Hey everybody! Wow, man did I get quite a few reviews to my fic... yeah Raven, I like Duke too but I'm more crazy about Seto. But I needed a hot villan so I'm looking at all the YGO chars and then 'Hey? What about good old dice boy?' pops into my head. Anyhoo, I have the next chappy up! There's some blood in this chapter but not too much. Anyway, enjoy!
* * *
For the first time in a long while, Asha was completely miserable. She and Seto were having this huge fight over a law that Seto was going to enstate. Even though he couldn't create major ones like Yami, he still had the power to do minor ones. But no matter, this law did not seem minor to Asha. She was horrified at what it would do to the peasants of Amenhenka and told Seto so, scolding him harshly.
Heated lexis had been exchanged. Insults and accusations ensued. Asha could still remember each hateful word that was shot at her, cutting her deeper then a normal cut would. Seto had never looked more godlike at that moment. His eyes were blaring wildly, the look of immense loathing almost palpable.
It ended abruptly when Asha had finally had enough by this charade, completely, downright disgusted with the High Priest. She was through. She was done. She was leaving this incapable monster that she thought she loved. Once realising what she was doing, Seto lashed out and grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her back to him.
"No one leaves me!" he hissed. Asha started to squrim and tug, trying to break her arm free from the crushing hold.
"Let me go Seto!" Asha yelped as she tried pulling away again. The High Priest was absoloutely, downright livid. With one swift motion he had grasped Asha's slender neck tightly, holding her in place.
"Who are you to command me you pitiful slave?" he spat in rage. Those words had hurt Asha deeply. Even after all this time, that's all Seto thought she was to him; a lowly, pathetic slave that was there for his own amusement.
"Better a slave then a cold hearted monster" Asha glared right back, the sentence spilling from her mouth before she could stop it.
All Asha could remember was falling backward, her cheek throbbing maddeningly as her back connected with a sharp corner from the bed. A large red welt stained her beautiful face as tears spilt over her eyes. Looking up at Seto, she was presented with one of the most beautiful and terrifying sights she had ever witnessed.
Seto's face was scarlet, his eyes resembling the cold heart of a sapphire. His hand was shaking as his lips were drawn in a straight line. Asha could literally see the anger radiating off him in waves.
"Get out" Seto whispered, turning away from Asha as he grasped at his right hand. The girl, trying to calm herself stayed, looking at the High Priest.
"Seto-" she started but she knew that this was a mistake the minute she spoke.
"Didn't you hear me?! Get out you worthless creature! Get out! I never want to see you again! GET OUT!!!" he yelled at her as he started throwing objects at her. Stone tablets, golden platters, even a few chairs. Anything to get her to leave.
Most of the objects missed her except for a chair that broke on contact against her. Starting to bleed, Asha could see Seto reach for a table and she took this oppurtunity to leave.
Through tears, she stood up, slamming the door behind her as she ran blindly through the corridors. Everything hurt, though the slap had hurt the most. That fact it had been Seto that slapped her, hurt even more.
She could feel her small heart beating entirely too fast as she collapsed against a wall, crying openly, as she curled into a small ball. She was there for hours, sobbing her soul out as the tears continued to fall. She had never felt so utterly devastated in all her life.
She had only acknowledged the presence of another, as two strong, soft arms picked her up, cradling her to their chest. Long, soft ivory hair shielded her vision as she involuntarily cuddled up to the body, still crying.
Bakura only frowned as he passed by Malik, Devlin, Yami and Teana. There was a look of immense satisfaction on Devlin's face, while Malik's brow creased slightly. Yami's expression showed anger and Teana gasped at the sight. All give of them were immensly shocked when they saw the lightly forming bruise on Asha's cheek and her wounding body. Each of them had seen the way Seto treated Asha. It was as if the High Priest was treating her like a porcelain or an ancient antique, delicate and beautiful. For him to have hit Asha…let alone throw whatever it was at her...they knew it must have been a colossal fight.
