Jaazi: This is dedicated to LunaBakura-chan because she gave me an awesome gift on Gaia for Christmas. This is her Christmas gift!
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Forsaken
Bakura glared heatedly, taking a few steps back. His eyes darted quickly, taking in all of his surroundings--and enemies. How could things have gone so wrong when he had finally achieved total and complete control over this Ra-forsaken world? The Pharaoh. It was always that blasted Pharaoh's fault! How dare he? How dare he? What right did that bastard have to take everything away from him again?
"Bakura, give it up," the Pharaoh snarled.
Bakura narrowed his eyes as his lips twisted into a sneer. Bakura felt a deep laugh begin to rumble in his chest; he let it out in a wild, crazed burst. He laughed and laughed. Damn the Pharaoh, damn the gods themselves! Look at him: he's cornered and those self righteous pigs thought they had him! He'd show them, he'd show them all! Nothing stopped Bakura the king of thieves, the ruler of the lands far and near! He laughed. They had no power over him because he was GOD!
"Give what up, Pharaoh?" Bakura cackled. They had all taken steps back at Bakura's wild laughter. Bakura felt like laughing again. Look how they edged away in fear from him! "Everything I have is rightfully mine! Mine!"
"This world doesn't belong to you. You and I do not belong here!" the Pharaoh said in virtuous anger. He was preaching again. How Bakura hated to be preached!
"Shut up, Pharaoh! What do you know about the world and how it's run?" Bakura snapped. The midget Pharaoh was cowering behind the Pharaoh. How typical. Even the mutt and wench were subdued.
"Besides, you're in no position to make such declarations! I am master here!" Bakura shouted. "If it weren't for the mercy Ryou had towards your pathetic mortal friends, you and your friends would be dead. Yugi wouldn't have been around to bring you back."
"Where is Ryou? What have you done with him?" the Pharaoh boomed. Bakura smirked.
"Didn't your midget tell you? Enlighten me," Bakura scoffed.
"You twisted his way of thinking. You made him think he wanted to be with you and that we betrayed him!" Tea said indignantly. Bakura, who had up until now remained mockingly collected, snarled violently.
"I did no such thing. Ryou has always needed me. You, my Pharaoh, are the one who betrayed him! You blinded him, not me. You made him think you cared. You made him think that he had friends, something you knew he wanted above all else. You twisted him into believing I wanted to do nothing but hurt him," Bakura roared, the shadows in the room darkening and distorting into frightening and grotesque shapes. "You poisoned him with your lies. I revealed the truth to him."
"You're not capable of telling the truth. You're insane! You're evil and twisted and dark," Joey said. Bakura rolled his eyes.
"I've heard it all before. Let us ask Ryou what his opinion of me and you is, Pharaoh," Bakura said in a deceptively calm voice, completely disregarding the other occupants of the room. The Millennium Ring that hung around his neck suddenly chimed. Once. Twice. Three times, it chimed. Then another bout of laughter was heard but this laughter was light-hearted and cheerful. It was a happy laughter.
Ryou, cloaked in white, ran into the room full of smiles and joy. He shone like moonlight in the shadow-covered room. "Curse, Curse! Are you done working? Can we go play now? I learned a new game! One of the commoners taught me when I went out today!"
Bakura forgot the world around him as soon as Ryou stepped in the room. His precious was here and the Pharaoh couldn't hold a candlelight in comparison. Especially when precious has been wandering around where he could get hurt. "You went out? You consorted with commoners? Malik was supposed to be watching you!" Bakura hissed.
"He was! Please don't be mad at him! But, Curse, you were busy and my dollies ran away and I was bored!" Ryou whined pitifully. Bakura let some of his annoyance leave and threaded his fingers through Ryou's soft hair. He pulled him close in an almost violent manner. Ryou, instead yelping in pain, giggled and let himself be treated roughly.
"I missed you, Curse," Ryou said sweetly. Bakura gave him a feral smile before kissing him savagely on the mouth, biting Ryou's lips making them red and swollen. He growled lowly. "I missed you, too, precious," Bakura responded. Ryou laughed softly, snuggling into Bakura's arms.
"But I need you to scold your dollies right now. They've been very bad. Look who they've brought back," Bakura murmured, turning Ryou to face the Pharaoh and his useless followers. Ryou's eyes widened and pressed himself against Bakura.
