Sorry for the long wait. Homework is evil, enough said. Bakura makes his first appearance in this chapter. I hope you all enjoy him.

Chapter 2

Outside the palace the full moon shone with barely enough light to illuminate anything. But barely enough light was the right amount for an experienced thief. It showed you what you wanted to steal but hid you from other's sight.

Bakura crept silently through the palace, a wide smirk on his face as he collected anything that was valuable, light, small and not easily breakable. There was so much to choose from he felt like…well, he felt like a thief in the Pharaoh's palace.

The sac on his back was nearly full. Just enough room for one more item. And Bakura knew exactly what that item was going to be. There was a small silver statue of Ma'at only a few paces away.

Bakura licked his lips. Silver, being more valuable than gold, was sure to gain a high price on the black market.

Just as he was about to grab the statue someone further down the corridor shouted for him to stop. Bakura cursed. How ironic was it that the statue that had got him found out was of Ma'at – the goddess of justice.

Bakura shot off like a bullet away from the guard that was chasing him and shouting, "Thief! Thief!"

Bakura led the guard and the many others that joined the chase through the many corridors of the palace. Seeing a large statue up ahead, Bakura knocked it to the ground, hoping it would cause enough of an obstacle to let him escape.

Suddenly there was a noise up ahead. Another band of soldiers was coming for him. He was trapped and with his heavy load he wouldn't be able to fight his way out of this mess.

Bakura barged into the room to his right, praying that he wouldn't encounter anyone. Luck seemed to be on his side – there was a window and balcony. He could jump from the height he was at. He'd just found his escape route.

There was a noise from the bed. Bakura turned, his heart beating faster. It promptly froze when he saw the angel that was lying under cotton sheets.

Bakura dropped his bag of loot. He edged closer and stared down at the angel. Moonlight that crept into the room gave the boy's skin an ethereal glow that radiated purity and innocence. Bakura couldn't remember ever seeing something so beautiful.

Then, before the thief's eyes, the angel stirred. Its eyelashes fluttered and opened to reveal the most beautiful emeralds the thief had ever seen.

Ryou stared at the man watching him. The man's red eyes first made Ryou think he was a demon. But then he looked down and Ryou realized he was a god. A strong, muscled torso that glistened with small beads of perspiration met Ryou's eyes.

When Ryou looked back up he saw that the god's eyes were not full of malice but mischief and wonder. A scar that ran down one side of the god's face only accentuated his beauty.

They both stared at each other for a long time and would've continued for longer if they hadn't been interrupted. The door was thrown open and a group of soldiers stood ready to attack.

Bakura's instincts kicked in and he pulled the angel up against his chest and held a dagger to the boy's throat. "Come any closer and he dies," Bakura threatened.

The soldiers stopped advancing. They could tell who the thief had taken hostage and none of them wanted to have to face Seto's wrath for causing his brother to be murdered.

Bakura smirked and walked backwards towards the balcony. He wished he could take the loot with him but that would be asking too much. After all, if he was lucky he might be able to take his angel with him.

They reached the edge of the balcony and Bakura pressed his mouth against the angel's ear. "Don't scream," he whispered.

Ryou nearly did scream though as they tumbled backwards off the balcony. Bakura flipped them over in midair so that they landed safely on their feet. He then threw Ryou over his shoulder and ran for it.

High above the guards watched in shock as the thief landed gracefully on his feet and then took off with his hostage.

Before anyone could move Seto barged into the room in his night clothes. "Where is my brother?" he demanded angrily.

Jou was among the guards in the room. He swallowed, knowing he was going to have to tell the irate man since no-one else had the balls to. "He's just become the thief's hostage," Jou informed Seto.

Seto was silent for a moment before he screamed, "Then what the hell are you all just standing around for! Go save my brother!"

The soldiers didn't need telling twice. They dashed passed Seto and ran after the thief, praying for their own sake that Ryou had not been harmed.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Bakura had been cornered. The soldiers were everywhere and it was only a matter of time until he was found. The only chance he had of making it out alive was to scale the walls now.

Normally Bakura would have no problem doing this, but normally he didn't have an angel with him. Bakura knew that he couldn't take the boy with him – he would be too slow at climbing the walls. If Bakura carried him then he would be slowed down and killed.

But just because Bakura was leaving him this time did not mean that he would not get his angel eventually.

They were currently back in their original position of Ryou having his back pressed against Bakura's chest. A hand was placed over Ryou's mouth and an arm circled his chest, pinning his arms to his sides. Ryou was still and silent – a good hostage.

Bakura leaned down and whispered in the boy's ear. "I have to leave now but I'll be back. Such a beautiful treasure is wasted on these fools, it's only right that I take it from them since I know how to truly appreciate it – you."

Bakura turned the boy's head placed a quick kiss on his lips. "I'll be back my precious treasure," he whispered before leaving Ryou and running over to the wall.

Bakura threw up his grappling hook and scaled the wall like a spider. The soldiers noticed him as he reached the top and they raced to open the gates. Ryou wasn't entirely sure but he could've sworn that the thief blew him a kiss before he descended down the other side of the wall.

Ryou stood there, his cheeks pink and his mind blank. He reached up and touched the place where the god's lips had met his. Had he just been called beautiful? A treasure? A precious treasure.

He was snapped out of his trance by the sound of his brother's voice. His hand dropped and he turned to see not only Seto advancing in on him but the Pharaoh and a few soldiers as well.

When Seto arrived he placed his hands on Ryou's shoulders and asked, "Are you alright? Did the thief hurt you in any way?"

Ryou shook his head and said, "No," in a quiet, dazed sort of way.

Seto sighed in relief. His brother was merely in shock but that was to be expected.

"You two should get some rest," Yami suggested. "After this unexpected midnight run-around I'm sure you're both tired."

Seto put his arm around Ryou's shoulders and led him away. Seto brought them to just outside the door of Ryou's room and asked gently, "Ryou do you want me to stay with you the rest of the night? There's no shame if you do. After the experience you just had you have every right to ask for someone to watch over you."

Ryou shook his head and offered his brother a weak smile. "I'll be fine," he said softly. "No-one would come back to the scene of the crime twice in one night. I'll probably fall straight asleep anyway."

"If you're sure," Seto said uncertainly.

"I'm sure," Ryou told him before he gave his brother a hug.

The real reason Ryou didn't want Seto to watch over him was because he knew that he would be having dreams about the god tonight and he didn't want his brother to see him doing anything…embarrassing.

They released each other and went into their respective rooms. Seto was still tense and wished Ryou had let him watch over him. Seto had panicked when he had heard Ryou had been made a hostage. He'd thought for a second that he was going to loose another brother. Because that was what Ryou was to him – a brother. They had become so close over their travels together; Seto didn't think he'd be able to cope if something happened to the boy.

Seto climbed into bed and closed his eyes. He prayed that something like this would never happen again. He hoped that the thief wouldn't be foolish enough to come back.

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