Life of a Thief by Ryou Bakura (Surprise below )

A/N: Sage: I've got some news for everyone!! Kaley and I are working on something very special just for you wonderful reviewers!!

Kaley: Yep!! It's…wait for it…a surprise!

Bakura: You're not going to tell them about it?

Sage: It'd ruin the ending though to this story but let's just say another fic is waiting when this one is done…

Kaley: Right, a very special one at that…

Bakura:…let's just look at the reviews…we made it past the 200 mark and this is the first of Sage Kaley's fics to do so. Amazing really. According to our calculations, the 200th reviewer is….Amy Hirosaki!!! Congrats!

Sage: I'm so glad people noticed how much detail I put into Bakura's flashbacks…I wanted to show so badly his side of the story, the side people don't see while they are busy routing for Yami. Also, I've been a bit surprised by the last two chapter's reviews. Some of you guessed a few important things…(winks)

Kaley: We're terrible aren't we? Hee, anyways, citcat-chan, I wish it weren't true but us the Millennium Items were made from humans. Bakura's family and neighbors to be exact. A famous image shows Bakura watching it in terror from behind a wall as people are killed.

Bakura: A lot of you were very sad…and some even asked for humor!! Well…it probably won't be in this chapter…or will it? Heh… To Gothic Angel….damn that has to be the longest review we've ever gotten! We don't mind being compared to another fic or anything.

Kaley: I once read a fic like the one you described. It was so heartbreaking, with no humor or love to break it up that I nearly sobbed myself dry. So another thing I wanted with this story were breaks, something to make the readers smile. For example, even during Bakura's flashback, during all the pain that came with it, we find out about Bakura's slightly odd meeting with Marik. It was a small break before the next scene.

Sage: Well we've talked enough on this eh? I'm just happy to see so many new names in the review list. How are you guys finding this fic? (laughs) I'm glad you are finding it though…Don't forget dear reviewers that we have something waiting for you.

Bakura: So for now, on with the Ra damned fic!

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"Ryou…Ryou…Hey…Ryou…ok that's it, get your ass up!" Just as Ryou had finally decided to open his eyes, Bakura found a new way to wake him up. He felt a pair of arms go right under his back and butt and with a heave up he went. That's when his eyes opened.

"Bakura!" He shouted as soon as he saw the thief. "I was waking up!"

"Too slow." Bakura smirked and began to carry Ryou out of the room. "Geez you're heavy…how much do you weight anyway? Three hundred pounds?"

"I'm not fat!" Ryou cried, hitting Bakura weakly in the chest. Even with all this excitement, he was still tired. After all, he'd just woken up. "And if I'm so heavy how about putting me down!"

"It's either I carry your lazy ass or I drop you." Bakura seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this and Ryou knew the yami was stronger so his hits weren't very effective. Plus, he didn't really want to be dropped.

"I'm not lazy, I stayed up late last night…" Ryou crossed his arms but did lean his head on Bakura's shoulder. "I was writing my report."

"Oh yeah?" Bakura had reached the bathroom door. He promptly kicked it open, ignoring the soft protest from Ryou. "How's that going?"

"Ah, it's going well…" Ryou lied. In truth, though he had stayed up all night working on it, it wasn't going anywhere. He'd spent five days now working on it. Actually, when he thought about the past few days, he realized that maybe he shouldn't be so angry about Bakura's wake up call. The last time they'd talked like this was on Christmas Day, which hadn't been very pleasant. Ryou had found out a great deal more about Bakura's past that day and the next morning Bakura was gone, with a note saying he was at Marik's house. Every day since he spent the morning and a good part of the afternoon with the Egyptian. So for him to be woken up by Bakura had to be a good thing. It was then that Bakura sat him down on the toilet.

"There, now get ready. Dress and shower and all that…not in that order though." Bakura added with a smile. "Breakfast is almost done…oh and I did some cleaning too. It's past noon you know. I know you're tired but you shouldn't sleep in. Makes you lazy and sleepy the whole day."

"Uhh…and you did what with the real Bakura?" Ryou said, blinking in confusion. Although he and Bakura were getting close, he couldn't imagine the once deadly king of thieves turning into a domesticated housewife. Bakura glared at him, lightly hitting him in the back of the head. It was just hard enough to make him jolt forward a bit though.

