Chapter 5

"Memories"

Stupid birds. Shut up. Those were Bakura's first thoughts when he woke up the next morning. As his senses started to function again, he kept his eyes closed, enjoying the last few moments of the worry-free blissfulness that comes with sleep. Slowly, he became aware of a small, warm object at his side. Cracking his eyes open, he looked down. It took a moment for his hazy vision to clear up, but when it did, his eyes snapped fully open in surprise as he realized exactly what was curled up against him. Shadow had snuggled up to his warm body some time during the night. At the moment, the child's face was pressed against the teen's chest. Bakura noticed that his own arm was draped around the boy's small body.

I wonder how he'll react to this when he wakes up...? Bakura thought with an amused smile.

He didn't have to wait long for an answer to his question. Shadow stirred sleepily. Bakura assumed he must have then opened his eyes, because he let out a yelp of surprise and hurriedly rolled over and away from the older male. The result was that he got hopelessly tangled up in the covers. With a small, helpless whimper, the child started to struggle. Of course, that just made things worse.

Laughing, Bakura reached over and untangled the kid. Shadow looked up at him, surprised. Grinning, Bakura lifted the boy up and carried him to the bathroom connected to the bedroom, where he set the child down. "Will you go by yourself, or do I have to help you?" the teen asked, smirking. In reply, Shadow gave a small scowl and shut the door on the spirit.

Sill smirking, Bakura went back to the bed to wait. His smirk grew wider when he realized this was the first time that Shadow had shown any sort of emotion in front of him. Maybe the child was starting to trust him.

A little while later, the two made their way into the kitchen. Shadow had to trot slightly the keep up with Bakura's long strides. Seto was already there, drinking coffee. Glancing up, he gave a cheerful, "Good morning!" then added "About time you woke up. I've been up since six a.m. getting work done."

"Just because you're crazy doesn't mean we all are," Bakura shot back. He sat down heavily in a chair. Shadow climbed up onto another one next to him. However, he was so small that he was barely able to see over the top of the table.

Seeing this, Bakura sighed, and placed the child onto his lap. "Oh, Seto! I'll have a pot of coffee and my friend here will have milk and toast, please!"

Seto glared at him. "I am not a waitress!"

"Of course not, dummy, you're a waiter. Make it snappy, we haven't got all day," Bakura replied with a sweet smile. Seto snarled, but reluctantly got up to fix their breakfast. Bakura had a feeling that if Shadow hadn't been there, the CEO would've told him to go to hell and get his own food. Shadow merely pretended he hadn't heard anything and stared straight ahead.

When Seto place their orders in front of them (and then proceeded to leave the room before Bakura could blackmail him into doing anything else) Shadow did nothing but stare at the food. "What's with you, kid? Eat, you've gotta be hungry," Bakura said, while downing the whole cup of coffee in one gulp. Ah, caffeine. Shadow didn't move. "Eat," Bakura ordered, grabbing the toast and shoving it brashly in front of the child's nose. "Don't make me feed you."

Shadow looked at the piece of toast like he had never seen anything like it before. Gingerly, he took it in his hands and raised it to his mouth. Bakura watched curiously as the child cautiously licked the slightly burned and lightly buttered bread. Withdrawing slightly and cocking his head, Shadow continued to study the piece of toast intently.

"What's wrong? You never seen toast before?" Bakura asked, puzzled by Shadow's actions. Shadow glanced briefly at him, then gave a very tiny shake of his head.

Bakura started at the kid. Never seen toast! He really didn't want to know…

"Er…yes, well, it's not poisoned. Just eat it, ok?"

Shadow hesitated, then took a small bite. He looked thoughtful as he chewed, then swallowed. His eyes lit up immediately, and he then proceeded to stuff the rest of the toast in his mouth.

"Calm down! The food's not going to run away! You're going to chock yourself!" Bakura yelled frantically.

