Ok, first the disclaimer: I don't own even the smallest bit of Yu-Gi-Oh. Don't plan to … The characters are just too fun to play with (grins)

Warning! If you don't like OC's and OOC-ness and Mary-Sue's THEN DON'T READ THIS FIC. It was intended merely for the fun on the message board it was created on, with permission from everyone who participated in the RPG this story came out on…

A/N: This has nothing to do really with the actual story at all. I have a message forum for Yu-Gi-Oh and other anime and this little story was cooked up between my friend Blue and me. This is in the fantasy genre because it includes characters with magical powers. We have our characters as well as characters from the show. You will see Bakura acting slightly… ok a LOT ooc in this one. No flames if you choose to leave any remarks. This is strictly for the comic/romance tale to tell…

Well then… On with the fic…

Chapter 3

Hands of Fate

Bakura was caught off-guard by her sly nature yet again, though after all this time he knew he should have expected it. A part of him still imagined her this innocent little girl, but her actions betrayed a secret craving within her. A craving he felt sure he could help her fulfill. However, right then and there just wasn't the place.

"Never mind," he told her with a smile. "I think it's healed already." She flashed him that smile of hers he came to love so much.

"Ok, then," she relented as she sat back. "You know where to find me if you find anymore then…" Sanura stood there gazing at her nails.

"Bored now…" No one even heard her. Atem was still lost in his thoughts.

"Who'd have thought my daughter would be with the Tomb Robber of all people…" Aurora felt the need to ask Atem where is head was at in the relationship.

"What if it goes beyond where it is now?" She asked lightly.

"What do you mean?"

"You know… What if he wants to… You know… Marry her?" His eyes widened. "Could you give them your blessing?" Zahara and Bakura caught on to their conversation at that moment and looked up waiting to hear his response.

"Depends on how he goes about asking her… or for her…" Zahara grew angry.

"You talk about me like I am a piece of meat at the butcher's house… I am right here still, you know." Her hard look faded and turned wistful. They did not know it but it had been in her dreams as of late that he had asked just that exact question.

"Forgive me, Zahara. Sometimes I forget the times have changed. I easily find myself slipping back into the times of my rule and the customs of that time."

"Women are no longer party favors to be handed out, koi," Aurora giggled. "Yes, times have changed greatly since your time." Atem actually lowered his head.

"I never treated women that way… but others in the palace were not as… um… modest? I think is the word I am looking for."

"I know, I know… But now we have to prepare for the new times… and new possibilities."

"But… the Thief! Of all people, the Tomb robber? It couldn't have been the Tomb keeper?"

"Marik or the psycho Yami, Malik?" Sanura asked as Bakura grew irritated.

"Hey, hey, Pharaoh! I'm not the Tomb Robber anymore… There are no more tombs…" Ryou smacked his forehead in frustration with his yami. Bakura seemed to lose his anger: his mind distracted. "Marriage, eh? Hmm…" Aurora grinned.

"Tombs are still around, Bakura… Just buried deep under the sands and not always within easy reach…" Zahara had peeked up at Bakura when he uttered the word "marriage". She opted to say nothing, however, as she did not want to get her hopes up.

Fate's hands, she thought. It's all in fate's hands now… Time will tell… Bakura's thoughtful word had not gone unnoticed by Atem either.

"What are you saying, Bakura? Sounds like you are trying to make a case for something…" Bakura was not listening.

"Marriage…" he said softly, going over the word in his head. He blinked as other thoughts came to mind as well. Hmm… then there's the sex… kids…… He looked up at Zahara. "Hey, do you like kids?" She blinked at him.

What kind of question is that? She thought as she heard her mother giggle. Atem could not resist.

"She actually has her mother's charm when it comes to kids…" Zahara lowered her head to mask her blush at the praise.

"Yes… I do…" She looked up at him again. "Why?" Bakura thought again before answering.

Kids… Kids… Kids… To have kids… He smiled at her, his eyes filled with mischief. "How many kids?" Zahara swallowed hard, not for sure where this conversation was going.

"A fair amount… two. Maybe three?" She narrowed her eyes to give him a confused look. "What about you? You like kids? How many do you wish to be the father of?" She watched him as he thought about her questions.