"You smartass, I can't do something nice? You're the one who forgot to clean this whole time. The dust everywhere has been giving me a headache and I'd rather clean then live with a damn migraine. Though it was a tough choice, I hate cleaning." He said as an afterthought.

"…And the breakfast thing?" Ryou asked, still suspicious.

"I have to eat too you know." Bakura rolled his eyes. "I just figured I'd make enough for both of us."

"…And the wake up call?"

"Is this fifty questions or something?!" Bakura's cheeks tinged pink. "I just wanted to get you up so you could be ready to eat and not eat in your pjs!" He turned and left the bathroom, shutting the door gently on the way out. Ryou grinned to himself. Bakura wasn't really mad at him or anything; he was just embarrassed. It was actually very cute. Ryou unbuttoned his nightshirt and slipped it off before turning on the water in the bathtub.

"I wonder what changed his mood…maybe it was Marik…" Ryou speculated aloud as he turned on the showerhead. Jets of hot water shot out from the steal facet and steam quickly built up in the tiny bedroom. He tested it and smiled. "Ah who cares…he's happy again…" Ryou was just taking off his boxers when Bakura poked his head back in.

"How do you want your eggs?" He asked as soon as he came into the room. Ryou nearly jumped out of his skin, quickly pulling his shorts back up.

"Bakura! Knock before you come in here!" Ryou cried, his face turning crimson with mortification.

"Oh relax, I didn't see anything I haven't seen before." He said, as though that was supposed to make things better. When Ryou's cheeks turned even redder he said, "Remember? My body was created as a replica of yours? I've seen it all already." He grinned at this and Ryou could see that once again he was having fun. 

"Doesn't matter…you should still knock…" Ryou mumbled, more to himself than Bakura.

"Fine I will next time." Bakura looked like he was holding back laughter. The two stood there for a few minutes with no noise save for the water from the shower as it hit the walls. Ryou felt highly uncomfortable, mostly because he could feel Bakura's eyes on him. It was also due to the fact that he now knew for sure what Bakura must look like naked and he couldn't get it out of his head. To him though, the worst part was he didn't really want it to leave his mind. "So I suppose I'll let you take your shower now." He grinned, taking another look at Ryou before leaving.

"H-hey!" Ryou called him back. "What about the eggs thing?"

"Oh that…" Bakura suddenly smirked. "I'm not making eggs actually. Pancakes is what I'm better at…I just wanted to see if it was true, that my body looks just like yours…" He paused, watching Ryou's reaction. "I suppose it's true eh?" He burst out laughing and smiled. "Don't worry, you've seen me naked then too so we're even." He left and Ryou poked his head out into the hallway.

"We most certainly are not even!" Ryou shouted after him. "Seeing myself naked does not count…" He muttered quietly.

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After a bit of an annoying breakfast, in which Bakura made carefully veiled comments about Ryou's nakedness and how shy he was about it, they decided to go for a walk. Actually, it was more Ryou decided to go for a walk and Bakura wanted to tagalong. They made their way through the bustling streets without much event until Ryou felt Bakura's hand run slowly down his arm.

"What is it?" He asked, stopping to look at Bakura. The other stared at him for a minute, then shook his head as if to bring himself out of a daze.

"I was wondering if your coat felt like mine." He indicated the pair's matching (save for the color) trench coats. "It does…"

"Oh, well…alright then…" Ryou frowned but let it go. Somehow he got the feeling Bakura had just been looking for an excuse to touch him. Not that he really minded. He'd already come to terms with the fact that he loved Bakura. It was just odd, the way Bakura was behaving. One minute he seemed like he wanted nothing more than to kiss Ryou then the next he was distant and avoiding the teen. It was a bit baffling but at the same time it raised a very good question: What was the motive behind his actions? Was he in love with Ryou or just confused?

"Hey, Ryou…you want to go to the park?" He asked, bringing the other out of his thoughts.

"Bakura, it's been snowing on and off all break. The park is probably buried under all the snow." Ryou pointed out.

