\\…..\\ --Ryou through mindlink
//…..//--Bakura through mindlink
[…….]--Bakura's memories from ancient Egypt

Change of Heart

Bakura, Marik, and Ryou entered the courtroom. Ryou gripped tightly onto Bakura's hand when Steven was brought into
the court. Steven scowled at Marik and recognized him as the boy who threatened to "strike him down" should he ever lay a finger
on Ryou. Marik sat in the front row as Bakura took Ryou to meet Steven.

Once again, Bakura did his best to imitate Ryou. "Father?"

Steven eyed the girl beside "Ryou" from head to toe. She seemed intimidated by him. "What's this, boy? You confused or

something? I thought you only liked little boys!"
Bakura tried not to punch Steven, but instead brought the girl closer to him. "Father, I have…left Bakura. This is my girlfriend now.

Her name is….." Bakura looked at Ryou trying to come up with a fake name. "Her name is Rayanna."

Steven raised his eyebrow at "Rayanna." Ryou tried to extend a hand to Steven trying not to show how nervous she was. "Nice to
m--meet you, s-s-sir."

Steven shook Ryou's hand. "Rayanna, huh?" Steven looked at Ryou's hand with the wedding ring. "That looks like Bakura's ring,
boy. What is she doing with that ring?"

Bakura looked at the wedding band on Ryou's hand. "I took it away from Bakura when I told him about Rayanna. Bakura left
me. I can't believe he left me!" Fake tears dripped down Bakura's face.


\\ Save it for the stand, yami. \\

// Haven't you ever heard of "warming-up" exercises? I'm getting ready for my performance. //

Steven took Bakura's hand. "Son, I always said you didn't need that loser hanging around you. Bakura was just a waste of your
time. Thanks to that no-good-son-of-a-bitch I'm on trial here!"

// So that's what he thinks of me, huh? I'll show him who the no-good-son-of-a-bitch is! //

\\ No, yami! You have to keep pretending you are me! \\

// He's asking for it, Ryou! //

Ryou grabbed Bakura's arm. \\ Don't do it, yami. Please. \\

Bakura sighed and calmed himself down to keep up appearances. "Yes, father. I'm sorry I disobeyed you. I should have left
Bakura when you told me, too."

"Well, my boy, at least you are starting down the straight path for once in your life. Maybe now you can get back to your normal
self. I'm proud of you, my boy." Steven's chains clanged as he gently put his hand on Bakura's shoulder. "Ryou, I'm proud of
you, my son."

Bakura looked into Steven's eyes. "You called me….your son."


"Yes, my boy. You are my son. I'm relieved to see that you made the right decision. Bakura was just a weight dragging you down. You didn't need that thief and bully around. Good riddance to bad rubbish."


Bakura lead Ryou back to her seat beside Marik. Ryou put her head on Marik's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Ryou?"

"He's only proud because he thinks I have changed, Bakura. He's not really proud of me. He doesn't really love me."

Bakura brushed back her hair. "Hey, Ryou. I love you. Marik and Malik love you. We are all you need." Bakura kissed Ryou's hair
cheek and sat beside Daniels and Flannery.

The judge entered the room and Daniels called Bakura up to the stand. Bakura was sworn in again and he sat beside the judge.
Ryou could feel anxiety coming over the mindlink from Bakura.

Mr. Daniels approached Bakura. "Ryou, you stated on the record that your father did, in fact, beat you. Am I right?"


"Yes, he did. After I told him about me and Bakura bring a couple. He claimed he caught us together. That morning, he shoved
me against the refrigerator and pinned me against the table. That's the first time I remember him hitting me."

"Did your father lay a hand on you at any other time?"

Bakura nodded. "Yes. He pinned me to the wall again after he kicked Bakura out of the house. He dragged me to the kitchen
table."

"That's all he did to you at that time. Is there another time that he laid hands on you?"

Bakura shook his head. "No. If he did put a hand on me before, I don't remember it. After he caught me and Bakura together,
that was when he began to get physical."

"Did your father ever…get too physical with you, Ryou?"
[ You are getting what you deserve, you thief!] the general in Bakura's head said to him.

Bakura closed his eyes and Ryou felt a wave of panic hit his yami. [If you struggle with me, you die.]

Bakura's eyes tightened and Daniels leaned to Bakura hearing whimpers come from him. "Ryou? Did you father ever get too
physical with you? Ryou?"

