Tarnished Soul

"What is darkness? Merely an absence of light. Or, perhaps, it is when the light is hidden away, to keep it from extinguishing. Darkness, whether good or ill, hides within itself. Maybe to protect itself? For when light comes into a darkened room, see you not how the shadows fall back? Does that not speak of fear, and a fear of being hurt? Many claim to be light, and others dark. Me? What am I but another lost soul looking for truth? Which way do I turn? Who do I follow? None. I shall go my own way. I shall stay in the shadows, neither dark nor light."

Sirithiliel, Jynn A'Tonic

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Story plot, world, etc is.

Summary: AU. Dark fic. Bakura, a demon like no one has ever seen one before, arrives in a land already torn by conflict, and it is up to the Angel Prince Atemu and Bakura's long lost brother, Ryou, to stop him. But is there something even darker on the horizon?

Author's Explanation: Now, when you hear 'angel', you probably think of the feather-winged avatars from God, and when you hear 'demon, you think of their evil, dragon-winged counterparts who exist in Hell. These are not those Angels, or those Demons. They are called by such names merely because they bear a resemblance to the mythical creatures. The angels of this earth did indeed have feathered wings, which is why they were named after the icon of purity and goodness. The demons bore the same resemblance to the demons of the religious type, with great bat wings, barbed tails, fangs and claws. But in my story there is no God, no Heaven or Hell. I used the names merely for their resemblance.

09/17/06

Chapter Three

"Ryou, you are hereby placed under arrest," Jou intoned, shaking slightly at what he had to do.

"What?" Malik, Marik, and Isis shouted as one. They had followed the Jou and Honda outside, with Rishid close behind.

"But you can't prove it was him!" Malik shouted, tears gathering in his eyes.

"It couldn't have been Ryou!"

"Let's all just calm down, and go inside. We'll discuss this in a mannerly fashion." Isis said, and everyone decided this was a wise idea and followed her indoors.

Atemu was set on a bed and handed a mug of tea to calm his frayed nerves. He was already breathing easier, and his thoughts were once again becoming organized and coherent.

"Now, what happened Atemu?" Isis asked, primly making tea for everyone. Ryou was sitting between Marik and Malik, staring at the ground.

"I went for a walk," Atemu said, shuddering as he thought about it. "And out of nowhere this Daemon appeared. He had silver hair, and then he leaped at me," He glanced at Ryou, before looking away. "I panicked, and flew as fast as I could back here. I think he started to fly after me, but stopped when you guys came out." He was trembling again. "He was so fast…if you guys hadn't scared him off, he would have caught me."

"Was it Ryou?" Isis asked calmly, and Atemu had to admire her ability to maintain a calm exterior in a crisis.

Atemu paused to consider the question. It had looked like Ryou, being a Daemon and having silver hair…but…

"No."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, even Ryou glanced up.

"No?" Jou repeated, blinking. "You were saying it was him when we found you!"

"I was panicking, like I said." Atemu replied. "He was too tall to be Ryou. He was as tall as you, Jou." The Prince said, eyeing his friend's height critically to make sure his observation was close. "But he did look a lot like Ryou."

"Look like Ryou?" Marik said, blinking at them. Then he realized something. "You said 'Daemon'. Everyone knows their myths." He said, narrowing his eyes.

"Not true, brother."

Everyone looked over at Isis in surprise.

"You mean they are real? But Ryou can't be a Daemon! He's not mean enough!" Malik exclaimed, causing Ryou to blush slightly. Him, a Daemon? Ridiculous!

"That is in part due to how he grew up." Isis explained. "Ryou is a Daemon. But he is not the one who attacked Prince Atemu." She said.

"And how do you know that?" Honda asked, just a tad snidely. "He had silver hair, and Ryou has silver hair!"

"Let her speak," Atemu said softly, and Honda muttered but did so.

