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.
10/9/06
Chapter Four
Ryou flinched as his brother charged him, and he vaguely felt the others behind him back up. Atemu and the others had been silent throughout the entire conversation, worried that they might set the unstable Daemon off, now they yelped in surprise, stumbling back until the water soaked their boots.
A powerful leap drove Bakura right over them, and there was a powerful snap as he brought his wings down and flew off into the night, the blast of air from his first down stroke nearly knocking them off their feet.
Ryou turned to watch his brother disappear in the darkness, and he felt...sad, but also satisfied. He had gotten through to his brother, even if it was only a little bit. He had also managed to dredge up some long lost memories of his mother, and that was an achievement on its own.
"Well…that was a rather frightening experience…" Marik muttered, and there were nods of agreement from the rest of the group.
"Now I know why you were so freaked out last night," Jou said to Atemu, shuddering. Those eyes…
Stricken by a sudden thought, Jou turned to the others, who were currently packing up their stuff and getting ready to run back to the safety of the house.
"Was anyone else finding it hard to NOT look in his eyes?" he wondered, and there were startled looks from the majority.
"Not for me…" Ryou replied, but everyone else nodded.
"Yeah, it's like when you see a snake staring at a mouse," Honda said, rubbing his arms to ward of the chill that the thought brought up. Normally, when a snake did that to a mouse, the mouse didn't live very long…
The forest sounds renewed as they began walking, everything seeming normal once more.
"I agree," Atemu said, glancing about as they cleared the trees. "Is that a known ability of Daemons? It wasn't mentioned by my father…"
"I don't know, but then again, who knows anything about them? You can't trust the myths and stories, because people exaggerate." Marik mused, and Atemu conceded him the point.
"Now that I think about it…wouldn't that explain why Ryou was able to get more leeway with Isis when he was in trouble?" Malik put in suddenly, glancing over at his friend.
"You know what…I think you are right!" Marik agreed, sounding surprised. "Ryou, I think you can do it too! It would definitely explain why you got what you wanted that time with the baker. I always wondered how you managed to get cookies off that grump."
"Are you serious?" Ryou said, staring at his friends.
"Makes sense," Honda agreed. "Useful to know, as well as a nice ability to have."
"Yeah…I guess…" Ryou answered, sounding a bit unsure.
"So…hopefully the King will respond soon, I don't think we can handle that…" At Ryou's look, Jou amended his statement "Handle Bakura, I mean. I don't think we can handle Bakura." He said, with a sheepish grin in way of Ryou's look.
You don't mess with someone capable of clawing, biting, or hypnotizing you.
'Not that Ryou would do that though.' Jou thought, glancing at the Daemon walking next to him, tail waving lazily, the barbs flicking up every now and then with the tension that permeated the little group. 'Then again, maybe he would…'
They walked in silence back to the village, just as dawn's first light began to light the area, streaking the sky with colors of peach and gold, bright oranges and pale yellows.
- 0-0 -
Bakura paced along the thick branch of an old oak; ignoring the fact that he was a good thirty feet off the ground. The sun was rising, but he couldn't be bothered from his thoughts, no matter how painful it was to his sensitive eyes. Though, truthfully, it hurt less and less every day. Maybe he was adjusting.
But never mind that! What was he going to do? He knew that what he was searching for had been found: his long lost brother. But now that he found him, what was he going to do?
He had been sorting his thoughts and feelings through out the night, and had come to the conclusion that Ryou had been telling the truth, and he truly was his brother. But what did that mean to Bakura? He was on the run from his father, who was still settling the clan war in the caves. But after the war…he would come after Bakura.
And the white haired Daemon had better have thought of a way to hide or kill his father by then…because if he didn't, then it was back to the caves and back to that hellish life style. Sure, his father never hit Bakura unless he had failed him in some way, or rebelled against him, but that didn't mean he wasn't mentally and emotionally tortured.
Those were the kinds of torture his father excelled at, after all…
Maybe his brother could help him? He had seemed to want to…but what if that was a trap? Those angels he was with…they seemed like warriors, what if they were going to capture him?
Confused and frustrated, his thoughts chased one another, conflicting with each other and contradicting. It built and built until he couldn't take it and threw his head back, screeching his mental and emotional confusion, pain, irritation and the ever-present hatred to the budding day lit sky.
- 0-0 -
Isis paused in the middle of handing out dishes to the newly returned group at the sound that echoed eerily in the new morning air.