\\ Yami! Yami, answer him! \\

// Ryou? I can't….//

\\ Yami, I know this hurts. But you have to answer the questions. \\

"No. My father….would never do that."

"Then why are you shaking, Ryou?" Daniels said putting his hand on Bakura's arm.

"No reason. It's just….I don't want to talk about it. My father never touched me in that way. My father would never do that to me."

Daniels walked towards Steven and around the front of the judge's podium. "Ryou, did your father ever leave any marks on you
besides the ones on your back?"

Steven's head immediately raised. "I never caused any marks on his back!"

The gavel slammed onto the wood of the podium. "Silence, Mr. Bakura! Ryou, please answer the question. Did your father cause
any marks on you?"

Daniels approached a silent Bakura. "Ryou, can you do this for me?"
Bakura nodded.


"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury and your Honor, I wish to submit a photograph of Exhibit A." Daniels pulled down a screen and
using a projector, placed a huge image of Ryou's top scar to the court. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this injury was caused by cords.
This could not have been self-inflicted. Notice the pattern and the direction of the wounds. It is impossible for Ryou to have
maneuvered himself in a way to cause these injuries to himself. If you notice, they are deep injuries. Someone else had to have
caused these injuries. If it please the court, I would like to ask for Ryou Bakura to show his scars caused by his father."

Ryou and Marik moved to the edge of their seat. Bakura looked at Marik. Marik was dead before Bakura received his injuries.
Marik never saw what torture he had missed by being killed first.

[Tie him up tight, men! Raise his arms higher!]

"Ryou, please show the court your scars."

Bakura sighed and slowly raised his shirt.

[*Crack * This will teach you to break into a royal tomb! *Crack! * The whip is all you will understand, you dog!]

Along Bakura's back, tiny red slashes were embedded in the skin. These slashes were the reason for the hatred between Bakura
and Yami. Yami never stopped his general mostly because Yami was never told of the general's cruelty. Even when Yami came to
see him in prison, the general was never scolded for his crass treatment of the prisoner.

[You will remain chained to that pillar until I feel you have learned your lesson, thief.]

\\ Yami? \\

// They left me there chained to the post all night, Ryou. I stood all night…my back covered in blood until the next morning. The
cold night air burned my back so badly. But I was kept out all night…hungry and cold. //

Marik stared wide-eyed at the injuries. He never knew what Yami's guards did to Bakura once he died. Now that he knew, he
wished he could have been there for his former lover.

\\ Yami, you never told me about any of this. \\

// This is just causing me to live all that I have suppressed, Ryou. It's not your fault. //

"Ryou, what caused these injuries?"

"A whip."

"Who whipped you?"

"Steven."

"That's a lie!" Steven yelled. The judge once again hit the podium.

Daniels finished questioning Bakura. Now, it was Steven's lawyer's turn.

"Ryou, you claim that your father beat you with the whip, right?"

"Yes."

"I also have a piece of evidence to present to the court. This tape is one of Ryou's conversations to his father over the phone."

Daniels recognized the audio tape he acquired of Ryou talking to Steven during one of Bakura's beatings. "Your Honor, this tape
has nothing to do with the case in hand."

"I must disagree, Mr. Daniels. You may play the tape." Steven's lawyer pressed play on the player.

Steven: Hello? Mr. Bakura speaking.

Ryou: (whispers) Daddy?

Steven: Ryou? Son, what's wrong?

Ryou: (whimpers) Daddy? Bakura….he beat me again.

Steven: Dear Ra, Ryou, are you hurt?

Ryou: (gasping for breath) My back……I can't feel my back.

Steven: Ryou, what did he do to you?

Ryou:……….

Steven: Ryou? Ryou, boy, answer me!

Ryou: (whimpers) Daddy…..he found me!

Bakura: Get off of that phone! Trying to call daddy to come and help you?

Ryou: (gagging is heard)

Steven: Bakura! Bakura, what did you do to my son?

Bakura: Your son is quite the handsome boy, daddy. So sweet….so innocent…

But for how long?

Ryou: (cries) No, Bakura! Not again!

Steven: I swear, Bakura, I will be on the next plane to Domino if I hear that you hurt my boy!

Bakura: Try to stop me.


The man stopped the tape. "That is only one of many tapes proving that my client is not responsible for those injuries. Did the
father on that tape sound concerned? Does that sound like the type of father who would pin his son against a refrigerator and
punch him?"

"What does that have to do with this case?" Daniels asked.