"Ryou, just know that I never told you this for your own good." Isis said, turning to the Daemon. Ryou nodded, and she continued, addressing everyone. "I used to live in Hamset with Marik and Malik, and our parents." She began, glancing at her brothers who looked surprised.

"We had lived there?" Malik asked, before Marik shushed him.

"Yes. Anyways, our mother was the Healer of the village, and I was being trained under her supervision. One night a woman with two young children, one about two, the other four, stumbled in, seeking shelter. We gave it to them, and learned that she was a Daemon, fleeing her life underground with her sons."

Atemu was listening intently, for though she had told him a little bit about this, he could now hear the full tale.

"Being Healers, we couldn't just send her out for being a Daemon. So we accepted them into our home, keeping them from the other villagers. Ryou, you used to play with Malik and Marik all the time, but your brother…"

"My…brother?" Ryou asked, his voice low. He couldn't remember…a vague image…but nothing concrete.

"Yes. Well, he spent a lot of time in the orchard, reading. A few months later, out of the mountain caves came a group of Daemons, led by one of the most terrifying people I have ever seen. I was only eight at the time, but I still remember it." She paused, closing her eyes as she went deeper into the tale.

"They killed the villagers who came out to defend our village, and burned the houses. Their leader came after us, and my mother, as well as yours, Ryou, told us to run. I took you, Malik and Marik, and took off, flying as far away as we can. And when we couldn't fly, we ran." She shuddered. "Both our mother and father were killed in their attempt to cover our escape, as did Ryou's mother."

"And my brother?" Ryou whispered.

"Your brother..." She sighed, and her eyes, already glistening with unshed tears, showed unfathomable sorrow.

"Your brother was seen being taken by the Daemons back to their caves." She turned to Ryou, "Even though you two were two years apart, you both were exactly identical in appearance." At this, everyone's eyes widened.

"You mean…" Atemu trailed off. Isis nodded, sighing.

"It is Ryou's brother out there, killing and destroying." She said, looking as if the thought caused her pain. "He was such a darling child…how could this have happened?" and the tears fell.

"Is he here alone?" Atemu pressed, needing information. Marik and Malik were shocked, now knowing how their parents died, (it had never been spoken of before), and Ryou was staring into space, deep in his thoughts. He had a brother.

He had a brother!

But that brother was out there, killing and enjoying it…

"More than likely, he probably escaped his father's hold on him and fled up here. Why he is slaughtering people, I don't know." Isis replied, wiping the tears away.

"Why do you think that?" Honda asked.

"If you had seen their father, you would understand. His upbringing would have been harsh, there is no other way his father would raise him." Isis said, tears still falling.

"Maybe he went a little nuts down there then, eh?" Jou commented, and everyone fell silent as they absorbed the comment, and realized the possible truth in it.

"What are we going to do?" Ryou asked, and oddly enough, there was concern in his eyes.

"I don't know." Atemu responded, rubbing his temples. "If he is insane because of how he was raised, and it is a probable idea that he was raised by a ruthless father, then it is not necessarily his fault that he is the way he is."

"But that he still is out there killing people!" Honda reminded harshly, "He nearly killed you, remember?"

"I hate to agree, but even if it is because of how he was raised, he needs to be stopped." Jou agreed, sighing and leaning backwards in his seat.

"And I haven't forgotten that," Atemu replied, 'Don't think I could if I wanted too…' he mused to himself, "We need to notify my father of what happened, and our situation. Then we need to figure out how to stop him, and maybe even see if we can help him."

"Help him?" Ryou asked, fidgeting. He didn't even know his brother, and yet he wanted to help him, because if his…their…father did this…

Ryou sighed. He had grown up in a loving household with Isis and the twins, while his brother probably had lived a miserable, dark life until he had escaped. Ryou just couldn't bear the unfairness of it all, and knew that a part of it was his own kindness. But another part was one of his deeper secrets that he wanted his mother, or his family, not just Isis, Marik, and Malik.

