A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus. This will be the last chapter of this fic, but FEAR NOT! There will be a sequel. Have to tie up loose ends and deal with the main bad guys behind everything, right? The next chapter for fic will be, as usual, the teaser for the first chapter of the sequel fic. The sequel will be called Shadows Ascending. If you're reading on AO3, Shadows Ascending will be added to the Shadow Justice series at the same time the next chapter of this fic goes up so y'all can find it easily. If you're reading on Fanfictiondotnet, then you'll be able to find Shadows Ascending on my profile. The first chapter of Shadows Ascending will be posted at the same time the teaser chapter will be posted to this fic.

Side note:

This chapter does end in a cliffhanger. Blame my Mate Raelyn_Sakura. I threw out the ridiculous idea that I could do something drastic to Ryou. She didn't believe I'd actually do it so she dared me to. I take dares like that very seriously. Thus, with that dare fulfilled, I endShadow Relations and start Shadows Ascending. Hope to see y'all there.

Lastly, Stellamara

is an artist with beautiful music that I can definitely see Ryou listening to on calm evenings. I bet even Marik likes it. This is the song I had him listening to near the end: "Zablejalo mi agance" by Stellamara

Chapter summary: In which Bakura suspects the peace, Marik hijacks the shower, and Ryou never gets the chance to scream.

55: Another End, Another Beginning

"I cannot believe they just left us there," the Thief groused. "Everyone left us. Even that bastard Advisor left us. That-"

Ryou sighed yet again as he listened to the former spirit fume. However, when the person next to him groaned loudly, Ryou snapped his mouth shut and stared at his companion in surprise. The Priest was slumped against the white wall of Ryou's small studio apartment looking absolutely bored out of his mind.

"Hey," Ryou said softly. "You okay?"

Instead of answering verbally, Marik groaned again and slumped further down the wall before shifting so he plopped unceremoniously onto the futon couch next to him. His leaned forward, propping his chin on a fist and tilting his head to the side so his could look at Ryou.

"This was funny for the first five minutes," Marik said. His violet eyes flicked back to watch in mild amusement as the Thief continued to fume and pace back and forth across the floor all the while muttering to himself. "Now it's just obnoxious."

Ryou smiled and sat down next to his boyfriend. "Imagine living with him," he said in a stage whisper.

Marik shot the Scribe a wry look, lifting an eyebrow. "I don't have to. I already do," he said with a smirk. "I do a lot of other things with him, too," he added, enjoying the blush that crept into Ryou's face.

"He's not in your head, though," Ryou argued, doing his upmost best to ignore the creeping flush in his cheeks. "He does this a lot. Sometimes I just sit and listen to him work it out, but usually he just likes to ramble."

"I heard that," Bakura called from the other side of the small studio.

Ryou grinned boldly. "You know it's true," he said.

"I do not ramble in your head," the former spirit grumbled, crossing his arms in frustration and pacing further away from his fellow Dark Triad members.

"So you admit you ramble," Ryou said, his lips twitching up as a sly grin wormed its way onto Marik's face.

"I most certainly do not ramble," Bakura said again, glaring at Ryou.

"Oh. Do you prefer the word 'monologue' then?" Ryou teased, smiling when Marik snorted.

One of Bakura's eyebrows twitched. "My dear yadonoushi, I do not monologue," the Thief hissed, over-enunciating each word to emphasize his point. "Besides, I have other places to be than in your head all the time."

"True," Ryou agreed, making sure both of his boyfriends heard his next words. "You're usually too busy being in Marik to be in my head."

The Egyptian choked, slapped a hand over his mouth and held his breath until his face turned red. The temptation was too much. It took all of two seconds for Ryou to decide it was worth it. He reached out and pushed Marik's shoulder easily knocking the former Gravekeeper down. The moment Marik's back hit the futon, he had no chance. He sprawled out on the cushion cackling like a mad man while Ryou tickle tackled him.

The former spirit of the Millennium Ring frowned, not at all impressed with the display; although he did approve of his yadonoushi's mischief. The Thief was too on edge at the moment to appreciate the lightheartedness. Nothing, not even Marik's cackles could help improve Bakura's mood.