Shadow ignored him, and quickly devoured the two other pieces of bread on the plate. Then, on pure impulse, he grabbed the now empty plate and shoved it in front of Bakura. He didn't say anything, but it wasn't necessary. It was really pretty obvious what he wanted.

Sighing, Bakura removed the child from his lap and took the extended plate. "I'll try, kid, but you should know I've had some pretty bad experiences with the toaster." he said, while moving across the kitchen. Shadow followed him. It seemed that now that Bakura had gotten his trust, he wasn't going to let the teen out of his sight.

Bakura couldn't help but smile as Shadow patiently stood waiting for his toast to be made. He just hoped he wouldn't disappoint the child…

a/a/a/a/a/

"What happened in here!" Seto gasped upon seeing his kitchen. Bakura was sitting at the kitchen table once more. His bangs and clothes were slightly singed. Shadow was sitting on Bakura's lap, happily munching the over-burned toast. The child didn't seem to mind: this toast had extra butter and jam, so who cared how burned the bread was.

The usually spotless kitchen was a mess. Where the toaster had been, there was only a huge, brown, burned spot and a lot of water. In fact, there was water pretty much all over the place, as well a little pieces of plastic that looked like they had once been a part of the now deceased toaster. Bakura glanced at the mess he had made, then gave Seto an innocent smile. "Just making breakfast! C'mon, kid, let's go." He grabbed Shadow - who had by then finished his breakfast - and left before Seto could say anything else.

a/a/a/a/a/

"Don't worry! The guy's not going to hurt you!" Bakura growled in frustration. He was holding Shadow in place on the bed as Seto's private doctor examined him. The CEO had agreed, after he calmed down over the whole "kitchen fiasco" that morning, to call his own top-notch doctor over to give Shadow a check up. However, the patient wasn't co-operating. He had latched on to Bakura's pants the moment he caught sight of the man and refused to let go. Getting him off had taken fifteen minutes. Convincing him to stay in the same room as the doctor had taken even longer. Shadow seemed terrified and mistrustful of all adults, and Bakura couldn't blame him. However, he would have to find a way to cure the child of this phobia, and soon. It would be very inconvenient if Shadow kept on flinching and recoiling if someone so much as touched him.

The doctor reached over for what felt like the hundredth time, hoping that Shadow would allow to be touched at last. His hopes were short lived. As the hand slowly approached, Shadow leaned back. When it got to the point where he couldn't lean back any farther, he tried to jerk away and run, but Bakura held him in place firmly. Shadow shot the teen a look that said, "I thought you said you were gonna help me!"

The doctor sighed, withdrawing his hand. "If he's not even going to let me touch him, how am I supposed to get anything done?" he demanded, turning to Seto.

"You're the doctor. Figure something out!" was the curt reply.

"Look, Shadow, we don't have all day. C'mon, let the man do his job!" Bakura snapped, his patience having been worn out. Shadow gave him a brief, fearful look, and then seemingly gave up. His eyes turned hard as he turned them towards the floor, and he went limp.

Bakura blinked. Was it something I said?...

The doctor reached forward once more, and this time, Shadow made no move to run. In fact, he didn't move at all. The doctor was able to perform the whole check up without a single struggle. At last, the man stood up straight. "Mr. Kaiba, if I may have a word?" he asked, putting his equipment back in his briefcase. Seto nodded, and the two left the room.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Bakura asked the child on the bed, who showed no signs he had noticed the two men had left. Shadow gave no response at all to the question. Bakura realized, dismayed and annoyed, that the child had once again retreated into his shell.

"Oh c'mon, kid, I didn't mean to yell, if that's what you're mad about. Look, I'm sorry, ok?" Bakura said softly, hoping to make up with the boy as soon as possible.

Shadow looked up at him, paused, and then looked down again. Bakura followed his gaze, and saw the young boy's hand slowly inching towards him. Looking at Shadow once more, he saw that the child was looking at him with something like…hope…in his eyes.

