A/N My longest one-shot ever. I've been cleaning up my brains lately, (a lot of forgotten oneshots there) and this came. I wrote this almost completely in one day, which is kinda something amazing to me.

First time using the 1st person in a fanfic, which is kinda funny since *glares at big pile of Finnish text* almost everything I have written in Finnish is in 1st person. And that means a lot. So let's see if I can think like Yami xD

Sometimes this text was challenging, but I think I managed, and I am quite happy with this. :) I finally got to put a poem to a fanfic! :D I like writing poems, but usually my poems suck.

Now in the morning been editing this, since the stupid computer put the rulers to somewhere random.

Warnings: AU (that means no card games, sorry folks, I know how much you want there to be card games) yaoi (darkshipping)

Enjoy! :)

The Wind

We are not you
We move
We always move
We never stop
Unlike you
We are free
But we cannot escape
We don't care about you
We don't hear your screams
For our screams are much louder
We don't do as you bid
We don't go where you want us to go
We are the wind

Somewhere in the middle Africa, where lions and elephants roam, where everyday is a summer day, where the sun never stops shining, lives a tribe.

A small tribe lives in a village, or a bunch of huts put together. They love, live, hunt and play, like every normal tribe would. But they always live close to the nature. The people in this tribe have a belief, that everywhere around them lives spirits, quiet creatures with magical powers. Spirits live in the wind, in the ground, in every tree and rock. The people in this tribe worship Mother Earth, the giver and taker of all.

When a child of this tribe turns fifteen he must perform a ritual.

The child makes an oath to Mother Earth promises not to harm the balance of the Earth or the spirits, the children of Mother Earth. After the oath is made the child gives himself a new name, and becomes adult. This is called the second naming. When the ritual is complete the child is fully accepted to the tribe, he can get married and raise his children in the tribe.

But what would happen if a child, who can not speak is born to a tribe like this?

I am Yami. My parents gave me that name because I was born in the darkest hour of the day. I am a boy with tri-colored hair and crimson eyes.

I am Yami, and when I turned fifteen I stopped existing. Not literally, of course, and not to everyone. I stopped existing to my tribe.

The reason was simple. I couldn't speak. I was born mute. I never laughed, I never screamed, I never uttered a word.

The witch of our tribe, the one who said she could see the spirits of nature, told my parents that the Northern Wind stole my voice. And that's what my parents always told me.

The Northern Wind stole my voice.

It was the only explanation I ever got. I guess it was possible.

But I couldn't help but wonder. Why me? Why did the Northern Wind steal my voice? Why not someone else's? Why did the Wind even steal voices? Why was I the only one different? Why wasn't I more like my brother?

My brother.

Mother had him when I was two. Before my brother came, I maybe hadn't completely realized how different I was. But when he was born I understood.

He cried. He screamed, the moment he was born.

And when my mother held the crying boy in her arms, me, the two-year-old mute, cried too. Silent tears fell down my cheeks.

No one held me like they held my brother. No one comforted me like they comforted my brother. Because no one heard me crying.

I cried alone.

That moment I understood how different I was, from my brother, from everyone.

My little brother's name is Yugi. He looked like me, we had the same hair. There was one great difference between us.

Yugi can talk. My parents loved him for that. Yugi loved me. He was a kind kid. Sometimes he understood what I meant, though I did not speak.

Sometimes I loved my brother, like every big brother should.

Sometimes I hated my brother.

Even if I hated him, I would never hurt him, physically or with the word I could not speak. I knew that if I ever hurt my brother, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

I was Yugi's big brother and I loved and hated him.

I was jealous.

I can admit it.

After all, Yugi could speak, when I could not. He could tell how he felt, what he thought, and usually his opinions were asked.

Nobody asked me, the mute kid, expect Yugi. Yugi could ask me, but I could not answer.

I was jealous of him.

I think he knew it. He was a smart kid. A smart, kind, popular kid. He was my little brother. He was the one my parents were proud of. He was the one who had friends.

Friends.

Yugi was friends with every kid in our village. He had three very close friends, Jou, Honda and Anzu. Ain't it wonderful? He had so many friends he could choose the closest ones. I couldn't.

For I had none.

Sometimes Yugi invited me to play with him and his friends. At first I accepted. But his friends didn't accept me.

I was the kid, whose voice the Northern Wind stole.

And I was too damn good in Hide and Seek.

One time I hid and waited to be found for two hours or so, before I got up and went back to home.

Slowly I stopped trying to make Yugi's friends my friends.