Yami told Teana to accompany the three Emperors as he'd go to see Seto and to keep Asha in Bakura's. All four nodding, Teana followed the Emperors as the High Priest swept down some corridors.
When they arrived inside Bakura's room, he handed the young girl to Devlin as he and Malik prepared a side of the tremendously large bed for Asha and Teana went to get some cool water and gauze to help clean Asha's wounds.
Devlin clutched onto the girl possessively. She felt absoloutely perfect in his arms. He could only smirk at how foolish Seto was being. This creature was gorgeous in every sense of the word, the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes upon. To let her go was just pure stupidity.
Oh well, he thought. One man's loss is my gain.
He tenderly placed the young girl on the now awaiting sheets as his fingers trailed over her tender back, shuddering at how soft she was. He briefly wondered if this was what Seto experienced every time the girl crawled into his arms.
Not anymore, he smiled to himself. And I'm going to keep it this way.
Teana returned with a deep bowl of cool water and some gauze as she cleaned away the blood from Asha's body. The girl had stopped crying now but was still whimpering. The physical pain from her cheek and her hurting skin was absolutely nothing compared to the emotional pain her soul was going through. It felt as if Seto had ripped her heart out and stepped on it.
Two soft hands began lightly rubbing her back as Malik whispered soothing words to her. In the time that he and Bakura had been at the castle, they had fallen hard for the young Light. She was far too adorable for her own good and both thought she was something Seto desperately needed.
Devlin had left abruptly, that coy smile still plastered on his handsome face as he gently shut the door.
You're such a fool Seto. Now she will be mine…
Both Malik and Bakura frown, grumbling curses as they both took a place around the smaller girl, Teana still bandaging up the cuts and small gashes.
"Are you all right?" Bakura asked softly.
Asha shut her eyes as she buried her face deep into the blankets. She wanted to curl up and die… but Bakura's strong fingers kept her from his thoughts as they soothingly worked their way around his back. It still stung lightly from the awkward position he had fallen against the corner of the bed.
From after he hit you… she thought bitterly as a fresh wave of tears tumbled from her mixed eyes.
"Asha, come on, talk to us" Malik chided as he tenderly brushed a few strands of Asha's hair away from his eyes. It was impossible to not like this girl. She was innocence and a purity incarnate.
"It hurts" Asha choked out, her words laced with agony. Malik's heart skipped a beat. It was… wrong for someone like her to be this miserable.
* * *
Though, after a week, Asha hadn't really changed. She stayed in Bakura's room, securely wrapped up in the blankets as the white haired man watched her from the opposite side of the bed. He would lie next to her, comforting her in the middle of the night when she would just randomly begin to cry.
Bakura felt her pain.
And for Bakura to feel anything was astounding.
Malik would sometimes join him, both Emperors holding the young girl in their arms as she trembled. They had to do something quickly. Asha was losing herself over to the grief, something neither Emperor wanted.
And Seto wasn't doing any better. He looked absolutely horrible. Deep, dark bags formed under his dull eyes, his skin palling as he went around half comatose. Everyone could see he hadn't slept in days.
When Yami had angrily stalked over to the High Priest the day of the incident, his words caught in his throat as he saw his proud friend. He was hunched over on the windowsill, his head buried in his knees as he grabbed at his right hand. He resembled a rag doll that had been ripped apart. And if Yami hadn't known Seto as well as he did, he would have sworn the High Priest was crying.
Seto's hand burned outstandingly. He had done everything in his power to try and rid his hand of the pain. Water, ice, aloe, fire, but nothing worked. He had scrubbed it clean, not being able to rid himself of the feeling of Asha's bruised skin. He rubbed his hand raw, welcoming the agony. He even cut himself with one of his daggers, his whole chest bleeding. The fact his own hands had hurt the one person he cared about in all of Egypt made him sick.
