Still don't own Yu Gi Oh™
This is for all of you Bakura lovers who want more of Bakura in this story! Enjoy! And thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews! They help me immensely!
~ The Harsh Reality ~
Bakura awoke with a jolt as he nearly fell off the couch in Malachi's living room. He had one of those horrible dreams again. But this one was the by far, the most horrid of them all.
This time he saw Ryou in Malik's arms. He reached out for him, and just as he was about to save his precious little Ryou; Ryou pushed his hand away.
He remembered every little detail, much like he did with all the other dreams. But this one stung at his heart the most because this time, Ryou didn't detest the Pharaoh's actions. This time, he was able to rescue Ryou, instead of being chained up, but this time, Ryou didn't want to be rescued...
Bakura took in a deep gulp of air as he sat there on the couch staring at the ground.
"Only a dream...a dream." He told himself, still feeling slightly disturbed. "Gods, I need some fresh air." Faintly he could here Jounouchi snoring in the next room. He had half the mind to take Ryou out on a walk with him, but he knew that Ryou needed the sleep.
So he grabbed his red cloak and made his way out of the house and down the alleyway alone.
He hadn't realized how bad his chest still hurt until he stepped out of the house and was walking down the Theban streets.
'That bastard.' He growled inwardly bringing his hand into a tight fist. Oh how he couldn't wait until he was better, then he was going to make that ass pay for everything... But until that time came, he had plenty do just by thinking of the horrible ways he could kill him.
There wasn't really much for him to do but walk around and glance at the various objects that were being vended along the way. Bakura couldn't help but wonder if Malik's guards were still after him. 'Oh well.' He shrugged it off. He'd take care of them like he did the last one.
It was still early morning, and the sun had only been up for an hour or so, but already the heat was enough to cook an egg on a rock. Bakura didn't mind it though; he just took off his cloak and threw it over his shoulder, earning a few interested glances from a couple of young women passing him by. He merely smirked at them and continued on his way, showing no interest what so ever. As usual the streets were packed with well-to-do families out for a day of walking and wasting money. He still had a pouch full of money that he stole from Malik, but he decided to save that for a rainy day. Besides, stealing was so much more fun. As for what he was going to steal...well, that remained to be seen...
Bakura stopped after a while at a bazaar and looked at the assorted jewelry that was for sale. 'Not bad.' He picked up a particularly beautiful piece of jewelry that caught his eye. It was a gold armband inlayed with precious stones and a delicate pattern that bordered its edges. This would have looked simply perfect on his little Ryou. And he imagined that it cost a pretty penny too. Ah well...all the more reason for him to swipe it.
He paid close attention to his surroundings. This was something that he had learned over the years by watching his father in action. 'Always see what's going on around you and use it to your advantage' he would say. There was another man next to him, also looking at the expensive jewelry. And the owner of the bazaar was helping a customer at the other end of the small tent.
With a quick slight of hand, he slipped a gold necklace into the pocket of the man next to him; making sure that it stuck out slightly; and waited. He was sure to remain inconspicuous, so he continued to stand still, as he glanced around the tent.
Once the owner was finished with his other customer, Bakura knew that he would come over to him, so he put down the armband and picked up another piece of jewelry and smiled at the plump man.
"Can I help you with anything?" He said with a grin, making his way over to Bakura.
"How much is this?" Bakura asked casually, holding up a ring in his hand.
At that moment, the man who was next to Bakura started to walk away. A glint of gold shone from his pocket. The short fat shop owner noticed this and yelled out.
"Thief! Theif! Somebody catch him!"
As usual, the Royal Police were not far off. Everyone looked around, including the man with the necklace in his pocket, as two royal police stepped out of their posts and ran towards the bazaar.
The poor man looked totally confused as he was tackled by two of the Royal Police.
"Wait!? What is the meaning of this?!?" He screamed as the necklace was pulled out of his side pocket.
This was Bakura's cue to pick up the bracelet and leave. He walked away casually so as not to draw attention to himself, and once he was far enough away he turned around just in time to see the police slam the innocent man to the ground and bind him with a rope.
"Heh heh...I hope he isn't too attached to his hands." Bakura smirked as he continued on his way, smiling as he played with the gold band in his pocket. The penalty of thievery is the dismemberment of one's hands.
"Poor guy..." Bakura joked. "Oh well, better him then me."