Yugi was worried.

He was worried, because all I did was watch. I watched how the other kids had fun without me. I watched animals and nature. I watched my mother and my father, how they ignored me and praised Yugi. I watched and the days passed.

Yugi was worried, because he cared. He really cared about me, like little brothers do. But it didn't matter. He couldn't do anything, 'cause no one else cared.

Yugi's friends didn't care.

My mother didn't care.

My father didn't care.

In a way I didn't care either.

Because soon I learned what would happen to a mute boy.

My parents told me the if I didn't learn to speak before my 15th birthday, I might as well be dead. A boy who couldn't complete the ritual to Mother Earth did not belong to the tribe. And nobody could do anything to change that.

Yugi couldn't.

My parents couldn't. Though they probably would be a lot happier without a kid whose voice had been stolen.

If I couldn't give myself a second name, Mother Earth would not accept me.

Nobody could help me with the task.

And Mother Earth only knows I tried. I tried so hard, but I couldn't make a sound. I just, couldn't.

It was one week before I would turn fifteen. Me and Yugi laid on the corner of our hut, on a thin mattress trying to sleep.

"Yami," Yugi whispered suddenly.

I turned to face my little brother, to show him that I was listening. Yugi's eyes were worried, sad, and just a little scared as he looked at me.

"You turn fifteen next week," Yugi said, his voice low, so he wouldn't wake up our parents. "If you can't speak by then, they'll throw you out."

I nodded. I knew that. I knew what it meant, probably better than Yugi did.

"I don't want you to go away," Yugi continued, his eyes filling with tears.

I let out a silent sigh, reached out and wiped away the tears from my little brother's cheek. He shouldn't cry for me.

Yugi nodded and forced himself to smile.

'Just sleep,' I thought. 'Don't worry about me, sleep.'

This was one of those times, when Yugi understood what I wanted. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

I found it hard to sleep. I sat on my a mattress and thought.

Only a week.

After a week, I would try to make an oath to Mother Earth and I would fail. I already knew it. There was no change that I would be able to talk.

Then I would be banished away from my family, from my tribe.

Did I want to see Yugi crying when I was forced to leave?

Did I want the whole tribe watch me walking away?

I did not.

I wanted to walk away the moment I wanted, all alone, no one crying behind me.

I glanced at Yugi. He was fast asleep.

'I'm sorry,' I mouthed, but like always no sound came out of my mouth.

I got up, placed a soft kiss to my little brother's forehead and left.

The nights here where I lived were warm, only a little chillier than the days. I stared at the full moon, who was giving little light to the dark land.

I did not know what to do. The nights were the most dangerous time. The animals were awake and hunting. But on the other hand, my name meant darkness. I was in home in soft darkness.

I took father's knife, he wouldn't need it.

I did not know where to go.

So I ran. I just ran.

Yugi opened his eyes in darkness. He touched his forehead where Yami had kissed him.

"Yami," he hissed to the darkness.

But his brother didn't answer, his brother was already far away.

Yugi understood. He started crying.

He cried silently and alone, just like his big brother always had.

I ran until I couldn't ran no more. When I noticed that my strength was fading, I searched for a tree and climbed to it. In a tree I should be safe from the predators. I fell asleep on one of the branches.

I woke up few hours later. The sun was rising.

I reached out and grabbed a fruit form the tree. I sat on the tree, ate a fruit and watched how the sun rose. It was beautiful.

I was alone, but I didn't mind. This was different kind of loneliness than I had felt before. Before my loneliness had been loneliness in a middle of a crowd. I had been lonely in the middle of my tribe. Now I was truly alone. There was just me. I kinda liked it.

When I had eaten enough I dropped down from the tree and started walking.

I really had no idea where to go. But there was no one telling me what to do. I liked that too. Guess that was just how I was.

I kept on walking, I don't know for how long. The day was gradually becoming hotter and hotter. I stopped to drink from a pond animal use to drink from. Then I continued walking.

The wind started blowing when I first saw him. Someone was walking towards me. He waved his hand, so I waved back.

I walked closer. I just couldn't believe my eyes.

This man couldn't be a human, there was just no way. He was pale, and his clothes were white and blue. His hair was long and white. But I could see through him. He was.. air. That's the only explanation I could think of, when he approached me.

He was made out of moving air, he was made out of wind. I could see his outlines, but they were constantly moving a little.

Only thing solid in him was his eyes. They were brown and directed to me.

He stopped in front of me, and measured me with his eyes from head to toes but in a kind manner. The wind that blew around him was warm, dry and had a little sweet scent of rotting in it.

