddenly, he sobered, the smiling disappearing, "But I can't believe you know everything, and you can still be so kind. What about the time…before?" he seemed reluctant to say that he had beat his lighter side. Bakura nodded, understanding.
"Well, like I said before, not everyone is like Kaju," Bakura slowly stood, then sat next to Yami. He hugged his Yami's shoulders, and watched the boy as he stared at the floor. He soon noticed tears rolling down his Yami's cheeks and started. With a gentle, he reached forward and lifted Yami's chin so he could look into his eyes. He lifted up a pale finger to gently brush away the crystalline tears from the mirror image of his own face. For Yami, that was the last straw. With a sob, he broke down, the cold mask of cruelty shattered. He gripped his aibou's shirt and cried into it. The two stayed curled up on the couch for the rest of the night, as Yami told about his past life, about Kaju's beatings, about his hard times. The whole time, Bakura listened, comforting when Yami felt he couldn't go on. In one night, the two learned more about the other than they had the entire time they had known each other.
"Hey Yami?" Bakura finally asked. He saw on the clock that it was one a.m. Ooh boy, he was going to pay for this in the morning…scratch that, it was the morning. However, one teary-eyes look from his Yami made him feel it was all worth it, "Yes?"
''Do you think we could be friends now, like Yugi and his Yami?" Bakura whispered. Yami blinked once, twice, then his face broke into a relieved smile, "Of course…Aibou," Bakura was surprised at the warmth that spread through his body with that one word. He smiled, then lay down against his Yami's chest, "I'd like that," he murmured, then he fell asleep. Yami smiled, patted his head, then he too joined his light in slumber.
Outside the window, Kasku and Ikira sat in a tree limb, grinning like they had just won a million dollars. They looked at each other, then shared a high-five, "YES!" they both hissed at the same time. They burst into a fit of giggles, and almost fell off the tree branch, "Well," Ikira giggled as soon as she had gotten he balance back, "I'd better get back to Yugi and Yami. They want to know how this went, so I have to report," The Shadow Demon spread her wings and dropped out of the tree. Hovering slightly below, she turned back to her best friend, "Bye!" the two girls said at the same time again, and Ikira flew off into the night. Kasku giggled again, then opened a portal to the Shadow Realm and dived through. Soon, the night was peaceful once more.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I'm done, now what? Someone give me a suggestion, just not another multi- chapter, please. Anyway, see you later!