When Arawn and Pwyll vanished to their world-dimension-place-whatever taking the Shadow Monarchy with them, it put the Thief in a bad mood. The fact Kaiba's ridiculous puppy had been taken along for the Faerie Express just added insult to injury. Shaadi, the bastard, teleported away with Ishizu without even asking to take them along. That had ticked Marik off. Then the rest of the Shadow Court group of all places also left which was the last straw.

Ryou suggested he, Bakura, and Marik stay in Greece and wait for their monarchy to return. However, both Bakura and Marik refused to be stuck there any longer than necessary. Thankfully, the Justice League offered to drop them off somewhere, saving them from an exhausting trip Shadow Traveling from Greece to Egypt.

Unfortunately, Ryou had been the one to declare where they would be dropped off. Thus, the Dark Triad found themselves in Ryou's home in the Pimlico district of London, England, rather than the Ishtar residence in the Ain Shams district of Cairo, Egypt. It wasn't exactly the best place to lay low for a while, but it was better than nothing. At least the Justice League were unaware of its existence. Ryou had requested the League teleport them to Mile End Park instead of to his home address. The moment the League's teleport light vanished, Ryou had taken over. A short Travel later through the and here they were.

That was perhaps a half hour ago, possibly less. The Thief's sense of time was suspect at the moment. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was not… He felt like he was experiencing a serious déjà vu event. Bakura never really had moments of déjà vu. Nevertheless, that was the only way to describe what he was feeling right now. His own pacing, Ryou tolerantly listening to him rant, Marik's boredom, everything. They had all already happened. All of this.

How? Why? What was this nonsense?

From the moment the world began going up in ash around them, all sense of time fell away. There had been no warning; nothing to indicate what was going on or who was behind it. Then it all just…stopped. As quickly and suddenly as it started, everything was back to normal. Still no explanation for what happened. It was irritating.

Furthermore, Bakura could swear he'd felt the Pharaoh die. Not just the Pharaoh, either. The Thief distinctly remembered feeling the Light vanish, followed by the Dark, then the Balance soon after. He remembered hearing Marik shriek as the Dark Shadows and all the power of Osiris flooded his veins. He remembered watching the power burning the Priest alive from the inside out and rip him apart at the seams. He remembered helping Ryou try to hold Marik's convulsing body down as the Priest died slowly, painfully. He remembered that. He knew it all happened.

But now, it was calm, Marik was alive and well, the world was not going up in ashes, and it seemed like no one but Bakura remembered what happened. While Bakura would be the first to say he was relieved those events had been undone, he was deeply disturbed by the fact it had happened in the first place. He had questions that needed to be answered.

First off, what, by Osiris's black heart, had happened? Second, what had caused it? Third, who or what was responsible?

Bakura knew it definitely hadn't been a hallucination.

Something or someone had manipulated time. There weren't many things out there that Bakura knew of with that kind of power, or the will to use it if they did have the power. Bending time was nothing to sneeze about. The only being Bakura ever met directly with the power to bend time in some shape or form was Zorc Necrophades.

Those were not days the former spirit had any desire to relive. But the fact remained, Zorc could manipulate time. Granted, it had been during a Shadow Game on a global scale, but Zorc managed to do it. However, even with Zorc's incredible power, he could only turn back time once.

More importantly, everyone involved in the Shadow Game who wasn't a non-player character remembered the time shift. Now, it seemed like only Bakura remembered the events before time was rewound. That terrified the former spirit. Who else remembered? Did anyone else remember?

"Ah, I needed that," Marik said, his voice cutting into the former spirit's thoughts. The Priest was sprawled out shameless across the futon as if he hadn't a care in the world with Ryou lying on top if him. Marik hummed and tilted his head back so he could look at the Thief upside down. "I feel I should inform you that I am bored," he said with a shit-eating grin.

"Duly noted," Bakura said in a flat tone. "Duly ignored."

"You know," Marik drawled, "since you're technically in your yadonoushi's kitchen, why don't you put that nervous energy of yours to work and start cooking dinner?"

"I'm not nervous," Bakura groused, rolling his eyes. "And if you want food, get off your sorry ass and cook it yourself."

:Or you could stop pacing and tell us what's really bothering you,: Ryou said silently.

Bakura hid his grimace but he knew his yadonoushi sensed it. Ryou was anything but oblivious. The boy was sharp, sometimes too sharp for his own good. Then again, if he wasn't sharp, then there would be no way he could have become the legendary Thief King in ancient Egypt.