Even though he stood still the air inside still moved, which created a illusion of constant movement.

I was very confused.

"I noticed that you could see me," the creature said, smiling slightly. "What is your name?"

'Well I can't talk,' I thought sarcastically. 'So I can't obviously give my name.'

The creature tilted his head.

"That's sad. Why can't you talk?"

I blinked few times, not quite realizing what was going on. The whole situation was ridiculous and... Then it hit me.

'Can you read my thoughts?!' I mentally shrieked.

The creature laughed.

"Only a little," he answered.

When I had recovered from my shock I politely answered to his question:

'I'm Yami.'

"Nice to meet you Yami," said the creature and bowed to me." I am the Southern Wind, but you can call me Ryou."

Ryou straightened and looked at me, waiting for a reaction.

My thoughts were running with a speed of light, but I kept them hidden from Ryou. He was the Southern Wind. I looked at him. Well, I got to admit, that he looked kinda... airy. He must be a spirit then. The spirit of Southern Wind.

'Do you know the Northern Wind?' I asked suddenly.

Ryou looked a little amazed, like the reaction I gave him wasn't quite the one he had been expecting. It probably wasn't. Maybe he really had expected me to run away screaming. Well I couldn't scream and I didn't feel like running... So here I was, talking to the Southern Wind.

"Yes I do know him. He's my brother," Ryou answered. "Why do you ask?"

'Do you really want to know?' I asked.

The Southern Wind shrugged.

"Why not."

I told him. I confided to a person I met five minutes ago. I told him everything.

His brother stole my voice. We're in the same boat now, aren't we?

I wasn't afraid to tell him what his brother had done, even though he must had some powers, he was the Southern Wind after all. But his status, or his powers didn't matter to me.

He was a good listener for a person who had never told his story before. I told my story for the first time to a good listener.

I ended the story when I left my home. Then I looked at him, waiting for his reaction.

Ryou was glaring angrily to the distance.

"That bastard..." he murmured.

He put two fingers to his mouth and breathed out shrill loud whistle. I put my hands to my ears in vain attempt to dull the sound. A sudden gust of wind whirled past me. It had came form Ryou. The Southern Wind had crossed his arms to his chest and he was glaring right past my left ear.

'What now?' I asked silently.

Ryou gave me a short glance.

"I called my brothers to a meeting," he told. "I'm taking care of this matter, Yami."

I nodded and sat down to the ground in front of Ryou.

Soon Ryou pointed to the distance and I turned to look. I could see someone approaching. The wind that came with the approacher was dry and had a scent of spices in it.

The creature that stopped in front of me was more colorful than Ryou, but still made out of air, therefore he was transparent. His hair was blonde and pretty long too. He was tanned and his clothes were black and purple. His eyes, again the only solid thing in his body, were light violet.

"This is the Eastern Wind, Malik, my brother," Ryou introduced. "Malik this is Yami."

Malik nodded slowly to me, and gave Ryou a questioning look. Before the Eastern Wind could say anything the next Wind was present. I hadn't noticed him, because I had been too focused on Malik.

He had came from the opposite direction than Malik, but they looked alike. Though the Western Wind had spikier hair and narrower eyes, that were violet too, but darker shade. The outlines of his face were a little sharper than Malik's. His wind was muggy and salty. He obviously came from the sea.

"What is going on?" Western Wind asked from Malik.

I sat between East and West and South was in front of me, I couldn't help but feel small.

"I don't know," answered Malik and tilted his head towards Ryou.

"I explain everything when were all present," Ryou answered. " Yami this is the Western Wind, or Marik."

Marik seemed finally notice me. He gazed down on me, and gave me a smirk. I smiled weakly back to him.

Malik breathed out a small sigh, which turned to a breeze.

"He's late again," he said.

"He's always late," Marik whined.

I knew who they were talking about. They were talking about him, the Northern Wind. The one who stole my voice.

I hoped that Ryou would find a way to give me back my voice.

"Get up Yami," Ryou whispered suddenly. "Come stand beside me."

I noticed the sudden seriousness in his voice, so I stood up as quickly as I could and ran to Ryou's side.

The wind caught up with me the same moment. It was freezing, absolutely freezing. It felt like someone was forcing solid ice through my body. I hid behind Ryou and felt a little warmer.

In the distance I could see someone approaching.

