1"Ankh Of Despair"

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Ah. . . it wasn't such a long time between updates. -watches plushies make out- that's kinda freaky, lol! Thank you all for reviewing! Tell your friends! I want this to be a popular story! Here is chapter six!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the show Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. I only own the plot of this story.

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The priest was in the most uncomfortable position that he had ever experienced. His arms were bound at the wrist and then tied to the bed posts above his head while his ankles each had their own bed post. What made things worse was that he had been stripped down and was now laying on his stomach. A cloth lay over his lower half, much to the boys relief.

The thief approached.

In his hand, he clutched a long, black whip. He snapped it in the air, creating a loud 'crack!' for effect. He got what he wanted; a flinch from the brunette that lay before him.

"Who is your master?" The white-haired thief questioned.

"I don't have one."

The whip cracked along his back, breaking the skin and creating a line of scarlet blood which immediately began to run down his sides in small trickles.

"Who is your master?"

"No one."

Again the whip came down.

"Who is your master?!"

Seto cringed and almost whimpered. He knew what would happen if he continued to answer in such a manner, "You are."

"Good boy. . . and you are to obey your master, is that understood?" Bakura smirked, petting his captives sides.

Seto growled at the touch, "No way in Hell!"

The whip crashed down on him. . . but this time it didn't stop. It came down repeatedly, with more force at each blow. Seto couldn't help but scream out in agony. He fought back tears, but they came anyways. He forced himself to surrender.

"Okay, okay! I'll obey you!" His cries were short gasps, "Please! Stop!"

The blows ceased to come and Seto listened closely to the sound of the whip being tossed aside. The cloth that once covered his lower half was now removed and thrown to the floor. Bakura's hands ran over the plump skin. He smiled a sick smile, "So beautiful. . . I have a feeling that you will enjoy this. . . my priest."

(A/N: Due to the rating of this story there will NOT be a lemon, sorry! You'll just have to use your imagination!)

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The remaining priests and their Pharaoh rode toward the West. They had made the planned stop at the Sea Shrine, relieved to find that the horse had not gone but a couple steps from where he was originally left. The Pharaoh had mounted his horse quickly, giving no sign that he was going to high-tail it away from the shrine and after the ghost-town of Kuru Eluna. He wanted to get to Seto as soon as he possibly could.

The sounds of the hooves clattering against the soft, sandy ground could be heard, or felt rather, by the riders only. They were silent and the sun was no longer high in the sky. They moved like spirits through the heated desert, their long capes flowing out behind them, almost taking a liquid-like appearance.

Yami rode ahead of them all.

Though the perspiration on their foreheads began to grow abundant, not a single one spoke a word or even made the slightest sign that they didn't like it. This is because they all knew that complaining would get them no where. They were going through a desert and it was a dangerous place. There was no time to stop and rest and there certainly was no good in whining. It would only succeed in drying out your mouth quicker than the sun's rays.

Silently, they rode West.

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The priest sat in a corner on the floor. He was now fully dressed in his usual attire, minus his headpiece - which the priest had immediately noticed was not even there -, and his arms and legs were no longer bound. The thief sat on the bed now, looking over some of the items he had retrieved from the tombs of past Pharaohs.

Seto narrowed his pretty, blue eyes at him, "When they find you, you will be killed for this. Raping a nobleman. . . and a prince at that!" He glared harder, "I may be a priest, but I have royal blood!" He clenched his teeth.

Bakura thought this over for a moment and then smiled. It wasn't his usual 'I'm gonna make you wish you were dead' smile. For once, it appeared genuine. Seto wasn't sure to trust that this was real or if this was a trick.

"You know," the smiling thief began, "You would make a much better Pharaoh than Yami." He pulled a finger to his lips as though he were studying Seto. Seto had gone tense, but said nothing, so Bakura took it that he was listening and continued, "You're taller, stronger, much more intelligent and mature. . ." As he went on, he watched as the priests eyes glaze over in a look which seemed like a realization of sorts. His gaze was now at the floor, a blank look lingering on his face, and the tomb robber decided to finish it off with a compliment, "Plus you are MUCH better looking." He winked when Seto had looked back up.

The thief then went about his business, leaving the Pharaoh's cousin to ponder over what he had been told, 'He is right in some ways. . . I mean, I AM taller and I AM stronger, but. . . Yami is of direct descent. . . the only way that I could possibly become Pharaoh would be if Yami were to perish. . . and that is certainly not something that I want! My duty is to protect my Pharaoh, which I did earlier! It could have been him in this position. . . I have suffered for my Pharaoh, but I do not regret it. I am proud to have done it.' He smiled triumphantly as he won the battle inside his mind.

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Like the description had claimed, Kuru Eluna, the town of thieves, lay in ruins. The stone buildings had crumbled, some were only a pile of rocks and others had but a wall or two remaining. It almost looked as though everyone had just got up and left.

