Alas, one chapter to go! You'll all be put on hold for a while after that until I write more of the sequel. I'll try to post regular updates on my profile page of its progress. I'll try, really! I'm getting towards the last few chappies of Cry of the Wicked now!

Dreaming Child: Want a happy ending but aren't going to argue about it? Good. Cause it won't be happy all around. Happy yet not. (confusing self o.O...) I'm considering doing those one-shots that are side story pieces to stories. (-.-; did that make ANY sense to you?) I hope so. Review again, dear! Love ya!

Satra: Yes, Yami has his memories. But is that a good thing? (cackles) I'm soooo mean! But that's all the more reason for the sequel! Yes, the items' destruction won't end the adventures of our group! Yay! Reviewagain! Love ya!

Capricious Purple Clarity: (cackles) Oh the drama! Oh the torment! (you're gonna kill me for the cliffie at the end of this chappie too!) Yay! Saw it coming, did you? Excellent. I'm glad you're glad you knew...o.O...(confused) Moving on...wondering about the creation of the Millennium items? You'll have to remember I'm going to be altering some of that for the story. Can't answer your questions about such yet. (cackles) Oh you're gonna kill me...(backs away slowly) Review again! Love ya!

blackalbino: Thanks for asking about my exams. I've passed them all. Yay! (prances about happily) Scared our Kura kicked the bucket? Nah. I couldn't NOT have him in the sequel! That'd be horrible! Your answers about Kura's mindset are answered in this chappie. Read on, darling!

dragonlady222: I couldn't kill Kura then do a sequel! That'd be just plain SINFUL! Review again, love! Onward!

Freak in the Shadows: Love back at ya!

Bluegrass Elf: Never heard of "diseny ending" before? Hmm...where have you been? jk. Domination's dead? (blink) NOOOOOO! They updated only a few months ago. Come on, it hasn't been that long yet. (twitches) Can't...be...dead...Review again. Love ya!

Wish-full Thinker: Thanks for complimenting the poem again. (smiles) You...wanted Yami's mummified body? O.o...uhhh...see that wouldn't have worked cause then he wouldn't have been able to get his body...then Kura wouldn't have been able to get his body...then Kura'd be dead...(twitch) Did you just suggest Kura should STAY dead? (fights urge to explode) Mustn't...kill...reviewer...(smiles innocently) hehe. jk. Review again, love!

Silver Mirror: Thanks for the compliments on the last chappie. Love you so much! Review again!

Hmm...who shall I give this chappie to?...I'll give it to Capricious in hopes they won't strangle me before I get to the sequel! Yay!

Beyond

I'm moving on, I'm frightened.

Soon my whole world will change.

I'll leave the familiar home I know

And awake in a world that's strange.

I'm not sure where I'm going yet,

The future is unclear.

I will miss my friends, my family

That I've come to love so dear.

Feeling angered and betrayed

I'm moving on alone.

Will I settle somewhere new?

Will I ever return home?

Oh but it's not home any longer,

Now I depend on me.

Though we all wish to remain here

We know that it can't be.

We thought we'd be here forever,

But forever didn't last.

I'm frightened of the future

I'm clinging to the past.

I feel like I'll be lost

Forever in this hell,

But in my heart I know, eventually…

Someday all will be well.

Chapter 22: New Beginnings

"Nnn…" Bakura groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He wearily opened his eyes to discover he wasn't in the Hall of Judgment but what appeared to be him and Marik's hotel room.

He moaned, struggling to sit up. There were bandages lining his arms and body, also one on his forehead. The thief jolted in shock when he looked at his skin. It was tan. He quickly lifted a hand and felt the unmistakable curves of the scar on the right side of his face.

"How…?"

"Well look who decided to wake up." The thief turned to see a figure in the doorway to the adjoining rooms.

"Marik…"

The young Egyptian strode over and slapped the yami hard across the face. Bakura didn't have time to react, entire head spinning. What was going on?

"That's for scaring the shit out of Ryou and me," Marik hissed before throwing himself at the tomb robber, enveloping him in a constricting embrace.

"Augh!" the thief choked from the tight hug.

"Damn you, you stupid fucking idiot!" Marik growled playfully. "We thought we lost you back there!"

Bakura was about to shove the boy away before he noticed the tears streaming down the young Egyptian's face. Tears.

"I…" Bakura stuttered, quite unsure of what to do.

Thankfully—or maybe not—the door opened and Jou's head peeked in.