Yami had walked over to the High Priest, lightly rubbing his back as Seto barely acknowledged his presence. The tri-coloured haired beauty knew it was eating Seto on the inside, but his friend was far too stubborn to actually go back and apologize. It was against everything a ruler or a person of power knew to express regret.
But he wasn't blind. Nobody in the palace was. The week that followed the incident, neither Seto nor Asha left their rooms. Bakura stayed with Asha the entire time as Malik tried to talk some sense into Seto, Yami and Marlena joining him periodically.
* * *
Asha began to stir one day. She weakly pushed herself up, sleep still evident on her face, as she skimmed the room with her mixed eyes. She had slept last night out of pure exhaustion, waking up and hoping she would find Seto's arms securely wrapped around her. Hoping that the last week had been nothing more than a horrible, horrible nightmare.
"Hey Asha" smiled Bakura. The young girl offered a weak smile as she sighed miserably. No, no nightmare for her. This was reality. This heart-wrenching hurt she felt was all real.
Is this what dying feels like? Asha curled up, wrapping her arms around her knees.
"Come on" Malik offered cheerfully, "we have to get you out of here. It's far too depressing in this room," he stated as he jumped up. The heavy jewelry he wore shook and clung as he moved rapidly. Asha had been so used to hearing that wonderful voice sooth her whenever the emperor was in the room, holding her like a lullaby as he would tenderly stroke her soft hair.
She rolled over, tugging the blankets up a little snugger as she buried himself into the silk. It was the exact same color as the sheets in Seto's room… hell, everything reminded her of Seto in one way or the other. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see his face, the angry, spiteful face that had hurt her deeply. She didn't like sleeping because of that.
"He's right Asha. Come on, we'll take you out for a little while. You can clear your head and get some fresh air."
"But I'm not allowed to leave the palace" Asha muttered to herself more than the two before her. She hadn't spoken in a week and her throat was a little sore, mostly dry, as she coughed.
She had remembered from a while ago Seto had told her he was to always stay with him… thinking of that only brought on a new sensation of loneliness; her heart thumping a little faster.
"Well, thank Ra we never listen to anyone" Malik chuckled defiantly. Asha's head snapped up, her eyes going large. Were they actually going to defy Seto? He may be a High Priest but he still has quite some authority. But even taking one look at the smirking duo, a smile managed to seep onto her lips as she laughed for the first time in days. The sound was refreshing, a breath of relief for the mischievous Jurry.
"If you two get caught…" Asha began, her eyebrows pulling together with worry.
"We won't," Bakura interrupted, assuring the younger girl with a brilliant smile. "We never get caught."
Asha laughed again. She was so thankful they had been with her over the last few days. They were impossible to hate. They joked with her, doing everything in their immense power to make her feel comfortable. She had practically invaded Bakura's room, yet the white haired beauty never said a word as he only offered the slave everything he owned. Even the little things, from Bakura's soothing backrubs to Malik's calming words, had literally pulled Asha through the period she later referred to as 'the first cut'.
"And besides..." came another familiar voice as Yami stepped into the room. "I'll make sure you won't... after all Asha, you need some relaxation time".
She wanted to thank them all in so many ways, but she had no idea how to even begin. Not in her entire life would she be able to repay them for all the kindness they had shown her. Slowly getting off the bed, she walked over to them shakily, her legs still a little new at the sensation of moving, as she gracefully got up on his tiptoes, kissing the tips of their noses softly.
"Thank you three so much…" she whimpered a little as her slender arms wrapped around each of them in turn. Both Emperors felt their hearts speed up and Yami beamed.
She was so precious…
They had to find a way for her and Seto to get back together. The High Priest was literally dying without his little Light by his side.
"Well you three better be off... Teana will await you when you return... but don't come back too late" the Pharaoh said before leaving.