* * *
Malik had wasted nearly all day lying in his bed, teasing and tormenting his little slave, while Ryou did the same back to him. Malik couldn't remember being happier. Never had someone been so close to him. He had never felt so deeply towards another living thing.
Thoughts of his day caused a smile to penetrate his mighty façade as he sat regally on his golden throne, with Litho beside him. He had wasted away the morning, and a good part of the afternoon drowning in Ryou, and as reluctant as he was, he had forced himself to leave his delectable little Ryou behind, so that he could take care of a little thing called being Pharaoh.
Although; and it was apparent to all those in his presence, including Litho; he seemed to be in a much better mood than any had ever remembered seeing him in. Malik didn't snap at the council members, and he didn't throw a fit at the slightest bit of bad news. He seemed however, to have a constant tiny smirk plastered on his face. Litho noticed this the most, and when the meeting was over and the high court began to file out of the throne room, Litho stayed behind to speak to the king.
"I noticed your unusual pleasantness." He said with a slight smile, as he watched Malik with interest. Litho had only seen Malik this happy once...
Malik, who had his head resting in his hand, was in his own little world, he could hardly string two words together, let alone be able to translate an entire sentence. It was as if his loyal servant was speaking in another language.
"Huh?"
"I was quite shocked when Isis walked in last night." Litho said out of nowhere. Isis used to be like a little sister to him. When she left Egypt, he thought he'd never see her again.
Malik caught on to his sister's name, and glanced at Litho slightly as he nodded his head. True, he found that he was quite shocked as well. But he was more shocked with her words than with her presence. However, he chose not to elaborate more on this topic, a nod would have to suffice, for he felt as if he could not form coherent sentences.
Litho noticed this, and it was in his best judgment to leave the Pharaoh alone.
"Malik, I'm glad to see you happy again." With a low bow, Litho descended the dais and started on his way out.
It took a moment for that sentence to register as well, but when it did, Malik snapped his head up and stared at Litho, who was almost out of the throne room. 'Did he just call me Malik?'
Ever since that horrid day six years ago, when Litho stopped regarding Malik as a friend, he also stopped calling him by name. It was always, "Yes master," or "As you wish, Great One." It really used to bug him, however, over the years he had grown accustomed to it...but now that Litho spoke his name, it was almost as awkward.
"Litho wait!" He yelled, just as his servant was about to step out the great mahogany doors. Malik hopped out of his throne and quickly walked over to Litho, who had a confused look on his face.
"Yes, your majesty?"
"You just said my name...you-you called me Malik." He said, showing signs of slight hurt.
"Forgive me Great One, I did not mean to offend you." He spoke apologetically, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I-it shall never happen again." In his voice came the harsh reality of what his words really meant to the boy king. He knew that Malik wouldn't overlook something like that. So why did he let it slip?
"No...d-don't be sorry." Malik said hesitantly. He was becoming slightly angered that Litho wouldn't look at him. "Look at me when I speak to you please."
Litho took that as an order and quickly brought his gaze up, although, it was still hard for him to look right into those harsh amethyst eyes.
"I don't want to hear all that shit anymore."
Litho raised an eyebrow apprehensively. He didn't quite understand what Malik was getting at.
"Pardon, my Pharaoh, I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh. Save it Litho!" Malik yelled out. "You know we were friends, you treated me like a brother, now you act as if I'm not even human...what happened?" Towards the end, he felt his voice growing weaker. "I'm not 'Great One' I'm not anything but the evil one. That's all I'll ever be...so stop acting as if I'm a god!" He didn't mean to be so harsh, but it came out that way anyway. He saw Litho retract slightly when the words 'evil one' came out of his mouth. "Yes, you might try to protect me from it, but I know what they call me, and...and I don't blame them...not one bit..."
For the longest time, Litho said nothing. Malik could tell that he dear friend was hurting inside, quite like he himself was. However, he felt prompted to say something...not an apology though.
"Just...just call me Malik from now on, ok?"
Litho inclined his head silently before he turned to walk away.
Malik blinked a little as his eyes followed Litho until he turned the corner out of sight. He had wanted to tell him that for the longest time, and he thought that he'd be getting a load off of his chest. So why then, did he not feel any better?
