A/N: Hey! Sorry for the (slightly) delayed update. I really rushed this chapter so I could get it in before the end of May. I have to review for my exams this week, so I doubt I'll have much free time. And I'm going out of country for the summer, so...(cries) I'm real sorry guys! I'll work my ass off while I'm traveling and I'll try to get my update in as soon as possible! Please don't ditch this story! I'll be back around July, so don't forget about this story! Please R&R.

Chapter 7: Judgment

Hot sand glistened as the scorching sun blazed its rays over the desert. The usual bustle of the people spread throughout the town, making it all a jumble of words. But a small murmur was heard among the people as they saw an unusual sight. A man adorned with funeral relics walked towards the pharaoh's palace. Gold necklaces, magnificent pendants, and many other artifacts were around his body. The white-haired man also dragged behind him a wrapped corpse that most perceived to be a pharaoh's body.

Bakura grunted under the weight, but he continued towards the pharaoh, determined to get to the castle today. Most of the people who stared at Bakura got a baleful glare from him, making them flee from the pissed off thief. He cursed to himself as he thought of what had happened when Jonouchi and he arrived at the town.

(Flashback)

They arrived in the town as the sun had just begun to rise. Bakura had all the artifacts around his body. The dead body he dragged behind him gave a distasteful odor that made Jonouchi feel nausea. "Really wish you didn't bring that corpse, Bakura. It's about to make me throw up." Jonouchi made gagging noises, pretending to vomit. The albino just rolled his eyes, but he secretly agreed with Jonouchi. The stench was starting to become unbearable for him, too. "So, is this all part of the big "revenge" you've been planning for, oh I don't know, about forever!" He readjusted the load of coins that lay on his back as he looked at Bakura was mock awe. "If it is, you're a real sick, you psycho. How can you even think about bringing that carcass with us? You've gone loco, Bakura."

"Thanks for noticing, Jonouchi. I know I'm crazy, and I'm quite proud of it too." The albino smiled to himself as the blonde stared at him with disbelief. It's so fun to mess with Jonouchi's mind like this, Bakura thought. The poor fool just doesn't get that I've lost my mind ever since that day. Bakura's face darkened as he thought of his family's death, but Jonouchi failed to notice. Instead, he started to head towards the parts of the town where there were many unfortunate people. "What you doing now Jonouchi? Going to play Robin Hood again with your little "friends"?" Bakura sarcastically commented.

"Shut up! You know as well as I do that those people need this more than we do. We can always go and steal some more stuff, anyway." Jonouchi tried to defend the people he helped, but Bakura could see the hesitation in the blonde's ruby eyes. "Don't fool yourself, Jonouchi. Those people don't care about you. They're just happy that someone is stupid enough to give them something that they don't even deserve. You're not really helping them out, you know." The long silence confirmed Bakura's assumption. "The truth hurts, doesn't it Jonouchi?"

"Screw you, Bakura. So maybe you're right. There are some who don't deserve what I do for them. But there are others who are different. I don't care what you say, I'm going to go help them out the best I can." With that, Jonouchi left Bakura at the entrance of the town. Before he was out of earshot, however, he turned around to face Bakura's hardened face. "See ya later at the castle, Bakura."

(End Flashback)

His knuckles became white as he crushed the rope in his hand. The stupid idiot really got on his nerves, and yet, he somehow brought him peace of mind. Jonouchi was the only one he truly trusted, and he hoped it would stay that way. Regaining his posture, he sent the remaining spectators away with his deadly look and continued towards the palace.

The soldiers carried out another carved tablet out of the throne room as the six priests looked. Judging the evil ones was just another routine for them, so they just waited for the next bait to come. Siamun stared at the carving of a beast on the tablet that was being taking away. Being a fairly strong demon, it actually took three of the priests to seal it away. He coughed before saying, "I must say, Pharaoh Atemu, there seem to be a lot of powerful monsters hiding in the wicked nowadays."

Soft snoring reached his ears, making him sweat. He turned his eyes towards the pharaoh to see him sleeping soundly with his head resting on his hand. His elbow propped up his head as he continued to wander in his dream world. Flabbergasted, Siamun quickly shook the sleeping ruler, making Atemu stare at him with confused eyes. His eyes began to take in the scene in front of him, causing him to emit a very loud yawn. "Are we done yet, Siamun? We've been here for about 6 hours already. Let's take a break already."