Immediately I knew that this was someone really dangerous. His steps were slow and confident, but he didn't need to walk faster and he damn well knew it. When he came closer I could see the similarity between him and Ryou. He was pale too and his hair was long and white. Like with Marik and Malik his hair was spikier than Ryou's and eyes narrower.

Eyes. Oh god those eyes. I have never soon so cold brown eyes. Like ice they were.

He was the Northern Wind.

He gave me a short glance before he stopped. That one glance was enough. Luckily he raised his gaze to the skies.

There they were in a ring all the Winds. Northern Wind facing his Southern brother, Eastern Wind facing his Western brother.

"Bakura," Ryou said.

"You called," Bakura said calmly.

"Bakura, have you stolen this kid's voice?" Ryou asked waving his transparent hand to my direction.

At first I wanted to oppose being called a kid, but the words dried in my mind when Bakura looked at me. Long.

Marik and Malik were watching the situation very interested, their eyes were on Bakura.

"Well, have you?" Ryou asked again.

"Honestly Ryou, I have never seen this kid before," Bakura answered.

Ryou's eyes narrowed.

I sighed silently when an image of my mom popped to my head. She, like always, glared down on me and said: 'Northern Wind stole your voice.'

Four pair of eyes were directed to me. I sighed again.

"I don't have time to stand here being accused of stealing someone's voice," Bakura spat out.

"This kid has lost his voice because of you!" Ryou yelled, and it's pretty scary when a Wind yells, trust me. "His family abandoned him! We must take care of him!"

Bakura humphed.

"Is this the 'taking responsibility' thing you always talk about?" Marik suddenly asked.

"Yes!"

"Do whatever you like, Ryou," Bakura said. " I'm leaving. Marik, run with me?"

The Western Wind nodded. Bakura walked to him without giving or Ryou another look. Then the Northern and the Western Wind ran away together, blending together as they ran, creating a whole new wind.

Ryou and Malik looked at each other.

"Malik can you stay with Yami?" Ryou asked. "Only for a while of course. I'm going to talk with Bakura."

"Sure thing," Malik agreed.

Ryou gave me a small smile before running away.

"So kid..." Malik started

'Yami,' I corrected.

"Sorry, Yami. What do you want to do?"

I shrugged. I did not have a home and apparently at least two of the four Winds had taken my life to a matter of their hearts.

'You were Malik...' I said.

Malik nodded.

'And you were the Eastern Wind...'

Malik nodded again.

'What's it like in East?' I asked.

Malik laughed.

"Okay, if you want I will tell you."

Malik told. He told me many stories about the people he had met. In addition I got a lot of information. Most of the people didn't see the brothers of Winds. I wonder why I did.

Malik told that being a Wind wasn't always the easiest task. Malik needed always avoid Marik, because if they crashed, if Eastern and Western Wind crashed, they would cause a hurricane. But it didn't matter if Malik crashed with Ryou or Bakura. If he did, they would just create new directions for winds. Malik told that sometimes when he wanted to talk to someone he would run with either Ryou or Bakura. That was how they did it.

The Winds were constantly moving, it wasn't an illusion, like I first thought. They were really always moving.

At some point Malik excused himself and ran away.

Ryou replaced him after a while. He helped me to find food and water and carefully inquired did I really want them to help me.

"I kinda noticed that I didn't ask that from you," the embarrassed Southern Wind said. I never thought Wind could blush, but apparently Ryou had mastered that very humane skill.

I answered that I really mind the company and that the help was always welcome.

Ryou smiled.

After Ryou came Marik, the Western Wind had picked some electricity up somewhere and he had to discharge it, that's what he said to me.

I didn't mind.

Marik let me choose the places where his lighting would hit.

It was a lot of fun actually. We scared a pack of lions away, and laughed together. After some serious thunder and playing with the power of the Western Wind, me and Marik found me a place to sleep. It was a tree again.

I fell asleep. Marik disappeared at some point during the night because when I woke up Bakura stood beside me in the tree. His cold eyes watched the sunrise.

Immediately when he sensed me waking up, the Northern Wind gave me a short glance and started walking away.

Later that day Ryou told me that he had made Bakura promise to try to find my voice. I was grateful.

That's how my days passed.

The Eastern Wind told me tales and taught me.

The Southern Wind helped me with my new life.

The Western Wind played with me.

And the Northern Wind guarded me.

I was friends with three of them. Bakura never talked to me. Still he was one that made me curious. I wanted to know more about him.

Sometimes I dared to ask him questions, simple and short like: 'Why do you steal voices?'

To my surprise Bakura shrugged and answered:

"Why do anyone steal anything?"