"Come on, I saw an escape route around the other side a while ago" Malik told them both as he lead the way. The charm bracelet he wore around his neck jangling against the gold chocker that was securely fastened around his tanned flesh. When Asha had asked about it, he had told him it was a gift from his father before he passed away. He hadn't taken it off in years.
The entire time they were walking, he told Asha about some of the troubles he, Bakura, Yami and Seto had caused in their youth. All four of them had been very close as children considering all their families were closely linked. Devlin, as Asha found out later, was friend by association. But nonetheless, he was still a friend.
Bakura had muttered something that caught Asha's ear. Over the past week, she had noticed the beautiful white haired Emperor had a slight accent when he spoke, one he couldn't place. It made some of the words he pronounced seem jumbled, yet at the same time, oddly sensual. Bakura revealed that his mother, though now deceased, had been from an English colony, hence where the accent had come from.
"Can you speak the language?" Asha asked curiously.
"A little" he smiled in the foreign tongue. Malik rolled his eyes as he rubbed his temples.
"Now you've got him started. From this point on, he's going to randomly speak English. You should hear him when he's drunk. By Ra, he just does not shut up this man".
"As if you're one to speak Malik," Bakura tisked ungratefully as he crossed his arms. "He passes out at the smell of liquor". He whispered to Asha, loud enough so the other heard.
Asha began laughing in short chuckles, her amusement only growing at the nonsensical bickering the two made. By the time they had snuck away from the castle grounds, the two Emperors had Asha laughing so hard that they practically had to carry her half the way.
Both Emperors were inwardly relieved to have Asha smiling and laughing again. Seeing the girl in such a melancholic state was disturbing. It was so completely un-Asha like. They didn't go very far, as Malik found a rather interesting shop, stepping in hastily.
It was a little tavern on the outskirts of the palace. It was clean and tidy, with a pleasant smell to it, a mixture of the stronger alcohols with a faintly sweet tinge of fruits.
"We took Seto here when he was turning fifteen," Bakura told Seto as all three of them sat down on the stools at the bar. Upon seeing who had entered, everyone in the tavern ran out of fear. It wasn't everyday one half of the most feared group in the entire world showed up for a drink. "We got him so drunk he could barely stand."
At the mental picture of Seto, the regal, proud and arrogant High Priest, falling down drop dead drunk, Asha burst out laughing again. She had liked the duo from the start. They were hilarious and goofed around continually. Asha would have never believed these two possessed the power of their God. She would have laughed at it if she hadn't seen their tremendous power for himself. Even though they goofed off, they were intensely serious when it came to their titles. Asha remembered trembling in fear as she had watched them, thankful that she was on the opposite end of their vehemence.
"His father was so furious at us! He would have had us all dipped in boiling oil if it hadn't been for the fact we were the sons of his two closest friends. But even our fathers were encouraging him to do so."
Asha grinned brightly. The two filled up any silence that might have existed, telling Asha every story they could think of that involved themselves with Yami and Seto, getting into anything that remotely resembled trouble.
Asha was having the time of her life. She listened to each tale, the dark clouds that had fogged over her thoughts vanishing at every passing minute.
"What about you?" Malik inquired suddenly. "I'm sure you have some interesting stories to tell."
Asha began tell them about Jono, Serena, Nileoi and Tris. Absolutely anything worth telling about in her life revolved around her three best friends. Both Malik and Bakura noticed the gleam of light that had appeared in Asha's eyes as she spoke passionately about her time before the castle.
After one particular comment Asha had made about Serena, Malik smirked.
"Seems like she's exactly Bakura's type".
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I like my slaves mixed-eyed and adorable" as he spoke he snaked his arm around Asha, pulling her onto his lap as he nuzzled her neck jokingly. Asha laughed as Bakura's silky hair tickled her flesh.
"That's it Bakura, laugh it up before Seto guts you and does who knows what" the sandy haired teen mumbled as he reached behind the bar, taking out a glass and pitcher of clear liquid as he drank.
