Thank you, everyone who reviewed, for your support! I actually now feel the urge to come up with more ideas for the story. I know that sounds weird, but I do it a lot—figure out the first half of the story and the ending, but forget about the second half or so until I get to it. I will try to update as soon as possible, though.

I also apologize for the slow updates. School has kept me so busy…I really should have taken a study hall, but there you go—I'm apparently smart enough to be in honors classes, but not smart enough to manage my own schedule without disaster. There really should be some kind of rule against that…in any case, I haven't had a whole lot of free time. Well, I suppose I should mention that I managed to practically sleep through much of spring break. .

Oh, and one person so far has guessed my little question correctly. Congratulations to Browneyedalbino! virtual cookie

Disclaimer: Same as always pokes stick cautiously at lawyers

Warning: If you can read this far before figuring out the yaoi part of the story, then I don't think saying it again will help. Umm…general warning for language (Bakura has a potty mouth….) and other random stuff like that. I don't even remember what I rated this, but whatever it was, it's probably rated that for a reason. . Well, that covers pretty much all I can think of at the moment….

Oh, and thoughts will now be in italics instead of single-quote-thingies, because it'll be easier for me when I go over this a year from now and make some sad attempt at editing.

()()(Chapter 7)()()

Yami sighed. He had already passed that particular bench at least five times. However, he didn't feel like heading back to the party yet, so he continued to walk.

Perhaps I should head down to the lake…

He followed the moonlit path a little farther before wandering off across the grass. The spirit climbed a small hill, over which the reflection of the full moon was fully visible on the lake. He sat on the grass, feeling dew seep through his pants, but not caring much. Suddenly, a flash of white in the trees caught his attention. When he looked more closely, though, nothing was there.

Just my imagination again…

This had happened before—he would see flashes of Bakura's hair or face across a crowd of people, or disappearing into an alley, but they would always be just that—flashes. As soon as he would arrive at the place where he'd seen the Thief King, he would be gone.

And now I'm stuck thinking about him again. Just like always.

It was true. Bakura was never far from the ex-pharaoh's mind. In fact, it sometimes seemed like he never left it.

But this is pointless. I know how he feels about me, though I really…

"Don't know why…"

Yami realized he was now thinking out loud. Well, it didn't matter much—there was no one around to listen anyways.

"I guess maybe it would help to know why he hates me so much. I know he blames me for what happened to his family and all…but weren't they killed before I became pharaoh? And Mahaado told me that my father knew nothing about it either…1 And while he may be hard to understand and kind of unpredictable, I don't think Bakura's crazy. So…there must be some other reason…"

He stood up, staring towards the stars. "But I can't remember what the hell it could be! I can't even remember my Ra-damned name, much less whatever it was I did wrong…" The spirit sank down once again as tears threatened to spill over. "Maybe if I knew what was wrong, I could fix it…but he hasn't told me, and I have no idea…"

When did everything go so wrong? I thought all I'd need to do was protect my hikari and his friends, save the world a few times, and get all the items, and everything would be all right… He sighed, chuckling slightly. It's not so simple in real life, is it…

()()(line break)()()

A white-haired man sat in a tree a short ways away from where the ex-pharaoh sat. he looked almost contemplative as he stared over at the other teen in the dim light; his face revealed little emotion, though no one was there to see him.

So you still don't remember, Pharaoh…well, too bad. There's no way to fix things now anyways. It's about 5000 years too late for that.

However, his expression softened slightly as he watched a single tear run down his enemy's face.

He watched as Yami stood once again, walking across the field once again, then over a hill and out of sight.

()()(Yami's POV)()()

You know, I actually feel a little better after ranting a bit. Maybe Jou's got a point with that one.

He felt a slight stirring in his mind as Yugi poked gently at their mental link. The spirit sighed gently. Of course Yugi knew what was going on; sometimes he felt like his hikari knew him better than he knew himself. He allowed their link to open fully, hoping that the teen might see something that he missed.

/Or just that I'll give you something else to think about/

/That works./ Yugi giggled, bringing a small smile to the ex-pharaoh's face.

/You should really come back to Seto's, you know. You worried everyone, just running out like that./ The hikari guessed at Yami's next thought before the spirit could even think it, answering/I know you were upset, and I know why, but they don't./

/I know./ The spirit smiled slightly. Talking to Yugi always managed to cheer him up. /That wasn't really the goal….just had some thoughts to work out./

The hikari smiled sadly. /You're not the only one with an impossible crush, remember? We're in the same boat there./

/…well, at least Seto doesn't completely hate you/ However, the thought had a laughing tone to it, a sign that Yami's spirits were rising.

The spirit continued walking, heading through a forested area of the park. The path ahead curved suddenly, hiding the area ahead behind shadows of trees and dark outlines of lilac bushes, and the spirit slowed down for a moment, suddenly cautious for some unknown reason. He shook his head slightly before continuing, and, telling himself that nothing would happen, rounded the corner.

