The Life of a Thief by Ryou Bakura

A/N: Kaley: Ah well it is now time to begin chapter three!!

Sage: Your point is?

Kaley: That it's time to start chapter three?

Bakura: People seem to really like this story…hmm, time to take a look at the reviews…hmm, someone also watched the Ancient Egypt stuff on TLC and Discovery channel??

Kaley: Bakura makes me watch everything that has to do with his time period…or yugioh.

Sage: Next, I'm also pleased to see everyone enjoys hearing Bakura's past. It's a bit of an interesting tale and most of it isn't really known but…we'll do our best. After all, Kuru Eruna was mentioned what, once or twice in the manga?

Bakura: And yes I do hear voices in my head, something wrong with that? Kaley has muses! No one thinks she's crazy!!

Kaley: (busy worshipping Elk of .hack)

Sage:…oh yes, Kaley is totally sane (rolls eyes)

Bakura: Uh right, next…my sane insane logic theory…still stands…because I'm stubborn. I have a lot of pride you know.

Kaley: Also I am…(wipes away a tear) touched that you guys think my writing ability is good. It honors me to know that everyone likes my story, the plot, and writing style. It means a lot and so this chapter will hopeful live up to your standards. Oh and umm, if I decided to do a doujinshi…about this story, would anyone be interested in reading it? I was thinking of doing it as a test of my drawing skills…

Sage: And now, as usual, let us start the fanfiction.

As the sun rose a few mornings later, it cast its light over a wide-awake Bakura. The man had been sitting silently at the foot of his bed the whole night, occasionally stealing a glance at the bright moon outside. Once and a while he stood to gaze out the window and this was one of those times. He stretched his legs over the sheets and swung himself over the edge of the mattress. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass and sighed, watching as his warm breath fogged the window.

"Damn light…" Bakura growled, squinting against the morning sun. He dropped his eyes towards the ground, partly because of the bright light but mostly because of the glittering ocean below. It hadn't really stopped snowing for a few days, so there was nothing but white all around. With the sun now rising, the sea began to dance wildly with a sparkling light. He smiled, even though he was trying to stay in a bad mood. "It's very beautiful…"

"What is?" Bakura's head jolted up and he spun around to see Ryou standing in the doorway. The pale boy looked curiously around as he walked into the room. "It's been a while since I was in your room…it's a bit messy isn't it?"

"I guess, it doesn't bother me though, I like it." Bakura turned back for one final look at the snow before joining Ryou. "What, are you going to make me clean my room?" He sneered. Ryou rolled his eyes.

"Yes and then I'll spoon feed you at breakfast." The light said with his somewhat usual sarcastic tone. "But what were you looking at that was so beautiful?" Bakura frowned and looked back towards the window. He wanted to keep it a secret; it was something that he really didn't want anyone to know. After all, it would mean he wasn't completely heartless.

"Well, I'm just not used to snow…" He hesitated then gave a frustrated groan. "Ah fine I think it's pretty there happy?" Bakura snapped, pushing past Ryou.

"…I think the snow is incredible." Ryou whispered. His darker side stopped and glanced back at him, letting Ryou continue. "Well, it's…cold and silent and can be harsh and cruel but…it can be quiet and mysterious…it's also so pure and innocent when it's just falling…falling down from heaven like angel feathers…or tears maybe…" His voice was trance like, as if the snow had mesmerized him. He suddenly shook his head and grinned sheepishly. "You must think that sounds stupid right?"

"Not really." Bakura said dismissively. "It's your opinion right? Anyways, I like the snow too…a lot…" He nodded and left the room before he made a bigger fool of himself. The white haired boy stood in his room for a moment smiling.

"You really are the one changing Bakura." Ryou nodded happily. "Now let's see what you change into."

!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!# (I had a great Christmas, hope you did too)

After their brief encounter upstairs, Bakura and Ryou didn't speak to each other most of the day. Bakura went about sharpening daggers or sitting on the stairs watching as Ryou did his daily routine. He watched some TV, worked on homework or did some various cleaning. Finally, around five that evening Ryou grew far too bored and groaned loudly, tossing the TV remote aside. Bakura glanced up from polishing one of his knifes.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm bored!" Ryou blurted out, even immediately regretted it. A mischievous gleam shone in Bakura's eyes as he jumped over the stair railing. He stood in front of the other boy, placing a hand on his hip.

"Bored? You're bored you say?" He asked. Ryou sighed and nodded.

"I am a bit yes…but whatever it is you're thinking, I'm not doing it." Ryou crossed his arms and gave Bakura his best look of defiance. A disturbing smile appeared on his yami's face. The hikari sank back in his seat, a deep feeling of foreboding growing in his stomach. Bakura leaned closer and dropped his voice to a playful whisper.

"Oh really?"

%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* (You can't be bored with Bakura…)

"Bakura…" Ryou's eyes were narrowed with annoyance as he sat in the cold snow next to the source of the aggravation. The man gave him a half glare and held a finger to his lips.

