Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy.

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Chapter 45

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Bold and Italics for flashbacks

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Bakura sighed as Marik finally finished and the eyes turned from Marik to him and Yami and switching between them both waiting for who would start first before Bakura glared at Yami who smirked waiting for him to start seeing as Bakura and Marik met first before they met him so it only made sense to him that they go first.

"Unlike Marik and Yami I didn't have a good upbringing; I was born and raised in France. My parents were murdered when I was young so I had to steal food for myself.

Bakura was 12 when he lost his parents and had to resort to stealing to survive and he did really well by it considering he was small so he'd wait for a fight to break out in the market place and then steal food while the vendors were watching, or he'd create the chaos himself.

After about a year Bakura was seen by someone who had been watching him and taken an interest. Bakura snatched another lot of food after chaos he'd caused. Bakura ran through the alleyways till he was a good distance away from the market before he sat down to eat. Bakura was halfway through his food when a shadow fell over him, he hadn't even heard someone walk over to him.

"You have some skill for one your age. Come with me and I can make your skills even better."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Well I've been watching you for the last week and I can tell that the vendors are starting to notice. It's only a matter of time before the guards see and you are put in jail."

"I'm a kid."

"Won't matter, you'll be in jail and trust me you don't want to be in there."

"So you'll teach me to be better?"

"I can try. Just depends on how good you are but I don't just choose anyone. You show promise but it will only work if the one I choose puts in the effort."

"I'm in, what have I got to lose. My family was killed."

"Well come with me."

The man turned to leave, leaving Bakura to scramble to his feet and follow after the man. Bakura figured he was better off trusting the man and expand his skills if he was to survive even if he didn't know him.

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As the years went on Bakura's skills increased and by the time he was 17 he'd completed everything his master, the man that found him, had to teach him, though Bakura's fighting skills were better than his masters. He'd been able to beat him in a sparring match for the last year and a half. Turned out for the last year his master had been sick and was dying and there was nothing to cure the disease that his master had caught. So Bakura did everything he could to make his master comfortable, he was after all like a second father to him.

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A year passed and Bakura found himself in chains as he was dragged behind a cart towards the docks. He'd been careless after his master passed away six months ago. He'd gone to steal some jewels from the King in the area he was in and get caught. Not before taking half a dozen guards to their graves.

So now here he was beaten down and being taken to a slave ship. Bakura growled as he was taken up the plank that connected to the ship. He could see a few other slaves being taken below which was the direction Bakura was being made to go. As he looked around the ship he took in the workers, some were skinny and weak looking while the others, like the ones taking him on the ship, were large and muscular.

Bakura stumbled as he was forced below deck and into a smelly hold. Bakura growled and fought as he was moved to the back of the ship and chained up beside a blonde who had been asleep till he arrived making a lot of noise.

"You bastards, when I get out of here I will rip your insides out and strangle you with them." Bakura cursed at them.

They just waved him off, hearing it all before and from the blonde they put him next to. Bakura growled and watched as they went back above deck the hatch to the deck was closed plunging them into near darkness. Bakura looked around him seeing lots of sick looking men and women his age and older. There weren't too many that weren't sick, including the blonde next to him.

"What you here for?" The blonde asked speaking the same language as Bakura had been not too long ago.

"You understand me." Bakura said in surprise, no need to take his anger out on someone that was in the same position as him. "You don't look like you're from around here."

"No I'm not from around here. I'm from Greece."

"How long have you been on this ship?"

"Nearly a month now I'm guessing. I hear we are finishing in Egypt, but going through Spain next and then down the coast to Egypt."

"Great."

"I have a plan to escape but I can't do it alone."

"Why me?"

"You seem like you are capable to fend for yourself. Look at everyone else."

Bakura looked around and saw what he meant. Everyone in the hold was skinny and weak from little food, while Marik seemed like he was still strong, fit and capable of getting out. Bakura nodded and looked back to Marik who was smirking.

"What's your plan?"

Marik smirked and they moved a little closer together as much as the chains would allow and started to plan their escape.

"You lost your parents." Ryou said and Bakura looked at him sadly. "How?"

"Killed for the money they had even then it wasn't a lot."

Ryou hugged tightly before looking to Yami. Bakura smiled and wrapped his arms around him a little firmer in thanks. They all turned to Yami who was waiting for them to be ready for his story.

~~∞∞Ω∞∞~~ End of Chapter 45 ~~∞∞Ω∞∞~~

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