"It's him! He's the one who always hurt you and made me hurt you too," Ryou whimpered. "I'm sorry, Curse! I'm sorry, sorry, sorry! Please don't leave me alone! I didn't mean to, I'll make my dollies be good, please don't leave," Ryou cried.
"No, Ryou! Bakura's wrong. We, we just want what's best for you and the rest of us. Come back with us Ryou!" the Pharaoh said. Ryou's green eyes filled with tears.
"You're lying! Curse is good, Curse is mine. You hurt him, you took him away from me over and over again! And now you took my dollies away too! You're a bad person!" Ryou shouted. The Pharaoh stepped back in shock. Bakura grinned triumphantly.
"You see, Pharaoh? He loves me and hates you. I rule the world while you and your weak disciples are impoverished. All is as it was meant to be!" Bakura said gleefully, wrapping himself around Ryou.
"Ryou, we don't want to hurt you," the Yugi started slowly. "We have to make things right again but we can't do that without hurting you if you insist on staying with Bakura. Come with us Ryou. Help us please."
Ryou wavered. Hesitantly, Ryou edged away from Bakura. Bakura looked at him sharply but said nothing. Guiltily, Ryou made his way towards the Pharaoh being cautious with every step. The Pharaoh had a look of pure relief on his face while Yugi's face broke out into a smile. Tea and Joey seemed to share their sentiments. Ryou reached out and wrapped his delicate fingers around Yugi's thin wrist with a soft smile. Yugi's own smile disappeared as Ryou yanked him away from the Pharaoh and his friends. Ryou's smile never left his face.
"You're my favorite dolly! The other dollies were bad so Curse has to get rid of them now and that mean one that always hurts me and Curse. But I'm gonna keep you. Besides, the mean one likes you lots and he won't hurt us if we have you!" Ryou chirped happily, dragging the whimpering Yugi towards Bakura. Ryou suddenly found himself sprawled on the cold stone floor, Yugi torn from his grasp. He raised a shaky hand to his reddened cheek. Joey had hit him. Joey had hit him and taken away his favorite dolly. Ryou whimpered and curled in on himself, crying softly.
Joey didn't live for too long afterwards. If there was one rule in this chaotic world was that no one may ever harm Ryou. Those who did suffered a fate worse than death. Bakura made sure of it. Joey screamed as the icy shadows in the room twisted around him, tugging and clawing at him mercilessly. There was nothing left of him. Bakura swiftly picked Ryou up off the floor, shadows still swirling angrily in the room. Tea was screaming. Yugi was crying and the Pharaoh was stunned.
"Yes," Bakura mocked. "You're his caring friends who want the best for him." He nuzzled Ryou. "I'm sorry for destroying your mutt, but he hurt you. You understand, don't you?"
"Y-Yes, Curse. Why doesn't Yugi want to stay with me? I took good care of him. Doesn't he like me?" Ryou whined piteously.
"I'm sure he likes you, precious. The Pharaoh just twisted his way of thinking," Bakura replied with a conniving smirk. "Sounds familiar, doesn't it Pharaoh?"
"Bakura!" the Pharaoh spat. The Puzzle began to glow ominously. Bakura laughed.
"Are you going to destroy me, Pharaoh? What about your dearest friend?" Bakura shouted, inclining his head towards Ryou who was still in his arms, sniffling quietly. The Pharaoh cast Ryou a sadden glance before staring coldly at Bakura.
"I can't save him, Bakura. You've made sure of that," the Pharaoh said regretfully. Bakura's eyes glowed cruelly.
"You can't hurt me. Your Item doesn't compare to mine!" Bakura snapped. The Pharaoh let a look of triumph flash across his face.
"Perhaps. But we've more than one Item on our side," he said. Bakura stepped back as Yugi revealed the Key and Scales. Tea held the Rod and Necklace. In Yami's left hand, he clutched the Eye. Bakura tensed. Ryou looked up at him.
"Curse, what's going on? Are they going to hurt us again? Can't you make them scream and go away like always?" Ryou asked fearfully. Bakura's jaw clenched so rigidly that the muscles twitched painfully.