Not that he didn't love them, and appreciate them and their kindness towards him, but still…

"Yes, help him." Atemu said, thinking hard. "We might be able to…I can't think of the word, but the closest I can think of is 'cure' him." He shook his head. "Or maybe he's too far gone in his insanity to be helped."

"Well then we'll just have to see." Jou said, smiling cheerfully. If his Prince, and closest friend, thought it was worth a try to catch and actually try and 'cure' this murderer, then he'll trust him and help to his fullest extent.

"Yeah…" Honda agreed, a bit more reluctant on the idea, but still putting his trust into his Prince.

"We'll help too!" Malik volunteered, standing up.

"What?"

"Well, he is Ryou's brother, and apparently we had known him when we were little, so it is kind of our obligation to help him. After all, Ryou's basically been adopted into our little family, so that makes the other one family too…" Malik said, before looking a bit insecure and glancing at Isis.

"Doesn't it?" he wondered, thinking maybe he had gone too far on the subject.

"Yes, Malik. He is as much a part of our family as Ryou is. I believe there is hope for him to redeem himself," She replied, smiling at her brother and proud of his attitude on the subject.

"What is his name?" Marik wondered, because for the life of him he couldn't recall a name, or a face, or anything.

"Bakura," Ryou said, and everyone turned to stare at him.

"How did you know?" Isis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know…just…popped in my head while I was racking my poor brains trying to remember him…" Ryou said sheepishly.

"Well, I say we go to sleep and discuss this after breakfast tomorrow." Atemu interrupted, though he smiled slightly to comfort the jittery Ryou.

"A wise idea, it is getting late." Isis agreed, and she stood. "I'm afraid our house is small, but there is the couch, and it might be a bit odd, but we have the beds out in the fore section for Healing purposes, but could suit you for the night."

"Sounds great, thanks." Atemu replied, standing as well and immediately claimed the couch as his. Honda and Jou followed Rishid into the fore section to sleep in the beds out there.

In the bedroom with the twins and Ryou, they were softly discussing the day's events.

"A Daemon…I just can't believe it…" Malik wondered. "I thought all along they were just myths and stories for naughty children."

"Yeah…" Ryou mused, flicking his tail about and regarding the barbs absently.

"Well, it doesn't make you any different in our eyes," Marik reassured, and Ryou smiled in thanks.

"Just means I'll listen more carefully to your threats of biting me, though." Marik teased, grinning as Ryou snorted. Malik giggled, and they fell into a comfortable silence until they nodded off to sleep.

- 0-0 -

Bakura paced, hissing in agitation. The angel had gotten away, and that irritated him. He snapped his tail at a sapling as he passed, and it snapped from the force, the leaves torn in places from his barbs.

His father wasn't going to be too long to finish off the small blood feud that he was involved in down in the caves against the other Daemon tribe. Once he had quelled all the enemy down there, he would begin looking for his wayward son and bring him back.

Back to that hell! Bakura snarled, shuddering at the thought of what his father would do to him when he caught him. IF he caught him, that is.

Bakura did not know what he was looking for, but there was something…something in the back of his mind that urged him to keep looking, keep looking. If he found it, he stood a chance of never going back. But the more he tried to focus on what it was he was searching for, the harder it was to see.

So he just went with it, ranging the countryside and killing any who opposed him…or just happened to be there. He avoided the daylight, being used to the lightless depths of the caves. The light hurt his sensitive eyes.

He regarded the small forest he was currently hiding in. It was mostly sparse woodland, with the trees spread about, but there was a dense cluster of them near the center, which is where he was staying.

He crouched on the ground, observing the village in the beginning of dawn. It was small, it wouldn't take him long to slip though, a quiet shadow killing all in their sleep. And then he could burn the buildings…

But no…this wasn't the right time. Whatever he was searching for was tied up in this village, and he wanted to find it before he burned it down.

