Kaya: Thanks to Demented Insane Spirit, ShadowVixen, Dreaming of Everything, Sailor Charon, DojomistressAmbyChan, Malik and Kaiba, and Black Joey for reviewing!

Kaya: Here are the scores so far!

Cherry Blossoms and Blood – 13
Seto Ishtar – 9
Mew Counter Force – 3

Sanu: The polls were mostly done over the internet

Sheekin: Cherry Blossoms and Blood is in the lead! This is the final chapter to vote, by the way!

Black Joey – I am sorry if Seto Kaiba is a bit OOC. I will admit I am very bad at keeping a character their original way, because I love tweaking them a bit. I try not to go over the board as to make Seto a complete sweetheart and Bakura a kind angel, but I will tweak characters like them a bit. I am also sorry if you do not like the Seto and Ishizu pairing, but I do, and they are staying. I hope that you will continue to read my fic and not pay too much mind to the scenes between them, if you do not like them together. After all, I am sure there are many things about Yu-Gi-Oh that you don't like (ex. Barely any romance, no swearing, dubbing out great scenes, never mentioning the word 'kill') and you still find a way to enjoy it. I hope you can do the same to this fic.

X X X

Chapter 12 – The Love Letter

"I hope you liked your sleeping quarters," Seto said, trying to sound as polite as he could. Ishizu nodded. "I'm sure I won't be complaining," she said, smiling at him. Seto flushed slightly. I can't believe this…stupid emotion, he thought. Ishizu nodded. "I do, it's very roomy. A perfect place to store my artifacts, I must say. In fact, would you like them? After all, we are partners now," she said.

Seto sighed. All of this because I can't put in good passwords to save my life…ah well, might as well get used to her company. I'm sure not complaining, he thought. "Yeah, sure," he said. Ishizu nodded and disappeared for a moment, coming back with a trunk that was well-locked. She took out a key and opened the trunk carefully. "Some of these items are very fragile," she said.

Seto was amazed. It was massive amounts of jewels and pottery, almost like they had raided a thief's hideout. "It is quite amazing," she said. Seto looked at her. "Could I look through it?" he asked. "Of course. Just be careful, please," she said, bowing slightly.

He leafed through the artifacts, looking at each one carefully. He picked up a small necklace, which seemed to be very well preserved. "This one doesn't even look dirty," he said. "Yes, well, I washed it earlier," Ishizu said. It was a silver necklace, with a small chain and a silver triangle hanging from it. Something was engraved on the triangle. He looked at it closely, and gasped. "Lo," he read. Ishizu looked at him, flushing. "Excuse me?" she asked. "This necklace, it has Lo on it," he said. Ishizu snatched the necklace from him and stared at it. "This is a symbol that is from the Ancient Egyptian language. There is no possible way you can read this," he said.

"Well I can!" Seto exclaimed. "Like back in Battle City, when I could read those words on the Winged Dragon of Ra's card." Ishizu stared at him in awe. "it says Lo? But that's not even a fully formed word!" she said. "Well, maybe it's not a complete necklace. You know, it could be broken or something. Are there any other necklaces on there?" he asked. "No, just that one," Ishizu said. "Damn…if only I could find the other part of this…" Seto said. "Maybe you're just reading it wrong," she said, leafing carefully through some papyrus scrolls.

Seto's eyes darted over to the papyrus. He grabbed one. Ishizu shrieked. "Seto, you must be careful!" he said. Seto ignored and read the words, his eyes wide. "A love letter!" Ishizu stared at him. "What?" "This is a love letter…" Seto said.

"Dear Bakura,
I'm going to be really glad when I see you again. I'll have Niu's carrier pigeon deliver this to you. I just hope it will reach you.
Everything's all right over here. Niu keeps on nearly killing himself when trying to charm snakes…he's a hopeless magician. But I'm still rooting for him! The others are doing alright too. Oh, and guess what…Panya had kittens! Two are female and four are male. I'm still deciding names.
I'm kind of angry that Marik sent you off on such a dangerous assignment, and especially when we were just getting close. I mean, you are his superior, but yet he was still able to get you to go there! By the way, that one night…it was really good. Thank you for being so good to me. Marik pales in comparison to you. I know this is kind of odd to talk about…but…just remember I really love you. Please come home safely, and soon too. I think Marik wants to have another…go…with me. Something makes me think that's why he sent you off, so he could get closer to me. Please come back! He may not be my Master, but he still takes advantage of me too often! I miss you!
Love,

Téana"

Ishizu and Seto looked into each other's eyes for a moment. "Bakura? Marik!"

