I'm just going to get to it, Bakura is still not right in the head, (smiles) but this chap and the next one should help, by the way I have had a few readers letting me know about my grammar (sighs) I hate grammar and I'm more worried about spelling and getting the story across than anything, but a thanks for letting me know about it anyway that's all from me, enjoy.
Warning: M and Yaoi and contains abuse just a little not much.
Don't own Yugioh
CHAP 34: The Realm Of Anubis Part 1
Marik, Ryou, Malik, Yami, Yugi and Bakura appeared in a large hall, they all looked around, the walls were made of gold and the floor was as if made of sand but never moved and the largest pillars that any of them had ever seen with hieroglyphs from the floor up, and darkness sat a row away from them as if waiting for the flames to go out then engulf them, and the ceiling couldn't been seen at all.
"Where are we?" Ryou bit his lip as he stood next to Marik.
"This is the home of Anubis, Bakura's, Yami's, Seto's and my birth place, the underworld of the dammed and realm to the Egyptian god." Marik started to walk. The hall seemed endless and darkness sat all around them like a vale, truly this god was dark to live in such a place.
It seemed that after a while of walking the vale of the dark lifted and they came to two large doors, Ryou and Malik gasped, "How are we going to open it?" Malik asked, as he looked nothing in this placed seemed to finish at a ceiling. A rumble came and it seemed to shake the whole place, Malik grabbed onto Marik as Ryou grabbed onto Bakura with his eyes shut tight and the doors groaned and opened slowly, when Ryou opened his eyes Bakura was looking at him. Ryou let go and stepped back away from him, he gasped as Bakura gave him a cold smirk, didn't Marik have control over him? He was going to say something to Marik.
"YOU MAY ENTER CHILDREN OF ANUBIS!" The voice boomed and echoed around them, the doors stopped with a boom as well, Marik and Yami walked forward, Ryou walked right next to Marik, didn't he sense Bakura's movement? He glanced back at Bakura over his shoulder that cruel smirk as if in some twisted insane state and those eyes hollow and dull, all directed at him, he knew them all to well, not from Bakura himself, no Bakura could never pull a look like that, but it belonged to someone else or something, maybe the darkness that Bakura had told him about? He shook his head and looked forward, thinking if anything was to happen Marik would know with his item and power and Bakura under it. He let go his lip and glanced down at the sand covered ground that didn't move under their feet. Until Bakura was back to his normal self he would stay away from the reaper, tears gathered in his eyes and he wanted to be held in those strong arms again, though it hurt that he would have to be away for long but it seemed safer.
Marik and Yami stopped and knelt down on one knee, the item in Marik's hand glowed and Bakura knelt as well, Malik and Ryou shared a look but did the same. "Why have you entered into my home?" the voice was loud and Ryou and Malik fought the urge to cover their ears.
"Master, we have a problem at hand." Marik spoke towards the ground.
"Why is the former angel here and a human?" he asked ignoring the statement made.
"I couldn't leave them alone Master." Marik closed his eyes, "I'm in need of your help the former angel and Bakura."
"You took Bakura from that place I put him in, why?" Ryou took the chance to look up but saw nothing a few flame torches and then darkness, an endless amount of darkness that looked like not even the brightest of light could brighten any part of it.
"They have done things to him." Marik glanced back at Bakura then back to the spot in front of him.
"Stand," the small group did as told, "You must be worn out, rest for now and I'll call for you in a while," Marik gave a look that he didn't want to rest he wanted to get Bakura back and go home, "leave Bakura here with me… Ryou." He looked up and stepped forward so that Anubis could see him better if that was him.
"Yes Master."
"You especially need to rest, for what needs to be done will take a lot of strength…all of you." A faint barking could be heard from behind them.
"Master, Bakura is" he didn't get to finish.
"Is under your control I know and I'll keep him that way, go you have no worries here for you are home again." Two funning looking dogs ran in and sat at their feet. "They will take you to where you can rest." The dogs got up and started to walk, the group followed them all but Bakura, once they reached outside, the doors started to close. Ryou took a glace at Bakura but gasped as Bakura was watching him but he grinned as the doors finally closed.