Two or three… That means… I can have sex that many times at least… The more kids equal the more times… "Well, I am not sure…." The more kids I have… the more I can train to annoy the Pharaoh and his friends… He smiled again. "The highest amount." Zahara sweat dropped and grew partially concerned for a moment. Her next question surprised her when she spoke it, but it was one she was hoping to here a certain answer to.

"Got anyone in mind… to … you know… be the mother of these … many children?" She asked with a cough. How on Earth did that actually come out of me? Bakura's thoughts were broken for a moment.

"Huh? In mind for what?" Yes, that's it… An army to destroy the Pharaoh! Zahara's hopeful face fell and she turned to look away. "Oh, nothing," she sighed. There was a pause and the waves for the ocean could be heard crashing against a cliff nearby to them. She had remembered that being a favorite spot for her to go when they first moved here. Baka! She called herself. Like he could ever change… Sure he is fun… But he can't possibly feel for me the way I do for him… She shook her head and looked down at the ground. No… he will never know how long I have actually had these feelings… Never know how long I have wanted to be with him… Never know….

Bakura seemed to catch on that she had shut him out all of a sudden. "Wait, no… what?" Damn, now how am I gonna get kids?

Aurora noticed her daughter beginning to shake slightly and realized she was fighting her tears. "Zahara?" she asked softly. "Are you alright?" She stepped back when Zahara jumped up abruptly and yelled.

"I am fine! I just need to be alone…" Without another word, she fled the area. Atem watched her go fro a moment.

"Uh-oh… Think someone should go after her?"

"I think that Ba-" Ryou looked around. "Hey, where'd he go?"

"I think he already went after her," Blue said as she pointed to Bakura quickly disappearing within the small forest at the far end of the park where he had seen her go into.

Zahara's tears burned in her eyes as she fought not to let them show. She kept running, deeper and deeper into the forested area, but she paid no attention to where she was going as she tried desperately to flee the sadness that threatened to take her. She had forgotten about the cliff that loomed just up ahead. Bakura was still a distance from her as he tried to catch up with her.

"I wonder if Bakura will be able to find her," Blue thought aloud.

Ryou looked incredulous. "I'm not sure. He lost the remote for the TV a couple years ago and we haven't found it since…" Blue sweat dropped and sighed.

"I was a fool… A complete fool!" Zahara shouted to herself as she ran. The tears no longer allowing themselves to be held back. They blurred her vision and she stumbled.

"Zahara!" Bakura shouted out to her as he ran. There was no answer. "Where did she go!" He heard a shrill scream of terror and his blood froze. Then he was racing through the forest, faster than he had ever run in his life. "ZAHARA!"

Atem and the others heard the scream and they all fell silent.

"What was that?" Atem asked, afraid to hear the answer. Aurora's eyes were wide with fear and she began to run toward the woods as well.

Bakura followed the sound of the scream and reached the edge of the cliff. He looked over to see her crash into the water, her hand barely reaching out before she completely disappeared beneath the surface. Without a second thought, he took a breath and jumped after her. He cleanly cut through the surface and ignoring the sting of the salty water on his eyes, he opened them to search for her fallen body. He located her and swam to her taking her in his arms. Her eyes were closed and she looked almost peaceful. NO! he thought as he rushed to get them both to the surface. He pulled her up above the water's surface and bobbed along the waves trying to figure a way back to land so he could try to wake her.

Aurora and the others reached the cliff by then and saw him trying to find a way out. She noticed that Zahara was limp in his arms and she fell to her knees.

"Please Ra no! Zahara!" Atem's face was set with grim fear and he gripped Aurora's shoulder and tried to come up with a way to help.

"We need to help him get her back up here!" Sanura cried out.

"Was there anything we could use for rope?" Blue asked. Ryou took off again.

"I'll go look!"

"Hurry!" Blue shouted after him.

"Hang on, Bakura! We are getting help!" Bakura heard Atem say as he continued to fight the waves. He shifted his grip on her, to keep her tightly against him.

No matter what, I won't let you go, he thought.

"Where is Natara when you need her," Aurora said softly. Natara was one of Aurora's friends who had certain abilities as well. One of these abilities in particular could have gotten them out of the water.

