Disclaimer:
Yami Kaosu: Hmm...
Chaos: What?
Yami Kaosu: I need another disclaimer thing...
Chaos: Why don't you use the Chibi Yami Bakura angel again? I bet some of the people reading this didn't read "What I Deserve," and thus have yet to see him.
Yami Kaosu: *snaps* Good idea! *goes off to find the chibi Yami Bakura angel, brings him back, and huggles him*
Chibi Yami Bakura Angel: *in his cute chibi voice* They don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yami Kaosu: But we have our chibi Yami Bakura tenshi! *squeals*
Chaos: Since Yami seems to be busy right now...I'll end this. We can claim ownership rights to Rokashimo, although he is torturing one of our favorite characters.
Yami Kaosu: *continues huggling the chibi Yami Bakura angel*
Chaos: *sighs*

A/N: -_-;; I'm sorry. I've been focusing on my PSoH fics, but I am determined to keep up with this one! I think that we're going to up the ante a bit and change the rating to PG-13 now, for some implied...things. ^^;; Oh, and for anyone who might not know (after four chapters, though, I would think that you would), this is still YAOI! Shounen ai! Boy/boy love! And now, if everyone's okay with that, we shall venture forth. ^_^

Now...in answer to people who suggested I call Yami Bakura by simply Bakura...I have reasons as to not doing so. First of all, in the small chance that anyone reading this has only seen the American version, it might be a bit confusing, because they call Ryou by Bakura throughout the series -_- Also...I don't know...I guess that I just see the fact that he is a Yami, and therefore must be addressed as such. It just doesn't feel right to me to refer to him as Bakura ^^ I hope that this isn't bothering anyone *too* much... ~Yami

---

Ryou sat silently, waiting to see what Yugi and Yami's reactions would be to what he had just told them. He had explained everything, from the first of Yami Bakura's dizzy spells, to the dreams, to the reasons of Rokashimo's visits, and finally to the most recent dream and what had happened to Jounouchi's soul. His friends looked quite disbelieving, taking a moment to absorb it all.

Yami was the first to speak up. "I don't believe it," he said in a quiet voice. Yugi said nothing, but Ryou could clearly see that he had his doubts as well. Yami Bakura glared at the both of them, angry already that Ryou had told them everything, but also faintly angered that they were claiming what his light had told them was untrue.

Ryou just stared at Yami. "What's not to believe?" he asked, hurt that they would accuse him of lying about something of such great importance. He could feel the already great anger in his Yami growing, and he knew that it wasn't what was needed in this situation.

"Yes, Pharaoh, tell us. Why do you dare to doubt him?" Yami Bakura's voice was quiet as well, a deadly quiet. He already knew what Yami was thinking, and he was not happy with it.

Yami glared at him. He had never been one to be afraid of Yami Bakura, even though many of Yugi's friends were terrified of him. "I think that you did this," he said, addressing Yami Bakura, "and I believe that Ryou is simply covering for you."

Yugi glanced worriedly at all three people around him. Although he had been afraid to admit it, he had been wondering the same thing. Ryou's story seemed farfetched as it was, and it would explain a lot if he had made it up to protect his Yami. Yugi knew that, despite the fact that Yami Bakura wasn't the best person, Ryou cared deeply for him, and would do anything to protect him. He was sure of this because he would have done the same for Yami. The only difference was that he was sure Yami would never do something of this magnitude. Yami Bakura, however, was a completely different story.

"How...how can you truly believe that?" Ryou asked, shocked at what he had just heard. "Can you really think that we would lie about such an important event? Jounouchi's very soul has been taken away!" Ryou suddenly stopped shouting, and let out a defeated sigh, his lower lip quivering slightly.

Yami Bakura was becoming angrier by the second. He could almost understand the pharaoh's reaction; why he would blame him for what had happened. After all, Yami Bakura hadn't exactly done anything that would lead him to believe otherwise. But, as unwilling as he was to admit it, he was angry at the way that they were hurting Ryou. Finally, he spoke, "Ryou, just forget about them. They clearly think that we made this up. Why waste our time with them? If Rokashimo steals their souls as well, it will be their own fault for doubting you."

Yami's eyes narrowed as Yami Bakura spoke. "I should end your existence now," he said, scowling. Yami Bakura said nothing in reply; his eyes glittered, filling with something that Yami couldn't quite place. But suddenly they changed; Yami Bakura's eyes lost their glimmer and seemed to go blank. Little did anyone, not even Ryou, know what was going through Yami Bakura's head at that moment.