"Hey guys! He's awake! Come on in here! He's awake!"

"Oh hells no…" the thief muttered in exasperation as the whole crew filed in, Marik still fastened to his waist.

"Decided to come back, eh?" Jou grinned, striding across the room to the bed.

Bakura stared mutely at everyone. He didn't think he would come back. He thought in the cavern was the last time he'd ever see them.

"Yami's got his memories back!" Yugi grinned, said pharaoh entering the room last.

Bakura turned and stared at Yami who was dressed in jeans and a black tee-shirt but still wore a short, golden necklace with the eye of Ra on it. His skin was dark like the thief's.

"Whoa, your eyes changed color!" Marik exclaimed looking at Bakura's face.

Jou leaned over the bed and peered at the thief. "Hey you're right! They're kind of a milky-dark gray…"

Anzu shoved him over, leering inches from the stunned yami's face. "No, they're more of a hazy dark blue…"

"Lemme see!" Yugi grinned racing over.

"Knock it off!" Bakura shouted in frustration. They all cowered back, save Marik who was sitting neck to him, clutching the thief's arm like a vice.

"Geez, you don't have to yell at them," Honda growled.

"Don't push your luck," Bakura sneered.

"You wanna start something?" Honda asked, starting forward but was stopped by Mr. Mutou.

"I think Bakura needs some time to recuperate…without our presence," the elderly man smiled at Bakura who scowled in response.

They all filed out, mumbling to one another. Marik stayed, staring at the thief. Ryou stood in the doorway, but retreated from the room. Soon only Yami stood in the room still.

"Bakura."

The thief looked up at the other, not saying anything. Marik narrowed his eyes, ready to kick the pharaoh out should he upset Bakura.

"I want to talk to you about what happened with the Millennium Stone…"

"Why? What's done is done," Bakura snarled. Marik looked in shock at the yami, surprised by his quick temper.

Yami sighed. "You're going to have to explain yourself sooner or later."

"Is that a threat?" the former tomb robber sneered.

"No. Bakura, we want to know what happened back there!" Yami replied sternly.

"Look to your own memories. You have them now."

Yami blinked. "But there's nothing in our past that..." He froze, something in his mind clicking.

"What? What is it?" Marik asked worriedly, glancing between the two yamis.

"You had your chance for an explanation back then," Bakura spat menacingly. "Instead you chose alternate ideas." Yami looked down, ashamedly, not meeting the other twos' eyes.

"What?" Marik asked nervously.

"If you want enlightenment on the situation now, that's not my problem; it's yours." Bakura glared. "Get out."

To Marik's surprise Yami turned and quietly left the room, closing the door softly behind him. The blonde Egyptian turned to the yami who was struggling to his feet, still clad in his attire from ancient Egypt.

"Kura…"

"I don't want to talk right now, Marik," Bakura said emotionlessly, walking somewhat shakily over to the window that overlooked the market below where people were bustling about in the afternoon sun.

Marik's jaw tensed as he watched his friend; the friend he thought he'd known. Without another word the young Egyptian strode across the room to the door and opening it. He paused before closing it behind him, back to the thief.

"Whenever you're ready then," and shut the door.

Bakura let out an exhausted sigh, staring out into the country he'd sworn he'd never return to. His mission was now complete; the mission his entire existence had revolved around. What was his purpose now?

"That drops you're life points to zero," Jou grinned from his spot on the couch in the Mutou's living room.

Honda scowled. "Darn it." Anzu smiled from the sofa, watching the boys compete. It had been a week since they'd been in Egypt and Yami had regained his memories. This Saturday morning the group was at the game shop relaxing.

"Yugi man, you up for a game?" Jou asked, looking over at his smaller friend.

The young boy sat on the floor, staring at the Egyptian god cards. His normally cheerful eyes were dazed, lost in some deep abyss.

"Yug?" Jou asked louder.

"Huh? Oh no. That's okay," the tri-colored haired boy said absentmindedly.

"What's the matter, man?" Honda asked with concern, coming over and sitting down next to his friend.

The boy sighed. "It's Yami. He's been…distant lately. I know he's trying to sort out everything, with his memories back and all, but…."

"I know. I feel it too. It's like he's on a different planet or something," Honda agreed.

"What should we do?" Anzu asked in distress.

"Let's talk to him. Where is he now?" Jou asked the hikari.

"In his room, I think."

