A:N/ Hey guys! I'm sorry it took it so long to get this chapter up. So much schoolwork, so little time. I want to thank everyone who's reviewed my story! Hugs! I'm going to try and center this chapter on Bakura and his emotions. Wish me luck! By the way, from the previous chapter, căţeameans bitch and La dracu' means shit.

Bakura reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer. Cracking off the bottle cap, he tilted his head back and chugged down the bitter brown liquid, feeling a distinct warm settle through his body that nothing could ever replicate. He slouched into an armchair and looked around the apartment, counting on his fingers the things he had done today:

Tormented Ryou sufficiently that he had run into his room crying while covered in bruises
2. Beat the girl he had captured until she lost consciousness
3. Scared the daylights out of Yugi Moto and his mutt friend Joey
4. Had a fairly decent day overall

Bakura grinned, showing his sparkling white fangs. He finished re-buckling his belt before he took another swig of beer. It had always been fun to watch Ryou squirm with each hit of the belt and hear him beg for mercy. What had surprised him a lot was that Čigānu had said nothing that remotely expressed her fright. She simply kept her eyes closed and took it. The one thing that she did that scared the crap out of him was that she reached up when he was about to slap her, grab his wrist and shake her head. He simply wrenched his wrist out of her hand and slapped her anyways. The defiance scared him though. He never liked defiance when he was the Thief King, killing those who stood in his way. He fingered the Millenium ring around his neck and sighed. Sometimes he did miss his old life in Egypt. There was way too much technology here and besides, he had magic back then. At least he could get an even match back then. He took another swig of beer, placed the bottle on the counter and went for a walk. Once outside, he scuffed his trainers on the sidewalk and brushed a spike of hair out of his face. Something felt missing as he took each step throughout the city and Bakura could never quite put his finger on it. He had all the power he currently desired and still had a chance of defeating Yugi and Atem. What was missing? It was when he saw a happy couple nuzzling by a street sign and kissing that he finally understood. It was someone who loved him that he missed. Mind you, nobody had ever really loved him. He suddenly compared himself to Yami Marik. Marik was a psychopath as well, but Marik had been created out of someone's own hatred and anger. Bakura was a living human who had a true soul, even though flooded with rage, which still longed for the warm touch of someone's arm around his shoulders, the warmth of a true loving kiss on his lips. No amount of sex could replace that.

Bakura sat down on a bench in the park, his head in his hands. What was wrong with him? He was the Thief King! Whatever his heart desired, he could take! But that was just it. No girl would be truly willing to sit down beside him; to lean her head on his shoulder; to listen to what he had wanted to say to someone for so long; and to (at this, Bakura's heart clenched) kiss him. Ryou had kissed girls a thousand times in his fantasies, but Bakura could never have those dreams. There was no one he truly desired, even though he did wish for someone to care. His brown eyes closed and he breathed slowly, trying to regain his composure. A hand touched his shoulder and he jumped. "Do you mind?" He growled angrily, not looking at the person.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something, Bakura." He looked up and saw Joey staring at him. "Look, I just wanted to make up for what you did to me this morning."

Bakura grinned. That had been funny. Hiding behind a dumpster and dragging the two into it had been hilarious and was totally worth the stench. "It was totally worth the garbage smell."

"Anyway, Bakura, you seem down. Is there something wrong?" Joey sat down on the bench beside him and pushed a hunk of blond hair out of his eyes. "Girl trouble?"

"How can it be girl trouble if there is no one I care about and no one to care about me?" Bakura snapped.

"Are you sure there's no one you care about?" Joey wiggled his eyebrows. "I heard you reeled in another girl for your bed. What's her name?"

"Where did you hear about that?" Bakura asked angrily.

"Ryou told me. Now spill. I swear I won't tell a soul." Joey made a cross over his heart.

Bakura thought for a few seconds and said, "Her name's Čigānu Morrisane. I stole her off Main Street."

"Gypsy girl? Wildest hair you ever did see? Kinder than anyone to ever cross into this world? Puts up a bloody good fight?" Joey asked quietly.

"Yeah, that's Čigānu. How do you know her?" Bakura asked curiously.

