As the first judge stood, Ryou nervously clutched the chains at his yami's feet. Bakura heard them rattle beneath him, but paid little heed. The trial had already begun.
"On the first great law – Thou shall not kill, nor bid anyone killed." The god spoke. Bakura just stared at his own feet. "You have directly killed thousands of men, and indirectly caused the death of millions of souls. You are guilty."
As he read, the ibis-headed Thoth recorded the verdict. Osiris nodded to the second to stand. The procedure quickly became obvious, even after only one god.
"On the second great law – Thou shall not commit adultery or rape." The next judge announced. "You pillaged several young women, resulting in several illegitimate descendants. And for generations, they have shared in your punishment. You are guilty."
Ryou looked up at him, somehow knowing his yami was capable of that. And he knew in his heart that somehow, he must be one of those descendants, hundreds of generations later.
"On the third great law – Thou shall not avenge thyself, or burn with rage."
Ryou knew there was no denying that one. Bakura knew it too.
"You have done nothing except those crimes for the past three thousand years. Your hatred so bottomless, that it carried beyond death. Even in the presence of Anubis, you cursed the pharaoh. I find you guilty, and filled with vengeance."
"Righteous vengeance." Bakura couldn't stay silent. "He destroyed my village! Murdered my family! Everyone I knew!"
"Silence." Anubis shouted.
"Oh yami, be careful…"
When the prisoner had quieted down, the next judge stood up.
"On the fourth great law – Thou shall not cause terror." The god spoke. "You brought fear to numerous kingdoms and times. Your name is synonymous with terror, in many languages. You are guilty."
"On the fifth great law - Thou shall not assault anyone or cause anyone pain." The next god stood, facing Bakura. "The numbers of those you have injured are just as many as those you have killed. Even after death, you have caused much pain. Even to the one who housed your spirit in his body."
Ryou glanced up at the judge. He was talking about him.
"You caused that boy endless pain and suffering."
"It… wasn't all… suffering…" he whispered, staring up at his yami. "… You… you did save me… that one time in Battle City…"
"It wasn't all suffering!" he repeated aloud, compelled to say something with Ryou present. But his memories were hard to ignore. Thoughts of the boy's unconscious body quickly filtered through the eyes of the gods, along with images of his torn and beaten flesh.
"You are guilty."
Another stood up.
"On the sixth great law – Thou shall not cause misery." The deity stared down at Bakura with contempt. "I speak for everyone whom you have hurt. Misery clings to you like a shadow. Guilty."
The gods continued.
"The eighth great law – Thou shall not cause the shedding of tears." The next stood. Bakura glanced down at Ryou. The boy looked as though he was about to burst into tears at the god's very statement. "The tears of sadness caused by your rampages could fill the Nile. Guilty."
"The tenth law - Thou shall not steal nor take that which does not belong to you." Another god spoke. "Self-appointed King of Thieves. The mockery of your royal title speaks to this end. Everything you ever obtained was stolen, from simple food in the marketplace to the ring of wisdom, the millennium ring."
"You do what you can to survive." Bakura managed to counter.
"And for that, you will be rightfully punished."
Ryou glanced up at his yami, just imagining how difficult his life must have been.
"The eleventh law - Thou shall not take more than thy fair share of food." The god stated simply, in a quieter voice than the last. "Your gluttonous feast after the murder of one of the high priests comes to mind first. And that was not the only transgression. You are guilty."
Ryou just watched. There was definitely a pattern forming here.
"Sixteenth law - Thou shall not use fiery words nor stir up any strife. Does this sound familiar? 'One thief will start a war!' You are guilty."
Ryou just sat and listened, clutching the chains at his yami's feet. The charges came one after the other. And the more they came, the more he wished he didn't have to listen.
Thou shall not use fiery words nor stir up any strife. Thou shall not speak or act deceitfully to the hurt of another. Thou shall not speak scornfully against others. Thou shall not ignore the truth or words of righteousness. Thou shall not judge anyone hastily or harshly… And the verdict was always guilty.
As each deity took his seat again, Bakura grew more hopeless. And that, in Ryou's mind, was far more tragic than listening to how many gods wanted to condemn him.
"Yami… please… don't lose hope yet…"
"Twenty second law - Thou shall not disrespect sacred places." The first god on Osiris' left side stood. "You destroyed many of our temples, disrespected the tombs, and ravaged the Shrine of Wedju. Guilty."
"… oh yami…" Ryou whispered, still listening.
Thoth rapidly wrote down each verdict on a stone tablet, with Ma'at looking on from the scales. Bakura could offer very little in his defense, but Ryou doubted that the ibis-headed deity would have recorded it anyway.