"Have you gone mad, Pharaoh! Taking a nap during the Judgment phase! You should be ashamed, neglecting your duty! Why, your father never had this problem, I seriously don't know why you do!" Atemu blushed a deep shade of red as his vizier continued to scold him in front of his priests. Seto snickered to himself as he watched this process with interest. Everyday, it seems Siamun was rebuking the Pharaoh as if he was still a 7-year-old. He almost felt sorry for his cousin, NOT! Priest Seto was still pissed off at Atemu for humiliating him during the duel. How did his powerful Dyousu get beaten by those stupid brown furballs? He growled deep in his throat as Atemu was still being scolded.

As the priests watched the interesting sight with pity for the Pharaoh, besides Seto that is, another criminal was brought into the throne. Siamun immediately stopped his lecture and stood next t to the Pharaoh while Atemu straightened his back and stared with dignity at the unworthy thief. The six priests turned towards the one who was to be judged with grim faces. All signs of the previous event were erased, as if nothing had happened.

"This criminal was caught trying to defile a pharaoh's tomb, your highness. He tried to run past the guards, but he didn't slip through." The chief guard explained to the council in a grave tone. "There was nothing to steal in that stupid tomb, anyway. It was empty when I got there, so you can't say I stole anything." Hot anger could be detected in the man's voice as he stood in front of the priests. Scars from previous theft could be seen all over the man's body. Before he could say anything, however, the guard backhanded him hard in this face. The thief just glared as the guard replied, "You have no right to speak to the Pharaoh like that, scum. Whoever sets foot in such hallowed ground must face the god's judgment. Now your crime will be judged by the seven Millennium items"

The guards stepped back to give room to the six priests who stepped forward. Their Millennium items glistened in the light, emitting a glare that got caught in the thief's eyes, making him blink. Slight fear began to make its way into the man as he stared at the Pharaoh's best. "…What are you going to do…?" he asked, his voice quivering slightly. Then, one of the priests stepped out, holding his item. Priest Shada glared straight back at the thief, knowing the fate of the man even before he started.

"Using the Millennium Key, I look into this man's heart!" Priest Shada held out the ankh shaped item in front of the man, calling for its power. Golden light poured from the key as Shada made his way into the man's soul. As he got closer, he saw a shadow of a demon lurking in the space of the heart. "A shadow of a heinous Ka can be seen in this man's heart. Not surprising, though."

An older looking priest stepped out next. Where his left eye was supposed to be was a golden eye instead. It seemed to penetrate right through the man, as if he could read the thief's mind. "To reveal this creature, I, Priest Akhenaden, will use the power of the Millennium Eye!" Again, light flashed from the item as the priest used its power to do what he willed. Suddenly, smoke emerged from the man's mouth, forming into some sort of shape. The man, however, had a painful expression on his face. It looked as if he was feeling excruciating pain as the spirit continued to come out. "…urgh…it…hur…ts…" he choked out before he stopped talking altogether.

Atemu watched all this without showing much emotion. This sort of thing happened everyday, and it was rare for him to actually use his Millennium Puzzle. So he just sat back as the monster started to take shape. It was a six-legged creature, with rough, gray skin. Saliva dripped from its mouth as it gave out a thunderous roar. Priest Akhenaden called to the last priest, "Priest Seto! Use your Millennium Rod to seal the Ka into the stone." Seto just smirked as the monster charged towards him. This Ka isn't even worth Atemu's time. Get lost, you worthless trash. "Evil Ka! Be gone, and enter the holy stone tablet!" The top of the Milllennium Rod flashed as it sent the monster straight into the stone.

In the stone was another image of a monster, one that resembled the one that was in Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen's tomb. Seto continued to smirk at the low level Ka he had just sealed. Such a weak Ka didn't even deserve to be in the holy stone. However, the law of the Millennium items willed it, so he shouldn't complain. "Good job, Priest Seto," Priest Akhenaden praised.

"humph! Bet the Pharaoh found this too dull for his entertainment. Why don't we just slash this idiotic thief into separate pieces and keep the Pharaoh amused with that?" Seto grabbed the end of the rod and pulled out a hidden dagger. The steel glittered dangerously as lust for blood shone in the priest's eyes. The man's face paled as he watched Seto toy around with the dagger in his hand.

"…You know that part of the duty as a High Priest is to show mercy, even to the sinners. After all, the evil Ka has been exorcised from the man, so it would be a waste." Priest Akhenaden spoke wisely to Seto, trying to calm down the cold priest. The last thing the priests needed was blood on their hands. "Than man is sentenced to seven years of labor. Take him out of the throne room!" The guards merely nodded before taking the prisoner out.