"Yeah but…" Bakura sighed and looked up into the dark winter skies above. "Ah, never mind…forget it…"

"No, let's go to the park." Ryou also sighed, though for a different reason. Yet again, Bakura was going into one of his little mood swings. It seemed like this time he was becoming depressed. So if the park was where he wanted to go, then maybe they should, just to cheer him up. 

"No, we don't have to." Bakura said, still staring up.

"Yes we do, you wanted to go to the park right?" Ryou said.

"I did but…you don't want to." Bakura said.

"Well, now I do…"

"Well, now I don't." Bakura said, a hint of a smile coming across his face.

"No, you're just saying that to be difficult." Ryou said, placing his hands on his hips. "Come on, let's go to the park." Bakura grabbed his hand suddenly, looking down with a smile. Ryou stared at him. He could be so weird sometimes…

"Alright then, if you want to go that badly…" Bakura said as he pulled Ryou forward. "Come on, let's go then." They walked silently to the Domino City Park, Bakura holding Ryou's hand the entire time. In fact, he never let go of it. Even when they found a bench that someone had cleared of snow, Bakura still held tightly to Ryou's hand. They sat for what must have been an hour, all the while Ryou waited. He could see it in Bakura's eyes; he wanted to say something very badly. Ryou was about ready to ask what it was when a few flakes of snow landed on their intertwined hands. Bakura looked down at them, then back up to the sky.

"…I'm so glad I got to see snow…" He said softly, a strange look in his chocolate eyes. They carried in them a look of such gentle sadness. The sadness seemed to leak into every part of him, so that even is smile wasn't one of joy. Ryou stared at him.

"What are you talking about?" Ryou asked him. Bakura shook some of the falling snow from his hair.

"Nothing important really…I just…was thinking…that if the Pharaoh…hadn't killed my family…I wouldn't have gone on that rampage…I wouldn't have been sealed inside the Millennium Item…I wouldn't have ever seen the snow…and…" He hesitated, as though he wasn't sure if he should even finish his sentence, but he did, "And…I wouldn't have met you either." He didn't blush when he said it but Ryou could hear in his voice that he meant it. "So I guess…I'm not that pissed off at the Pharaoh…"

"Really?" Ryou smiled, impressed that Bakura would forget his ages long grudge. However, the yami turned to him, his old smirk reappearing.

"Hey, don't use that tone. I still hate Yami and wish for his slow, agonizing, painful death. I'm just not pissed at him anymore." Bakura said as he stood up. "Hey Ryou…" His voice suddenly turned back to serious, "I know I've already said it but…thanks." He stood up and let go of Ryou's hand. "C'mon, it's getting cold…we should go back."

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Once they got back home, Bakura almost instantly broke into a sneezing fit. Ryou took off his trench coat and shook his head. 

"I knew it…you're getting a cold…" He said, turning his attention back to the yami. Bakura glared at him but he didn't say anything, probably because he couldn't deny it. His cheeks were bright pink, he'd been coughing the whole way home, and now his nose was running. "I'll get you some tea…"

"Tea?" Bakura retched, sticking out his tongue. "I hate tea…"

"My father always gives me hot tea when I'm sick…I guess I could warm up some milk and honey though. That works just as good." Ryou said as he walked into the kitchen. He grabbed the milk from the fridge and started getting it ready. As he poured in the honey, he wondered if Bakura had ever gotten a cold before. He knew it was a silly thought but he couldn't help but wonder. Egypt was a very hot place after all. He came back into the living room a few minutes later with the hot drink. Bakura was sitting on the couch but he looked like he was freezing. He was loosely hugging himself.

"Do I have to drink it?" He asked as Ryou sat down next to him.

"Yes, something hot will make you feel warmer at least." Ryou said. Bakura nodded and drank his milk somewhat distastefully. "Um, Bakura, I know this is a silly question but did you ever get a cold in Egypt?"

"Of course I did." He said, holding the warm cup to his chest. "I didn't get sick much though…I'm glad I didn't, I hated visiting those damn priests…crazy old guys…" Ryou chuckled and Bakura went back to his drink. Suddenly, as he watched Bakura, another question came into his mind.

"…Do you ever want to go back there?" He asked quietly. Bakura stopped drinking instantly and set his drink down. For a brief moment he looked sad again but then his smirk returned.

