Review responses at the end of the chapter.

Normal Writing: Common Time

Italic Writing: Dream/memory.

(………) Yami thinking

/………/ Hikari thinking

'………' Normal thought

"………" Normal speech

(A/N:………) Author's Note

Chapter Sixteen

Bakura lounged on Malik's yacht, which was tied to the dock. It was a nice day, with the snow melting and the sun out and warming the air.

Malik was in the cabin, digging in the ice chest for a coke.

Bakura sighed, and stood up. He walked to the rail and leaned against it, staring at the moving water.

The waves moving, and the sun glinting off them………

- - - - - - - - - - -

Beautiful water………so blue and calm in the midst of this chaos.

Bakura hurried and ran into the water, ignoring the cold, delighting in it actually, as the guards behind him ran after him.

Hopefully they will be afraid to follow him.

Or he could get underwater and in the reeds before they shot arrows at him.

But they weren't coming after him.

Not one to complain about this turn of luck, Bakura glanced over his should to make sure they weren't coming, and saw them quite relaxed, grinning knowingly.

The water was up to his chest when he realized why the guards didn't follow him in.

The telltale ridgeline of a crocodile's tail was enough to tell him the foolishness of his escape attempt.

Two more crocodiles came swimming in, giving long, slow, powerful thrusts with their muscled tails, yellow eyes watching him eagerly as their long snouts snapped at his flailing limbs.

Bakura quickly backpedaled, trying to reach shore before the crocs got to him. He kicked off the sandy bottom, but the water made his movements sluggish.

The first croc got so close that its tail buffeted Bakura

Panicking, Bakura snatched a dagger and stabbed at the reptile, to no affect against its armored hide.

The croc's eyes seemed to laugh at him as it drifted closer, toothed maw opening.

Seeing a sudden idea, Bakura latched onto the crocodile, and it began rolling and thrashing trying to dislodge him.

The other crocs couldn't get at him since he was on the first crocodile, so as the beast rolled, Bakura was able to get closer to the shore.

He threw himself onto the sand.

- - - - - - - - - -

Malik came out of the cabin and saw Bakura leaning on the rail.

He was tense, his eyes glazed over, staring at the water.

"Bakura?" Malik asked.

He came closer.

- - - - - - - - - -

Bakura felt the guards grab a hold of him and yank him upright as he spat water.

"A good trick, but you are caught none the less." One guard chortled.

Bakura's eyes misted over with a red haze of rage.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Malik grabbed Bakura's shoulder, shaking him as he shouted his friend's name.

The right hook came quicker than Malik could respond too.

He lay on the ground, clutching his bleeding mouth, staring wide-eyed at his friend.

Bakura was breathing heavily, eyes still glazed but now reflecting utter rage and despair.

He turned and ran, leaping from the side of the yacht to the dock's extended arm.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ryou felt bad about yelling at Bakura the night before. Why had he started the argument? Why couldn't he let it go?

With a sigh, Ryou walked to Malik's house, figuring to apologize.

He knocked on the door, and was surprised when Isis opened it.

"Uh………hi." Ryou said, and nodded to Rishid, who stood behind Isis.

"Is Bakura here?" Ryou asked, but from Rishid's scowl to Isis's apologetic look, Ryou knew he had better look elsewhere.

"Bakura ran off."

Ryou turned and saw Malik walking over from inside their living room, one lip cut and swollen.

"What happened?" Ryou gasped. His yami wouldn't have………

"Bakura hit me." Malik affirmed. At seeing Ryou's horrified look, he came to his friend's defense. "It wasn't his fault though. He was having one of those dream memory things, and I shook him and I guess I startled him."

"Oh. Do you know where he might be?" Ryou asked softly, feeling ashamed for his yami's actions.

"No, but I think we must find him soon."

- - - - - - - - - -

Bakura ran through the streets, shoving his way past people who wouldn't move.

He had hit Malik.

His truest friend.

Bakura felt another memory crowding into his mind, and he tried to shake it away.

But it came nonetheless.

- - - - - - - - - -

Crowded.

That's the only way to explain the prison.

It was very crowded, with bandits, thieves, poor common folk who couldn't pay off a debt, corrupt guards, and all sorts of riffraff.

Bakura was given special attention. He was chained to the wall by wrists, ankles, and around his neck, and they guards gave him a beating every day.

The other prisoners, even in the crowded cells, avoided Bakura for his reputation was well known.

But he had a secret the others didn't.

He knew how to get out.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Bakura growled low in his throat, collapsing against a dirty wall in some back alley of the slummy part of the city.

The building belonged to a gang.

Lost in the grips of his memory, Bakura didn't know that the gang was even now watching him.

- - - - - - - - - - -

He was moved to a new cell, one made for only one person.

Now he could get away.

In the dead of night he slipped his right wrist from the manacle, twisting it nearly all the way around.

He then picked the other locks and escaped through the garbage chute.

He was home free.

-- - - - - - - - - - -

He was caught.

The gang surrounded him.

But he was angry.

Very angry.

And no several mortals will stand before him when he wanted to go home.

To Ryou.

Bakura's lips curled back, revealing his sharp fangs and giving the gangsters a pause.

He tensed up, preparing for a lunge, magic crackling the air about him like static.

The gangsters felt their hair stand on end when Bakura issued a primal growl, snarling through his clenched, bared teeth.

Eyes narrowed to red glowing slits, Bakura sensed fear.

And basked in it.

They will die.

(End Chapter)

A Very Happy Person: In response to your review, I feel I must explain myself. The last chapter may have seemed out of character, but as you see now it is kind of important. It shows that Ryou is getting a bit worried and nervous around Bakura, afraid of what he could do. And Bakura, while trying to do some normal fun with Malik, ends up attacking him. Am I forgiven? If not, I'm sorry you don't approve of the chapter, but it made sense to me and to other reviewers. I hope this clears it up.

IMPORTANT: I will be going to El Paso for Christmas, and won't be able to update my stories for even longer than usual, sorry folks.