Seto turned and glared at Priest Mahado before saying, "Aren't you suppose to supervise the guards of the Pharaoh's tombs? They're being defiled too often, Priest Mahado, what do you have to say about that." Priest Mahado was taken aback for a while, but he knew Seto told the truth. He knew he had failed in his job and disappointment in himself was shone in this face. Mahado lowered his eyes before replying, "My deepest apologies…However, for the last few days, the predictions I've been getting from the Millennium Ring have been irregular. I can't detect every sinner and every evil intention for the increase in the number of Ka nesting in people's souls."

"But you still know it is the duty of the six priests to protect the Pharaoh. Both in this world and in the tombs where they await for the next world." Seto retorted back at Mahado, not giving him an inch in this argument. Priest Mahado just went up to the Pharaoh and bowed down. "Pharaoh, I request permission to recruit more soldiers to strengthen the guards at the Valley of Kings!" Atemu looked onto Mahado with pity in his eyes before answering, "Yes, I leave it in your hands." He knew in his heart that his friend was trying his hardest to repent for his mistake. He also knew he was overworking himself, and yet, he couldn't really do anything about it.

Before anything else was said, Priest Isis's Millennium Necklace started becoming active. She closed her eyes and concentrated on what it was trying to show her. "What's wrong, Priest Isis?" Akhenaden inquired of the young priest. After finalizing her vision, Isis opened her eyes and hastily replied, "My necklace is showing me an unsettling future! Someone with a large amount of evil heka is coming towards us as I speak!"

Bakura wiped his brow as he stood in front of the castle. A triumphant smile was on his face as feelings of revenge poured through him once more. "Finally, I've made it to my destination. I'll kill you myself and gain the power of the Millennium Items, "Pharaoh"." Bakura walked cockily towards the entrance, glaring at the soldiers who were too surprised to say a word. As he got closer, one guard got cocky and said, "You're not allowed in this area…sir. What's your identification?"

"heh heh. They say a king is covered in gold, right? That qualifies me as a king, then. The Thief King that is. Heh heh heh." The guards started to recover and surround Bakura as they readied their weapons. The one who spoke first replied, "Those are funeral relics from the Pharaoh's tomb! You thief! You defiled the territory of the gods!" The ones surrounding Bakura tensed up as they looked in dismay at the thief. Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen's tomb was supposed to be impenetrable and yet, this common thief managed to pass all the traps.

"Shut up! I have no business with you low-level soldiers! Tell the "Pharaoh" that the Thief King Bakura from Kul Elna has come to see him." With that Bakura threw back his head and laughed like a maniac into the sky.

Back in the throne room, Mahado's Millennium Ring started to act up. The chains dangling from the ring started pointing in the direction of the entrance way, thrashing wildly against Mahado's chest. "Priest Mahado, what's the problem!" Priest Shada had worry in his voice as Mahado's face paled. "My Millennium Ring is detecting someone with strong dark powers heading this way." As he finished saying this, dozens of guards came into the room with panic on their faces.

"Great Pharaoh! A grave robber who calls himself Bakura is coming towards here as I speak!" Cries of pain could be heard in the halls as Bakura's magic blasted the guards out of his way. A strange force seemed to be protecting him as he continued towards the throne room. Atemu looked with mild curiosity as he felt the ominous presence come closer. Bakura. Finally, the priests saw a man covered in gold relics come into the throne room. The guards in the front did little as Bakura's magic disposed of them.

"Seems like this is the throne room." Bakura sneered as he looked at the priests and the pharaoh. They in turn stared back, trying to find some sort of identity in the thief. "Here! These relics I found all came out of "Pharaoh" Akhenamkhanen tomb. I also brought this out of its coffin. Can't you set better traps than that?" Siamun got riled up as he heard that. "You defiled Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen's tomb, the sacred pyramid?"

"I've come for the Millennium Items. Heh heh. Well! Are you sure you can pass a judgment on the great Thief King! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Meanwhile, in the front of the castle stood a man with blonde hair. An empty bag was on his back and he was determined to fill it by the time he leaved. His red eyes scanned the castle grounds for any sign of guards. Seeing none, he sighed and smiled at the work of his friend. "Looks like Bakura welcomed himself in…all the better for me." With a smirk, Jonouchi waltzed right into the castle, hoping to find some valuables.

TBC

Gosh! Translating is so hard! I haven't seen the anime version of this, so I'm reading the manga in a different language and translating it while making it as original as I can. I know its not the best, but please review. And don't forget this story! I beg on my knees, you guys. (kneels in front of computer) Okay, this is stupid. (gets back onto seat) Anyway, like I said, I'll work real hard, k? I thank every and all who review!XD