"Ryou, precious, remember this moment. Look at them, look at your friends. What happens next…it is purely their doing. Remember how happy we were before and remember how they tore it away from us. Remember how they have forsaken us," Bakura hissed through gritted teeth. Bakura met Ryou's frightened and tearful emerald eyes. "Never forget this moment. Never forget their faces."
Ryou buried his face into Bakura's neck as his last words were whispered. "Never forget that they are the cause of all our pain."
A flash of light, accompanied by triumphant cheers, blinded them as ice embedded itself into Bakura and Ryou's very bones. And then all was dark.
He was crying again. He was curled up at the base of a tree on the far side of the playground. He didn't have to worry about someone seeing his tears. He was alone, forsaken, forgotten…just like always. Why wouldn't the other children play with him? Why would they always ignore him? Did he do something wrong? Sobs wracked his small body. He never wanted to hurt anyone. He always tried to be nice, so why…
Salty tears flowed down his darkly tanned face and dripped onto the golden object he was clasping to his chest. His eyes were squeezed shut. He didn't notice the object start to glow. He gasped when he felt barely-there fingers run through his shortly cropped, dark gray hair.
"Why are you crying?" a lilting, giggling voice asked. "You're too cute to cry. Like a little dolly." The child's amethyst eyes snapped open to meet curious emerald eyes.
"Wh-Who are you?" the child whimpered fearfully. Soft white hair framed green eyes that held such warmth and delight.
"This is Precious," a deeper, biting voice responded. Eyes red like blood and sharp as knives invaded the child's line of vision.
"And that is Curse," Precious said. "Who are you?"
"A-Akefia. I'm Akefia," the child answered softly.
"That's a pretty name. Why are you crying, Akefia?" Precious asked again. Akefia sniffled, his shock wearing away as he remembered why he was crying.
"Nobody will play with me. They always leave me alone," Akefia said heartbreakingly.
"We know how that feels. It seems like you're our new landlord, Akefia," Curse said tartly.
"Don't worry Akefia! We used to be alone, too. But now we don't have to be. Curse and I are your friends. We'll never be lonely again," Precious said softly. Akefia's purple eyes lit up with hope.
"F-Friends?"
"Hn. Yes, allies and protectors," Curse said.
"Friends forever and ever and ever," Precious giggled.
"Tell me, Akefia, what year is this?" Curse asked brusquely, surveying the world around him. His eyes landed on a group of children surrounding the jungle gym. Akefia's eyebrows furrowed.
"Um, 2900, I think," Akefia said hesitantly. Curse smirked, baring amazingly jagged teeth.
"Not even a millennia. Akefia, who are those kids over there?" he asked in the same brusque manner as before. Precious looked over to the children in question. His pretty green eyes darkened. Akefia looked at his new, barely-there friends worriedly.
"That's Yuki and his friends. They…they don't like me, I think," Akefia said sadly. Precious looked at him kindly.
"Does Yuki have a gold box with a puzzle inside?" Precious asked. Akefia's eyes widened and he nodded eagerly.
"Yes, he does! They're all shiny and pretty. I wanted to help put it together but he looked at me mean and said no," Akefia replied. Precious smiled again.
"Me and Curse can get you more friends. Curse got me lots and lots of friends before a boy like Yuki took them away. You want more friends right, Akefia?" Precious asked compassionately. Akefia grinned.
"More than anything!"
"Then do us a favor, landlord," Curse said. "Go take one of the gold pieces from Yuki's box. If you do that, Precious and I will get you all the friends you want. Can you do that?"
Akefia nodded and ran off to the playground. Precious leaned into Curse's arms and snuggled him.
"Curse, am I going to have dollies again? Me and Akefia can play with them when you go out and get us more friends," Precious whispered. Curse let a feral grin slip onto his features.
"Yes, Ryou. When our landlord brings us that one piece, we'll destroy it. Then you, me, and Landlord will have all the friends we'd ever want."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Precious and Curse watched as Akefia committed his first theft. The theft that guaranteed them the world. After all, with no Pharaoh, there was no one left to ruin their happiness.
They would no longer be forsaken.
Jaazi: Done! Now I gotta go work on an update for A&D and there's a couple requests I have to finish, so I'm off.
DJ: I like this one. It's not all fluffy and gross like the other ones.
KK: Review please! IT MAKES US HAPPY!