Smiling, Bakura stood up and lifted the little boy up into his arms. "I take it that means you forgive me." he said, grinning. Shadow snuggled up to him in response. Laughing, Bakura said cheerfully, "Let's go get some lunch."

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully. It took hours for Bakura to show Shadow the whole mansion. After dinner (Seto cooked) they spend the night watching TV. Little Shadow stared at the flashing images like he had never seen anything more intriguing. Of course, he probably hadn't. When Bakura noticed Shadow starting to nod off, he stood up to get the child ready for bed.

When he had tucked the boy beneath the covers, he sat down next to him. "Would you…er…like a story?" he asked uncertainly. Seto had said that Mokuba had always loved stories at bedtime when the younger Kaiba had been Shadow's age. Ryou, too, had enjoyed an occasional bedtime story, especially if a storm was raging. His hikari had never liked storms.

Shadow blinked, obviously taken by surprise, before giving a tiny nod. Bakura nodded, staring off into space as he tried to think of something to say. His mind wondered back to the night at the orphanage. That seemed so long ago. He dimly recalled Ikari saying something about a story about an Egyptian king that had made Shadow smile…

Grinning, Bakura knew at once what story to tell. Clearing his throat, he began. "Five thousand years ago, in Ancient Egypt, there lived a young prince named … Atemu. Now, Atemu had never liked the strict rules set by his father, the Pharaoh, nor did he particularly enjoy all the lessons he was forced to take. He had always thought the palace was boring. After all, there were only so many times one could tour a place, even one as big as the Pharaoh's palace, before getting bored. Atemu was young, just a little older than you, actually, and he had plenty of energy to burn off and curiosity to satisfy. So, one afternoon, he decided to get some excitement adventure. He dressed up as a peasant, or a commoner, and sneaked out of the giant palace. He sneaked pass the many guards always guarding him and ventured into the city, where he had always been forbidden to go."

Pausing, he looked down to see that Shadow had already fallen asleep. Smiling slightly, he murmured, "Well, we can finish that story later then. Good night, kiddo." He brushed the child's bangs gently off his face before getting up and leaving the room.

Seto was waiting for him in the living room. "Kid's asleep?" he asked, looking up as Bakura entered and flopped onto the couch. "Yup," the white-haired teen answered. "I told him a story and he fell asleep in the middle of it."

"You told him a story?" Seto asked with a wicked grin. "Well, can you blame for falling asleep halfway through?"

"Shut up. What did the doc say?"

"Oh yes, that." Seto quickly grew serious. "He's definitely been badly abused physically. Judging from his reactions, he's been mentally and emotionally abused as well. He's got quite a few broken bones that never healed properly. He has scars that will never fade completely, again both physically and mentally, but, hopefully, we can eventually get him to open up to us. Other than the many wounds, he's fine health-wise."

"So he'll be ok?" Bakura asked, trying to hide his relief. Even after all this time, his pride was still very big.

"Physically, anyway," Seto muttered.

"He'll be ok. No one's going to hurt him anymore. I swear it," Bakura growled.

Laughing, Seto nodded. "Oh yes. With you watching over him, no doubt he'll never get hit again. Go to sleep, 'Kura. Tomorrow is another big day."

"Oh yes, father," Bakura smirked. Going upstairs, he chose a guestroom right across from Shadow's, and got ready for bed.

As he lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling, a random question popped up in his mind: why was it that Shadow, who had been abused all his life and been taught not to trust anyone, find it so easy to trust him, a stranger he had just met? If he didn't trust the people at the only orphanage to ever be kind to him, why would he trust some strange teen that just popped up in his life one day?

And why did he, Bakura, who had been taught never to care for anyone but himself, find it so easy to get attached to the withdrawn little boy? He, who had never cared for children, was suddenly worried about this child. Out of seemingly nowhere, emotions he had never felt before surfaced. Is this how it felt to be a parent? This overwhelming sense of responsibility that he had not felt even towards Ryou, his own hikari…was this normal?