"It's so weird," Asha suddenly spoke, looking at her surroundings intently, still contentedly seated on Bakura's lap. "I haven't been outside in a while." She laughed a little. It had actually been almost half a year since she had been out in the sunlight. How time seemed to fly when you're the sex toy of the High Priest.
Malik nodded as he took another sip, handing both Asha and Bakura a flask. He waved his hand, causing the liquor jug to pour a helping amount of alcohol into each cup. Asha's eyes lit up. Even though she saw this regularly with Seto, (the High Priest was surprisingly lazy when he didn't want to get up), she was always impressed.
"You know, there's a game my friends Tris and Jono taught me that we could play now…" she started, taking another sip of her glass. At the mention of a challenge, the duo's heads shot up.
"Seto has been rubbing off on you…" Bakura muttered into his drink. "You know little one, if he ever does find out we took you here, he'll have our heads."
"See, for that to happen, he would have to find out first," Asha smirked, rolling her head back as she kissed the underneath of his chin. Bakura coughed loudly, choking on his drink as Malik roared with laughter. Asha smirked happily, still managing to look completely innocent as her eyes blinked up at Bakura. His previous fear of discovery was eradicated.
Both men were taken aback. They liked this darker side of Asha. It was so unlike her that it was almost humorous, yet at the same time, an incredible turn on. Both found themselves wondering how Seto got anything done with the little Light around.
"And I see we're influencing her as well," Malik smiled as he turned to face Bakura who rolled his eyes, taking another sip. "So, how does this game work?"
"Do you have any money?" Both Emperors laughed sarcastically as Bakura took out a gold piece. "We'll need more. Well, it all really depends on how much you plan on drinking." Without another word, Bakura took out two pouches of money.
Asha explained the rules to them. Both thought it was so simple. It only involved bouncing coins into a cup of alcohol. Whoever got a coin in, would dictate who would drink the liquor inside.
Neither of them expected Asha to be so good at it, though she explained that her friend Jono was the expert and taught her everything.
By the time they had run out of coins, both the Emperors were flat out drunk, and Asha wasn't far from it. Bakura had caught onto the game quickly, whereas Malik kept missing the rim. At the end of the night, all three of them were laughing loudly, completely and utterly wasted.
For the first time in a while, Asha couldn't feel hurt or pain. Her spirit felt light and airy, so light in fact, she thought that if a gust of wind would sweep by, she would have been picked up and carried away. That throbbing ache she felt absolutely every minute of everyday had melted away from her.
It took literally all their will power to simply stay silent as they all snuck back into the castle. Bakura and Malik were so incapacitated; they kept banging into solid objects, laughing at the pain, as they would fall back, still laughing like madmen. The two of them were singing a rather interesting song they had all come up with, laughing and weeping all at the same time. They stumbled over things blindly, unable to quell the giggles and Asha, being the most clear headed of the trio, could only roll her eyes at her two friends, helping them both up every time they fell. Thought, most of the time they would only pull her down with them.
Footsteps could be heard as Teana appeared, quite shocked yet amused at the sight.
"Well about time you came back! You were lucky that Seto only passed through here 15 minutes ago!" she chided them. Normally at hearing Seto's name, Asha would feel great pain well inside her. But since the fact she was drunk, she couldn't really think straight.
"Can you three get back to your chambers?" Teana asked. All three nodded, still giggling. "Ok then... but hurry it up! I'll inform Yami of your return... Ra will he like this" Teana said, smirking before running off.
By the time they got back to Bakura's room, there was a small disaster trail behind them, all three were feeling rather dizzy. They passed out on Bakura's bed, ungracefully tumbling over one another. Malik's arm was around Asha's slim waist, as Bakura collapsed at the end, with the smaller body pinned slightly under him. Reflexively, from the nights of sleeplessness and ache, Asha snuggled up to the white haired teen as her eyes drooped shut. Her head was pounding rapidly and the thought of staying awake made her even more exhausted than she really was.