X X X

Téana awoke with a start. Her vision was kind of fuzzy, and she rubbed her eyes, feeling dizzy. She looked around her. She seemed to be in someone's room. It was quite a nice place, actually. She realized that she was on someone's bed. A wave of memories rushed through her head. The fire, Bakura the Thief King, and Panya getting killed…tears formed in her eyes.

"Awake and crying already. Honestly, woman, you need to get some self-control," said a cold voice. Téana turned and saw Bakura, in his red robes, looking at her with some sort of longing. "What do you want with me? Why did you set the town on fire? Why did you kidnap me?" Téana demanded to know. "You know what? You talk way too much, actually. You should learn to keep your mouth shut around your new master," he said. Téana looked shocked. "Master? What are you talking about? I want some answers!" she exclaimed.

Bakura sighed. "I am a thief. A thief believes that if they help someone, that someone owes them. And I had a feeling you would not uphold this, so I took you, to make sure you do pay your dues. I decided that, hey, since we're going to town to kidnap the girl anyway, why not take a bit more with us? Look at all these jewels! I must say, it's quite amazing how much treasures you have in that little town," he said. Téana glared at him. "Those don't belong to you!" she said. Bakura was beginning to lose patience. "I'm a thief, you baka girl! I take what is not mine! And that includes you," he said.

"I'm not yours!" Téana yelled. Bakura grabbed her wrist with bruising force. "I do believe you are, now. Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you showed me some respect," he breathed. He forced her up, still gripping her arm. "Since you are to be working here from now on, I think you might want to learn your surroundings," he said. Téana wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "Working for you? Excuse me, I'm not working for some lowly thief," she said.

Bakura's next move was completely unpredictable. He slapped her harshly across the face, sending her to the ground in a cry of pain. She held her burning cheek in her hand, one eye closed and staring up at Bakura. Bakura loomed over her dangerously. "Do not speak like that to your Master," he said, his voice laced with venom. Téana, who was too frightened of his next move to retaliate, merely stood up slowly and watched the ground, afraid of looking him in the eye. Bakura laughed a laugh that ran a chill up the young girl's spine. "You should be grateful. You were living all alone, reduced to talking to some cat for company, and now you are surrounded by people. And trust me, they are very friendly," he said, emphasizing very in a way that caused Téana to shudder.

Bakura then left the room for a minute, allowing Téana to look at her surroundings. By the way a high window gave a splendid view of the desert; she assumed she was in some sort of building, perhaps a temple. It had most likely been abandoned after the conditions of the desert became more harsh…either that or the thieves killed everyone in the temple. Either way, it didn't matter. Téana was stuck in the desert, in a foreign building, with a bunch of lecherous thieves running around the building.

"Yes, I will show her around. I saw her when you rode next to me—she was quite the cute one," said a slightly younger male voice. "You think any woman who is younger than your own age or the same is cute," the familiar voice of Bakura said. "True," said the voice. Téana looked curiously at the door when it opened. Bakura came in, followed by a younger thief, who looked to be around eighteen. His eyes were a striking violet color. He had a foreign hairstyle, with sandy blonde hair. He was wearing blue robes that were like Bakura's, with a few exceptions. His were an indigo color, and it was closed on the top, instead of open. His were short sleeved, showing off his muscular arms. His kilt was slightly longer than Bakura's, and his sandals were made of straw. He wore few jewelry; only two small cone earrings and a thin gold collar around his neck. Also, a bit of soft material was wrapped around the bottom half of one leg, yet there was no injury. Téana suspected it was for decoration.

Bakura waved a hand at the young man, as to introduce him. "This is Marik. Although he is young, he is second-in-command of our little band of thieves. Marik, this is Téana, I've already told you she's our new gem." Marik nodded, grinning. "Yes, I've heard ALL about you, Téana." Téana pursed her lips. "Yes, hello," she said coldly. Marik eyed Bakura. "I see she's got temper," he said. "Well, she is new to this; she must allow time to heal her wounds," the Thief King replied, "literally," he added, glowering at Téana. "If she keeps up that temper of hers that is." Téana fell back slightly, not wanting to be struck again. Marik grinned at this gesture and grabbed Téana's hand. "Let me show you around this hideout," he said.