"Nah, it's too hot there and not much there for me now is there?" Bakura shrugged. "Maybe if it hadn't changed but even then why would I want to? Nothing there for me." Bakura gave Ryou a smile before returning to his milk. Ryou knew he had no reason to distrust Bakura but…his heart told him that he was wrong. That Bakura was hiding something but the thing was he had no proof. All he could do was give Bakura his best look and shake his head. "Honey is weird, it doesn't spoil." He said suddenly. Ryou sighed and gave up. He knew Bakura obviously was avoiding something so it was best to just let him get away with it. He'd tell Ryou when he felt like it.

"You still look cold though." Ryou said, glancing over at Bakura. His face was still pink. It was kind of funny, how such a small thing could make him look so cute. He sneezed, his head jerking forward before he could say anything.

"Well, turn up the damn heat then…" Bakura grumbled. Then he grinned and batted his eyes at Ryou. "Unless you have a better plan?"

"Oh knock it off." Ryou said, rolling his eyes. However, without another word he leaned in and gave Bakura a little kiss on his cold cheeks. "I'm going to go get you a blanket."

"Aww, that's it?" Bakura pouted, then broke into a fit of coughs. Ryou ran his hand through his hair.

"You're the one who asked me to forget my feelings for a while. Besides," Ryou did his own version of Bakura's famous smirk, "You're sick, I don't need your germs all over me when the party is tomorrow."

"Oh thanks a lot." Bakura growled, though it was much milder than if anyone else had said that to him.

"Anytime." Ryou grinned, tossing the chilly teen a blanket.

"…Wait, what party?" Bakura looked up in confusion. "There's a party."

"Yugi's New Year's party." Ryou said with an exasperated tone. "It's tomorrow night. You're the one who said we're going."

"I did? Was I drunk or something?" He asked.

"Nah…but you did say we are and I called Yugi yesterday and told him we're both coming." Ryou nearly laughed when he saw the look on Bakura's face. "So yes, you'll be bringing in the new year with me and them. Let's see…Joey's going to be there, Tea, Tristan, Duke, some other friends of Yugi's, I know Yugi asked Kaiba to come but not sure why, did Marik say if he's coming?"

"Marik says he might but he doubts Yami wants him to." Bakura said. "Can you blame him? He comes from the same vein as me, so I doubt the Pharaoh would invite two people who hate him. Plus Kaiba, he doesn't want him dead like me but he's still not very nice is he? So that's another one…"

"I guess so…" Ryou admitted. Given the fact that even Seto might come, that would be three people there ready to fight him. It wouldn't be a very happy New Year then for the former Pharaoh. Bakura then fell silent, drinking his milk with the blanket wrapped tightly around him. He stared at the table in front of him but it was clear he probably couldn't even see it. His mind was elsewhere and Ryou settled on leaving it there. "I'm going to go work on my report…" He was halfway up the stairs before Bakura gave a soft 'Alright…'. Ryou looked at him for a moment then went to his room. "He gets weirder everyday…" Ryou sat down and frowned at his paper, "And I love him more everyday…I guess I'm the weird one then…"

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The next morning came without warning as the sun's light became eager to wake Ryou from his sleep. As Ryou sat up, he saw his report lying nearby and groaned. Once again, he had stayed up all night working on Bakura's Story and again he got nothing done. Bakura did come in around midnight and told him a few details about his adulthood. Ryou picked up his notes and read over them again.

"Bakura didn't remember much of his adult life…" Ryou yawned widely, looking over the papers as he remembered Bakura's words…

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Bakura sat down at the end of the bed, still wrapped in his blanket. He didn't speak for a few minutes, though he pointed at Ryou's notebook. Ryou took the hint and got ready to write.