And promptly crashed into someone, fell over, and hit on the ground hard. He sat up, groaning as he felt a sharp pain near his tailbone. Looking up, though, he forgot the dulling ache and stared openly at the man kneeling before him. The other's shocked face was enough to convince the ex-pharaoh that this was a complete accident. He felt his own expression change to match his tone of surprise and confusion as he whispered, "Bakura?"

The thief flinched at the sound of his name and was suddenly off, running into the woods. "Bakura, wait!" Yami quickly stood and followed the spirit; the now-cleared path not only sped his progress but slowed the man he was pursuing, as said man was forced to make the path himself. With this aid, he managed to keep him within sight.

Suddenly, the flash of silver hair ahead disappeared with a yell. Yami stopped, startled, then slowly walked forward, making sure not to miss anything. It wasn't hard to figure out what happened; not far ahead, a tree root jutted out of the ground, and the bushes to the side were pulled apart, branches broken, as if someone had fallen there. As the ex-pharaoh edged closer to said bushes, the thief came into sight. It wasn't long before he met Bakura's harsh, angry glare.

"Get the hell away from me!" the thief yelled, trying to scoot as far away from his pursuer as possible. He winced as he pushed back with his left foot; Yami could see the ankle beginning to swell. However, Bakura ignored his pain as he continued to creep away from the other spirit. His movement was still halted, though, when his back hit a tree trunk. The thief threw his arm out as if warding off an enemy, yelling, "Leave me alone!"

Yami did stop, though he was clearly upset. He swallowed deeply before continuing to move slowly closer, saying, "Please, I just want to talk to you. That's all."

Bakura's expression changed from extreme anger to guarded watchfulness. Seeing that the other spirit wasn't making any sudden moves, he whispered, "What do you want from me?"

The ex-pharaoh's expression relaxed as he replied, "Only to understand." Confusion flitted momentarily over the other spirit's face, and he continued, "I want to know what happened between us, what I did to make you hate me so much."

The pale-haired yami snorted. "And here I thought that little trip into the memory world was supposed to RESTORE your memory."

Yami frowned. "It did—but only from the time period the world showed. I remember you, what you looked like, the reasons you gave then for fighting me, the actual fights….everything except what I want to know!" He was surprised to hear Bakura chuckle darkly.

"You want to know the real reasons, Pharaoh? You better be sure, because this'll hurt." His expression clouded as he continued. "How much do you recall? Do you remember what happened a year, two years before that big battle that you saw in the memory world? No? Well, then I suppose we should start there…

"Two brothers were living on the streets, in the same city as your palace. They'd been orphaned when the older one was only maybe six, and the younger was barely old enough to walk. They had no one to support them, no one to help them, and no training for any jobs. How were they supposed to live, except for stealing? No one really cared, most of the time, at least when they were still young. My guess is, people pitied them. But when they got older, things got worse.

"They were arrested for thievery. Of course, only one was guilty; why should both of them risk being caught when one person could take enough to provide for both? Especially when the older brother was so much better at it. But both profited from it, so both were brought to the palace. I guess I can't complain; at least the younger kid wasn't left on the streets to starve, or worse. You wouldn't remember, since you probably never left the palace without hordes of guards, but the slums aren't kind to kids on their own.

"But anyways, the two were caught and arrested by your guards, who brought them to the palace. There's your first reason, by the way. Then they were separated; the actual thief was dragged off, and the younger brother was left alone. For a while now, the story will follow the older one. He was led through apparently unused halls and corridors until he reached a room with a thick wooden door and a guard out front. The guard opened the door, and he was thrown inside; the door closed and was locked behind him.

"This room wasn't a jail cell, nor a room for a trial; it was pitch black inside, and the thief was admittedly scared. Who could blame him? He was young and inexperienced, especially since he'd never been caught before. Time passed—who could guess how long—but eventually, the door was opened again, and a man with a flickering torch walked in. Guess who? A hint, maybe; spiky, tricolored hair, tan skin, a golden crown…is it sinking in now? It was you, Pharaoh. Listen careful, because here comes your second reason.

"Everyone's always told you how generous and wonderful you were as Pharaoh, am I right? Well, guess what, they lied. Whatever they may think, no benevolent man, god on earth or otherwise, would tie a captive to a wall and use him as a fuck toy for a couple months! Oh, don't look so shocked, I told you the whole story would hurt. The truth is, you were a sadistic bastard, and everyone else just overlooked it.

"So here's this guy, trapped in a tiny dark room for ages, with no news of the little brother he'd protected for years. Can you imagine how worried he'd be, can you blame him for despising the bastard who kept him trapped there? But all of a sudden, one day things got worse. You look surprised, Pharaoh. Thought there couldn't be worse? Thought this was it? Meh.