"We used to go to school together." Joey replied. "She was an amazing student, Čigānu is. Name a problem and she can probably solve it. She writes amazing stories too. She's the Peacekeeper in our school, stopping fights between everyone, never mind the fights she caused. No one in their right mind would kidnap her. She'd kill you first."

"What did you mean that she would kill me first?" Bakura asked snootily. "I'm the Thief King, never mind being in this world. I'd send her to the Shadow Realm first."

"This is sounding like one of those sappy love stories Čigānu used to write." Joey moaned, stretching his legs out and cracking his knee. "You know, she had to ask Atem about loads of historical facts before writing one. Her favourite story ever she actually wrote about your time. You know, Pharaohs, pyramids, all that bullshit?"

"What was it about?" Why was he being this curious? It was just a girl's sappy love story…but was it the story he was interested about, or the girl?

"It was about this king named Touzoku-ou who was this evil tyrant and used to kidnap women for his bed. But one day, he stole this little slave girl named Cleopatra (no relation to the Queen) and tried to rape her. Every time, it was if some powerful magic stopped him. Finally, he realized that it was her innocence and beauty that was stopping him. He fell in love with her but never told her how he felt, since she was his first true love. Meanwhile, she believed that there was not always darkness in his heart. She asked him to tell her about his past and when he was finished talking about the horrors that he had experienced, he started to cry, saying that no one would ever love him. In reply, she directed his face towards hers, whispered, 'I love you' and kissed him. That's all I remember." Joey breathed out, exhausted with the massive story. Bakura was sitting there, shell-shocked. "Hey, Bakura, are you okay?"

He wasn't. 'Touzoku-ou' was the name Bakura had when he was alive, back in Egypt. How had a simple girl known that name? How accurate was that story? He finally spoke, "I'll have to get a copy of that. It sounds good."

Joey was quiet for a few minutes. "She's a stunner, ain't she?"

"What are you blathering about, Wheeler?" Bakura snarled. Then remembered that in Joey's style of slang, being a 'stunner' meant that she was beautiful. Was Čigānu beautiful? His heart ook throbbed. Yes, oh Ra, yes, she was beautiful. If Isis was reincarnated onto this Earth, she would look like Čigānu. "Yes, she is amazingly beautiful."

Joey smiled. "You should ask her out, man. She's a total babe."

"WHAT GIRL in her RIGHT MIND would ever GO OUT with ME?" Bakura yelled, slamming his face into the heels of his hands. "I'm a demon! I kill! I desecrate everything I come across! I have no kindness, no gentleness, and no heart. I'm the exact opposite of Čigānu's innocence. I'd destroy her."

Joey was truly blown away by the depth of emotion in Bakura's reaction. For someone who claimed to not have a heart, he sure could feel deeply. "Bakura, you prob'ly do have a heart otherwise you wouldn't be feeling this way. Look, maybe do something for the better, something that will let her know you're trying to change for the better."

"Like what?" Bakura whispered softly.

"I don't know. Stop beating Ryou; take her out for dinner; act really kind; stop trying to hurt her…the basics. There is one other thing I can think of that would let her know that you want to change for the better." Joey waited until Bakura was almost silently begging for the answer before he continued. "You could tell her she's free to go home if she so desires."

A pain shot through Bakura's chest. He may have only brought her to his house to use her for his own specific reasons, but he really didn't want her to leave. But Joey was right and Bakura understood. "Thanks, Joey. I'll think about that." He got up, patted Joey's shoulder in thanks, and walked back to his apartment with his hands in his pockets. A great knot of tension seemed to undo itself in the middle of his back and he walked with a lighter step. He wanted to show Čigānu that he was ready to change; ready to win her heart. Then, all of a sudden, these thoughts entirely disappeared from his head. He felt a memory nail him like a bolt of lightning and he choked, gripping onto a bench for support. He saw his village burning to the ground, his friends slaughtered in front of him, and the Pharaoh standing before him. The girl standing by him looked like Čigānu, and the Pharaoh's son, Atem, stood beside her, holding her hand. Bakura's hands clenched into fists and he was ready to yell in anger. His temper flared like magma in a volcano and he stomped home, his chocolate eyes burning with rage as his cold stare dared anyone to get in his way. This was an anger that would take a while to get rid of.