Zahara was lost in a sea of darkness in her mind. She could feel nothing; hear nothing except the sound of waves. She felt as if she were floating, but had no real place to go. Sadness crept into her thoughts. Now he'll never know… He will never know…

Bakura startled when he heard a sudden splash near him and felt something grab him and Zahara. He did not know what to say when he noticed they were lifted out and seemed to fly up to the cliff's ledge. When they were placed on the ground he turned to see a flicker in the air and Aurora's friend Jackie appeared beside them. She shook the water from her hair and just stared down at them. Aurora broke away from Atem and rushed over to Bakura and Zahara, gently shaking her daughter who was still in Bakura's arms.

"Please, Zahara! Speak to me! Zahara!" Atem turned a tense look over at Jackie and Bakura.

"Thank you… Now I only hope we can save her…" Zahara remained lifeless in Bakura's embrace as he gently laid her to the ground.

"CPR anyone?" Sanura asked, looking around. Atem looked over at Aurora, still trying to wake Zahara.

"What about your powers? Can't you save her?" She shook her head sadly.

"If Bryant were here, maybe… She took in too much water. We need to get it out of her lungs. I can't control the water like he can…" She stopped and looked up at Bakura. "Sanura was right. CPR is the only thing that can bring her back right now." She took a deep breath. "Never thought I would be saying this… But please, Bakura. Help her…" He nods silently and leans in to begin giving breath to her lungs in an effort to force the water back out.

"I don't think we should be watching this," Ryou said lightly to Blue when he returned upon hearing that Zahara was out of the water. Blue patted his shoulder.

"It's alright, Ryou." No one could see the tears of fear in Bakura's eyes as he kept them closed while performing CPR. He was now grateful that all the time spent sharing Ryou's body actually taught him something useful to the modern world he was now living in. But that gratefulness turned into desperation as she seemed to not respond to his efforts.

Wake up, wake up… he chanted in his head. Aurora still knelt beside them, doing the chest compressions in between his giving the breaths.

"Come on, Zahara," she grunted in between pulses. "You are stronger than this. Don't give up. I did not raise you to give up… Come on! You have to wake up!"

The darkness was hugging Zahara. Calling to her. She felt herself being pulled one way before another sensation struck her and she fought against the first pulling force. "Something feels so weird," she whispered to herself.

Wake up, wake up… She frowned at the voice in her mind. "Who wants me to wake up? It's so peaceful here… So quiet… So empty… no emotional toil and pain. No sadness… no- let me sleep… Please let me sleep."

Tears formed in her eyes as Jackie placed a hand on Atem's should in comfort as he watched his wife and would-be enemy trying to revive his younger daughter.

"I hope I wasn't too late to save her." The gasped when they saw tears slipping down Bakura's face. Atem's hands clenched into fists at his side. Bakura lifted his head again to allow Aurora to do her chest compressions.

"Zahara! Please. It's Bakura! You have to open your eyes! Please!"

Zahara groaned in the darkness. A dull throbbing had begun in her chest, but she ignored it when she sensed a new feeling on her face. "What is this… tears? Who is crying? Who is hurt?" She stilling as she heard the same voice calling to her again.

You have to open your eyes! Please! The voice sounded desperate. But over that, she recognized it.

"Bakura? He is the one crying? He is hurt… he – oh Ra! He is hurt! He calls to me… I must… go to him…" She started to struggle but a brief flash of memory of why she had been running in the first place came to her mind. "What if this is just another trick," she thought. "He can't care… Not that much… but…" Something caused her to begin fighting the claws of darkness trying to make its claim on her.

Aurora took a moment before Bakura leaned in to give the breaths again. "Look!" she called out, pointing to her face. "Her eyes moved… She is still in there. We almost have her out of this. Come on, please, Bakura…. Please… keep going…"

Bakura stared down at her a moment before lifting her head into his arms and cradling her against him, his tears still falling. Blue felt an instant feeling of compassion for him.

"Bakura…" she whispered. He did not hear her. He brushed a dampened lock of her hair away from her face and gazed down at her again.