"Ryou are you alright?" he jumped.
"Yeah fine." He turned and looked at Yami.
"Okay then." He gave a nod and started to walk.
"What are they?" Ryou pointed to the dogs.
"Jackals, similar to Anubis except for the fact that Anubis's body is part Jackal and part human with his head being that of the Jackal." Yami said as they caught up with the others. The flames would extinguish right behind them just keeping them in the light as the ones just ahead of them would light up on their own. Malik looked lost as Ryou looked confused, and Yugi didn't even seem to notice at all, but it seemed that they had been walking for hours and the corridor or hall just never turned or bent as they walked in a straight line.
But just a head of them five doorways lit up etched in gold and black paint with torches on each side of the door. "It seems we have a room each." Yami said.
"I'm not sleeping alone in this place." Yugi grabbed onto Yami who chuckled, then the dogs ran off into that vale of darkness. Malik opened a door and walked in not even thinking that Marik would pick another room but the one he was in, and as know by the only human Marik followed but stopped as he reached out and grabbed Ryou's hand and pulled him inside.
The room looked like it was painted gold with hieroglyphs on the walls, and a large bed with a private vale, you could just see through it. Tables with statues on them were placed around the room with candles as well. Malik was already taking off his shoes. "You don't mind do you?" Marik asked as he to was taking off his black boots.
"I don't want to intruded." Ryou bit his lip as he shifted nervously on the spot, Marik walked up to him.
"I wouldn't want you on your own while we're here. Anubis isn't the god to let one off if they wander around into a part that their not supposed to, and it's best that we stay together anyway." He walked past Ryou and locked the door. Malik pulled back the vale and climbed onto the bed.
"Mmm… soft." He smirked as he lay down. Ryou smiled as he walked over and pulled off his shoes, but the serious look on Malik's face set in a frown.
"Malik?" Ryou asked, the teen looked up, "what wrong?" Marik was now behind him.
"He loves beds," Marik looked down, as Malik turned over and snuggled up to his chest and the sound of a soft whimper, remembering the cold nights on a cement floor of a basement… no… his prison that he lived in without escape, the first real bed that he ever saw or even slept in was Marik's. "Sleep now, Anubis will come soon." Marik said as he held Malik more tightly and soon drifted off to sleep.
They slept through the rest of the night. The next afternoon barking was heard from outside the door, Ryou opened his eyes and found Malik had wrapped himself around him, he sighed and moved Malik's arms and legs, he pushed aside the vale as he stood up and pulled on his shoes. A groan came from the bed as Marik slowly sat up, "…Mrn…" he slurred while rubbing his neck. Ryou just nodded and took it as a morning. Marik got up and stretched his limbs and clumsily pulled his boots on, he walked to the door and opened it, "wait, stay," he closed the door sounding more like himself as he ran a hand through his hair and poured water into the bowl near the far wall from the bed and washed his face and dried it, after he glanced in the mirror he looked better, "you can wash up first." Marik said as he walked over to the bed and moved the vale as he lent in and caressed Malik on the cheek slowly waking him up.
Ryou washed his face and fixed his hair by the time Malik did the same, it was five minutes later when they stepped outside the room, the jackals were still there waiting. The door to where Yami and Yugi slept in opened and they too stepped out. Yugi was bouncing with life as always, rather too happy for a demon. They all noticed that the place was brighter, the dark vale that had sat around them the night before, was now open and there were fields of green grass and flowers with crystal blue streams, birds flew in the blue sky with a few white clouds here and there. "This place is beautiful." Yugi gasped as he ran to the edge and looked out trees were placed here and there and gardens where one could sit in the shade.
"Come Yugi, we have other things to do today." Yami said as the dogs started to walk, Yugi pouted and ran after him.
"This place is almost like heaven but more beautiful and peaceful," Ryou said to Marik who nodded and agreed.