Akunadin remembered the truth.

This was the sight at which the sacrifices were made. Ninety-nine sacrifices were required, yet the entire village was slaughtered. There couldn't be any witnesses. What puzzled Akunadin was how someone could hide out, or possibly even live, in a place like this. They listened tensely to the sound of wandering spirits. The moans and screeches made Isis shiver, but she said nothing. They had to be strong, brave.

Now the hooves made clicks on the ground. Being that this was once inhabited by many people, the ground had been pounded by their feet, making it harden over the years of use.

Yami stopped his horse, extending an arm to halt the others, "Mahaado," His voice was a commanding whisper, "Use the power of your Millennium Ring to find the Millennium Rod and Seto." Though he spoke to the man behind him, he kept his crimson eyes straight ahead as though expecting to see his priest come running.

The ring glowed with a golden light. The horses took off again. This time, Mahaado rode alongside his Pharaoh, taking them wherever the pointer would lead.

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Being that he was the king of thieves, Bakura had sensitive ears that would pick up even the slightest of noises. The sounds of the horses were no different.

Quickly slapping the shackles around his captives wrists and tying the rope to the middle chain, he pulled the priest along. He was going to face the noblemen; they didn't scare him whatsoever! His ka (1) was stronger than their monsters. . . well, perhaps the gods could defeat him, but if his hatred grew stronger, then so would his monster (2).

The priest walked behind him. He played the prisoner role very well. His face was blank and he kept his eyes lowered to the ground, not speaking even once. Bakura took this time to notice how beautiful he looked when the wind rustled his hair or how the golden rings around his waist helped to show his fine, thin, figure.

The Pharaoh wanted him, and the thief now understood why.

"If you stay with me," Bakura began, "I won't harm you anymore, and I will make you the new Pharaoh. You and I can be together." Seto's glazed eyes looked slowly up at him as they stopped walking, Bakura took this as a sign to continue, "Power and power, pride and pride, strength and strength. . ." He looked thoughtful for a moment, "Fire," he pointed to himself, "and ice." He pointed to Seto.

Seto's heart pounded in his chest, his face looking a bit flustered, 'What do I do? No, the answer is obvious! I must fulfill my duties! To protect the Pharaoh and to serve the people! That is what I was born to do!'

Frowning, the bandit king decided that more persuasion was needed, "Would you rather live in total luxury, with gold and jewels and servants with ultimate power and me as your dominant lover. . . or would you rather kneel at your YOUNGER cousins feet." He turned to peer down the road. He could hear them coming closer, "Face it Seto, you are far greater than that child will ever be. You don't get the respect that you deserve."

With that, the horses and their rider came into view. No one spoke, no one hollered, no one insulted. . . they were silent until the horses stood within five feet of the tomb robber.

In turn, the Pharaoh and his clerics dismounted from their horses and stood.

"Thief," Yami began in his 'official-sounding' tone, "Release the priest at once. He has done nothing to you. . . he has nothing that you want." His teeth and fists clenched.

Bakura chuckled, "Of course 'my Pharaoh' (3), I'll let your priest go." He turned around, untying the rope and releasing Seto's arms from the shackles that held them. Bakura then stepped aside. If Seto tried to leave with them, he'd just grab the priest and yank him back before he could go.

Yami looked leery and so Mahaado stepped forward with him.

The Pharaoh grabbed Seto's wrist, "It's alright Seto. . . we're here now. Let's go back to the palace Seto."

But Seto didn't budge from that spot.

"Seto? Are you alright?" Yami looked puzzled, Bakura looked amused.

In an instant, Seto swung the arm that his Pharaoh held, sending Yami flying to the ground. The other priests rushed to his aid.

Fierce, blue eyes looked down into scarlet ones. His face frozen at a frown. The ice prince stood still.

"Seto," Yami whispered, "Why did you do that?" He stood to his feet and grabbed his cousins wrist again, "Let's go Seto!" His voice was demanding now.

Again, Seto flung him to the ground and as the group of six looked at him in confusion, he said only one thing.

"No."

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(1) ka - ka is the spirit monster that resides within a persons ba (body). These spirit monsters are what the people in ancient Egypt dueled with (they also used stone tablets and a primitive form of the duel disk).

(2) if his hatred grew stronger, than so would his monster - in the Egyptian story arc, it is told that when a persons hatred becomes strong, then their monster grows in both size and strength. In other words, Bakura's ka, Diabound, is built on hate.

(3) 'my Pharaoh' - in the anime, Bakura calls the Pharaoh 'my Pharaoh' like all of the others, but he means it as an insult. Kind of like if someone was ordering you around and you said "yes your highness." Think of it as sarcasm.

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Yay! That was a quick update! Keep reviewing! Ja ne!