"My client loves his son, Mr. Daniels. He tried to protect his son from this Bakura. My client is not responsible for these injuries,
Ladies and Gentlemen. Steven Bakura is a decent family man who would kill for his child."

"He did kill for his child! That is why he is on trial!" Flannery objected.

"Maybe we should listen to another tape. It is difficult to get a good perspective of Steven Bakura from one tape. I offer Exhibit B."

Steven: Hello?

Bakura: Hello……daddy dearest.

Steven: Bakura? Bakura, where is Ryou?

Bakura: He's a little tied up at the moment if you know what I mean. Do you have a message for him? I'll be sure he gets it…if
you know what I mean.

Steven: Bakura….where is Ryou? Is he safe? Bakura, please don't hurt my son anymore.

Bakura: Are you pleading with me? Begging for his life?

Steven: Where is Ryou? Let me talk to him.

Bakura: I told you he's a little tied up, can't you hear? Besides, he's very tired after our little chat. He won't be moving for a while.

Steven: What did you do to him?

Bakura: Nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you. In fact, he should be waking up soon.

Poor little baby of yours passed out on me. Oh well. That made my job less enjoyable, but nonetheless still pleasurable.

Steven: You didn't….

Bakura: Didn't what? Oh….I see what you're thinking!

Steven: Bakura, please untie him and let him go.

Ryou: Daddy?

Steven: Son? What did he do to you?

Ryou: (wailing is heard in the background)

Steven: RYOU! DAMMIT, BAKURA! LET MY SON GO!

Bakura: Ryou's not going anywhere, daddy dearest. He going to stay right here where he belongs.

Ryou: (whines) Bakura, please untie me. Please. Let me go.

Bakura: Why? You deserve to be tied to that bed! You deserve that, Ryou! That's all you're good for! I'm hungry. I'm gonna go get
some food and then we are going to …..chat again. Bye, daddy dearest.



Ryou buried her head against Marik sobbing. Marik took her in his arms and rocked her. Bakura sighed as he saw her cry.

// Ryou? I didn't mean any of it. I didn't want to make you cry. I'm so sorry! //

\\ Yami….you were so cruel to me! \\

// Ryou, I didn't want to be. I was a fool back then. I was a jackass! I didn't deserve you and you certainly did not deserve me.
You are too good for me, Ryou. You deserve a prince. You deserve someone like Seto Kaiba. He has enough money to take care
of you the rest of your life. He can give you things I never could. //

\\ But he could never love me like you, Bakura. I know you were cruel to me, but I knew you weren't all bad inside. There had to
be someone gentle under that cold exterior. \\

//I love you, Ryou. I love you so much. No words can express what I feel for you. //

Ryou wiped her tears away on Marik's shirt. \\ Aishiteru, yami. \\

"Steven Bakura could not have caused these injuries like his son claims. His father loved his son and was genuinely concerned for
his son's welfare. I rest my case."

The judge pounded the gavel on the podium. "This trial will meet again next Monday. We will hear witnesses. Court is adjourned."

Bakura rose and walked to Ryou still sobbing. Bakura held her close to him.

"I am such an ass, Ryou. I'm sorry you had to relive that, sweetheart. Sorry."

Bakura kissed Ryou's cheek as Marik rubbed her back. Marik felt Ryou's heartbeat race quickly as he rubbed her back.

"Bakura, we have to get Ryou home. It feels like she needs her medicine."

Ryou gripped onto Bakura tightly. "Yami?"


"Ryou?"

"I need my….." Ryou wavered in Bakura's grasp.

"Marik, grab her!" Marik grabbed Ryou's arm and steadied her.

Ryou began to whimper. Bakura kissed her cheek and sat Ryou down.

Marik turned to Bakura. "Why didn't you tell me? Why would you never tell me that Yami's general did that to you?"

"How would I have said it, Marik? I'm sure Ryou is upset because he felt my emotions on the stand. I couldn't tell you what
happened after I buried you. The thoughts are…too painful. I just want to get Ryou home where she belongs."

"Yami, I don't feel too good."

"Alright, Ryou. We'll go home." Bakura and Marik supported Ryou home.



**********In the Shadow Realm**********
Anubis chuckled. "Try to escape your nightmares, Bakura. How little do you know of the nightmare which will plague your dreams

tonight! How little do you know that the life that Ryou nurtures will lead you to your destruction! Your killers are right before your

eyes."

Next Chappie: Yami and Yugi tell Seto and Joey about the baby shower and plan it.