******

Insane laughter rang out through the room, a room covered with darkness. Yami Bakura stood in the room, trying to see through the darkened atmosphere, as well as trying to find the source of the intolerable noise. A shadowy figure raced past his eyes, disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared. Yami Bakura tried to move toward it, but found himself held in place, completely unable to move.

He tried with all of his might to move, but was unable to do anything. The laughter continued to envelop the room, and the shadowed visions moved about the room, disappearing and reappearing every few seconds.



"WHAT IS THIS?!" Yami Bakura screamed in fury. No answer came to him; instead, the room began to wildly spin around him. He could feel his heart pounding furiously in his chest, and it ached with an almost unbearable pain. He tried to close his eyes, to ease the pain and dizziness of the attack, but found himself unable to do even that.

His body wanted to collapse, to feel the comfort of some solid surface, but he was denied that as well. He could do nothing but stand still, unable to find any sort of relief for his pain. After what seemed like an eternity, the hideous laughter finally came to an end, and Yami Bakura was given a slight freedom as he found that he could close his eyes.

As he shut out the sight before him, he noticed that he was completely out of breath. His chest ached terribly, and with each breath that he drew in, he could feel the pain steadily increasing. But he could also feel something else, something much, much worse.

Yami Bakura could deal well enough with physical pain. After all, during the long span of his life, he had gone through more than his fair share of it. And although much of it had come from people who had tried to conform him to their will, a greater share of that pain had come from himself. He had put himself through more than he cared to remember, but he had only done it to escape a world of greater pain. Yami Bakura had learned that focusing on physical pain was usually enough to forget about mental or emotional pain. Therefore, he had come to live with physical pain, but anything else was too much for him to handle.

Yami Bakura wanted to shake his head, try to rid himself of the memories that were slowly coming back to him. It had been so long since his time under Rokashimo...so long since so many horrible thing had happened...so long since Rokashimo decreed he would be his for all of eternity...

He was suddenly brought out of the nightmare of memories as he felt a hand against his face. The touch was hard, controlling, and Yami Bakura knew immediately that it was Rokashimo. He had felt that exact same touch too many times before to ever forget it.

Rokashimo watched in amusement as Yami Bakura struggled to move, to get away from his touch. But there was no way that he would allow such a thing to happen. He smirked as Yami Bakura finally opened his eyes, an intense anger clearly visible within them as he glared at Rokashimo.

"So, I see that you have finally come to remember those times of long ago..." Rokashimo said, his voice taking the tone of the master that he knew himself to be. It had been a long period of time since his favorite possession had acknowledged his place, and it appeared that he would need to help him remember. "However, it seems that you do not remember which of us is the master. I suppose that I will have to remind you of that as well..."

Yami Bakura saw the malicious grin that Rokashimo wore. But before he could do anything more, his world turned black, and the only sound resonating throughout the lightless realm was that of his own tortured screams.

******

Yugi looked confusedly between Yami and Yami Bakura. It had appeared that Yami hadn't actually done anything, yet Yami Bakura had continued to stare blankly ahead, his whole body remaining unmoving. He wasn't quite sure yet what was going on, but whatever it was, he was positive that he didn't like it.

Yami glanced over to Ryou, whose eyes were widened in shock. The look on Ryou's face was one of extreme horror, as if he had just witnessed something that was much more then he could bear. Yami looked back to Yugi, seeking out an answer from him instead.

/Aibou, do you have any idea what just happened?/ Yami asked.

Yugi shook his head. /I thought that you did that, Yami. What happened to him? He's just standing there./

Both of them looked to Ryou. "Ryou, do you know what's going on?" Yugi asked softly. At first Ryou said nothing, but both Yugi and Yami could see the tears forming in his eyes. He closed his eyes for a moment, and as he opened them again, Yami and Yugi noticed that he held the same blank look as Yami Bakura did.

"This cannot be good, aibou..." Yami warned. "But I do not understand what is going on here. What could possibly cause both of them to act in this manner?"

Yugi looked around the room nervously. "Yami...do you think that Ryou was really telling us the truth?" he asked. "I really don't think that Ryou would go that far to cover for his Yami. Didn't you see him? He looked like he was going to cry. I'm beginning to think that we may really be in trouble here, Yami."

