Ryou's legs couldn't carry him another step. He had been walking since he left the palace. Now, it was but a speck on the horizon, and the sun had long set. He didn't know where he was, or where he was going.
He entered what looked like another village.
"Have you heard? High Priest Mahaado has been killed!" he heard a woman whisper as she grabbed for her son's hand. The entire village walked on eggshells, keeping a constant eye for anything dangerous.
"Killed by Bakura."
"I heard he might be in the village somewhere." Another woman gasped, trying to keep to the shadows. "Keep the children close, in case they might be taken from us."
Ryou couldn't help but attract attention as he walked. He felt as though he would pass out, but tried his best to ignore the feeling. That would attract even more attention.
"I need to find something to eat… or… or a place to sleep…" he mumbled to himself, glancing at the buildings that he passed.
Suddenly, he paused.
The door to one was open, and torches lined the wall. From the sound of clanging bowls and cups, this one appeared to be a tavern.
"This might work…" he whispered, and carefully entered the door.
To his surprise, nobody paid him any heed. Instead, they were all focused on the strange man in the center of the room. It was Bakura. Cloaked in royal garments, with jewels and gold dangling off in excess, the white haired man sat at his own table. Numerous plates of food were piled on the wooden spool, and he was greedily devouring his fill.
The man behind the counter was the only one not staring. He, instead, was admiring a gold bracelet that looked like it came from the tomb of a pharaoh.
Ryou casually walked past the other thieves and criminals, eyeing his yami as their next victim, and sat down. The tomb robber glanced up, a piece of meat falling from his mouth. While he couldn't exactly put his finger on it, the pale boy looked very familiar.
"Who the hell are you?"
Ryou smiled a little.
"Hi, Bakura…"
"That's King of Thieves to you." He answered back, tearing into the meat again.
"Can… Can I have some food… pl..please?" Ryou asked meekly. "I'm… I'm really hungry…"
Some of the other customers stared. The pale boy had a lot of gall to ask the thief for handouts.
"Fuck no." Bakura snarled, and pulled the bowl of potatoes closer. It had been days since he'd had a decent meal. And he didn't know when the next time would be. "And you even think of laying a hand on it, I'll tear it off and throw it to the hounds."
"… oh… o..okay…" Ryou looked down at the food longingly. His stomach growled.
Bakura looked back up at the loud noise, and at the frail body somehow managed to produce it.
"Where the hell have you been, to get so damned hungry?"
Ryou looked up, his face blushing with embarrassment.
"Um… the… the pharaoh's dungeons…"
"Heh. I broke out of there once." He scoffed. "Nothing too hard about that."
"I know…"
Suddenly, Bakura stopped. He stared at Ryou for a few minutes, as his memories played out behind his eyes. He only escaped because the guards took the other prisoner first, a prisoner that readily gave himself up, a prisoner that looked so much like the hungry person in front of him. But that was almost ten years ago, and this one hadn't aged at all.
"How long were you in there?" he finally asked, his voice quieter, with less edge.
"… I don't know…" Ryou answered. A decade in his yami's life was only a few minutes to Ryou.
Without speaking, the thief shoved a small plate over towards Ryou.
The boy blinked, not quite sure how to graciously accept the gift, or if he would be attacked for even considering it a gift.
"Eat it."
Again, Ryou blinked. He nodded silently, and took a small piece of meat from the plate and bit it.
"But don't ask for any more favors." He whispered under his breath.
"Th..thank you…" He savored the bite lovingly. To be given food by his yami was a far cry from the days when his body would be returned to him, belly so very empty and weak to the point of passing out.
"Yeah, I'm only giving it to you because…" Bakura paused. "You look like someone I used to know, okay?"
"Really?" Ryou couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah." Bakura answered, his tone momentarily, and uncharacteristically, softened. "Someone I used to know a long time ago."
"A nice person?"
"The only one I ever met around here." Bakura mused, letting his guard down, just this once. "He gave his life for mine."
"Sounds like you had a real friend…" Ryou smiled weakly, and continued to eat.
The thief king would have responded, but he suddenly realized where he was and what he was doing.
"I work alone, runt." He snarled. "Keep asking questions, and I'll rip out your stomach and eat what I gave you."
Ryou nodded quickly, clasping his mouth shut.
"That's better." The thief smiled. His senses attuned to his surroundings again, he could hear the crowd sneaking up around behind him. A good half of them probably had their knives drawn, with the intention of quartering him and dividing up his stolen goods between them. "Oh, Diabound…"
Another smile, and the room of people grew silent again. Everyone, save Ryou and himself, was brutally slaughtered. A dry chuckle erupted from the tomb robber's throat.
Ryou could scarcely breathe. The smell of blood lingered in the air, clinging to his clothes and skin. The sight made him sick to his stomach, and he almost vomited the kind handout that the thief king had given him.
"A lesson, runt. Always watch your back." He smiled, and stood from the table. Stretching, he patted his gorged belly. Like a king, he paraded out of the tavern and into the cold streets.