"If this worked for Juliet, this should definitely work for you…" he said softly before claiming her lips in his own, his tears falling on her face. He no longer cared if he appeared soft to those around him. His heart hurt him as it pounded in his chest.

Zahara struggled harder against the darkness. She could feel gentle pressure on her lips; more tears on her face. "What is this…?" The gentle touch she was feeling faded and was quickly replaced by the burning pain in her chest. The darkness erupted into light and she surged forward, coughing and sputtering, gasping for breath- her hands on instinct, clutching the only thing near them- nearly tearing Bakura's shirt.

"Zahara! Thank Ra!" Aurora praised as she helped Bakura to sit her upright and pound lightly on her back to help get the water out of her chest. Tears spilled over Zahara's cheeks as the pain continued to sear her chest.

"It h-hurts!" Zahara cried out between gasps. Her voice was a mere whimper. "Ra- make it stop… Please… make it stop," Her words cut off again as she was consumed by another coughing fit. There were sighs of relief around them, but still every set of eyes held concern as they watched her gasp in pain. Bakura held her tightly to him in a hug, not caring that his shirt was being soaked in her tears. Aurora reached out to her.

"This I can help, if you let me, Zahara. I can take away the pain…" She received no response from her daughter as she still clung to the former thief in fear and pain. "You don't even have to lie down on the ground. Bakura can hold you steady and upright. It would only take a moment and the pain will be gone, I promise…" Zahara still could not answer so Bakura, after looking down at the shuddering girl in his arms, answered for her.

"Please, do what you think is best. To help ease her discomfort."

"You have to help her, Aurora," Jackie agreed. Aurora nodded and moved closer.

"Hold her steady, Bakura… This won't take long, but she will struggle against it for a short time…" She placed a hand on Zahara's chest and a white light suddenly envelopes the frightened girl. Zahara started violently and back to thrash in Bakura's arms. Aurora clenched her teeth and tried to keep her hand in place. "Hold her steady!"

"Please… don't fight it…" Bakura whispered in Zahara's ear as he tightened his grip on her.

"The poor girl," Jackie whispered. Ryou frowned.

"I feel horrible for Zahara and Bakura." Blue nodded at Bakura's tears.

"They must be in so much pain…" she added softly. Soon the pain began to ease up and her thrashing came to a stop. She leaned against his chest, whimpering softly.

"I'm sorry, daughter," Aurora told her lightly as she sat back. "It had to be done… otherwise…" Her words stopped.

"Otherwise… what?" Atem asked. Aurora shook her head, unable to continue the thought. "We almost lost her didn't we?" Aurora turned away, her tears giving all the answers they needed. Bakura felt a shadow fall over them and he looked up to see Ryou had brought back his jacket and was handing it to him. He nodded at his Hikari and took the jacket to wrap it around her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he whispered as she looked up at him. She reached up and touched the teas on his face in wonder and awe.

"I-I am f-fine n-now." Her eyes narrowed in thought and concern. " 'Kura? You shed these… for m-me? But why? I did not think you would care for someone like me… Not unless it suited your need to get at my father…" He shook his head.

"Of course I care about you!" He hugged her again. "Please don't do that again… Don't leave me…" Blue awed at the sight.

"That's sweet," Ryou agreed, though still confused at this change in Bakura. He was even more surprised when Bakura began to go through one of the pockets in his jacket, searching for something.

"…Zahara…" Zahara watched him, curiously. All eyes were definitely on glued to them.

"Y-yes, 'Kura?" Her voice was almost too soft to be heard. His fingers found something in the pocket and began to pull it out. He blushed slightly as he looked up at Aurora and Atem before looking back at Zahara.

"I-…" He looked down at his hand and scowled. "Damn rubber duck!" He threw the duck out of the way.

"OW!" Ryou shouted as he rubbed his forehead where the duck had hit him.

"What's with the duck?" Sanura asked.

"Probably some prank he had planned to play on someone…" Ryou explained with a scowl and a shrug. Bakura went back to searching his pockets and this time found what he was looking for. He pulled out a small velvet box, drawing more gasps of shock from everyone.

"Zahara… Will you marry me?"

I told you he was going to be OOC lol... but I like him this way lol...

Zahara: So do I...

Bakura: (blushes)

and the saga continues...