"Twenty fourth law - Thou shall not be angry without good reason." The next god stood, and watched the thief silently for what felt like an eternity. "Not guilty."
The other gods turned their heads, and a low roar descended upon the chamber.
"Bakura possessed bottomless anger, but it was not without reason."
The white-haired thief stood dumbfounded for a moment. One of the gods was actually speaking in his favor. He glanced down at Ryou, whose face was beaming.
"Maybe that will help!" he exclaimed.
"Probably not." Bakura attempted to remain reasonable. He didn't want to give his hikari a false sense of hope. One innocent verdict in the first twenty-four didn't spare anyone from Ammut's belly. Though it did give him a slight bit of encouragement. He was about to die a second time, but he wasn't going to do it idly.
The gods continued.
"Twenty ninth law - Thou shall not despise nor anger the gods." The deity glanced around the room, eyes falling on Anubis. "Your hatred of Horus incarnate was legendary, thief Bakura. As is your behavior now."
"Does it look like I particularly care?" Bakura fumed, finally finding his voice.
"… be careful yami… You're… in enough trouble already…"
"Stop with this pathetic trial! You're going to condemn me anyway! What does it matter how many people I slaughtered? How many gods I took down with me? How many years of my imprisonment in that item I spent plotting my revenge against the people who destroyed my life!"
"You will be silent!" Anubis shouted, pointing his staff at the shackled thief.
"I've heard enough of this shit!" Bakura shouted again, struggling in his chains.
"On the count of anger towards the gods, he is guilty." The deity continued, as though the interruption didn't even occur. Several more gods stood up, and gave their verdicts. Thoth recorded each of them thoughtfully as Bakura sunk back into defeat.
Ryou watched his yami, clutching the chains tighter. He knew what Isis had told him – that he should not attempt to change fate, merely watch it happen. But there had to be something he could do.
"Thirty third law - Thou shall not steal from nor disrespect the dead."
Bakura simply stood there. That was the law written against tomb robbers. It was the law that, when broken while living, the punishment would be nothing short of death by impalement.
"By your actions, pharaoh Akunumkanon, a living embodiment of Horus, was sentenced to a second death!" the god shouted. "You deserve second death for this crime alone, vile spirit."
"My family got the same treatment, thanks to him!" Bakura shouted back. "He deserved it!"
"Silence!" Anubis roared again. "I have heard enough from you!"
The jackal-headed god strode through the hall, taking Bakura's chains in his hands. A wave of white magic coursed through the metal, sending waves of pain through Bakrua's spiritual body.
"… Stop it!" Ryou shouted, although he couldn't be heard. The chains were ripped from his invisible hands.
Bakura fell to his knees, forcing himself to stay silent. He knew a scream of terror would only give the pharaoh's guards satisfaction. Gods weren't any different.
"I hope his soul was devoured too!" he spat out, staring back up at Osiris with fire in his eyes. "And if I had the chance, I'd kill him a third time too!"
"You will be silent!" Osiris repeated, while Anubis delivered another blast of magical energy. Sparks flew through the tips of Bakura's white mane, but he still kept his composure.
"On the thirty sixth great law - Thou shall not interfere with sacred rites. You are guilty!"
"On the thirty eigth great law - Thou shall not act with guile or insolence." The next god stood up, while Anubis kept the imprisoned soul from committing this same sin yet again. "I think we have seen enough of this. Guilty."
"I'm not afraid of you! I'm not afraid of any of you!" Bakura shouted, thrashing in the chains.
Ryou trembled, watching the spasms of pain erupting from his yami. Tears burst from his eyes.
"They're… going to take my yami away… Just… Just like Yugi and his yami did…" he whispered to himself, leaning on the tiny platform where his yami was still struggling to stand. "He's going to be devoured… and…. And I'll have nothing… nothing left at all…"
"I'll take you down with me!" Bakura screamed, thrashing wildly. His fist, through either fate or chance, managed to connect with Anubis's jaw. The god fell backwards from the platform and the entire room fell silent.
Ryou gasped. Bakura dared not even speak.
"This is enough!" Osiris finally stood, towering over the other judges. He pointed his staff at the thief. "There is no redemption for you, Bakura. And were there a fate worse than second death, I would condemn you to it."
The god's divine voice echoed in the chamber.
"But for now, you will be silent!" A ball of white energy resonated from his staff. Bakura's eyes widened as the blast was hurled towards him. There was nowhere he could move to avoid it, and nothing he could do to stop it.
The massive attack struck. Were it not for the chains holding him in place, his spirit would have broken the walls of the chamber as it crashed through the hall of Ma'at. As the dust cleared, his body laid silent and motionless on the platform, chains still wrapped around it.
Osiris took his seat, and the last few judges delivered their verdicts with quiet voices. They were all guilty.