Honda nodded. "Come on, then."

Marik looked up from his coffee at the kitchen table when Bakura strode across the tile floor and grabbed his jacket off the back of one of the chairs. Ryou sat silently across from Marik, not looking up from his cup of tea.

"Where are you going?" the young Egyptian asked.

"Out." The thief swiftly left the room, heading for the front door.

Marik glanced over at Ryou who sat unmoving, eyes blank. Growling, the tomb keeper strode after the thief who was opening the door.

"Why are you doing this?" Marik asked angrily.

Bakura halted. "What?"

Marik threw up his arms. "What? What!" He yelled in exasperation.

Bakura crossed his arms aggravatedly. "Yes. What?"

Marik scowled. "You haven't even noticed have you? Ryou's falling to pieces; have you even sensed? Have you even spoken to him since Egypt?"

Bakura stared back defiantly. "Marik, what do you want?"

Marik growled. "I want to you pay some damn attention to your hikari!"

Bakura snorted. "You make him sound like a dog. He has his freedom of me now, Marik. He should start making a life for himself."

Marik stared in utter fury at the yami. "Speak for yourself! What have you been doing lately? Where are you going?"

"There's something I have to do," Bakura said softly, turning and leaving Marik staring after him in the open doorway.

"Yami?" the group tapped on the door.

"…yes?"

"Can we…?" Honda didn't get to finish his sentence as the door opened to a distraught looking pharaoh. There were dark lines under his normally intense eyes.

"Yami, what's wrong?" Yugi asked, rushing forward and clinging to his darker half.

"I…can't do this anymore," the monarch gulped.

"You can't what?" Yugi asked nervously.

"I can't live with the guilt."

The others looked at each other uncertainly.

"Guilt of what, buddy?" Honda inquired.

Yami sighed heavily, shoulders slumped in defeat. "Of what I did in the past."

"And…what exactly did you do?" Anzu pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it," Yami shot, suddenly defensive. He sighed again, running a tanned hand through his hair. "I need some time to think. I'm going for a walk."

"Um…all right. Just…call me through our link if you need anything…" Yugi said softly, getting a nod as a response. The group watched the pharaoh wander away down the stairs.

Honda turned to Yugi questioningly. "You guys still have a mind link? I thought the destruction of the items got rid of all their powers."

Yugi shrugged. "Not mind links. Weird huh?"

"I'll never understand all this Millennium items stuff," Jou mumbled as they all began walking down the stairs.

"Well, looks like we won't really have to seeing as how they're gone," Honda grinned.

Bakura strolled down the street at a quick pace, ignoring the cars that honked their horns when he just strode out in front of them. His icy eyes held a determined gleam. In his hand was clutched a wrinkled piece of paper that he'd torn out of a newspaper. Taking a deep breath he walked slowly into the graveyard, the same one he'd dueled Bonz and his goons in during Battle City.

There had hardly been anyone out that morning yet as the thief wandered the grounds peering at the headstones he soon noticed he wasn't alone. Out of the corner of his eye he saw two large figures next to a considerably smaller one. It didn't take a second for him to recognize the boy. He still had the large innocent eyes, although they no longer had the same lively spark they'd possessed only weeks earlier. The child was staring silently at the three stones that were neatly lined next to each other.

"Jancey, honey, it's time to go," the old woman said gently.

"I don' wanna go. I wanna stay hewer wif dem," the boy mumbled, eyes downcast.

The woman looked pleadingly at her husband who knelt down next to the small boy.

"Jance, they aren't here. Their souls have left. They're happy and safe now."

"Where? I want ta go wif dem, gwampa," the boy said pleadingly.

Bakura stood back, leering behind a tree, watching the tragic remains of a broken family. Why them? Why had he killed them? The thief scowled. Of course he already knew the answer: it was because he'd lost all remorse back in Egypt. He'd even lost his cause, his mission he'd set out to do.

"I promise things will get better, sweetie," the boy's grandmother said soothingly.

"Pwomise?" The boy whispered eyes wide and hopeful.

"Yes." Then a remarkable thing happened: The boy smiled; it was the same giddy smile the child used to have, before his little world spun out of control. He grabbed his grandmother and grandfather's hands, dangling between them as they swung him up and down. He giggled merrily, kicking his feet up in the air every time they lifted him off the ground as they made their way across the graveyard.