"Things started fairly normally. You showed up, talked for a little while, started playing, as you so nicely put it. But then you backed off. That was a surprise in and of itself—now why would you do that? Instead, you walked across the room to open a solid stone door. In the dim light from the torch, the thief had never seen it; the stone matched perfectly with the wall. And guess who he pulls out from the little room behind the door? None other than the little brother the thief's been so worried about. Can you imagine how he panicked? Just think what you would have done, if you were in his place. Maybe with Yugi as the brother. Ah, I see fear in your eyes, just from thinking of it; really, can you think how you'd feel if it was real? The thief had no idea how long his brother had been there, or how he'd been treated. And can you guess what you did now? You walked over to the boy, the younger one, and started playing your little game with him.

"Do you have any idea how horrible it is to watch something like that, knowing what comes next, and also know that you're completely unable to stop it? That you can't even protect the one person you have left in the world? That's your third and biggest reason, right there. If the thief had hated you before, he now despised you completely. But at this point, a small blessing shines through—not because of you, be assured, but a blessing all the same. A message came, calling the pharaoh away, to I don't know what. And, even better, he hadn't tied the younger brother up at all. And with the help of some pieces of metal, used as picks, and a kind guard, the pair managed to escape.

"A happy ending, you think? Sounds like it. But the problem is, it doesn't end here. They'd escaped from that hellhole, but they were still in the middle of the hallway; the brothers needed somewhere safe to hide. They managed to hide in a garden, for a little while. The younger boy's master—did I mention he was a slave?—found them there. He was nice, and they'd fallen in love. It was kind of cute, really, and the thief was fine with it, especially considering that this guy was really all that kept his brother safe. Eventually, the younger brother went home with his master; the older brother couldn't go, though, it would attract too much attention, so he was stuck. But the other two would probably be safest away from him. Or so everyone involved thought.

"On the way home, the pair was attacked. By your guards, I should mention. Guess whose orders they were following when they drew swords on two unarmed boys? Or when they finally departed, leaving a young slave unconscious and bleeding heavily, with his noble master barely touched? The younger brother died soon after, and the master couldn't deal with it, and sort of…gave up. Stopped eating, barely slept, and ended up dying a few days later. There's your fourth reason, if you're still keeping track. That's what, two innocents dead because of you?"

Now Bakura paused. He had been staring up at the stars for most of his tale, but now his angry gaze shifted to meet the other spirit's eyes directly. "And can you guess who these people were? No? A hint, maybe, will stir your memory. The master was fairly tall, with the normal Egyptian skin, but unusual blonde hair and lavender eyes. Sound familiar? He should. He just moved here maybe a month ago. And the younger brother, his lover? Small and lithe, pale as the moon, with long silvery hair and chocolate eyes. You know him too, you've known him for ages. And the older brother? He still hates you. Come on, Pharaoh, you must have figured it out by now."

Yami was staring at Bakura, shocked. He's saying I—I did this to him? No wonder then…His eyes fell to the ground. No wonder he hates me so much…Out loud he said, "I-I'm so sorry, Bakura, I had no idea—"

"Well now you do. So I'd appreciate it if you stayed the hell OUT of my life." The thief tried to get up, but fell again, hissing in pain as his ankle collapsed underneath him. He sent a hate-filled glare at the ex-pharaoh. "Well, you got what you wanted, you know what happened now, so leave me alone!"

But by now Yami had remembered Bakura's injury. "At least let me get you some help." He looked down. It's amazing how actions from 5000 years ago can still make me feel guilty… "Bakura, I'm really sorry, I—"

The other spirit cut him off again. "It's a good 5000 years too late for sorry. And if I need help, I can get it without you!" He glared at Yami once again, completely missing the worried, hurt look in the other spirit's eyes. "Now, for the last time, leave me the hell alone!"

He finally managed to stand and limped off into the forest, moving slowly and using the trees for support. Yami moved to follow but stopped, respecting Bakura's wishes; his eyes still held an expression of shock and pain mixed with guilt and apology and worry for the thief. He watched the pale form disappear between the trees before turning away and walking towards home.

/I don't think I'll be coming back to Seto's after all, Hikari./

(Fin)

And we'll end there! A wonderful, uplifting chapter, ne?

sound of crickets chirping

All right, maybe not so. And I do apologize for the total recap of Thief's Brother, for all of you who bothered to read it. I hope it at least filled in any questions about Bakura's point of view in all that. Hey, at least it made the chapter longer! Bordering on 7 pages, including author's notes! Not much, I know, but improvement.

more crickets chirping

All right, all right! I also apologize for making everyone wait so long for this chapter, and for, despite the delay, not making it very long. I had trouble getting Bakura to stay near Yami long enough to fill him in….anyone who's had a character get out of hand and outright refuse to do what the author wants knows what I mean, I'm sure. All your unanswered questions about the party will be answered next chapter, by the way. I think. -.- And this whole thing between Bakura and Yami will be continued too. It may take a while to resolve…. . They're not cooperating, as I mentioned. Meaning, Bakura's fighting me every step of the way. I had maybe 4 drafts of that whole part between them…and that's just of the version that made it into the story. There were maybe three other choices that just didn't work. . So troublesome…

Anyways, please feed the author! She's feeling neglected. Ja ne, everyone!