Chapter 7
In The Eyes Of The Pale Demon

Bakura found himself in the cold, shadowy mists of a dark place that gave him a feeling of depression. He looked around, not seeing a sign of his Yami anywhere. A cold chill ran up his spine and he sensed the presence of dark energy.

A cruel and powerful voice came from behind Bakura, "You have arrived finally..."

Bakura spun around, looking for his Yami, but saw nothing. He felt the cold shivering feeling again. He turned and saw nothing but emptiness. Where was Yami Bakura?

A large dark energy ball fell from above and hit the ground directly in front of Bakura. The force sent him flying backwards. He lied on the ground and looked up into the dark, clouded sky.

A humanly shape flew down from the sky. Bakura was a bit dazed from the blow, but knew immediately that it was his Yami. Yami Bakura had been floating over Bakura's head the whole time.

"Get up, you stupid weakling!" Yami Bakura growled viciously.

Bakura got to his feet slowly.

Yami Bakura slapped Bakura hard across the face with the back of his hand. "You little impudent fool!" Yami Bakura kneed Bakura in the stomach. "You are so worthless"

Bakura fell to his knees and hunched over.

"Get up maggot, I am not done with you yet!" Yami Bakura picked Bakura up by the collar and held him at eye level.

Bakura, who had his eyes closed, opened and looked straight into his Yami's dark, hateful eyes. Bakura looked deep into his Yami's eyes and although it was just for a moment, Bakura saw so much. He realized what he was doing and looked away.

"I told you never, ever to look into my eyes!" Yami Bakura yelled. He pulled his free hand back and aimed it right for Bakura's chest. "And for that...I shall rip out your heart!"

Bakura closed his eyes and braced himself, waiting for his Yami's hand to enter his body through his chest. But it never came. Instead, he heard his Yami's voice, only it was not as harsh as before. "Bakura, do you fear me...?"

Bakura hesitated but nodded after a few moments.

Yami Bakura put his hand down thought for a while before answering, "That's as it should be..." He thought again, "Bakura, do you love me...?"

Bakura was astounded to hear what his Yami had just asked. He didn't know to tell his Yami if he truly loved him or to tell his Yami that he hated him. Bakura pondered this thought for a little while. His mind wandered to his Yami's eyes, he thought of what he had seen. He nodded at Yami Bakura slowly.

"Don't lie to me!" Yami Bakura said angrily, giving Bakura a vicious shake.

Bakura spoke in a quiet, mild tone to try to sooth his Yami a bit and make it so that his Yami would believe him. "Really Yami, I do love you. You may torture me but, like you said, I wouldn't exist if it weren't for you, and you're like a father to me. I think that really deep down, you love me and care for me..."

Yami Bakura looked so confused and so stressed after hearing what Bakura had said to him. He couldn't control his emotions and actually began to tear.

"What's wrong?" Bakura asked quietly.

"Shut up! You're nothing but a stupid boy! You know nothing!" Yami Bakura grabbed the Millennium ring and tore it out of Bakura's skin. He broke the strap and threw Bakura to the ground. He spun around and ran off into the shadowed mists with his head down, holding the millennium ring.

Bakura lied there, face down on the cold hard ground. He was practically drowning in his own warm crimson blood. He wished that death would find him, he wish that it would take his soul to somewhere else, anywhere else but there. But until that time when his soul was separated from his body, he had to make do with his thoughts, his only escape from that horrid place.

He thought back to his Yami's eyes and what he had seen in them. Had Bakura been mistaken? Or had Bakura really seen more than just what was on the surface?

Bakura remembered Yami Bakura's eyes as if he were looking into them right at that moment. They were so beautiful, those eyes, even if they were the eyes of a pale demon. But there was more than just their beauty that interested Bakura. What Bakura had seen looking into those dark eyes, it was even more beautiful than the eyes themselves.

The first thing Bakura had seen was what most people would expect to find in the eyes of a creature such as Yami Bakura. They were dark brown wastelands, filled to the brim with blood churning hate and anger but were so empty at the same time. But had that been just a cover, a cover for Yami Bakura's true feelings? Bakura had seen more than just the empty hateful place in Yami Bakura's eyes. Bakura had seen something behind that, something so powerful that could easily be overlooked by someone who wasn't searching for it. It was, what Bakura believed as Yami Bakura's true self. It was a beautiful place in Yami Bakura's eyes, very beautiful but very sad indeed. There was suffering and pain, lots of it, an overwhelming heartfelt sadness. But that wasn't the only thing, Bakura had also seen what looked to be regret, Yami Bakura's eyes had begged for forgiveness as if he were saying, "I am sorry I hurt you, I am sorry I ever hurt you." And then the most beautiful thing Bakura had seen there was love, Bakura actually saw love in the eyes of his Yami, and not any love, love for Bakura himself, love that would be given to no one else except for him.

Bakura could have stared into those eyes forever, loosing track of time and space and not even having a care, but just to look into those eyes for eternity. Bakura felt as if staring that deeply into Yami Bakura's eyes allowed Bakura to look straight into his Yami's heart.

A dark and dreary thought settled onto Bakura. What if all Bakura had seen in his Yami's eyes had all been his imagination. What if none of it had existed except for the wasteland of hate.