As the light began to brighten, the sun beginning to rise, he backed into the cluster of trees and found a nice, dark area to sleep the day away.

- 0-0 -

In the morning, over a breakfast that Isis and Rishid cooked up, they discussed what they could possibly do.

"We need to send a letter to my father," Atemu said, munching on sliced apples, delighting in the sweet taste.

"Yeah, and then we need to find this Bakura, and hopefully keep him busy until we can find a way to contain him." Honda put in, licking honey off his fingers. Jou was too busy eating to put in his two-sense, as were Marik and Malik.

"I really hope we can do this," Ryou admitted a tad bit sheepishly. When he got curious looks from Atemu and Honda, he blushed slightly. "Well…"

"He's your brother, and even if you don't remember him, it doesn't change that fact." Atemu said softly, smiling understandingly. Ryou smiled back, and they continued breakfast.

Surprisingly, Atemu and Ryou got along well, whereas Malik and Jou found similar spirits within each other. Honda and Marik, however, were a tad distrustful of each other.

Atemu got a boy from the stable to take a swift horse and deliver a message to King Solomon about their situation.

The rest of the day, Ryou did his Healer training with Isis, while Malik took the trio from the Kingdom to the more scenic areas around the village, while Marik helped Rishid with some repairs on the roof that had happened during the storm.

"Man, what is it like to live here all the time?" Jou asked, sprawled on the hill top that Malik, Marik, and Ryou had been cloud watching from the day before.

"Hmm…I don't really know. I like it here, it's quiet, peaceful, and all that." Malik replied, frowning slightly.

"How can you not know?" Honda wondered, spreading his wings out over the grass to soak up more of the sun.

"Well…I don't have anything to compare it too. I've never been to a Kingdom, or even a town. Only this village." Malik said, running his fingers through the primary feathers on his right wing, removing burrs that he had collected on their walk through the trees.

"And Hamset," Honda reminded, and Malik flinched, before nodding.

"Yes, that too. But I don't remember that, so I don't think it counts." Malik said, shrugging it off.

"Point," Jou put in, tossing a smooth, polished rock from hand to hand.

Malik jumped to his feet suddenly, motioning for them to follow.

"Come on! I have to show you the lake!" He said excitedly, "Only Marik, Ryou, and I know where it is! We go fishing there!" he explained, and he led them through the sparse woodland deeper into the forest that bordered the east side of the village.

They pressed through on a well worn, if small, path. And, suddenly, the small path lined with dense trees on both sides opened up into a small lake that sparkled in the light, small ripples from the light breeze ghosting across its surface.

"Beautiful," Atemu commented, watching with admiring eyes. A fish jumped somewhere, and a flock of ducks were out in the middle of the lake floating serenely.

"It is, isn't it?" Malik agreed. "I love it here." He sighed, sitting on a pile of rocks that went right up to the lake and even out into it a ways. It looked perfect for fishing.

"I can see why," Jou said hopping from rock to rock until he was on the one farthest out into the lake, balancing with wings half spread.

Honda and Atemu sat under a large willow, watching the scenery and just enjoying and appreciating life.

"Do you think what we doing is right?" Honda asked quietly.

"In trying to help this murderer, instead of slay him or put in prison for life?" Atemu responded, turning his friend.

"Yeah,"

"I don't know." The Prince sighed.

"Hmm. Are we even sure what we heard is the truth?" Honda wondered, sounding a tad unsure.

"I'm certain it is, but we can't prove it until we find this Bakura, and make sure that there are two, and not just Ryou." Atemu explained, watching Malik and Jou skip rocks across the glassy surface.

"You're right about that," Honda agreed. "Not until we find Bakura."

- 0-0 -

Night fell, and they still lounged by the lake. They had been joined by Ryou and Marik, who came with a picnic dinner, compliments of Isis.

"She told us to be careful and stay together." Ryou told everyone as they lit the lanterns they had brought, dishing out the food.

"She actually is letting us out here?" Malik wondered, bemused.