"What are we going to do about him?" Ryou asked, heaving a sigh as he helped himself to some bacon.
"We need to get him away from the village," Atemu mused, dipping his biscuit in some gravy. "We don't need any deaths here."
"And how will we do that?" Jou wondered.
"I don't know."
"If we leave, do you think he will follow?" Marik asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Why would he do that?" Malik scoffed, stealing an apple slice from his brother.
"Because he's curious, and he wants answers. Didn't you see how he acted with Ryou last night?" Marik shot back, taking the apple slice back with a huff.
"Didn't seem to do much in my opinion," Jou muttered, siding with Malik.
"And if we leave, and he stays here, what do we do then, eh?" Malik said. Ryou sighed, shaking his head.
"He'll follow." He interrupted.
"What makes you sure of that?" Atemu asked, curious.
"Just trust me on this. He'll follow, if nothing else, to see where we are going." Ryou assured him, confident on this fact. Why he was, he didn't know.
"Alright then, we need to get clear of this village and away to where we do…what?" Atemu replied. "What do we do when we are away from the village?"
"That, I don't have an answer too." Ryou admitted.
"Maybe talk? Ask why he's here, and why he is killing?" Marik wondered.
"Maybe he doesn't know. He might be killing because he likes to kill." Honda said, shaking his head and rubbing his temples.
"Be that as it may, we'll see if he follows us if we leave, and we'll deal with it from there. I don't think he'll kill us right off." Atemu decided.
"That's comforting," Jou muttered.
"What about the King's response?" Honda asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Do not fear; I shall await the response." Isis put in, clearing away the last of the dishes.
"Thank you," Atemu said, smiling. "Now, we don't know what will happen once we leave, so we might need to pack decent supplies. Jou, Honda, let's get started."
"Hey, we're coming too!" Malik interrupted. Marik and Ryou nodded in agreement.
"He's my brother," Ryou said by way of explanation.
"Very well," Atemu sighed, thinking it was probably a wise idea. "Then we should begin packing. Every day we delay is a day when Bakura might decide to take off elsewhere, and continue killing."
- 0-0 -
Carrying specially designed packs loaded with supplies, the group left the village, walking under the noon sun. They could have flown, it would have been faster, but also more energy used on their part. And that energy they may have need of for whatever they encounter in the untamed wilderness.
There could be bandits, unfriendly settlers, and even land pirates. The land that spanned between kingdoms was filled with danger, and the only safe havens in this land of peril were the small towns and villages, and even those could be hazardous to travelers.
As such, the angels kept their swords ready, while Ryou decided on Healer herbs and supplies instead of a sword.
After all…he was dangerous enough with natural weapons…even if he didn't have the experience and practice with his claws, fangs, and barbed tail that Bakura did.
They walked through the peaceful-looking forest, admiring the scenery. The general landscape of this area was a sprawling forest that had its borders on the edge of the village, and extended for miles outwards, occasionally breaking up into smaller clumps of dense forest with grassy meadows in between. Where the forest ended the grass went on in a wide ocean, with the occasional stand of trees peppering it here and there.
It was in this alternating land of forest and grass that there existed three different kingdoms, each with their own little gathering of towns around them.
One was the angel Kingdom of Solomon, the second Kingdom was ruled by the human King Pegasus, (a rather creepy human, if the rumors were to be trusted), and the last Kingdom was ruled by the only demon King known: Seto Kaiba. Kaiba, though he was a demon, ruled over a Kingdom almost entirely made up of humans.
It was Kaiba's Kingdom that was nearest, which meant that the wealthy and arrogant King would more than likely hear news of their passing from his many towns that were visible even now to the travelers.
The villages that existed as isolated, secluded realms independent and loyal only to each other, were to be avoided. Atemu was recognizable, and not every village would greet him as welcoming as Ryou's village had.
And Ryou himself was recognizable, if anybody knew what to look for.
As such, they tried to avoid contact with anyone, and figure out what they were going to do. They also were discussing on whether Bakura had given in to his curiosity and followed them.
They continued for about three days without much happening. No sign of Bakura, and they ran into no one from any of the nearby settlements.
But on the fourth day, near mid-afternoon, that was about to change.
Ryou went farther away from the group; he had been collecting nuts, fruits, and herbs for their depleting supplies.
The angels, walking slowly and waiting for him to return, were oblivious to the watching eyes around them.
Oblivious, that is, until suddenly they were ambushed, with spears and swords being leveled at them and the leering faces laughing before them.
