Black Roses666: Thank you once again to those who cared to review!
Iluvevilyamis: So true…so true…
Jazzy Uchiha: Thank you!
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO. I only own Kanika and the plot. Thank you!
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CHAPTER 4
((BAKURA))
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Ten years have passed since I've started my training to become a warrior. I've learned to deal with all kinds of weapons and traps my father would throw at me, courtesy of the items he stocked in those crates. He continued thieving, though, gathering gold and food for us to live with…
That was probably the only time I truly accepted him as a thief. For once in my life, I felt that he should really be one.
Going back to my training; fighting seems to come naturally in me. There was no doubt in my mind that I was, indeed, my father's son. There was also no doubt in my mind that I will become one of the Pharaoh's guards in one of the tournaments to come; and that I will see Kanika, my best friend, again.
You could say my determination became my strength, and thank Ra, I finally saw her again…though…something wasn't right…
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The sound of metal clashing metal echoed throughout a small village, which still, until that point, held the scars of an obvious fire that flared it into what it was. Still, the villagers were quick in the regards of moving on with their lives. They were currently having a small competition for the teenagers of the village, just to see who reins strongest; and a certain white haired boy dominated everyone who participated.
Bakura, now at a proud age of fifteen, defeated his final opponent, making him win, once again, the small tournament. With a smirk on his face, he brushed off the girls who crowded around him, begging and pleading for him to take them. Their cried went unheard by his ears, but he can't help but let out a chuckle on how many girls were drooling around him.
Yes, you may say he has certainly grown handsome over the years.
He allowed his white hair to reach his mid-back provided that it spiked upwards as it came down; he wore an opened, black vest, showing off the golden piece attached to his necklace which hung from his neck; black shorts; his skin tanned even darker than before; crimson eyes sharp and fierce; body fitter than anyone could imagine a fifteen year old to have (to put things short, a very, very, sexy Ryou XD).
He continued on with his journey, heading back to his home…or what was left of it. He knew his father wouldn't be there for the man was in a, yet another, raid.
The first he did upon reaching his humble abode was remove the necklace he saw as the most precious item he had left and placed it inside one of the cabinets, hiding it from the greedy eyes of many that may steal it. Though he was the best fighter in the village amongst the boys his age, he didn't care; he wasn't proud at all, in fact, he was rather distant and quiet, which made girls swoon over him.
'I better get some food...dad will be hungry when he comes back, and I need to be in top form if I want to win that tournament…it has been ten years already…I wonder if she's all right…'
He sighed, wondering how Kanika must look by that time. She must've grown to a beautiful girl if she derives her looks from her mother. Shaking the thought out of his head, he grabbed some gold and headed out to the market place.
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It was a long journey there, and so he thanked Ra that his father actually cared enough to give him his very own horse in case of emergencies; like another attack from the Pharaoh's guards. He leaned forwards, effectively increasing the speed of his ride.
Though Kru-Elna was already isolated by sand dunes, it, too, was a far distance from the nearest village to be safe from the eyes of everyone else. Due to this, Bakura allowed his horse to have a short pit stop beside the Nile River; the heat of the sun is unbearable either way for both.
'Fuck…such bad timing…the sun's heat is to its top now…good thing I managed to stop by the Nile…'
He splashed the cool water to his face, allowing it to mix with the sweat falling from his forehead. Hi wiped his eyes to clear his vision and let out a sigh.
"Excuse me, sir, I was wondering if you would allow me to ride on your horse. I desperately need to arrive at the Pharaoh's palace as soon as possible. I'll pay you if you help me out…" a female voice spoke, the owner tapping Bakura on the shoulder ever so lightly.
Bakura turned his head towards the voice, and his eyes snapped wide in shock at the sight of the girl.
Her long, raven haired was tied up by a ribbon; her skin just as tanned as his; her clothes were pure white, a slave's uniform; crimson eyes showing pure maturity.
It wasn't the fact that the girl was rather pretty that shocked him; it was the simple piece of string around her neck with a golden pendant attached to it that startled him the most.
"K-Kanika…" he stuttered, eyes blinking in amazement. If this was, indeed, Kanika, oh, how happy will he be!
The girl's eyes widened slightly, taken aback, but gave him a single nod alongside a sweet smile.
"Oh, Kanika; I've been looking for you for so long!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around his childhood friend, pulling her into a friendly hug. "I thought I would never see you again!"
"I'm sorry and I am truly flattered…" she chuckled at the childishness of the male. "But who are you?"
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Bakura pulled away from her, keeping his hands firmly on her shoulders, eyes wide. He has changed that much?
"It's me, Bakura!" he pointed at himself, trying not to sound as if he was implying that she was stupid. It would cause him too much trouble. He waited ten years to this day, and he better not blow it.
"Bakura…? Sorry, I've never heard of that name as far as I can remember…" was all she replied before she remembered one thing she almost forget. "Oh; I need to get to the castle quickly before Atem begins to worry about me!"
"Atem…?" he asked, astonished. How could she, of all people in the world, forget him, even if she still had the necklace with her? Who was this 'Atem' character and why would he be worried about her? Worse yet, how did this 'Atem' know Kanika?
"The Prince…he's a friend of mine…uh…well, I really have to go and bring this bucket of water to the palace. Please take me there; I will pay you handsomely."
"I…see…all right, I'll take you there, but you needn't pay me back."
'Seeing you is more than enough but if only you would recognize me…' he added mentally.
"Really; but I insist!"
"No, there is no need to pay me back. Now, come, before your…friend gets worried…"
"Thank you once again! I hope it isn't much of a burden to you."
