Title: Shadow Games

By: KuroSakura-chan

Summary: Three thousand years have past since the High Priest Set betrayed his lover, the Thief King Bakura. Seto Kaiba denies memories of being the High Priest, but he remembers all, especially when Bakura comes by. Desperation eventually leads the CEO into a confrontation, to which Bakura only smirks and replies with three words.

Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!

Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama,

Couples: Set/Thief King, Seto/Bakura, Malik/Otogi (or vice-versa, who knows?), Marik/Ryou,

Warnings: Yaoi, 1st Person, Flashbacks,

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!.

/He wraps an arm around me.../-flashback

Hold him...:Italics without the slashes-thoughts

A/N: Nngh...I'm watching my cat run amok in my room, and she's crushing one of my Legolas posters...Distraction central while I'm trying to finish this...

-Seto-

Bakura's drinking habits are far too unhealthy...He almost stabbed some boy at the party last night, because he was too drunk to think properly. Then again, he might've stabbed the boy anyway, just because of the boy's idiocy. All the same, I don't know what first possessed me to go over and make sure that Bakura didn't kill anyone.

I don't want him to go to jail, that's true. Why would I? I'd have to bail him out, deal with all the consequences, etc. Why add more stress to my life? ...And why am I not even questioning the thought that I would go through all the effort to keep him out of jail?

My gods, I've fallen for him, haven't I?

In a move that I would never do if there was anyone around to see me do it, I slam the heel of my hand to my forehead. The pain isn't actually that bad, so I'm not sure why people always complain about giving themselves headaches by doing that. I will admit, it has made me slightly dizzy, but that might be because I'm suffering the effects of a slight hangover that has been doused with pain medication.

I sigh quietly, turning back to the bacon sizzling in its skillet. I can't believe that I've taken the day off of work, though Bakura would argue that since it's Saturday, I shouldn't be working anyway. Of course, with the hangover I've got, I wouldn't be able to get any work done. But making breakfast? After excusing the staff for the weekend? Oh, this is not normal. It's not even close to normal. Though, Bakura's going to need the food, as do I, after the amount he drank last night.

/It was after a night of drinking.../

I'm actually proficient in the kitchen. I used to cook for Mokuba when we were younger and Gozaburo forgot that my brother needed to eat as well. Mokuba always preferred simple foods, thankfully. It would've been difficult to hide what we were up to, if he'd wanted something fancy and if the staff hadn't liked him. They were willing to tolerate me during those nights, because Mokuba would only eat something I'd made if it was after normal meal times. He always had to be with me, though, during those times.

Why doesn't he hate me?

I guess it's good that Mokuba was on good terms with the staff during those years. They taught me to cook so I'd be able to take care of Mokuba.

/It was after a night of drinking...The Pharaoh's plan was going to be carried out./

I consider the amount of finished bacon on the plate, then decide to make the whole package. Bakura is known for his love of meat, so this amount that may seem large to others will seem meager to him.

I hate myself for what I did to him.

I crack open some eggs into another skillet, wondering if Bakura even eats eggs.

/It was after a night of drinking...The Pharaoh's plan was going to be carried out.

I'd gotten Bakura to pass out in my rooms. The guards had come in and fastened him with chains, though they didn't move him./

Probably. He eats almost anything.

Why?

I pour myself another cup of coffee, noting the amount I've already drank. I'll have to make another pot to take up to Bakura with the food. He'd want caffeine as much as I did when I woke up.

/I'd gotten Bakura to pass out in my rooms. The guards had come in and fastened him with chains, though they didn't move him. If they'd have moved him, he would've woken up, no matter how drunk he was when he passed out. It's one of his...abilities, I suppose would be a good term for it.

The Pharaoh would wait until he woke to kill him./

I've already made sure to pull out painkillers. They're on the side table beside the bed.

It wasn't worth it.

I didn't realize how little personal effects were in my room until I moved Bakura's stuff in. Now there's many more things in the room, and I've come to realize just how large the room was. It's not so large any more, not with Bakura's things littered across it. Most of those things were probably results of his kleptomania acting up. That, or Ryou never knows what to buy him and just gets him the most random of things.

/The Pharaoh would wait until he woke to kill him.

I spend the night sobering up, though I didn't drink nearly as much as Bakura thought I had. I couldn't have, if I was to pull off the plan of getting him to pass out in my rooms. I don't know what this feeling it, though. It's almost as though I want to vomit, especially when I think about what the Pharaoh has planned for Bakura.

Is this...regret? Guilt? No...It couldn't...I can't...No. Just no.

Bakura wakes about dawn./

No, Ryou is more the type to give socks, whether they were needed or not. I think over the items I moved while I carry a tray with the food that finally finished cooking upstairs. Yes, there was an abundance of socks...Heh. Guess I pegged Ryou.

I shouldn't have gone through with it. Why doesn't he hate me? Why?

I frown, stopping at the head of the stairs. That thought was strange. I keep trying to ignore these thoughts, these memories that don't exist, but this morning, they seem to be insistent. I can't knock them away with anything.

/Bakura wakes about dawn. I suppose that makes sense, considering he's not going to sleep for too long, vulnerable. He's too late in waking, though.

The Pharaoh forces me to go in first, to be the first person that Bakura sees as he's struggling with the chains, trying to break free. He's breathtaking, muscles rippling as he struggles, and that strange feeling is back again.

The Pharaoh follows me in, smirking at Bakura, who's looking between the both of us. I see something pass through his eyes, was it defeat?, before Bakura smirks at Atemu. "So, finally caught on, I see." His voice is as arrogant as ever.

"I've always known, Thief. I simply waited until the time was right to capture and kill you." Atemu replies, and I have to force myself to not look away as the executioner enters. Atemu made it clear that if I looked away, I would be killed as well.

The executioner waits for Atemu's signal before raising his blade, and beginning the swing down./

No, I don't want to see--

/Bakura's eyes stay focused on me, daring me to look away. I owe it to him to keep eye contact, and so I do, not blinking, even with Bakura's blood is covering me./

I drop the tray of food and coffee onto the floor, soaking whatever was there with the scalding coffee as I see Bakura beheaded in front of me. I follow the tray to the floor, my arms wrapping around me. I killed him, I killed him, I fucking killed him!

"Seto, listen to me." Bakura's voice in my ear, his hand on my shoulder, shaking me. "Come on, look at me, and listen."

I look up at Bakura, and his eyes are concerned. "Why?"

"Why, what, Seto?" Bakura responds, though I'm sure he knows what I'm asking.

"Why don't you hate me? I killed you!" I feel Bakura's blood hitting me again, and I shudder. Bakura sighs, a smirk on his lips.

"Idiot. I always knew it was going to happen. The only reason I let it was because I love you. I've always loved you, even when you were a High Priest with the Millennium Rod stuck up your ass, and even now, when you're a CEO with a stick shoved up there." Bakura's answer makes the blood stop spraying, and the memory stop looping. "You weren't ready to hear it until now, though I thought it was fairly obvious. Anyway, let's get you laying down, yeah?"

"I'm not weak." I mutter as he pulls me to my feet and pushes me down on the bed. He just laughs and lays down beside him, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Never said you were, Seto. Now go to sleep, or I'm going to stab you for keeping me up."

...I don't think a day in bed with Bakura sounds all that bad, actually.

A/N:Well, there you have it. The end. I tried to make sure that it was shown that nothing in their relationship was really going to change, but I'm not sure how well I did. Let me know? Anyway, thanks for sticking around for the whole ride, and I'll see you next time!