"Well, I asked her that, and she said that the Prince and his friends are going to have to meet up with Bakura sooner or later, since they are looking for him, and better have us here to help where need be." Marik replied, biting into the roasted chicken with a groan of appreciation. He LOVED Isis's cooking!

"This is rather nice, you know?" Jou said, glancing up at the sky that was sprinkled with stars, the moon a paper thin crescent. The forest was peaceful, filled with cricket chirps and the low warbling of night birds. The lake was spread out in front of them, frog croaks echoing just as loud as the cricket chirps, and the occasional splash of a night animal fishing.

"Yes, it is. Wonder how long it will stay that way." Honda mused, also glancing about, but for a different reason.

The night went on relatively with little mishap, only Honda and Jou getting into an argument, Marik picking on Ryou, and the usual stuff.

That is, until about midnight, when they froze as all the night sounds suddenly fell silent. Not a frog croaked, nor cricket chirped, the birds were silent as death, and even the wind seemed to have died.

"Guys…this is creepy…" Jou trailed off, as a low, feral growl started rumbling from somewhere in the forest behind them. Atemu shuddered.

"There's that sound again," He whispered to the others.

"Bakura?" Ryou murmured back, wide eyed.

"Yes,"

Two glowing eyes were suddenly visible, igniting in the darkness ahead in a very terrifying manner. The light from their lanterns kept the other back for a few minutes, before he began to stalk forwards.

He stopped at the barest edge of the light, and now they all were able to get a good look at him.

And what they saw made them stare in shock, as well as something very similar to pity.

He looked extraordinarily like Ryou, with long silver hair that hung down his back, pale skin, and gleaming red eyes. He was definitely a Daemon, as the two claws on his wings and long barbs on his tail would tell.

But what made them wince in something very similar to sympathy and/or pity were the scars. One, looking like a double crossed T, extended from below his right eye and nearly to his chin, and was probably very painful when it had been received.

His wings, as well, were slightly tattered at the edges, and there were healed rip scars in the membrane between the 'fingers' of his wings. There were probably other scars as well, below the long, shielding cloak he wore to hide the majority of his body.

He took a step forward, growling menacingly, drawing two daggers from within the folds of his cloak. His tail lashed eagerly, the barbs looking perilously sharp and deadly.

"Man, he's gonna kill us all…" Jou muttered, fear making him unable to do anything but back up. It seems the others were suffering from similar issues, as they didn't do anything but stare in fear.

Those eyes…they were almost hypnotic, and as Jou looked deeper into those intense, flaming eyes, he felt himself being drawn deeper in.

Shaking his head, snapping himself out of it, he stumbled back, feeling water begin to seep into his boots.

"Don't look him in the eyes," He hissed to the others, and they hastily did as he said.

Bakura continued to approach. He had been flying above the town, when he had noticed the lights at the lake edge.

And, going to investigate, had yielded some interesting finds.

He couldn't see the entire group, but he could tell that the front three were angels, and the rest were probably the same.

And they will all die.

He tensed, crouching, preparing to leap into the middle of the group and begin the slaughter.

And they knew it.

They stepped back, and seemed to be getting ready to fight back. Ha! With what? Their forks?

Snickering to himself mentally, Bakura readied his daggers. Who should he kill first?

Wait, what was this?

Ryou pushed himself to the front of the group, and he didn't have a clue as to what he was trying to do.

Bakura's lip curled in a savage snarl. So he wanted to be first? Very well, he will…be…

His thought trailed off, his mind blanking out.

The silver haired Daemon stared at the other silver haired Daemon, both seeming to try and stare the other down.

As much as Ryou wanted to back down below the insane glint in those ruby eyes, he knew that his friends' lives counted on getting through to his lost brother.

"Bakura," He said softly, and was surprised when the other Daemon paled at the mention of his name. He glanced about, as if looking for hidden enemies sneaking up on him.