Téana didn't know why, but there was something about him that made her trust him. Bakura noticed this, and his look hinted a bit of jealousy. Marik led Téana out of the room, and into the halls of this unique hideout.

X X X

Bakura woke up with a start, only to find himself in his bed, it pitch black outside, and Ryou soundly sleeping in the other bed, muttering something about cream puffs.

Not wanting to wake up his former Hikari, he got up slowly and crossed the room to the door. On his way to the door, he passed a mirror. He stopped, and looked at his reflection. He wasn't in blood red robes, his skin wasn't tanned, and his hair wasn't so short. He was wearing an undershirt and boxers, his skin was quite pale, and his hair traveled halfway down his back. "Damn, how I wished I had my old looks," he said quietly, leaving the mirror and opening the door, walking out to the hall.

Upon entering the kitchen, he noticed that the digital clock on the oven read four-fifteen in the morning. He growled. "I hate these dreams, why can't I wake up at a normal time?" he wondered, opening the fridge to get something to drink.

Bakura sat down with a bottle of cream soda and went over his dream as he drank the sweet liquid. This time, he had turned Téana into his slave, and Marik had appeared for a longer spotlight than his last dreams. If only he hadn't woken…it was like some invisible hand was shaking him awake on purpose, to make sure he didn't over dream or something. It was like when his teacher would read a chapter or two from a book to the class and leave them guessing until tomorrow. No wonder he always hated Reading, he wasn't a patient man nowadays.

Bakura sighed and took a swig from his soda and stared out the window. "Why does this always happen to me? I know Marik has these dreams too, but what it the point of them? I could care less about my past…but is it a mere coincidence that they began shortly after I began to fall for Anzu? And that they involve a past Anzu? No, it can't be…if only I knew who to turn to."

X X X

The next few days went by smoothly. Each day, Bakura would meet Anzu in the front of the school with the gang in the morning, kissing her on the cheek. Yami, who had grown to accept this, still flushed whenever they kissed. He and Anzu would usually get together after school and hang around, doing things like walking in the park, studying, and just sitting around in front of the television, being lazy.

Today, it was one those lazy days. It was after school, and Anzu was at Bakura's house. Ryou had to leave for a soccer game that day, so they had the house to themselves. They were sitting in front of the television, sipping cream sodas and eating cheese puffs. Anzu had control of the remote, and was flipping through the channels, a look of boredom on her face.

"What the hell is with this? There is nothing on but news and cartoons!" Anzu said, getting annoyed. She had gained a few pounds over the week, and was going back to nutrient shakes and vegetables. Luckily, she wasn't starving herself like an idiot. She pushed the cheese puffs away from her, resisting the temptation to grab the bag and run.

Bakura, on the other hand, was acting like a typical guy, spread out on the couch, laying back, holding the cream soda and had cheese puff shavings on his shirt. Anzu rolled her eyes at him and reached over to brush off some of the cheese residue on his shirt. "You are such a pig," she said.

"Oh really? I think your room can compete with my laziness," he said, grinning. Anzu giggled, and Bakura pulled her into his chest. Anzu coughed, nearly snorting up some of the cheese stuff. "Sorry about that love," Bakura said, patting her head. Anzu giggled. "Yeah, that's a thing to sniff. Cheese Puff Residue – Pot for the Kids," she joked.

Bakura laughed and ruffled her hair. "You are becoming quite the woman," he aid, playfully patting her breast. She squeaked and fell over, much to Bakura's amusement. "Not funny!" she said, sitting up and slapping Bakura on the leg, as she was on the floor now. Bakura grinned. "Oh no, I'm slipping off the couch," he said, falling onto the floor and right on top of Anzu.

Anzu screamed and nearly hit her head on the coffee table. "BAKURA!" she said. Bakura grinned and kissed her. "Oh no, it doesn't seem like I can get up, I think me leg's broken," he said jokingly. "This looks so wrong!" Anzu said. Bakura laughed. "Exactly the point, love," he said, kissing her again. Anzu felt a shiver of ecstasy run up her spine and she kissed back, wrapping her arms around him. Bakura slipped his hand under her shirt and squeezed her breast.