Meanwhile, Čigānu was trying to coax Ryou out of his room with every ounce of persuasion she had. When the door slammed open and Bakura stomped through, her progress disappeared and Ryou raced into the far corner of his room, curling into a ball. The emotional damage from all of Bakura's beatings had diminished his confidence and bravery into microscopic amounts that made her heart plummet into despair. "Where is that runt?" Bakura screamed, pushing a table out of his way with such a force that it fell to the floor. "Hiding in his room again, the little coward? He'll have a piece of me!"

"Why do you always have to beat him?" Čigānu demanded, putting her arms across the doorway to block Bakura's raging charge and protect her old friend. "Leave him alone!"

Bakura laughed maniacally, throwing back at his head back. When he leveled his chocolate eyes back at her, a visible shiver of terror shot its way up her spine. He was truly insane and angry that moment. "Who are you to stop me? I could send you to the Shadow Realm with a snap of my fingers, you pathetic girl. Stand aside or you will rue the day you were ever born."

To his surprise, she smirked and began to clap slowly. He growled at her. Her voice was deeply sarcastic as she gave her opinion on that speech. "That was such a very touching speech, how very original! You must understand, pretty boy, that I still have no idea what the Shadow Realm is and I am only running on the assumption that it is like Hell, but you will have to do more than that to make me move aside." Her green eyes glittered angrily, rocking onto the balls of her feet. "So kindly go AWAY!" With that, she nailed an uppercut square into his jaw and another punch into his nose. Bakura staggered backward, his hands over his bleeding nose. He doubled over in pain as a punch slammed into his stomach and her black Converse drove into his crotch. He let out a rush of air in a gasp. No one ever dared do this and lived.

Suddenly, his pale hand shot up and locked fingers around her dark throat. Bakura lifted Čigānu up and squeezed tighter and tighter until her lips started to turn blue. He lifted up the Millenium Ring and golden light began to glow from it. "Never, ever test my temper, girl. Someone could get hurt." With that, he used the magic to hold her up, drew back his fists and started punching her. The magic was still gripping her throat so she couldn't make any noises of pain. With every punch, she felt bruises forming on her arms and chest. Bakura even threw in a kick to her stomach with his trainers, which drained all the air she had left in a rush, and slammed her head into the side of the wall. A grin slid across his face and she got a clear view of his fangs. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she tried to speak but the sound got could in her throat from his grip. "What's wrong?" Bakura was enjoying this far too much, even though it was necessary. He had to get rid of all the anger sitting on his chest. "Shadows got your tongue?"

"Bakura…" Čigānu choked, desperately trying to speak. "I….can't…breathe!"

Bakura's heart plummeted when he realized what he was doping. He had wanted to change for the better, not signify the worst by killing her! He dropped Čigānu like a hot potato and she sank to the floor, gasping in lungful after lungful of fresh air. "I'm so sorry!" He begged for her to understand. He dropped to one knee, ignoring the pain in his face and torso, and brushed a hunk of hair out of her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone!" She hissed bloodthirstily, dragging herself to her feet and staggering into her room, slammed the door as hard as she could. Bakura slid to the floor, putting his face into his hands in a mixture of sorrow, residual anger and self-loathing. It also helped to stop the blood dripping from his nose. Ryou cautiously stepped out of his room and stared at Bakura, his eyes wide. He used the power within his Millenium Ring and spoke to his host through a mental connection. "What happened?"

"Bad memories. I got so angry…" Bakura let out a hiss with this. When he looked up, his normally angry face was distorted with unnatural sorrow. "I almost killed her, Ryou!"

"Why didn't you? You always said she was a pain in your side."

Bakura said nothing for a few seconds. "I haven't been able to get any farther with her, let alone anything else done. I can't have her spirit and strength if she still defies me."

"Is that the only reason, Touzoku-ou?" Ryou teased.

"Don't call me that!" Bakura roared. But the emotion was betrayed in his eyes. No, there was another reason. He cared about that girl, somehow. Ryou nodded and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a few things out of the cupboards. He had to do his part and soothe the anger between his two room mates. Placing everything in a small basket, he walked over and quietly knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Čigānu screamed from inside her room. Her voice was choked from pain and anger.

"Čigānu, it's Ryou. Can I come in?" Ryou held his breath, waiting for her response.