Taken by surprise, they were disarmed and captured without too much of a fight.
"Bandits," Atemu hissed, glaring as his arms were tied and his wings pinioned together. The majority of the bandits were humans, with the last three being angels. Their leader was a tall, broad-chested human.
"I'm Bandit Keith." He introduced, giving a mocking bow. "And who might my friends and I have the pleasure of meeting?" He asked, and the surrounding bandits sniggered.
"None of your business," Marik snarled, and was rewarded with a spear butt across the face.
"Well, we have some bold ones here." Keith said with a hearty laugh. "It's been a while since we'd had someone with a bit of spunk!" He aimed his curved sword at Marik's throat.
"Well? Did they have anything interesting in those packs of theirs?" He asked one of his band, who was digging through their packs.
"Just food and water flasks, boss." The man answered, shrugging.
"Alright then, let's have a little fun, hmm?" he laughed, sheathing his sword. His band sniggered around him, and they surrounded the bound angels.
"Remember, we aren't going to kill them." He said, a broad grin on his face. "Just have some fun…"
- 0-0 -
Ryou was watching from behind a nearby sycamore, unsure of himself and very scared. What could he possibly do to help them? He wasn't a warrior; he was a Healer for crying out loud!
Jittering, but too terrified to do anything to help when the Bandit and his band set upon his friends, hitting them and mocking them.
Sensing someone behind him, he yelped and spun, his tail barbs snapping upright in threat.
It was Bakura.
"Oh, Bakura, you scared the hell out of me!" Ryou hissed without thinking. His eyes then widened when he realized exactly what he had said.
Bakura raised an amused eyebrow at the other, before shaking his head.
"You want to save your friends?" He asked, eyes staring at the other intensely. Ryou was caught unawares at the odd question.
"What?" Ryou blinked. "You mean you want to help them?"
"Of course not," Bakura scoffed, curling his lip at the very idea.
"Then why ask?" Ryou said, raising an eyebrow in perfect, if unintentional, imitation of his brother.
"Because you obviously want to," Bakura shot back, as if that was a suitable answer. "And I'm…curious…as to what you said the other night." He shuffled his wings in a slightly embarrassed manner.
Ryou was suddenly aware of the fact that his friends were getting set upon by bandits just on the other side of the tree, and with new determination, he stared at his brother.
"Yes, let's do it."
- 0-0 -
Atemu winced as Keith landed another blow, glaring at the grinning bandit while his crew vented on the bound angels.
"Leave them alone," came an angry voice, and Keith spun about to see who dared interrupt his fun.
Ryou stood there, eyes narrowed and tail lashing angrily.
"Look, boys, we have a demon to play with now too." Keith laughed, and the bandits approached the lone 'demon'.
Ryou smirked as he had seen Bakura smirk, and flared his wings. He mentally grinned at the slight pause in the bandits' steps when he did so.
"Wow…Ryou looks positively evil," Malik muttered, struggling against his bonds.
"Yeah, almost like his brother, you know?" Jou whispered back, twisting in such a way that it must have been painful to see if he can wiggle loose.
Ryou watched with a bit of apprehension as the bandits closed to within fifteen feet of him, wondering where Bakura was.
His answer came in the form of a snarling form that dropped to the right of the bandits, causing them to jerk in shock and yelp in surprise.
Bakura hissed, baring his fangs, and put on the full intimidating show: wings flaring wide, claws unsheathed to full length, and his tail lashing, the barbs nearly standing upright. His eyes were glowing a fierce, feral red.
Glowing eyes…Ryou wondered if he could do that too.
Glaring as hard as he could at the bandits, he willed his eyes to gleam like his brother's, and was surprised at how easy it was. He could see the reflecting glow off the steel weapons the bandits carried, and was proud of himself.
Keith and the others backed away hurriedly, eyeing the two very frightening figures before them. Bakura stalked forwards slowly, enjoying the fear and panic he caused. Ryou followed a bit more hesitantly, glad he could look scary enough to stop a fight, but not sure he liked the way it made him feel.
Before anything could happen, trumpets went off and into the clearing charged human soldiers bearing the blue and white insignia of King Seto. Startled, Bakura shot into the air, flaring his wings and flying away. Ryou, when he saw spears being leveled at him by the soldiers, followed his brother hurriedly.
Atemu watched them take off, and sighed. The soldiers obviously thought that they were with the bandits. The bandits, meanwhile, were being put under arrest. One guard walked up to the bound angels and freed them.