The trio had spent the entire night all curled up together, sleeping a liquor based slumber as the effects of the alcohol wore off. Their heartbeats all slowed down as they shifted positions, relaxing, and enjoying the comfortable heat each person radiated.
Bakura involuntarily latched out and took hold of Asha's small frame, mindful of Malik's arm, as both pulled the slave closer to themselves. Asha was immensely comfortable to hold, that would be one of the only things both Emperors would remember the next morning.
* * *
Seto had stumbled into his chamber, physically and mentally exhausted. He hadn't slept in over a week; the effects of insomnia starting to plague him. He blindly shuffled over to his bed, dropping down as his arm reached out for his Light. Instead of finding his delectable love, Seto found his arm hugging cold silk. He groaned and his eyes itched as he remembered exactly why Asha wasn't there.
He cursed at himself, hissing at the pain that crept into his heart. He had been so furious at himself for actually harming Asha that he ripped up the law that Yami had requested him to do and threw it in the flames of his fireplace. It was such a foolish argument and it was on an even stupider topic. But he still couldn't get over the fact he had hit Asha… he had taken his hand and physically caused his Light harm... make that hands.
He should have been killed for such a blasphemous action. He would have gladly welcomed the embrace of death. He bitterly laughed to himself, remembering that he had sworn to himself a long time ago, that anyone who even thought about harming his Light would be locked up and tortured for the rest of their god given lives.
But the emotional grief he had been bringing upon himself was worse than any whip, dagger or manmade object could have ever hoped to accomplish, combined. Something was ripping him open from the inside, leaving him to die. His muscles felt like water, his eyes were blurry and he felt as if someone had cut him open and he was loosing blood.
You are my blood… he thought to himself as he sunk further into the ocean of sorrow.
And the continual torment from Devlin wasn't helping the situation any. Every time the tall Emperor would see the High Priest, he would make it his personal mission to burry him deeper and deeper in his pit of self-loathing and misery... just to the brink that he will die of unhappiness.
"Bakura and Asha sure have gotten close. They're even sharing a room," he had told him two days after he had kicked Asha out. Those two lines shattering everything inside him till the point he wished he didn't exist.
For days he wallowed, forgetting everything. Goleo had visited him almost daily, making sure the High Priest was still breathing as he offered his assistance in whatever was causing the teenager so much agony. Seto had point blank told him to leave him alone, that his pain was his own burden to carry.
To make matters even worse, Devlin had made it no secret that he was out to get Asha in his bed. Seto could see the desire he held for his Light, clearly written in his sharp green eyes. He had seen that same look so many times before in his own sapphire orbs and had come to recognize it.
He wanted to protect Asha from the violent Emperor, but at this point, he could do nothing. Asha wouldn't even speak to him, of that he was certain. That unusual connection they shared kept growing thinner and thinner as the days passed. The only thing Seto could feel was the unbearable desolation Asha was experiencing. And it was entirely his fault.
Both Malik and Bakura had visited him often, both Emperors admonishing him for his idiotic actions as they pleaded with him to talk with Seto. Bakura had given him a particularly long speech about how Asha cried herself to sleep at night, whereas he countered sourly with, "At least she's sleeping…"
Seto had to repress the urge to strangle the sandy haired blonde and the white haired teen through the entire conversation. The hurtful words Seto had told her kept replaying in his head, as his mind ran away with the thoughts, construing situations that destroyed his hope. As if for the first time in his life, Seto began noticing just how spectacular Malik looked. He was funny and caring, gorgeous and compassionate. He was everything Seto wasn't.
But he knew better than anyone Malik or Bakura would never touch Asha. If he only knew one thing in this world, it would be that Malik and Bakura, as stupid as they sometimes were, would never betray Seto that way. They would never take advantage of Asha like that.
But then again, Asha caused even the most stable people to act uncharacteristically. The young black haired girl had literally torn his world apart and reconstructed it piece by fragile piece. Seto was at the point right now that it only hurt when he would breath.
