Loatheshipping (Yami no Yugi x Thief King Bakura)


(takes place during the Memory World arc, which, although Y. Yugi is in his Atem form, he is still technically Yami no Yugi as he has not yet retrieved his name and he has no memories of his days as Atem.)


The balcony was supposed to be safe. There were five guards stationed beneath it, and other balconies jutted out on either side just a few feet away, leading to the rooms of Mahad on one side and Set on the other, within easy shouting distance. There were no vines creeping up the wall on this part, no handholds for even the craftiest of climbers to make use of. And on top of all of this, Isis and Mahad had both contributed to warding spells that would deflect projectiles and repulse intruders.

All of this Siamun had explained in great detail to Yami no Yugi just a few hours ago, as though trying to reassure him that a repeat of the assassination attempt that morning would not be repeated. Yami no Yugi really wasn't particularly worried. He wouldn't be faced with the threat of death for some time now, he was certain - something far darker than a mere assassin was meant to take his life, or else he would not have been able to come back here. He knew he had more time before he had to face the thing that had killed him three thousand years ago. Still, it was rather comforting to know that people cared so much about his safety. It was good to know that he had had friends...

If, in fact, they were his friends. They seemed to be, but could he be mistaking patriotic loyalty for friendship? He gripped the balcony. The cool of the desert night was comforting, as his thoughts had been turning ever more worried. Who had he been? Had he been a good king? Had he even been king for very long at all? Did he truly have people to call friends? What had he done with his time? Hopefully not worrying in the wee hours of the night.

And what about his name?

That was the question that worried him most of all. There was a faint pang of loneliness and longing when he thought about it. A name was an identity, an identity that had been taken from him. He wanted so badly to know who he was. He needed to know who he was.

A soft sound caught his attention.

With reflexes he barely knew he had, he flipped around and slid to the side just as a shadow jumped down onto the place he had been a moment before. Even in the dark, he recognized the flip of red fabric and shock of white hair, the glint of a careless smile twisting the scar grotesquely in the moonlight.

"You," Yami no Yugi hissed.

Bakura smiled lazily at him.

"Evening, my king," he said, sweeping him a deep bow. "Having trouble sleeping?"

"You play a dangerous game, Bakura," Yami no Yugi said, stance tightening. "All it takes is a word and you're surrounded."

"And then I'll kill all of your little guards with a wave of Diabound's tail," Bakura said. "Won't you love to have all those deaths on your precious conscience."

Yami no Yugi's fists tightened. He was not wearing his diadhank, and Bakura was. He was at the disadvantage. He would have to keep Bakura talking - somehow, with this particular Bakura, he didn't think that would be hard.

"What do you want?" Yami no Yugi said, edging backwards towards his room. He had to keep his movements quiet and slow, so that Bakura wouldn't notice them as easily.

"I mostly wanted to catch you off guard," Bakura said. "I love the look on people's faces when I do that...you thought you were so perfectly safe. But you shouldn't have come outside at all, little king."

Yami no Yugi's lips tightened, but he allowed Bakura to continue speaking without interruption.

"Snagging the Puzzle would be a bonus, of course, and I wouldn't mind leaving you with a few stab wounds, but unfortunately, I'm not allowed to kill you yet. There are bigger plans for your death. I'd prefer a lot of people you care about to be watching."

Yami no Yugi had managed to ease over the threshold into his room. Then he caught the flash of metal and hit the ground instinctively. Bakura zoomed just over him, but tripped over his legs and stumbled. It gave Yami no Yugi the chance he needed to push back to his feet. He whipped out a hand and pushed Bakura forward as the thief tried to regain his balance. Bakura dropped to his knees with a curse. Yami no Yugi bolted for the diadhank on the table next to his bed. He heard the whistle of metal through the air. He jerked to the side - luckily, he had chosen correctly. The knife flew past him harmlessly and bounced off the stone wall.

However, the dodge had thrown him slightly off balance, so he could do little when Bakura's hand smacked against his shoulder and sent him spinning around. The thief grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against the wall, another knife in his free hand.

Both paused for a moment, their breaths a little faster, a little heavier than normal. Malicious violet eyes clashed with harsh red ones.

"Why?" Bakura hissed.

Yami no Yugi blinked, shocked for a moment. There was...something strange in Bakura's tone. Something confused, and angry about it.

"What are you talking about?" Yami no Yugi said.

"You," Bakura said. "It's you. You have never seen me before yesterday. You never knew I existed. But when I walked into that throne room and I met your gaze, there was already loathing there. Like you knew me. Like you knew what I was, who I am."

Yami no Yugi met his gaze with a calm force.

"I do know what you are," he said softly. "And I have just as much reason to hate you as I'm sure you do to hate me."

Bakura glared at him. His knife twitched.

"I could kill you," he whispered. "So easily."

"Try it."

A flicker of motion seemed to catch Bakura's eye, and he glanced down. His eyes flashed when he saw Yami no Yugi's hand resting lightly on his diadhank.

"You wouldn't summon a god in here," he said.

"Try me."

Bakura's eyes flicked back to Yami no Yugi's. For a moment longer, they stared at each other. Then Bakura pulled away, his knife returning to his robes.

"You'll still die," he said. "Painfully. Remember that."

And then he was gone, leaving Yami no Yugi alone in the dark of his room. He dropped his hand away from his diadhank.

Had this scene happened in the past? Or was it just happening now?

Mark my words. Whatever you're planning, I'll stop you. This time, I will stop you.


A/N: Bing, another chapter done. Next is Linkshipping (Priest Set x Yugi).