"We heard shouts while we were passing, and thought to investigate," he explained kindly. He was a tall human, with dark hair. "Who might you be?"
Deciding that it would be better to tell the truth here, (after all, he did save them), Atemu politely answered.
"I'm Atemu, Crown Prince of Kame." As he said this, the soldier captain gave a quick bow, which Atemu acknowledged with a nod of his head. "These are my companions, Jou and Honda from Kame, and Marik and Malik." He didn't specify where the two tanned twins were from; as not all inhabitants of villages were welcome everywhere.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Atemu. Would you care to accompany us to our realm?" The soldier asked, and Atemu discreetly glanced at his companions. At their nods, he turned his attention back to the captain.
"We would appreciate it."
They walked in silence, the bandits musing over their future punishment, and the soldiers strictly professional.
"Are we going to leave Ryou?" Malik asked in an undertone, worry shot through his voice.
"He'll be alright. The soldiers thought he was one of the bandits, I think he scared them." Atemu said, once again trusting his instincts. And those instincts said that Ryou was safe for now.
"I believe it, he scared me." Jou muttered.
"Look!" Marik hissed, pointing. Out of the trees they walked, and the grassland spread out before them in rolling waves dotted here and there with a stand of trees. A well worn road curved up and around the hills, and in the not-so-far distance a large castle stood, built from white stone that shone in the sun.
King Seto.
- 0-0 -
They were led inside the ornate, grand palace, and they followed the nameless captain to the throne room.
Seto Kaiba was talking to what seemed to be two of his high-ranking soldiers, and he looked up when he saw them approaching. He dismissed the two soldiers, and went to talk to the captain.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asked in a low undertone, and they were surprised with the dark look he gave Atemu. "The Prince of Kame," he said, turning towards Atemu. "To what do I owe this…honor?"
"We found them being attacked by bandits," the captain put in, and he quailed under the look Seto gave him.
"Well, I'd appreciate it if you would leave. Now." He said coldly, glaring at them.
"What?" Jou exclaimed, indignant.
"And who are you?" Seto sneered, giving Jou a look of extreme distaste. He lazily flicked his tail at the angry angel.
"I'm Jou, and you better remember that, demon boy!" Jou growled, and Atemu gave him a stern look.
"Well, Atemu, I would once again appreciate it if you would take your little group and leave me realm." Jou growled again, and Seto gave him a disdainful look. "Be sure to take your dog too."
With that, Jou attempted to attack the demon, and was immediately restrained by Marik and Honda, while guards lowered their spears.
"Come on Jou." Atemu said lowly, giving Seto a hard look.
"I'll have some guards escort you out," Seto said with a certain smug look.
"May I ask why the rudeness?" Atemu asked, reigning in his temper.
"Oh, didn't you know?" Seto said, giving a flinty smirk. "Pegasus and Solomon have declared war upon one another," he gave the shocked Atemu another grin "and if you were found here, then I'd be accused of allying with Solomon, now wouldn't I?"
"And that would be bad?" Jou muttered.
"Yes, it would. But don't bother asking why." Seto said, and gave them a mocking wave as they were escorted out of the castle.
Atemu gazed blankly at the ground as they walked.
His father was at war with Pegasus? That made it doubly dangerous for them to be out here, since Pegasus was well known for having his people wander the country side on odd errands, and they normally weren't good ones.
The kind captain who was leading them towards the gates turned and whispered to them.
"Okay, when you leave, go to the north." He murmured, shooting a glance about.
"Why?" Malik asked, also keeping his voice low.
"Because if you go south, you'll run into a patrol that King Pegasus sent out when King Seto notified him of where you were."
"What? That bastard – " Jou began, before Marik elbowed him harshly to make him keep it down.
"Why did Seto do that?" Atemu asked, and the captain gave him a small look on the Prince's disrespect of Seto's title, but he was a Prince so the captain ignored it.
"Don't mention that I said this, it could be my head," the captain whispered, "but he is hoping that King Pegasus and King Solomon weaken each other to the point that he could extend his borders."
"You mean take over their lands while they're war-torn," Marik hissed, angered at such a thought.
"Yes,"
They went through the gate, and froze.
Standing at the gate was a group of soldiers wearing the purple and red of Pegasus.
- 0-0 -
End
Thanks to all reviewers!
Yay, another one! Now…this one was already half done by the time I got around to having some free, non-stressful time to finishing it…so the next chapter might take a while before it's up...