A/n: I've decided that since I'm so far a head, I'll post two chapters at a time. Cookies for reviewers!
Forever in Darkness: A Body of His Own
'.'...'.'...'.'...'.'
Sixteen hours later their plane touched down in Egypt.
It was time to pay another visit to the Ishtars.
One that Bakura and Ryou hoped would be their freedom from each other.
Anzu smiled sadly as she watched the city go by.
Her last visit here had been not only magical, but it was when Pharaoh had finally returned to them.
Pharaoh looked up as he noticed tears fall onto her hands.
She didn't even realize that she was crying until a soft hand brushed them away.
She stared into his purple eyes for a moment before turning away.
Bakura looked over, startled as her hand gently squeezed his.
"Anzu..."
She shook her head and he nodded, wrapping his arms around her tightly and glared at Pharaoh.
She closed her eyes, memories flashing through her mind.
''
''
Pharaoh held her tightly in his arms. He had caught her in a lovers embrace for the first time. She reached up and brushed tears from his eyes as he made love to her. He had told her that he loved her so much that it made him cry with joy that they were finally so close. Just eighteen it had been her first experience too.
''
''
Their one-year anniversary had been the sweetest three days of her life. He took her out to dinner and rented a cabin at the beach for the weekend. She had no question as to whether or not he loved her; she knew he couldn't love her more. He would just hold her for hours, whispering everything she wanted to hear.
''
''
Their two-year anniversary was more low-key, but she still felt he loved her with all his heart and she hadn't regretted anything in the last two years. She was sure that as soon as she turned twenty one he would propose to her, after all, four years was long enough to figure out that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
''
''
They had been fighting for weeks on their third. She'd found a phone number in his pants pocket when she was doing laundry and when she called it a woman had answered. When she confronted him he'd blown her off, just a fan of his he'd met. It meant nothing...but he wouldn't stop calling her. It was only when she threatened to leave that he stopped. She was beginning to wonder if he was tired of her and their relationship only slid downhill from there.
''
''
The final act was a storming night more than a month ago. She had invited Ryou to her house to help him study for a collage exam and it had started to pour. It was already late and she didn't have the heart to make him leave so she offered to let him spend the night on the couch. Pharaoh didn't like that idea though and it was finally then that he confessed he'd been cheating on her. To both their shock Ryou had called on Bakura when Pharaoh was getting rough. For the first time in the length of their friendship and romance, Anzu was afraid of him. He'd not only accused her of cheating on him with Ryou, but had nearly screamed at her. Ryou was only antagonizing the situation, saying that if he'd slept with her Pharaoh would know and Anzu's pleas for him to stop only made Pharaoh angrier, believing she was trying to stop him from telling the truth. Finally she'd clutched her hair in her hands and sank to her knees, hardly breathing. She screamed at him to stop, that she'd wished it was Ryou whom she was dating and that sent Pharaoh over the edge. He screamed at her to shut up, pulled her to her feet and backhanded her into Ryou's arms. When she woke he was cradling her on the floor and Pharaoh and his things were gone. It was that night that she had officially declared their relationship dead. She didn't love him enough to put up with a black eye for a week...or forgive him for cheating on her.
"Four years was enough time wasted on something that wasn't supposed to be."
Pharaoh closed his eyes and leaned against the window, furiously wiping at his eyes.
Since that night he'd begged her forgiveness a thousand times on his knees and broken up with the other woman.
He didn't even know why he'd done it...and now he regretted it with every inch of his being.
His world had fallen apart and he knew it had been by his own hand.
"I'm sorry."
She held closer to Bakura who was listening to this, wondering if he should have the driver pull over.
"Not half as sorry as I am."
Their words were starting to scare Bakura.
The first time he'd sorely wanted to beat the Pharaoh to a pulp, but there wasn't much he could do in the back seat of a car to even stop him.
"I still love you Anzu."
She sneered at him.
"I really hate you right now. Do you have any idea what it felt like?"
Bakura and Pharaoh exchanged glances but said nothing, the smirk on Bakura's lips word enough for Pharaoh.
He could feel the rage rising to the surface again and decided to let Yugi take over.
Anzu let out a breath of relief.
Yugi at least was still her friend, though he had managed to forgive Pharaoh.
He knew better than to press the situation with her, feeling that in the end she was right.
He smiled warmly and took her hand, his eyes silently telling her to cheer up and she gave him a weak smile back.
The rest of the car ride was taken in silence.
'.'...'.'...'.'...'.'
All of the items were placed in the stone once again.
This time if everything went right it would provide a long dead thief king a body of his own.
Ryou stood behind the stone and closed his eyes as he felt a strange energy pass through him.
It radiated from the items and soon his body began to blur and split.
At the very last moment he screamed in pain as Bakura's soul was ripped from his body, into the new one that stood beside him.
Bakura looked around for a moment and then at his former hikari who looked as though he was about to faint.
"Ryou are you alright?"
He too felt waves of dizziness passing over him and shouted in concern as he caught the smaller figure.
"Ryou?"
In a matter of seconds he regained his own senses and looked down at Ryou with concern as he scooped him up.
"Ryou?"
He glanced up at Shadi who nodded.
"He'll be okay. He's just had his soul and body literally ripped in two...I'm surprised you're still standing."
Bakura looked then to the silent Anzu who had a look of pity in her eyes.
She walked up to them and took Ryou.
Bakura stared down at them as she gently brushed his bangs away from his flushed face.
"Anzu...what are you doing?"
Yugi who had also been silent until then gave them the same look of pity.
"She's returning a favor. If it weren't for Ryou she would have been alone when she woke up."
Bakura sighed and knelt behind her, holding her tightly as they watched Ryou silently.
Worry soon faded into a smile as Ryou's eyes slid open.
He reached up weakly and gently touched her face.
"You're a very lucky woman Anzu."
She gave a confused look as she placed her hand over his and he spoke again.
"You have four men who love you so very much. All I ask of you Bakura is that you take care of her the way she deserves."
Bakura nodded and they helped him stand.
Anzu hugged him gently.
"I never thanked you did I?"
He gave his signature smile and returned the hug.
"I think you've repaid me since then."
He then grabbed the attention of the other four figures in the room with a chipper wave to Malik.
"Come on you guys, let's leave the love birds alone!"
Anzu blushed furiously as Bakura grabbed her from behind and pulled her tightly against him, kissing her neck as Ryou and the others left, chatting.
Bakura and Anzu watched them leave and Bakura chuckled in her ear.
"I don't think he's ever been happier in his life. Let's go find some place we can...explore."
She smirked and kissed him as she turned to face him.
"There will be plenty of time for that. We'll be here for a few days anyway, let's go shopping."
There was a glint in her eyes that told him she wasn't talking about her.
She was seeing him in black leather and possibly chains.
"Why do I see bondage pants and chains in your eyes?"
She giggled, pulling him by the hand.
"Maybe because a certain pharaoh wouldn't let me dress him."
Bakura smirked at this.
"In that case, dress and undress away."
He smiled to himself and sighed happily.
'Finally my life starts again.'