"Are you all right Seto" Bakura had sighed one day, after Seto skipped a very important Council meeting. He found him on the windowsill, unmoved as the High Priest surveyed the High Priest's empire with dull blue eyes.
"I must be fine… my heart's still beating," was all he replied, his voice low and hollow. Bakura frowned as he exited the room. He was sick of Seto being so stubborn. Both he and Asha were hurting, but neither of them would do anything to stop it. Asha was an emotional disaster and Seto was a heartbeat away from dying of grief.
He massaged his forehead, grimacing as he discovered a wrinkle. If his hair weren't already white, Bakura would have sworn to Ra the couple was driving him to an early grave.
* * *
Goleo stood before the High Council, as he reported the latest news to the rest of the people. After hours of pondering, the High Council had decided that they would just get Seto a new slave. That very day, they went out and had grabbed the first person they had seen that was even remotely attractive and had took her back to the castle.
Marlena was impressed as she saw the girl. She was tall and had the most beautiful shade of red and brown hair that resembled some type of red silk and had brilliant olive coloured eyes.
She was absolutely gorgeous... and Marlena knew her as well. It was Serena.
Marlena explained to the girl everything that has happened and that she was chosen for Seto's replacement. Serena said nothing but it was clear on her face that this was a mistake.
Bakura, who had been passing by, suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes immediately fell upon the gorgeous girl as his mouth began to water. Just who in Ra's name was this? Casually he walked in, attracting both people's attention. The Emperor was almost horrified to find a large scar marring her beautiful face as her inviting eyes narrowed.
The girl didn't say anything at the sight of the Emperor yet Bakura could sense there was something about her that was inviting.
"Ooh, I want this one" Bakura had traced his delicate fingers over the long scar. The red and brown haired girl snapped her head slightly away from the teenager.
Oh Ra do I want this one…
"Sorry Bakura, this one is Seto's," Marlena muttered as she brushed the girl's hair. She didn't like this one bit. Seto had strong feelings for Asha and she could tell Asha felt something toward the deadly High Priest. Replacing Asha would do nothing. Seto wouldn't get over his fit of depression. The only person that would ever be able to make him feel better would be Asha herself.
She strongly believed that if Seto would forget his pride and apologize, this entire situation would be solved, be overwith, caput. But every time she brought up the blackhead's name, Seto would wince and turn away. All his walls would erect themselves to keep his heart intact. He was dying inside… was she the only one that saw this?
"But what about As…" Bakura started to say but cut himself off. "Oh my…" the expression on his face said everything. He fumbled as he walked backward, meaning to say something else but never got the words out.
If Asha heard that Seto had replaced her… Ra, he didn't even want to think about how the pleasure slave would react. She was in such a fragile state right now, that one little nick would shatter her.
By the time he got back to his room, he saw Devlin walking out, a confident smile etched onto his face. Bakura immediately darted into the room, only to find Asha pressed against a wall, two large handprints on her shoulder and cheek from where the fists had violently grabbed her tender flesh. There were tears streaming out of her eyes, yet she emitted no sound.
Her legs gave away as she collapsed on the ground. She shook convulsively as she sobbed loudly. Bakura slowly made his way over to the emotional wreck on the floor, picking her up in his arms and rocking her back and forth lightly.
"Please tell me he was lying… please tell me its not true... please" her voice trembled, pain hanging on every word.
"I'm so sorry little one" Bakura mentally growled. He couldn't lie to her. He felt the little body go limp as he wrapped his arms around him even tighter.
"Is this what dying feels like?" she muttered aloud, his previous thoughts suddenly back.
"Oh Asha I'm so so sorry," the white haired boy mumbled as he carefully picked her up, bringing the girl to the bed.
By Ra Seto, how could you do this to her? he thought as Asha cried into his chest, the slave's hands balling at the fabric of his shirt. How could you?