This was all so confusing. Maybe he should ask Seto. Perhaps the CEO, who was also a big brother, would have some answers to his many new questions.

I wish Yami were here. He'd probably have some idea what to do… Bakura thought sleepily. He smiled softly at that thought. There'd been a time, long ago, when he'd wanted Yami dead. But…stupid pharaoh. Growing soft when he met that big-eyed hikari of his. How he was able to win my friendship is still a mystery to me.

The teen buried his face in his pillow. Stupid Yami. Stupid Pharaoh. Why did you go to all that trouble to be a friend to me if you die so soon afterwards? Do you just like making me suffer?

Bakura's mind flashed back to that dark day, seven years ago. After Battle City, they had all been so sure everyone who wanted the items' powers was gone. But they were wrong. One afternoon, while enjoying a walk in the park, they'd been attacked. Bakura smiled bitterly when he recalled how Ryou had begged him to go, please, because it was a nice day and Bakura should get out more and hang out with friends. Everyone would be there. He had relented when he heard Yami was going to be there, too. Yami was the only one to fully accept him, besides Ryou and maybe Yugi. Ryou because he was his hikari, and Yugi because he was Yugi. That day's attack was different from anything they'd ever encountered. The person wanting the power of the millennium items had powers of his own. Not only that, but he controlled a whole army of Shadow Monsters - creatures summoned from the Shadow Realm. Not duel monsters, but monsters made of the Shadows. They were Shadows of the Shadow realm. Bakura, Marik, and Yami had fought hard, very, very hard, to protect not only the items but their hikaris as well. Even the hikaris were forced to get involved, summoning shields to protect themselves and their friends. They were all fighting. Until that final moment when it all ended…

"Bakura, you idiot, move!"

Bakura turned around to see a huge Shadow Monster, the leader of army who only obeyed its summoner, right behind him. If those hideous things could smile, this one sure did. Bakura couldn't run. His leg had been wounded. He'd never have been able to escape. He shut his eyes, hoping death would come quickly and painlessly.

But the expected death blow never came. There was a huge blast, a defining explosion, and something fell heavily on top of him, knocking him to the ground and back a few feet.

"Yami!" he heard someone scream.

"They're running! Ha! Look at the f--ing things run! Once their leader is dead, they've got no order! All brawn and no brain! Stupid monsters!"

Bakura was gasping, the weight of whatever was on top of him making it impossible for him to move. Then the weight was lifted, and someone rolled him onto his back.

"Bakura? 'Kura-kun, are you ok?"

Bakura opened his eyes to see Ryou bending over him, worry was clearly written on his face, and his eyes were shining with tears.

"What happened?" Bakura croaked. His throat was caked with dust.

"Yami saved you. He jumped in front of the blow and did something…reflected it, I think… and the monster exploded and he collapsed!" Unable to contain his dammed up tears any longer, Ryou started to cry. "I think it took all of his energy, and he got hit by the explosion…"

Bakura looked over to see Yugi crouched over his yami's limp and bloody body. "Yami! Yami wake up! Yami! Don't die, please!" the small teen was screaming, over and over, while tears ran down his face in streams.

Looking at Yami's wrecked body, Bakura suddenly felt the need to throw up, which was unnatural. He, of all people, should be used to blood and death. But there was something different this time. Because this time, as he turned around and avoided the terrible scene, Bakura knew that the person lying dead on the ground wasn't some stranger, or an enemy ,as it usually was, but a friend. A friend who had sacrificed his own life, so that he might live…

He forced the tears back. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't!

The summoner of the Shadow Monsters had disappeared and had never again been seen. Smart guy. The next time they met, Bakura would slaughter him!

I wish you were here, Yami. You always had an answer to everything. Ha. Look at me. I'm going soft.

He moaned, and shook his head. Sleep was tugging at him, inviting him into its arms.