There was a brief silence and as Ryou shifted from foot to foot, there was a timid, "Come in." As Ryou opened the door, he jumped back as a heavy plank dropped down in front of his face. He turned to the right and saw her standing by the doorframe, an old plank in her hands. She studied him for a few seconds and when she was certain that it was Ryou, and not Bakura mimicking his voice, she put the plank down. She looked so pathetic that it hurt Ryou to watch her. Her nose was bleeding just like Bakura's, bruises covered her bare arms, a bump was starting to rise on her head, and every step she took seemed to hurt her. She slumped onto her cot and gasped in pain. "I had absolutely no idea the human body could hurt so much." She breathed out.

Ryou passed her some icepacks, a couple of tissues, a water bottle and a few aspirin. Čigānu took the aspirin and had a quick drink to swallow them down. She took two icepacks on her ribs and one on her head, and then she held the tissues up to her nose to stop the bleeding. Ryou sat beside her and gently ran his hands over her arms, checking for any breaks. "Bakura is very unpredictable." He whispered. "You'll have to forgive him for that."

"How can I forgive him?" She asked regretfully. "I want to, but I don't see a good reason why. He keeps hurting both of us all the time."

Ryou was quiet, mulling this thought over. How much should she be told? Would she even believe him? "Bakura's had a very…dark life, filled with anger, torment and pain. He sometimes is struck by these memories and it makes him angry that he can't forget them but sometimes the anger is just unexplainable. It's a thing he absolutely despises and can't control."

She thought for a few seconds. Bursts of unexplainable anger were very common in a lot of people, as was a need to get rid of your anger out through violence so she assumed Bakura was nothing different. As her nose stopped bleeding, she realized that yes, she could. She slowly got to her feet and stumbled towards the open door. She took a few deep breaths and finally got full control over her body so she could move without too much pain. She stopped. "Hey, Ryou, why doesn't Bakura just tell me this himself?"

"If you look outside, you'll see why," was Ryou's answer.

"Okay…" Čigānu said quietly. She carefully walked into the living room and stared at Bakura. He was sitting on the couch, smacking his head with his hand and was mumbling something under his breath. She listened for a few seconds and heard him saying, "Have to calm down, I have to stay calm…"

"Bakura?"

He looked up and stared at her. He was amazed that she was brave enough to stand before him in her condition and while he was in his. "What do you want?" He snapped, staring at the thin, exhausted girl before him. To his surprise, she walked over to him and sat down on the couch beside him. She studied him, her bright green eyes staring into his chocolate ones, trying to see what had caused his anger. "Leave me alone!"

Čigānu leaned over and wrapped her arms around him in a light hug, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Why are you always so angry?" She asked quietly, her voice soft to save her strength. "Ryou sort of explained it to me but I want to hear it from you."

Bakura blinked in surprise. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around her, receiving the hug in his own awkward way. His entire heart seemed to quiver and his self-loathing began to fade away like smoke in the breeze. She really wanted to know but he wouldn't succumb to her charms. "Get off me." He said quietly. "Get off me now, you whore."

"Bakura, when are you going to realize that I won't listen to you if you're angry?" She replied calmly. "I will listen to you and respond, however, to kindness. Think about that." With that, she got up and walked into the kitchen to get something to eat. She looked up and said, "By the way, I think I can forgive you for the injuries. Can you forgive me?"

Bakura's mouth fell wide open. Never had something like this been said to him. "You want MY forgiveness?" He repeated.

"I kicked you in the crotch, didn't I?" Čigānu replied. She hung her head and whispered, "I'm sorry. I can get really protective of my friends. Can you forgive me, Bakura?"

Bakura blinked, but he nodded. Standing up, he walked into the kitchen, reached up and helped her get the jar of peanut butter, which was way too high up for her to reach. She nodded her thanks and Bakura smiled. That was a first. Something about this girl was so hypnotic that he couldn't tear himself away from her. She started humming a soft melody, maybe from her family, and Bakura's heart began to beat to the fast pace of the music. He liked Čigānu a little more than he usually liked girls. And he was starting to trust her, an emotion that had almost been forgotten in his spirit. There was some weird magic going on…and secretly, Bakura thought it was the best thing in the world.

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