Yami closed his eyes, an irritated look crossing his sharp face. Things would have been much simpler if Yami Bakura had been the one who had stolen Jounouchi's soul, but if there was indeed a new foe, things would be much, much more difficult to deal with. Yami wasn't entirely ready to bring himself to believe that such was the case, but their current situation seemed to only prove that what Ryou had said was true.

"I...I don't know, aibou. I just don't know..." Yami finally said with a sigh. He wanted to reassure Yugi that everything would be all right, that everything was under control. But he truly did not understand what was happening around them, and he wasn't about to risk giving comfort on the undefined situation.

Yugi glanced worriedly at Ryou, who was still in his trance-like state. "That must be what I look like when I talk to Yami..." he thought to himself. He would have been amused at the fact had their current dilemma not been present. Ryou continued to stare forward blankly, completely absorbed in a whole other world.

******

Ryou pounded on the door to his Yami's soul room, although all of his efforts seemed to be in vain. He could feel every ounce of what Rokashimo was doing to Yami Bakura; the pain flowed openly through their link. Finally, he sunk to the ground, tears streaming down his face. He wanted...no, needed to help Yami. He knew that he could feel only a small portion of what his other half was actually going through, and that alone was almost too much for Ryou to bear.

******

Yami Bakura was trying to keep of much of what was happening to himself as he possibly could. He was aware that pain was still being transferred to Ryou, more pain then he knew his light could handle. However, he was concentrating more on blocking the memories of his past from Ryou. Yami Bakura knew that Ryou could deal with the pain for now, but there was no way that he would be able to manage the addition of those memories. Ryou was still much to innocent and naive to know about what had happened in times long ago past.

Eventually, the pain became too much for even Yami Bakura to bear. As tried to set up a final barrier between Ryou and everything that was happening, Rokashimo intervened. "I think that your other should know about your wonderful times with me...don't you?" Yami Bakura could almost see Rokashimo's smirking face, before his world turned black.

******

Still outside of the soul room, Ryou felt the pain increase as his Yami went unconscious. With a renewed energy, he began pounding on the door once again, trying with all of his might to get it open. But he suddenly stopped as he felt himself engulfed in one of Yami Bakura's deepest, darkest memories.

******

The sun was low in the sky, but it still covered the Egyptian desert with a faint light. The coming of night made his stomach churn; this was always his master's favorite time. He shuddered at the many previous nights that he had been subject to, and prayed to the gods that tonight would not be another such night.

He returned to his master's home, collapsing on the floor. Looking down the tanned flesh of his arms, he was greeted with the sight of the many scars he had received. Some had been from his master. He had tried to escape many times, and had been caught each time. He had also taken the longest to give in. The others around him had always been submissive, but for a long time, he had refused to do so. But over time, his body had turned against him. Now, it was only his mind and his emotions that remained free. However, they still had to be hidden. He had been taught long ago to hide anything and everything that he was thinking and feeling.

Oh, many of those scars had been because of his will. But even more were inflicted by himself. There were just some things that he could not take. So he cut himself, focused on the pain of his traitorous body, rather than what was going through his mind.

Suddenly, he realized that he was being called forth. Breathing hard from fear, but hiding it as he had learned to do, he stood and went to where his master now stood. He still refused to bow to him, as he had been told to do, but his master never said anything about it anymore. He stood, his body shaking slightly, waiting to see what would be demanded of him tonight. His master currently stood, facing the window, seemingly oblivious to his presence. But he knew better than that.

Finally, his master turned to him. His eyes gleamed like a predator cornering its prey, and he knew exactly what was going to happen again that night. Closing his eyes and screaming curses in his mind, he tried to prepare for what was to come.

---
Yes, I know that I was very vague on what Yami Bakura was going through with Rokashimo. You, the reader, may improvise what you will, for now... ^_~ As I said earlier, there were some implied...things going on. I'm afraid that you are left to fill in the blanks. I don't want the rating on this fic to go up too high...oh, and one more thing. Italics now mean memories too. ^^ As always, R & R! And, if any typos are spotted, I would be most grateful if they were pointed out to me. ~Yami

New note on all my fics:
When reviewing, please leave more than just a few words. As nice as "Good story write more" seems, it really doesn't help. The same with "This story sucks," it really doesn't tell me what I need to fix. Write about the good or bad points of the story or the writing style. Write what you liked or didn't like; what appealed or didn't appeal to you. Tell me I need to add more detail or had an adequate amount. These types of reviews can offer more help to me as a writer, so I can improve, and hopefully write better fanfictions in the future ^_^