……….. ……………… …………….

Don't look at me like that! I know it's been awhile! I couldn't get passed a certain point and I finally took a different approach. Was going to have Ryou do a lot in this chapter….instead it's that little first part and that's IT. Doesn't even make much sense….oi…..gomen nasai minna…

Warning: Yaoi (duh), violence.

"Sometimes I think tradition sucks." -Old teacher: Black Sash

************

"Ryou! Ryou! Relax already!" The silver haired was in a burst of speed towards the Kaiba mansion as it was already becoming dark outside. A cell phone a special someone (who he would never mention who it was) bought for him was clutched tightly in a sweaty palm. Yuugi's voice touched over loudly through the receiver, trying to get his friend to calm down….even a LITTLE bit more relaxed than he was.

"Calm down?! How the heck do I calm down, Yuugi? It totally blew over my mind!"

"Well….um…..just take some good deep breathes. In and out…..in and out….I-"

"Forgive me, Yuugi," Ryou said before pushing the power button on the phone, closing it up and sliding it into his pocket. Where was he going again? Ah, right, Seto's.

************

Up….down…where am I….? His body spun in various directions, slowly through the darkness of his mind. Or that's where he figured he was. Where…am…I….Mariku? Shinkou? Someone help….I can't get out of here…. Yami curled his body together, whimpering lightly as it seemed to get DARKER than it already was. How am I getting out of here…? He started coughing, his body being pulled at until he found himself standing in the middle of the darkness, watching it swirl into images of Ancient Egypt.

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out and his air supply was starting to drop. Mariku…

Bakura waltzed down through the market away from Seth, intent to find his lost "puppy" and planned to burn whatever took the Pharaoh away from him. No one would get away for such a crime…

The thief pulled off the hood of his robe, eyes narrowing down a path he'd never really noticed before. "There hasn't been one part of this city I haven't been…." He growled, starting down it slowly, taking note of the darkening area. He smirked suddenly, noticing a small building and put on a soft face, knocking on the door. Perhaps here he could find his little rat…. Internally he laughed, but stayed quiet and soft as someone with brown hair opened the door.

"Can I….help you?"

"I was looking for somewhere to stay….I thought this place was vacant….I….guess not…." He sighed, lowering his head a bit.

"Well….Mariku is out right now…but I guess you could stay just for a few minutes until he gets back…he can find you a place to stay," Shinkou forced a smile and let the other inside, closing the door behind. Bakura slid inside, chuckling to himself as the other had his back turned and wandered a glance towards a closed room. 'Well, well, I wonder what's hiding in there…' "Make yourself comfortable…I guess…"

"Thanks. Is it just you and this 'Mariku' person living here?"

"Well, not quite - I mean, yes. Just us."

Bakura nodded in the direction of the room. "Then who's in there."

"No one….well, except our….um….sick pet…"

"Really? I can be a decent healer," Bakura spoke out, pushing passed Shinkou and opening the door, standing in the doorway. His innocent looking face danced alive, smiling darkly with a low laugh. "A sick pet indeed…"

Yami lay in the bed with his back to them, sleeping soundly. Bakura stepped farther into the room, turning to face a semi-panicked Shinkou. "I am like a Cleric of these times, allow me to heal this other in peace…"

Shinkou froze, looking towards Yami before slowly nodding, closing the door softly behind the other.

************

"Well, so this is where you've been hiding…." A smirk plastered triumphantly over Bakura's face as he reached a pale hand down. He gently held one of the blonde bangs of the other in his hands, softly running his fingers over it.

"Mariku…" The other whispered and Bakura suddenly frowned, glaring narrowly at the Pharaoh.

"You little…..how dare you betray me…." Bakura's hand tightened around the strand of hair, pulling at it roughly and watching the other curl, tearing his head free and hiding beneath the covers. "Did you think you could hide from me?!"

************

"I'm back," Mariku muttered, tossing a few loafs over bread on the table and looked up at Shinkou who was pacing among the ground. "What is it?"

"A Cleric came in….he's in with Yami…"

"You left him alone…?"

"He wanted privacy….he looks like someone who could help."

Mariku gave a sigh, shaking his head. "Well let's hope so, I can't tell if Yami's doing any better anymore…"

************

Bakura jumped on the bed, sitting atop Yami who immediately snapped awake at the new weight that crushed against his slowly healing wounds. He cried out, but a hand slapped him across the face and the other snapped over his mouth so he couldn't scream. The hand that had slapped him grabbed the Pharaoh's neck, pulling him to sit up as Bakura's eyes blazed with anger as he stared at the shaking other.