Bakura waited until they were at the gate before he approached the three headstones. He stared somberly at them, clenching his fists in self-loathing as the names blurred. He let out a frustrated scream, banging his hands on the mother's headstone, kneeling down in complete defeat. He stared at the names, then down at his hands that were covered in blood, having ripped the skin up when he'd struck the stone.

"This wasn't supposed to happen to you," he whispered to the cold stones. He turned and looked toward the gate. The boy was gone.

The thief sighed, choking back a sob. "I keep screwing everything up. Everything. Every time I try to…" he broke off, just staring silently at the ground. "I'm sorry," he whispered for one of the first times in his life. He turned back toward the gate where leaves were blowing about, the wind picking up. The graveyard was completely empty now, save for him and the dead.

He smiled humorlessly, looking directly at the mother's grave. "He'll be all right, you know. He's strong." The thief stood, backing away respectfully. "Don't worry. Nothing like that can happen again. Ever." He turned and slowly began to leave, whispering to himself. "I'll make sure of that."

Yami heard an unearthly scream as he strode down the street. Looking about frantically about, the only people he saw was a family driving away from the graveyard. Worried, he strode toward the quiet grounds, peeking through the gate. There was no one there. He turned to leave when something caught his eye at the far end of the graveyard. He slowly walked toward the hunched form. Assuming it was someone in grieving he decided he'd better not disturb them, but just wanted to make sure that's what it was. He did a double-take when he got closer, unable to believe his eyes.

'What's he doing here?'

The thief was bent over a group of stones, not paying attention to anything. Yami backed up, taking cover behind a large above-ground tombstone. He could hear the other yami talking softly but couldn't make out what the other was saying. Bakura stood to his feet, backing away from the graves. He turned, a determined yet ashen look on his face, eyes intense and somber. Yami held his breath, certain the thief would discover him; he was surprised when the tomb robber slowly walked from the graveyard, not taking notice of the other yami.

Curious, Yami crept from his hiding place and stumbled over to the stones. His heart jolted when he recognized the names. He narrowed his eyes in worry when he noticed the blood on the mother's headstone. Sighing, he knelt down, gently taking the corner of his shirt to the red liquid. He reverently let his fingers brush across the letters of her name. Marina Tye.

"I'm sorry. Truly," he whispered, tears falling from his violet eyes. He stood and began to walk way, not noticing the sprouting grass beginning to peek through the dirt around the stones. It was time for a new beginning…for everyone.

Bakura sat on the bed next to Marik, watching the Egyptian's slow, deep breaths. His tanned chest slowly rose and fell, a rhythmic beat, measured and steady. Bakura sighed, running a hand through his white hair that stopped just above his shoulders. The morning light was just peeping over the buildings, the stars still lingering in the darkest parts of the sky.

He hadn't been able to talk to Marik. It had been four days since the graveyard and he still couldn't face the young Egyptian. This was just too hard. It was impossible to explain to the boy that life was pointless; that Bakura didn't want to live on…had no reason to. In turn it was depressing the young Egyptian horribly, only worsening the thief's guilt. The yami decided it was time to stop being a worthless burden. Yes, it was time.

Taking a deep breath, the yami stood quietly so as not to wake his friend, reaching under the bed and pulling out a duffle bag. He shrugged on his worn, leather jacket, stalking across the room, bag in hand. In the doorway he turned one last time to look back at the sleeping boy.

"Good bye, Marik," the yami murmured, turning and walking out of the room.

Marik opened his eyes to a rumbling sound. It wasn't thunder…or his stomach….he settled back down, ready to ignore it when his eyes shot open in recognition.

"Kura!" He screamed, racing out of the room and down the stairs clad only in his jeans. He fumbled with the lock on the front door, swinging it open wide in time to see a motor bike take off down the street.

"No! Get back here!" Marik shrieked, racing over to his own bike and starting it up only to find the thief had rewired something. It wouldn't move.

"No! NO! Bakura wait!" Marik screamed frantically, running down the driveway just in time to see the bike turn a corner. Gone.

"Please no! Please come back! Kura!" the blonde howled, tears running uncontrollably down his face. He knew this was finally it: his friend wasn't coming back.

(sighs) Poor wittle Marik! Poor Kura! Poor Yugi!...Poor EVERYONE...

Walks over to computer calmly...notices only one chappie to go...ACK! (faints) Oh no. My life sucks. >

No no no no no NO! Yeesh...I'm not even finished with the second chappie of the sequel! Damn it all!

Review again, lovies!