Crossing his arms in frustration, Bakura eyed his reincarnation cautiously before looking away. :Nothing about this feels off to you?: he said cautiously. :Nothing at all?:

Soft brown eyes narrowed thoughtfully. :What do you mean?: Ryou asked.

:The fact that the world almost ended and there are no riots in the streets, no Justice League flying around fighting, no police busting down our door, nothing,: Bakura said.

The Thief could feel Ryou meticulously go over every detail from the past hour or so. :Yes,: Ryou said eventually. :Yes, something does feel odd, but I'm not sure what it is.:

:You're awfully calm about this,: Bakura said, raising an eyebrow.

:Well, I've seen the world almost end a few other times, too,: Ryou said, folding his arms on Marik's chest and resting his chin on them. :Besides,: he added with a shrug, :I get the feeling the threat's past for now.:

:For now, maybe,: the Thief agreed. :But I highly doubt this is over.:

Ryou frowned.

"Will you two stop that?" Marik drawled lazily from his place beneath Ryou on the futon. "Unless you want me to intrude on your minds-"

"Hell no," Bakura said.

"-then start talking out loud so I can hear you," Marik said, ignoring the interruption. "I am still here, you know."

"Yes, how could I forget?" the Thief said, rolling his eyes dramatically. "You haven't stopped moaning and groaning since this whole mess began."

"You haven't told me to shut up yet, so stop complaining," Marik quipped.

"As if you'd listen to me," Bakura said.

"I wouldn't," Marik agreed with a sneaky smile. "But I might if Ryou asked me. He's so much more polite than you, 'Kura."

Ryou smiled but it quickly faded. "He's worried about what happened earlier," he said, glancing at the spirit in concern. "He doesn't think it's over yet."

The Priest hummed thoughtfully. "Do you?" he asked after a moment.

Reluctantly, Ryou shook his head and dropped his gaze. "No, I don't," he admitted. "I wish it was, but wishing doesn't do much in reality."

"No," Marik agreed, resting a reassuring hand on his boyfriend's back, trailing his perfectly trimmed nails in soothing patterns along Ryou's spine. "But it's the thought that counts."

"Maybe," Ryou said with a careless shrug. He sighed, turning his head so his cheek rested on his arms hiding his face from Marik's sight. "He stabbed me, Marik," he whispered after a minute of silence. "My father stabbed me. My father stabbed me." He lifted watery brown eyes to his boyfriend's violet. "Why?" he asked softly, the tears threatening to fall. "Why would he try to kill me? Why would he do that? He's my father."

Bakura deliberately looked away. Both he and Ryou knew Marik wasn't the best person to ask regarding anything involving fathers. But sometimes they needed to hear the truth spoken to them point blank in order for it to truly sink in. So while he didn't watch Marik speak to his yadonoushi, he did listen closely to what was said.

"Fathers aren't perfect, Ryou," Marik said grimly, toying with the strands of white hair that rested on his boyfriend's back. "They're just as human as you or me. They can just as easily be as evil as we can be."

"That still doesn't explain why he did what he did," Ryou said.

"It doesn't matter," Bakura finally, feeling his yadonoushi focus on him. "He tried to kill you. That's reason enough to make him pay. I swear, I'll send that bastard to the darkest, most uninhabitable corner of the Shadow Realm I know of the instant I see him next."

Ryou sighed. "I… I'd rather you didn't," he said slowly.

"And why, by Osiris fucking hell, not?" the Thief demanded, turning his blood red gaze on his younger counterpart. "I've sent people there for lesser offenses."

"Yes, and if you recall, I didn't approve then either," Ryou said gently. "Besides, you haven't done anything like that since we freed you from Zorc's control." He smiled gently when Bakura dropped his gaze in acknowledgment. "Technically, you didn't send anyone there of your own free will," Ryou continued.

"That you know of," Bakura grumbled.

"Yes. That I know of," Ryou agreed. He reached out a hand, waiting until the former spirit gave in and took it.

"Aren't we a mess?" Marik said with a heavy sigh.

"I'm perfectly clean, thank you very much," Bakura said, startling a grin from both of his boyfriends.

"You could still take a shower anyway," Ryou said. "I know I need one."

Marik lifted an arm and pointed to Ryou. "That is a the best thing I've heard all day," he said. "I'll take a shower over sex, right now. I haven't had a shower in a couple days."