"How dare you! Trying to hide from me?! I am you master, Pharaoh, learn your lesson….you'll never be able to run from me!" He removed the hand from the other's mouth, hearing Yami start to whimper and he hit him hard across the face, ignoring the trail of blood that was starting to join the sheets below. "You good for nothing bitch…" He sneered, getting off the bed and dragging Yami off as well, throwing him into the wall head first.

The other had tears streaming down his face, wanting to scream for help….to cry….but….He knew better. Bakura would just hurt him more, or worse off and hurt Mariku… He couldn't let that happened! He would just have to take the pain… His head was in so much pain though and he knew what the wetness atop it was. His vision momentarily blurred and when it came back to normal, Bakura was already pulling his half limp form up again. Yami's knees buckled and he started to fall again with the only thing holding him up was the deadly grip around his neck, pressure being applied until he was becoming dizzy.

"Feel the pain of what you've been missing, Pharaoh, my little love….slave, PET!"

He couldn't breath.

************

Mariku flung himself out of the chair the moment he heard a loud thud from inside the room. He and Shinkou worked on opening the door, but it was literally sealed shut.

"Yami….Yami……no…." Mariku was in tears, watching a dark fog pouring off from the knob and Mariku slammed a fist against the plank of wood. "NO DAMMIT!"

"Relax, Mariku, I'm sure we can-"

"This is YOUR fault!" Mariku hissed, pushing the other away from him as he held up a palm towards the door, the entire room starting to darken. Shinkou looked around rapidly as the other's body began to radiate with dark energy, his voice completely haunting and lifeless sounding. "I enlist the powers of the darkness from the Shadow Realm," the blonde gave a long, pained hiss, his body exploding with a magenta glow that burst against the door, slowly picking at it to pieces.

Bakura lifted his eyes and dropped Yami, the Pharaoh falling to a heap. "You…" He growled, recognizing Mariku with ease. His eyes looked frantically around him, the dark energy coming off Mariku and ascending towards the silver-fiend. "Wait…I should be thanking you…." Bakura started to laugh, pulling Yami to stand and kicked the other forcefully, sending him stumbling into Mariku.

"Gah-" Mariku fell back, loosing hold to the energy that Bakura turned to his own.

"Thank you for opening the gate to the Shadow Realm…everyone will be looking for the one who opened the rift and cause the destruction of their, poor, poor city…..Mariku was it? Oh….you would have made such a good ally…" Bakura turned towards the window, a trail of the purple fog following into his body as he pulled with ease onto the sill and jumped out, disappearing with the energy as well.

************

Yami's body jolted in the darkness it lay in, falling cold to the ground and started to hyperventilate. His mind woke and he opened his eyes to feel himself in someone's lap, bending forward and making motions as if he were going to get sick. His arms pulled around his stomach as he sat up, feeling a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him back, a hand stroking against his hair, only slightly calming him.

"Relax, relax…you'll be ok…." The voice whispered, still holding the convulsing other. "Shinkou, get some water!"

The brunette nodded, moving into the kitchen and slightly held to his arm that was now wrapped with a strong bandage. It was nearly forgotten that his cousin had slashed at him with a blade…it didn't matter…the other was in a confusing matter. He couldn't be blamed…

Shinkou sighed, shaking his head and walking back towards the couch in Mariku's apartment, handing the dark blonde spirit the glass. "Yami…?"

Yami was still shaking, his eyes wide as he panted unsteadily, hands clenching and unclenching around the arm that held him in place, which happened to be one of Mariku's. The former ruler hardly even could take in his surroundings, and he hardly knew he was sitting in Mariku's lap until the other held the glass in front of his eyes.

"Yami….snap out of it, listen to my voice, please…." Mariku was starting to get worried as the other still made no connection or sign that he knew where he was. He placed down the glass of water, glancing at Shinkou as he grabbed both of Yami's arms and halted him from his frantic movements, lifting him a bit as he turned Yami to face him. "Yami-"

"I'm sorry……Did he hurt you? No? Gods….I'm sorry……I-I never thought he would find me…. Of course it's my fault… Why didn't I tell you? How could I?! He'd hurt me again….more….he'd hurt you both…. I-I know, but you don't understand! You never will…. He loves me…. I k-know he does…..he has to….. What are you talking about?! No! Let me go! He'll be back! …..Of course he will be! He always finds me again… I'm the Pharaoh! I order you to let me leave at once! ….NO!? What do you mean NO?! Please….Mariku, Shinkou, let me go…the Shadow Realm is opened again….I have to stop him…. Please, just let me go…." Yami's voice trailed off, he had been still stuck in a trance of the 'memory' and just now finally broke out of it. He closed his eyes, curling against Mariku as he started crying, trying to hide himself in the other's arms.