"Who are you?" He whispered harshly, his voice was a pleasant baritone that was nearly covered by the dark and cold tone he used.

"Ryou, your brother," Ryou replied, hoping beyond hope that his brother would remember.

"I don't have a brother," Bakura snapped back, sliding a few feet to the left, seeking an opening.

"Yes you do!" Ryou growled back, gaining courage from the presence of his friends behind him.

"You also have us!" Marik said suddenly, stepping up beside Ryou.

"And who are you?" Bakura hissed, baring his fangs. This was confusing to him, and that was not good during a battle. Who were these people? Why did the one claiming to be his brother look so familiar, as did the other one beside him?

"We were friends when we were kids, before you were taken away!" Malik responded, stepping up beside his brother and Ryou.

Bakura carefully hid the alarm and confusion beneath an angry exterior. It seemed so true…his father had loved to gloat about his excursion to the surface world, and was constantly telling the story on how he had burned the village to the ground and slew Bakura's mother, and left his younger brother to wander the wilderness until he died. His brother was always seen as weak by his father, and such wasn't hunted down after the village burnt to ash.

His younger brother...what was his name? Racking his brains, hunting the back corners of his mind for the foggy remnants of that night, he pulled out two different names:

Ryou and one other:

Marik.

Now the Daemon before him could very well be his brother. He looked the right age, even had the silver hair, and had the proper name…but those could be learned and then faked, yes?

But who was Marik?

"That doesn't answer my question," Bakura rumbled, and pointed his dagger at the purple eyed angel. "What is your name?"

They stared at each other, Bakura with a sort of desperate determination in his eyes.

"Marik," he replied, and Bakura paused, eyeing the small group. They knew that name as well…what else did they know? How would he know what was truth and what was faked?

"We're telling the truth, Bakura." The other Daemon said gently, doing a very good impression of caring. Heh, as if he really cared! Nice act though, he should get points for making it believable.

"We were there when the village was attacked, Bakura. You stayed with us and our sister, Isis! You remember Isis?" the smaller angel twin asked.

Isis…

Flashes of a solemn, dark haired girl, dressed in Healer-trainee robes…

Shaking his head to clear the images, he snarled at them.

"Lies! All lies! You can't possibly be telling the truth!" He hissed, tail whipping behind him in agitation.

"But we are," Ryou said softly, wanting so much to soothe the troubled mind of his brother. It was funny, this was the first time he had seen his brother in fourteen years, and he was already willing to do anything to make everything alright.

"We are," Ryou repeated, "Don't you remember? Mother? Remember her? She would sing to us every night, she called you her little Kura, remember?" Ryou said in a rush, unsure as to where the memories were coming from but relieved that they did.

Bakura was frozen in shock. He had been four when the village tragedy had happened, Ryou had been two. So Bakura remembered more than Ryou, but…only the real Ryou would know that!

But his father said Ryou died in the wild, left alone as he was…but what if he hadn't been alone? What if he had been with this Marik, and Isis and the nameless twin? He would've survived then, yes? Bakura had harbored the hope while he trained in the dark caves under his father's supervision that his brother and mother would have survived, and would come and save him from this hell.

But it had never happened, and so he had believed them dead. Ryou wasn't dead though, but he hadn't come to rescue Bakura. Then again, he couldn't have succeeded if he had tried, being as young as he was…

"Bakura?"

The white haired murderer looked up, realizing that Ryou had been calling his name. His brother was watching him with those concerned eyes again…

Did he just refer to the Daemon across from him as 'his brother'?

Yes, yes he did.

Needing to think this new information over, Bakura backed away from those gentle eyes. There was only sincerity in those eyes…no hint of ill intent, or falsehood in them.

"Bakura?"

"Stay away from me!" Bakura hissed,

And charged.

- 0-0 -

End

Thanks to all reviewers: Yip, koinu27, LPGirl05, Kanashimi no Tenshi, Thunderstorm101