"Anubis maybe a dark god of the underworld but he likes to be surrounded by beauty." He said as he took Malik's hand.
"Do you think that he could really help Bakura?"
"I believe so," Marik said not even looking at him and the confidence laced his voice. Ryou frowned Marik seemed to believe in this god and have no doubts about his abilities. Ryou sighed the god did say there wasn't anything to worry about and he could only hope that this was true. They soon came to the large door again but they were open and they towered far up and the ceiling was so high no wonder that they couldn't see it last night he could just barely make out that there were patterns on it.
"COME FORWARD!" the voice boomed and the small group walked in and knelt down before a throne of gold, it looked big enough to sit a giant in it, tall stands with what looked like a bowl on top had smoke rising from it, an incense burner on each side, and around the throne was a view of a mountain with a water fall and trees with fields running off on the sides. "Did you all rest well?" the god seemed to come out of nowhere as black shadows seeped into him and created his form.
"Yes Master thank you," Yami said.
"Stand" he ordered as he sat down in his chair, his arms stretched out just to touch the arms of the throne.
"Master?" Ryou asked taking in how Marik and Yami spoke to the god.
"Ryou I know that you are anxious about Bakura, but don't fret." He said his dog like jaws moving up and down when he talked and his eyes shone gold with brown in the light, narrowed eyes, sharp claws and short black fur, Ryou nodded. From behind Anubis appeared a woman in cream robes and tanned skin with black hair, she walked up to Anubis and hugged him briefly and stood near the throne, behind them a black cat looked them over as it walked over and changed into a woman that looked the same but with short hair and was wearing a white robe and gold jewellery.
Ryou shifted nervously and bit his lip, where was Bakura in all of this? Marik put a hand on his shoulder, just as Ryou was going to ask, Bakura appeared, he looked okay, but they couldn't see his eyes as his hair covered his face. "I have looked into his mind to see and what I found…was something." Anubis said as he looked over the group. "Ryou" Anubis called, and he hesitated but stepped forward anyway his eyes left Bakura and snapped to the god. "Bakura's body was taken over by something that I have never seen, how it got there I don't know."
"Can he be returned to what he once was, Master?" Marik asked, but he didn't like where this was going.
"I have no idea, that is why I have asked Maat…Maat would you." She nodded and walked towards Ryou.
"I to have looked into his mind and body and indeed it is dark and dangerous, but that is to be excepted as he is a Reaper, but this other that has taken over him, is old and powerful. But I nor any other god can help him." She said Ryou lowered his head as tears began to fall and with that the little hope he had within him to save Bakura crumbled with every tear. "But." She said, "we may not be able to help him, but you can." Ryou lifted his head and looked at her.
"How?" he asked. "I'll do anything."
"With your own soul." She said smiling at him.
"My own?" he asked suspiciously.
"Yes, I have looked into your soul when I came into this room and it is the purest I have ever seen an angel posses."
"But I'm not."
"An angel, you still are in many ways." Her face seemed to soften and her green eyes warm.
"But I'm not pure of soul it's twisted and used I can't help anyone with it let alone… him." He gazed back at Bakura with a longing look.
"May I show you?" She asked, Ryou slowly nodded his head. "Don't be scared this won't hurt a bit." The smile never left her lips as Maat put at her hands up and put them palms forward onto Ryou's chest. He gasped as he felt his heart speed up and a warmth ran through him he closed his eyes, Yami, Marik, Yugi, and Malik watched as she put her hand into his chest everything gave way to her hand and when she pulled it out she had his heart in her hands. "The heart, is what the soul lives off, feeds from," she waved her hand and a scale appeared suspended in the air in front of her. "If the heart is tainted and evil, then so to is the soul." Ryou opened his eyes as she put his heart down on the scale and on the other side a feather. "Guilt, hate, bitterness, revenge all taint the heart and soul."
"I have guilt at what has happened to him, and I hate myself for that." Ryou watched, as the scales didn't move at all and his heart vanished and returned back into his body as if never taken.