"You need to be quieter!" Bakura hushed and poked his head around the alleyway in which they hid. With his long black trench coat on he blended with the dark wall and his white hair disappeared into the snow. "You'll give us away with all your complaining."

"Bakura…even if Marik is your friend, somehow…I don't think stealing from him is right." Ryou waited for Bakura to respond but he obviously wasn't listening. The old thief's eyes darted around the dark streets, resting finally on Marik's home.

"Marik is going out tonight and Isis goes to bed at eight…" Bakura muttered under his breath. Ryou sighed and pulled his coat around him tighter.

"It's cold out…"

"It's winter…anyways, Marik is leaving at 8:30, which means that you have a few options." Bakura turned to his accomplice with a wild grin. "One, we go in after Marik has left and we are sure Isis is sleep…two we go in right after Marik leaves so there's a risk of Isis being awake or…" He paused, his glee obvious on his face, "We go in at 8:15 while Marik is in the shower…and steal his towels and clothes. And a few other things from Isis's room."

"…Just how psycho are you?" Ryou asked, shaking his head. "Let's do the hidden option four where we go home and not piss off Isis or Marik…"

"Marik won't get mad," Bakura waved his hand dismissively. "And Isis…well she hates me anyway so you'll just be joining my club."

"Bakura!" Ryou groaned and smacked himself in the forehead. "Stealing isn't right though…and from a friend…"

"What'd you just say? You pick option three? You want to steal Marik's clothes?" Bakura cried in fake surprise. "Why my dear light I didn't know you had it in you! Well if that's your choice then c'mon!" He grabbed the stunned boy's hand and dragged him silently behind cars and other objects until they had reached Marik's house. Bakura's trained eyes scanned the house, taking in every window, brick and door. He smiled and turned back to Ryou.

"Bakura, this won't work…" Ryou frowned. "Marik or Isis will hear us…"

"Not if you do what I say." Bakura nodded towards the back of the house. "Now here's something good for you to see…the king of thieves at work…" Bakura moved swiftly and quietly to the back door, motioning for Ryou to follow. Ryou shook his head but walked as noiselessly as he could, joining Bakura next to the door.

"That's it? We go through the door?" Ryou asked curiously.

"Technically that's what doors are for." Bakura smirked and took a small metal rod from his pocket. "Now I don't remember having to do this in Egypt but I might have once or twice…" He jiggled the lock pick in the keyhole until it gave a click. "But I picked up a few things since then…" Bakura turned the knob and slunk into the house.

"This is illegal." Ryou mumbled as he went in after the yami. Inside they found themselves in Marik's surprisingly clean kitchen. Bakura glanced around and Ryou noticed his body seemed tense and his movements were so sly and fox like, it was interesting merely to watch him as he made his way against the wall and into the living room. Bakura peered over the edge of the steps, just enough to let himself see upstairs. Ryou walked up behind him and went tap him on the shoulder. The white-haired thief grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him against the wall.

"Shh, quiet!" Bakura hissed. "Get on the wall, I'm trying to hear…" He paused and Ryou strained to listen as well. Upstairs, he could just barely hear footsteps, followed by a door shutting. After a few moments of silence, the shower turned on. Bakura grabbed Ryou's hand and quickly dragged him up the stairs and came to an abrupt stop in front of the bathroom door.

"Alright now, which target should we hit first?" Bakura asked, not bothering to hide his excitement. Ryou groaned but thought about it logically. If they hit Isis first, she could wake up and they'd have nothing stolen plus a wasted trip. Hitting Marik first meant getting what they came for and that either way they'd have something.

"Let's get Marik…" Ryou whispered, suddenly feeling very energized himself. Bakura grinned widely and patted Ryou on the back.

"That's the tomb robber spirit." He winked and then placed his ear against the door. "Marik's going to be in there for at the least…two, maybe three minutes if we're lucky. So here's what we do…" Bakura reached into the cloak and pulled out a bag. "Take this…and grab whatever we need from the bathroom, I think we're running out of toothpaste…"

"Me?" Ryou squeaked, taking the bag nervously. "Where are you going?" The tomb robber produced another sack with a grin.

"Time is of the essence, I'll be down the hall meet at the front door." With that Bakura turned and glided silently to Isis's room. Ryou pushed open the bathroom door and slipped in. There was stream everywhere as Marik's shower appeared to be very hot. The Egyptian boy was humming and occasionally breaking into a bit of song. Ryou stared at the shower curtain and Marik's voice sounded oddly beautiful, so carefree and happy. The boy shook his mind clear. Probably just the acoustics of the bathroom, everyone sounded good in the shower after all. Ryou opened the bag and shoved all the towels he saw inside.