"…I don't remember this with as much detail…" He said softly, his eyes staring at the bed sheets, "After that, I know I worked on my thieving skills. I traveled around…I must have hidden my hair somehow so people wouldn't remember me. Then, must have been about seven years later, I ran into Marik. He was so happy," Bakura smiled briefly at the distant memory, "…he'd made it to Greece and brought me back some special gifts. One of them was that cloak I always wore, the red one. Once I put that on, I stopped caring if people saw me. I let my hair show but I kept it cut short, the heat you know… then we started to travel together. He was great to have around, he was a great thief, a great healer and a great friend…hell, I started to calm down a bit when I was with him. Even though I still had revenge in mind, I was more logical and cool about it. But then we heard that Yami's father, the Pharaoh in charge when Kuru Eruna was raided, he had died…" Then a look of anger flickered across Bakura's face but he continued talking, "I felt like I wouldn't get my revenge but then Marik got the idea to raid his tomb. We'd raided tombs before and with the help of my spirit monster, Diabound, we easily got through the traps…but…some guards were expecting us…they'd been waiting…it was a trap and we were caught off guard…Marik was killed…" Bakura took a deep breath at this time, shutting his eyes.

"Marik was killed?" Ryou said in surprise, covering his mouth a bit.

"Yeah…he was the one thing keeping me sane at that time…then…I don't remember much…I mean, it all happened really fast…I was so anger…so…I just snapped. I killed all the guards with Diabound and took the ex Pharaoh's body. I dragged it across the desert, all the way to the palace. I showed it to Yami…I don't know what I said to him…I just know that at that point I'd lost it." He grinned, looking up at Ryou. "I mean, sure I went insane, losing my family and everything when I was a child…but I'd been recovering slowly with Marik by my side…I don't remember when I got the Ring, I know I killed off Yami's most trusted priest for it. You know him as the Dark Magician…"

"You fought the Dark Magician?" Ryou scribbled it down.

"Yeah but he wasn't the Dark Magician then. He was just a priest who got in my way. I killed him but his soul remained in the Pharaoh's service and he was reborn, you could say, as the Dark Magician." He smiled. "I remember the first thing I did with that item though…I went to an inn to eat. The people there decided to fight me…and with only a single thought, the Ring made every blood vessel in their bodies explode."

"That's disgusting…" Ryou muttered under his breath, writing it down.

"I guess…" Bakura shrugged, "Then I went after the Pharaoh…that I don't even remember, we fought…then…I was in darkness…it was so cold…I hated it…but all it did was make me hate Yami more and more…because I knew somehow it was his fault that I was trapped in the darkness…and then…I felt something, like someone had found me…and I…I wanted to leave…and I don't know how much later it was but then I woke up in your mind."

"I can fill in the rest." Ryou said softly. "You wanted to use me as your way of getting revenge."

"Not really…" Bakura said, looking a bit surprised. "Don't get me wrong, I did use you to get revenge…but my first thoughts, besides being so happy to be somewhat free, were about you. I saw that you were literally the physical reincarnation of myself. And I was scared…that you might go through the same things I did…so I wanted to protect you and grant your wishes…"

"No offense or anything but that plan kind of backfired." Ryou frowned. "You hurt all my friends and made me lonely…I had to move around because of you…then you used me to fight Yami…"

"I know…" Bakura suddenly looked very serious, "And I told you how sorry I am about that…but…even if I have changed, it doesn't make up for my twisted way of helping you…I'm sorry…" Bakura stood up and left the room but Ryou never heard him go into his own room. Instead he sat there, wondering if maybe he really was too hard on Bakura.

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Ryou got dressed and went downstairs to see Bakura fast asleep, bundled up like a taco in his blankets. Ryou smiled and let the thief sleep, instead going straight to the kitchen to make something to eat. He was about to get out the milk when the phone rang.

"Hello?" He said, picking it up.

"Hiya Ryou! It's Yugi!" The smaller boy said, though with his voice who else would it be?

"Hey Yugi, what's up?"

"Oh I just wanted to make sure you're coming…" Yugi said cheerfully.

"Yeah we are, me and Bakura…" Ryou answered, trying to find his cereal. "Who else is coming?"

"Everyone!! Even Marik and his sister and Mokuba said he and Kaiba would come!" Yugi cried happily.

"…Yeah…that's…great Yugi." Ryou said, though he honestly didn't share Yugi's enthusiasm. After all, with three of Yami's greatest rivals at the same party, how could the night be any fun? Although, he thought, glancing over at the sleeping Bakura, it would most certainly be interesting…

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A/N: Sage: One month later and here it all is!

Kaley: Hope you enjoy it, we're getting closer to the big climax!

Bakura: But don't forget about the special surprise!

Sage: Review and we'll see you later!

Kaley: For a very late New year's party ;;;