"No Ryou. What you feel is love. Guilt is something that keeps you up at night after a bad deed, hate is the school yard bully, or the drunk that can't find his happiness at the bottom of a bottle, it comes in many forms, but you feel this is because he is suffering." The scales vanished as she wrapped her arms around him, "you are selfless always thinking of others before yourself, not many do that." She pulled back. "So do you see now?" Ryou looked away.
"I would have helped him weather or not my soul or heart was pure."
"And that little one is pure thinking, not thinking of yourself or that you could die just wanting to save another... selfless" She put her hand on his shoulder.
"What do I have to do?" Ryou looked up at her. She looked at Anubis and he nodded his head approving of what ever it was that she had planed.
"Bakura didn't have a soul when we took him last night, how is that?" she asked the small group and Marik lifted his item up slowly hoping it wouldn't be seen. "Hmm… the millennium items." She said with a grin.
"You stole them from the gods." Anubis growled.
"No Master we," Marik coughed into his first, "'found' them in heaven."
"I'm sure you did, they were taken from us some time ago and they soon were lost to us, funny how the realm of light had them." Marik nodded his head agreeing with the god.
"Yes Master, if you wish to have this one back I'll be…willing to give it to you." Marik said the last part quietly and more to himself.
"We'll talk after, continue Maat." He ordered with a wave of a hand she nodded her head.
"You have his soul?" she asked.
"Yes, I was afraid that what ever was in Bakura's body would destroy his soul eventually." Marik said as the item started to glow and a small white light came out of the eye in the centre, and it on it's own floated over to Ryou, who held out both hands and it sat within them, warmth ran through him and faint whispered words met his ears or his mind he didn't know nor did he care it was Bakura and that's all that mattered to him, he closed his hands around it gently and brought it to his chest as a few tears started to fall.
"I can feel him." Ryou whispered. Maat walked up to him.
"May I see?" She asked Ryou hesitated, this was Bakura's being who he is, in his hands. "I won't touch just look." He nodded his head and opened his hands to her, "That is small the dark within him did indeed devour some of him." She stood up and gave him a smile "this was what I was afraid of and why I need a pure soul, but it seems that even his soul knows you…how odd." She frowned and looked at Anubis.
"Why?" Yami asked.
"Well," she looked at him then Ryou, "A soul should just be motionless, and we gods place them to where they have to go, but this one chose Ryou, so this is a good thing for what we need to do." She turned.
"Well everything seems in order." Anubis said, "I don't have all day Maat, so on with it." She nodded again.
"Ryou please come with me," she walked and stood next to Bakura. Ryou followed her the white light cast it's light on his face and chest like a candle. She moved Ryou to stand right in front of Bakura, "Marik." She called.
"If your planning to do what I think you are, then don't." Marik said as he stood next to Ryou, "you have no idea what your doing." He growled.
"Please Marik." Ryou begged with tears in his eyes, "I want him back." Marik looked away and closed his eyes.
"You have no idea what you're asking me or them to do Ryou." Marik looked at him, "this could kill you." Marik said, but he wasn't going to tell Ryou that it would be Bakura who would kill him.
"Marik!" Anubis hissed narrowing his eyes, Marik nodded his head and walked up to her. She placed him on the other side of them. "Now if you wouldn't mind to bring out Ryou's soul as well." He held it up and it glowed and another white light came out of Ryou's chest it was the size of a basketball his head bowed and his hair fell over his face.
"Now Marik combine them together." Marik closed his eyes and the white lights lifted up out of Ryou's hands as they fell to his sides, as the souls touched they shot out a brighter light then what they were before, and then one floated in the air above there heads. She looked them over and closed her eyes as Ryou form became transparent, and shimmied like a heat wave. "Marik, force him forward." Marik frowned with his eyes closed and his nose started to bleed. Ryou stepped forward slowly and his body merged with Bakura's.
TBC
I'll try to make it so your not left confused or with any questions in the next chap, as it will be the last one to this story (sighs) anyway
R&R.