Shinkou stared widely, mouth opened as he was done hearing the other talk. "He relived it. He was talking to us as if he were in the past….I remember that…..he was so desperate to get away….."

Mariku bit his lip, running a hand down the other's cheek to his neck and started to rub away the tension, ignoring Shinkou. He didn't need the other to tell him what Yami had been reciting, he lived the same moment. Yami had wanted to go after Bakura, even when the Pharaoh couldn't even move from how Bakura had abused him. But neither him nor Shinkou would let Yami go….it was amazing that he could even talk, Yami was nearly dead at that point…

Even thinking about that whole moment hurt, he embrace Yami tightly, allowing him to hide but he did shift Yami slightly. Shinkou sat uneasily in a chair, watching quietly as it seemed all he could do.

The spirit holding Yami lifted the other's head and started to nuzzle the at the neck, hearing a light gasp breaking through the whimpering sounds of the former pharaoh. "You're ok now…..that was all in the past…." Yami continued to tremble, breaths were ragged and tears still dripped, but he had stopped making the light whimpering noises as Mariku continued to rub his head against his neck.

"………..Mariku…….?"

"I'm sorry, Yami," he whispered, gently and slowly kissing the notch of Yami's neck, pulling away and looking in the other direction, thankful Shinkou had moved away into another room. "…I do care….about you…" He gulped, feeling Yami lean against him and he held the other close. "I thought it would hurt you more if you knew…."

"Well you were wrong," Yami murmured, hardly audible as he held onto the other's shirt, keeping close to the opposing spirit while he still recovered from his previous state of being unconscious..

************

This is it… The feline smirked as decent as the anatomy of a cat could allow. He stood at the doorway to Bakura's home, his body suddenly fading lightly and he went through the door. It was dark, but not dark enough for the cat's liking.

It nimbly sniffed at the air, picking up the scent of the spirit and moving toward the couch in the living room, jumping in what looked like slow motion and landed on the backing to the couch. He looked down at the spirit who lay in a dismal bundle. The cat tilted his head, jumping down onto Bakura's stomach and staring at the yami who hardly even flinched. Perfect. He'll be a wonderful puppet… The feline pawed the Sennen Ring, bending his head over and licking at the metal, pawing it a second time and it began to glow.

Bakura jumped from his "trance" at the glowing ring, forcing the cat off him which hissed out and landed on all fours on a table. "Where the hell did you come from?!"

Foolish… The cat hissed out a second time, sounding more like a darkened growl of a bobcat.

Bakura grabbed a pillow, throwing it at the cat who jumped over it and threw itself at Bakura, slashing at one of the human's cheeks. Bathe in your blood, transfer your power, I am you, and you are me…. It's small voice chuckled within his AND Bakura's mind, the string of the ring suddenly snapping and fell to the floor, its glow falling away.

The spirit stared at the cat that jumped down and looked up at him. Sleep… It whispered, the cut along Bakura's face glowing until he went limp against the couch, hardly on it at that. You are Yami Bakura…..heh….and I…. He paused in thought.

The feline jumped to the ground, looking at the strap of the ring and nudging it with his nose, a glow forming and bound it back together before slipping the string over his small head. A golden and silvery glow suddenly burst out in a blaze of energy and a deep laugh rung through the room as the cat's bodily form shifting greatly and growing. When the glow faded away, the Sennen Ring rested over the torso of the once cat, and now a form looking exactly like Bakura….only darker.

He laughed, looking down at the sleeping other and began laughing. His voice was sharp and rough, like a razor cutting through glass almost.

"And I am Rekhi Bakura…." The form sneered, fiddling with the ring before turning on his heel, easily moving through the door just as he done when he had been a cat. "….You won't be hard to find now Pharaoh….you know that I always find my lost little pets…."

************

See? Kitty has a purpose. Did anyone actually understand it? The last line probably helped give it away, HOPEFULLY anyway, kind of why it was there. *Shrug* You know, I was going to have humor in this chapter, and you know what? It failed. I should have cut out the beginning with Ryou, but I changed my mind. The memoryish thing took over three pages oO;; I had fun with it XD!! Chapter is a bit shorted than I wanted it to be, but it was a perfect place to end….so I had to XD

And Shinkou was an idiot in Egypt, I know, but oh well….we all have our quirks.

And it had fluff! Not much, but it was some!

Now be really nice to little ol' me who wrote this in one day….and review ^^