Anzu jumped slightly but giggled. "It tickled," she said. Bakura rolled his eyes at her, still grinning, and groped her breast, his hand going under her bra. Anzu gasped at the touch of his hand on the skin of her breast. She flushed slightly and Bakura kissed her again, adding his tongue as a shocking present for the brunette. She moved her own tongue out of the way and let him explore her mouth. He savored the taste of the inner parts of her mouth and, to his own surprise, felt Anzu's tongue touch his own. He grinned at her challenging him to a tongue fight and swirled his tongue, trying to beat hers. He was about to push hers out of the way, when all of a sudden…

"Thank you for that weather report Mr. Takisaka. Now, we go to Miss Momoya live in front of the Domino Museum in Domino, Japan. Take it away, Momoya."

"Thank you, Mr. Toshami. Apparently, the rumors that have been spreading on the streets about a new exhibit in the Domino Museum are true. Miss Ishizu Ishtar, an Egyptologist from Egypt herself, arrived here around a week ago with a largo cargo of artifacts found in the deserts of Egypt. Here is Ishizu Ishtar herself, for a live interview."

Bakura looked up at the television, his tongue leaving Anzu's mouth. She looked up at him disappointedly. "Bakura, are you giving up?" she teased. Bakura grinned down at her. "Of course not, but can we continue this later? There's something important on the tube, and I'm not trying to get out of this, believe me, it was hot," he said. Anzu nodded, smiling. "I understand. It's ok, Bakura. But you owe me," she said, winking.

Bakura thanked her many times before getting back on the couch with her and turning his attention to the television.

"So, Miss Ishtar, are these artifacts very old? What's the approximate range?" Miss Momoya asked. "I would have to say around four to five thousand years ago. We found them in the ruins of an abandoned building, a temple perhaps, in the middle of desert," Ishizu replied, smiling. "I see. Have you been able to interpret any writings you found amidst these artifacts?" Miss Momoya asked. Ishizu's eyes glittered with slyness as she spoke. "Unfortunately, no. The language they are written in is very old. We are currently working on it, and we will get back to you if we find anything," she replied. "And is it true that the artifacts will be set up for exhibit soon?" "Yes, but we will keep some for ourselves, that we still need to work on. I highly encourage everyone to come and see the exhibits me and my partner will set up."

Miss Momoya smirked. "Alright, for a little change of subject—is it true you are staying in the household of famous game designer and President of Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba?" Ishizu smirked back at her. "Why, it is true. He is assisting me, if truth be told."

Bakura and Anzu stared at the television. "Kaiba and Ishizu are living together? Where the heck did that come from? Since when did Kaiba let people waltz into his home like that?" Anzu asked. Bakura shrugged, also smirking. "Kaiba's quite the brave one, going for a woman like her. Ishizu may be sweet and patient, but she is a tough cookie when it comes to love, that's what Marik has told me." Anzu nodded. "She is sort of like Kaiba too…you think Kaiba's actually thinking…" "Who knows? Kaiba's had a slight change of tune ever since he witnessed Yami, Marik, and I restore our bodies. After all, not even he could explain how three fully-functional bodies were created using seven accessories," Bakura said. "That's right. Although I still doubt he believes in fate." "Nothing on this planet can make him believe in fate, Anzu love." "Actually," Anzu said, smiling, "I know one thing that can." "Oh yeah, tell me then," Bakura said, testing her. Anzu winked. "Ishizu Ishtar."

X X X

Kaya: There's the fic for ya!

Sanu: A good one, very nice!

Sheekin: XD I love Anzu's comment at the end!

Kaya: So, there you go, a little lime for you! At least, I think it's a lime. This is a warning that there will be a lemon in the future! So, if you don't like lemons, then watch out for the chapter title, which I will probably tell you the chapter before so you don't accidentally read it if you don't want to.

Bakura: cheese puffs…

Sanu, Sheekin: -.-

Kaya: And I apologize again for the slight OOC-ness that will and has appeared in my fic. I am bad at sticking to original character acts, but I don't try and stray off to completely screw them up, unless the fic just uses the characters and actually has nothing to do with Domino or even the show (ex. Demented Insane Spirit's fic Whispers in the Night). So, yes, I do make Anzu tougher, Bakura more romantic, and Kaiba less of a jackass (only to Ishizu though!) in this fic. But, if I hadn't, then Bakura and Anzu would still feel animosity towards each other, and Kaiba would sue Ishizu!

Bakura: R AND R OR DIE!

Anzu: -.- (slaps him over head with magazine) NO KILLING!