"I know that you're hiding things, using gentle words to shelter me…your words were like a dream…" Marik sang suddenly, causing Ryou to jump. He glanced at the bath then went back to gathering all of the towels and clothes in the room. His hands were a bit clumsy opening some of the cabinets and doors but the running water covered the sounds of his mistakes. Suddenly a hand flew over his mouth, blocking his cry as another hand grabbed his shoulder and dragged him out of the bathroom. Ryou was spun around as the door shut, revealing Bakura holding a huge sack of stuff.

"Get everything?" He asked, looking over Ryou's bag.

"I think so…" Ryou took a deep steadying breath. "You scared me though…" Bakura gave Ryou an approving look and shook the boy gently. All of a sudden the water to the shower shut off and Bakura snapped back into thief mode.

"Time to go." He said abruptly, grabbing Ryou's hand and yanked him down the stairs and the pair flew out the front door, across the street and down the alley until they reached an unfamiliar street a few minutes later.

"Bakura, where are we?" Ryou asked. Bakura nodded and pulled Ryou tightly to his chest. "Bakura?"

"Hang on, bet you didn't know the ring could do this…" The Millennium Ring glowed with a golden light and the world around them became black. Bakura held him close as he walked through the darkness. Ryou's eyes grew heavy and he suddenly felt very weak and sleepy.

"Bakura…" He muttered but the thief shook his head and pulled Ryou along until they reappeared in Ryou's bedroom. Bakura set Ryou on the bed and ruffled his hair as he watched him with a smile.

"Nice job Ryou, you really impressed me…I bet Marik and Isis won't be too enthused though…" He smirked and sat down next on the bed.

"How'd you…what'd we just do?"

"Shadow Realm." Bakura said simply. "Marik is going to follow our tracks so I lead him in the wrong direction then used shadow magic to get us back home."

"Oh…that's why I feel tired…but that was fun…" Ryou grinned, then tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

"Well, it wasn't boring right?" Bakura stood and threw their bags of stuff in the corner. "I think I'll go to bed. Later Ryou." He walked out of the room, unaware at the way his other was staring at him.

"Ryou? Bakura just called me Ryou? He never calls me by my name…" He gaped at the door with a dumbfounded expression before his sleepiness took him into dreamland. 

#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&$& (Remember kids, stealing is illegal)

Alone in his room, Bakura sat quietly on his bed. He took a small pad of paper out from under his bed and fished out a pen from an open drawer. He pushed the pen against his chest, clicking it on before he began to write. The spirit wrote long into the night, as he was never much for sleeping anyway, and continued until the clock near his bed read 4:30. Bakura sighed and tossed the paper back in it's hiding spot. Then he laid down, crossing his arms behind his head as he fell into a deep sleep.

!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$! (No report from Ryou so here's a new section)

Bakura's Pad of Paper

Mother once told me that she couldn't wait to see me married. I don't know why I'm thinking of this now or why the hell I'm writing it down on this paper. Not like it's really going to do me any good anyway but it's annoying me to hear her words over and over again in my head. I'm sick of it. So writing might help…

"Someday you'll make some lucky girl a fine husband, you're such a beautiful child. I can't wait until I see the day you choose your wife and marry."

Why did she say that? It's bugging me…probably because stupid light is making me relieve my whole life for him. Heh, look at me mother. Know how many women I took to bed with me while I was a tomb robber? Know how many boys? Yeah so maybe I was sick does that matter? You were in my head all the time…so I do sound insane. Huh, never knew that. Couldn't guess, never saw it coming…paper is stupid you can't tell I'm being sarcastic.

Ok, so what if I don't mind being around the kid anymore? I live with him, you get used to people after a while. Let's see, modern terms…he's hot. An uptight idiot but he's hot. Looks kinda girly to me…think it'd count mother if the guy looked like a girl? Why am I even thinking like this? It's all your fault mother, always so excited about my future well here it is! Marriage, I'd rather bow to the Pharaoh then…wait, do pens erase? I didn't mean that last part, I'd marry both I'd bow to the Pharaoh…

I hate writing, why am I writing? Why am I asking myself questions on paper? This is pointless…and why was I even thinking about Ryou? I should be planning and plotting to destroy the Pharaoh…

Memo to self: Redefine the word insane

                       Stop thinking about marriage and Ryou in the same thought since they are totally unrelated subjects and make me sound crazier than even the Pharaoh thinks I am

                       Stop asking myself questions

                       Stop writing

                       Find out why pens don't erase

A/N: Kaley: Hee, that was funny!

Sage: Was it supposed to be?

Bakura: Why did you make me sound like a freak?! I didn't write that?! Is that some new humor section???

Kaley:…

Sage:…

Bakura:…I hate you both

Kaley: (tackle hugs) whatever Kura-kun!

Bakura: My name isn't…never mind…

Sage: Well that's all for this chapter, see ya next time everyone where Ryou goes more in depth of Bakura's past and we learn…stuff, Kaley hasn't told me what next chapter's about yet so…

Kaley: Until next time, bye! And uh, review please? Thanks for all the good reviews!