"Yes," Bakura said, "I was going to mention it earlier, but the whole crazy Greeks thing happened." He smirked. "You stink."

"You are a bad liar," Marik said, nudging Ryou off of him so he could sit up and stretch luxuriously. "And I am bored. Did I mention I was bored?"

"Several times," Ryou said giggling. He playfully batted away the Priest's finger when Marik poked his cheek teasingly.

"In that case," Marik said, swinging his legs off of the futon and standing, already undoing the ties on his favorite hoodie vest, "the shower is mine."

"Make yourself at home, why don't you," the Thief said.

"I will," Marik said with a playful wink. "Can I borrow some of your clothes while I wash mine?" he asked.

"Sure," Ryou chirped.

The Egyptian stepped over to the built-in wardrobe across from the futon and swung the doors open dramatically. Violet eyes looked over the array of clothes neatly folded on the right half of the wardrobe or hanging up on the left side. It was with a heavy heart that Marik hung his head in despair.

"I can't wear any of his," he groaned.

"Hm? Why not?" Ryou asked, rolling over so he lay on his stomach, kicking his legs in the air behind him. "We're about the same size."

"That's not the point," Marik said.

Ryou frowned in confusion.

"Your clothes are horrendous," the Egyptian said simply. "I'm taking you shopping after I bathe, fuck you into that bed, and take a nice, long nap."

Both of Ryou's legs thumped onto the futon and Marik snickered. He stepped away from the wardrobe to reach down and muss his boyfriend's white hair fondly. He pulled his vest over his head and dropped it on Ryou's head, laughing at the Scribe's startled squeak.

"Watch over your landlord, Fluffy," he said, fearlessly patting the Thief's head. "I'll see you two shortly."

With one last backwards wave, Marik strolled into the bathroom on the other side of the studio, closing the bathroom door behind him.

A snort.

"Fluffy?" Ryou teased.

Damn that Priest. Bakura harrumphed and vanished into his soul room.

Ryou chuckled. "Are you sulking?" he said.

Bakura didn't answer, but he didn't need have to. Ryou could feel the waves of embarrassment rolling from his companion's soul room loud and clear. Yes. The great Thief King was sulking.

Chuckling, the Scribe pushed himself up from the futon and stretched. A moment later, he heard the water in the bathroom turn on. If there was one thing Ryou had learned about Marik since they really became friends, it was that the Egyptian adored showers. Ryou would probably have a good half an hour to himself before the Priest emerged from the bathroom. He might as well make the most of it.

He pulled out his phone and plugged it into his small audio dock that doubled as his alarm clock. He took a minute to scroll through his music and select a playlist that hadn't been hijacked by Bakura or Marik. Then he plugged his two dancing water speakers into the audio dock and pressed play. Calm, mood music by Stellamara filtered through the small studio, mixing with the sound of running water from the bathroom and soothing Ryou's frayed nerves.

After filling his electric kettle with water, he flipped the switch so the water would start to heat up. The relief he felt when the scent of tea hit his nose the moment he opened up the tin box that containing his horde of tea bags was indescribable. He ignored the mental eye roll he felt loud and clear from Bakura who was, yes, still sulking in his soul room. The spirit just couldn't appreciate good tea.

Ryou hummed along with the music as he plucked his favorite mug from the cabinet and dropped a green mango peach tea bag from the tin into it. He'd never had this particular tea before. It was a new kind he'd bought a week ago but hadn't had the chance to try yet. Better late than never, he thought, scooping two spoonfuls of sugar into empty mug.

The electric kettle hadn't dinged yet, so Ryou rested his forearms on the counter and began thinking about what they would have for dinner. He had a fridge, but it wasn't well stocked at the moment. He didn't even want to think about the milk carton in there. Ryou was willing to bet the smell that would no doubt emanate from the carton if he dared open it would make even Bakura gag.

He sighed. That meant a shopping trip was due. They could go out to dinner tonight. Or, better yet, order take-out. Gentle brown eyes glanced out the window at the London skyline sparkling against the night sky. It was late, but not too late. They're little trio did go back two hours during the trip from Greece to England, after all. There had to be at least one take-out place still open.

He turned back to the kettle to check it only to find himself face-to-face with something straight out of a Roswell documentary. He never had the chance to scream.