Oh well. He wouldn't linger on that downward spiral too long...he had other things of which occupied his thoughts. Like say, a certain little white haired peasant boy who was in his room. Malik wanted to get back to him as soon as possible, so that they could continue where they had left off.
* * *
Bakura wandered throughout the city for most of the day. High noon had already come and gone before he had decided to go back to the house.
For some reason, the dream still lingered in the back of his mind. It was bothering him, so much in fact, that he wanted to wait as long as possible before he went back to see Ryou. Something was fishy. And he started noticing it last night. What on earth prompted Ryou to ask why he had to kill Malik? And why wasn't Ryou into him last night? He had waited forever for Ryou's consent, and he would wait as long as he had to, because he loved Ryou far too much to force him into anything that he wasn't ready for. Hell, he didn't care if it took years. He had waited this long, and he could wait longer. All these questions and doubts made him want to get rid of the Pharaoh even faster. Malik did something to Ryou. Bakura wasn't sure what, but somehow he had tainted the innocence, and dimmed the light that was omnipresent in Ryou. Ryou seemed darker, more defiant and subject to someone else's will. That pissed Bakura off immensely. Ever since he could remember Ryou had obeyed only him. He liked it that way, when he was the only one that Ryou could trust. But now that another had stepped in, Bakura's defenses seemed to step up a notch. He wanted nothing or no one to touch Ryou. He wanted Ryou to trust only in him, like it had always been.
Bakura lingered on these haunting realities all the way back to the street that Malachi's house was on. But he was caught off guard when a certain blonde came bolting out of the house, screaming his name.
"Bakura!" Jounouchi cried, so loudly that other people on the street turned their heads and gave him nasty looks. "Bakura! It's Ryou!"
Bakura snapped his head up as Jou stopped right in front of him.
"What is it!?" He snapped. "What's wrong with Ryou!?" He could feel his heart speeding up. Was Ryou sick? Or hurt? Or worse...
Jou leaned against the alleyway wall, trying to catch his breath and speak at the same time.
"Ryou...he..." He took in a deep breath.
Becoming impatient Bakura started to walk to the house, but he felt Jou reach out and grab his arm.
"No...Wait." He sighed.
"Damn you! Tell me what's going on!" Bakura hissed, ripping his arm free.
"He's...gone."
At that moment Bakura could have died. He could feel his heart pounding like war drums against his already heaving chest. "No..." He whispered hoarsely. But then his thoughts turned quickly to Malik. "This has something to do with Malik...I know it!" Bakura picked up a near by rock and threw it at a stray dog that was scrounging around in the refuse heap looking for something to eat. The dog gave out a yelp before it quickly bolted down the alley. Bakura wanted to hurt something, anything...right now he needed to kill. "I'll bet that pussy Pharaoh sent one of his guards to-"
But he was abruptly cut off when Jou held up something white in his hands.
"W-what...?" Bakura didn't even want to think about what it was.
"I...I'm sorry Bakura." Jou said, looking down at the ground. "We found it this morning when we came in to see if he wanted anything to eat."
Bakura felt his legs give way as his knees buckled. They made harsh contact with the dirt road as Bakura just sat there, staring at the white sheets.
"Ryou...how could you?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Can someone say poor Bakura? Aww...I feel so bad about writing this, and for all you Bakura lovers out there, I don't hate him!! (although it doesn't really seem like I like him, but I do!!!) Don't worry, he'll make a comeback...maybe *shifty eyes* And there will be plenty more of Bakura in this story, I promise that as well, for all of you who think that I don't put enough of him in here (and I'll have to agree with you on that one!)
And about the next chapter...um...I'm not sure if I can post all of it here, because of...certain reasons.
Malik: YES! You finished the lemon! I get to have hot steamy sex with Ry-
Ryou: *smacks him upside the head* SHADDAP! *blushes*
Malik: *rubs his head* owww
Ryou: You don't need to explain about out sex life!
Malik: Why not? They're just going to read about it next chapter anyway!?!?
And I'll give you all a fair warning see:
WARNING
The next chapter of The Evil One should only be read by those who love yaoi i.e. Male on Male SEX. It is not for the immature and it is not for any homophobes. So, since I gave this fair warning, no flames will be necessary, and if I do get any, I'll use them in my .Hack// gave to throw at water element creatures! Arigato
~Kohaku Ishtar
And I'll put up another warning at the beginning of the next chapter, just to be safe.