He gave her a small smile before tapping his foot to the ground. Kanika covered the bucket so that none of its contents, which she worked oh so hard for, would spill. Bakura then helped her tie it to the horse. After jumping on, he helped her up.
"By the way…I've been meaning to ask you…how did you know who I am?" she inquired, wrapping her arms around his waist as he kicked the side of his horse. Before they knew it, they were on their way to the palace.
"I…" Bakura started, looking for the right words to say, "let's just say I am your black angel…you're secret guardian…"
"Oh, I see…"
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On and on they sped towards the castle on Bakura's loyal horse. The said boy was actually cursing while on the animal, but he kept it mental so that the girl behind him wouldn't know what he was continuously ranting about.
'I cannot believe it…' he thought, 'that son of a bitch…he stole her away from me! All her memories…it is now pointless for her to continue wearing the necklace I sacrificed to give her; and she can't remember the person that certain gold piece was supposed to remind her of in the first place!'
"Um…sir…?" Kanika's voice caused his heart to jump in glee, happy to hear that sweet and innocent tone that just made him want to spring to life every waking moment; forgetting all his troubles and whatnots. Again, he would be happier if she knew who he was.
"Call me Bakura…" he spoke, half of his tone sighing as he glanced to the girl behind him, hiding a blush to find how close the two were.
"Uh, Bakura; why were you in the Nile a moment ago?"
"I was heading to the marketplace. My village is rather far…so I was just taking a break. That's all…"
"But…I thought there was no other village but a vast desert until Lower Egypt…"
The white haired male swallowed; she has forgotten about Kru-Elna as well as her best friend? What in Ra's name did they do to her?
He gritted his teeth at the thought that she had completely forgotten of the traumatizing flares the Pharaoh's guards produced at the mere word of the King himself.
'Why did you do this to me, Ra? I didn't become a thief and you allowed them to be the thieves in my chronicles and steal my one and only true friend from me before my eyes! You allowed them to steal Kanika from me! Was this how it was to be? If it is then I demand you prove it to me now!'
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Whence the village was in sight, Bakura's wish was cruelly granted by the gods themselves. Horses, five of them to be exact; four holding guards who, by their mere clothes alone, were easily noticed as the Pharaoh's guards, the fifth, however, held the tri-color haired Prince himself. The white haired male held back a glare that would be directed at the handsome Prince and immediately stopped his horse, allowing the five to surround him.
"May I help you…?" Bakura asked as calmly as he possibly could, making sure that he didn't growl or spat at Atem's feet in disgust. You do not have the right to blame him for being that way; his childhood friend, the one he spent ten years of cruel training just to see once again, has been stolen from him by the Prince of Egypt himself.
He held back a sigh when the one contact he had with Kanika slipped away as she hopped down the horse and walked boldly to the Prince.
"Atem, you needn't worry. This kind man just let me onto his horse to travel back here. I'm sorry if I worried you too much; I didn't mean to…" she bowed her head, causing her tied up hair to slide over her shoulder.
"I see…" Atem's violet orbs looked from Kanika to Bakura, "Sorry for the inconvenience but Kanika here has been away for some time and we were worried that she was stolen by a thief."
'Actually, she was stolen, you insolent brat. You stole her from me!' Bakura thought, holding back a glare.
The crimson eyed one them jumped from his horse and grabbed the bucket tied to it before handing it over to Kanika, who whispered to him a small 'thank you' alongside a little smile before heading towards the Prince. The royal male then helped her on, and after she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning on his back ever so slightly, they rode away along with the four guards. A pang of jealousy hit Bakura as he hopped on his horse and rode to the market place.
'Haha…I can tell you are laughing now, Ra. Mocking my pain, you truly enjoy watching me suffer. You make my life miserable as punishment for my father's sins. I cannot believe I trusted you before…how did you become a god in the first place!'
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"Hi there, Bakura; do you need any help with those baskets?"
"No, don't listen to her; let me help you with those!"
Bakura ignored all the pleads and consistent begging of the fangirls he has gained over the years of fighting and continued heading home, trying to get away from those swooning eyes that were probably undressing him right then and there.
Once in his home, he grabbed his own necklace after putting down the items he bought and allowed the golden piece to dance around aimlessly in front of his face.
"Hello, son; you seem troubled. Is anything wrong?" a familiar, deep voice spoke, the owner placing a hand on the fifteen year old's shoulder.
"I saw Kanika today…"
"Oh; really…? How is she?"
"She's grown very beautifully…she's still the same, kind person I knew…she's also very matured now…but…"
"But…?"
"She doesn't remember me…she doesn't know who I am, and she doesn't remember her home…she has forgotten Kru-Elna…"
He clenched his fist and allowed tears to fall from his crimson eyes, not being able to hold them back any longer because of the excruciating pain in his heart as if it carried an unknown weight on it.
"Why does Ra hate me so…?" he asked, burying his face in the palms of his hands.
"You love her, don't you…?" his father sighed, wrapping his arms around his one and only son.
"Yes…and the Prince stole her away from me…"
"So what are you going to do now?"
There was a small pause, probably for Bakura to think over what he wanted to do with his life. Suddenly, the answer involuntarily came out, without being thought over twice.
"I want to be a thief…"
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From that day on, I learned how to become a thief. I was determined to be the best, just as how my father was. I grew into an expert quickly, but I kept my profile low. I have a plan, but I need to make sure I am not known in order for that plan to work when surfaced.
I know that it is common for thieves to lose sight of what is really important to them because of their greed over gold; with that in mind, I scarred a double crossed "T" on my face as a reminder of my mission.
After all, getting the one I love from the palace won't exactly be considered 'stealing', would it?
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Black Roses666: Please review! Sorry for the late update!