I did not really know, I wasn't a thief. The only reason I could think of was that they needed it. Why would Bakura need a voice? He had his own. I asked him that too.

He laughed and didn't answer.

I liked Bakura. And I liked his laugh. He wasn't so cold when I got used to to him.

I think I liked him the most. I liked him more than Malik, who was a little too know-it-all, more than Ryou, who was a little too caring, more than Marik, who was a little too crazy and stuff.

So yes I had to admit that Bakura was the most pleasant company I had. I did not know if Bakura liked me or hated me and to tell the truth I didn't care. What mattered to me was that I was happy with silent Northern Wind.

'Are you close finding my voice?' I asked him once.

Bakura scratched his nose and murmured something like:

"Maybe I am, maybe I am not."

And surprisingly that was enough to me. I had grown so used to the four brothers that I didn't miss home. I rarely even thought about it and when I did my thoughts were on Yugi.

One morning happened the thing I had feared the most.

It was the morning I turned fifteen. But it was a morning like every other. Bakura, like always, stood beside me when I woke up. Neither one of us spoke, it had become our habit during past week so I didn't mind.

I took one fruit before jumping down from the tree. Bakura decided to follow me today.

We couldn't get far, 'cause a voice stopped me.

"Yami."

The voice called my name. It was the voice I feared and wanted to hear. I turned to face Yugi, to show him that was listening.

Bakura studied Yugi curiously. Yugi did not see him. He saw only me.

"Yami," he repeated.

I tilted my head. For the past week I had been able to talk, now I was a mute again. My brother looked at me, eyes sad and disappointed.

"Finally I found you," he said.

I did not answer. I couldn't. It felt weird, because I already had got used to 'talking'.

"You ran away," Yugi was the only one speaking."But I found you."

So he did.

"It's your 15th birthday," Yugi continued. "You have to come back. You have to give the oath to Mother earth."

I felt like screaming: I can't!

Bakura heard my silent scream. He gave me a sympathetic look.

Yugi walked closer to me.

'Go back home!' I wanted to say. 'Stop caring about me!'

But this time Yugi did not understand.

"Come back," he pleaded. "Come back big brother. I miss you."

Yugi touched me.

'STAY AWAY FROM ME!' I silently snapped, suddenly full of panic and rage. My brother was the reason I was mute, not Bakura. I could talk to Bakura, but I couldn't talk to my brother.

Yugi took his hand away like I had burned him, like touching me had burned him. I immediately took a few steps backwards.

"I understand," Yugi murmured.

'No you don't.' I was sure about that. Yugi did not know. If he knew, he would see Bakura.

"Goodbye brother," Yugi said before he turned away.

'Goodbye Yugi,' I said, and I knew he heard it. Goodbye little brother.

I watched how Yugi disappeared to the distance. Judging by the cold wind I knew that Bakura was beside me, maybe his eyes followed Yugi's steps too.

I knew I would regret this, sending Yugi away. I had hurt him. I would regret it. I closed my eyes even though it hurt, and turned to face Bakura.

His eyes were still fixed to the horizon where Yugi had disappeared. His eyes, normally cold and solid as ice, were full of pain and swallowed tears.

'Bakura?' I asked, very confused.

The Northern Wind just turned around and left me too.

I was alone.

I thought about it for hours. I thought about all the questions I had.

And when Malik finally arrived I knew the answer.

'You were once human.'

Malik raised his eyebrows to me.

'You were once human,' I repeated, almost hysterically. Why hadn't I understood before?

"That's true," Malik said. " It was hundreds of years ago. I used to be a doctor, my brother Marik was a warrior. We lived in Egypt. Somewhere north lived Ryou and Bakura. Ryou was a merchant, Bakura was a thief. We, like every other human, were afraid of death. Gods blessed us. Or now that I think of it was more like a curse than a blessing. We gained immortality. And the funniest thing is that there was no reason to it. We were nothing special. Gods just picked us, and put us to work."

'Is there a way to break the curse?' I asked, 'cause usually that's the question that people asks in this situation.

"Yes," the Eastern Wind answered bitterly. "But we can not talk about it."

'Bakura wants to be a human again,' I whispered.

"And he's not the only one. We all want to be humans again. I want to be human, so I can touch my brother."

'Is that what you crave for?'

"Yes, we crave for touch. We want it, more than anything."

Malik paused for a while. He was thinking.

"I'm sorry Yami," he said then, before he ran away.

I was all alone again. Well at least I had time to think. Ryou didn't come to see me that day and neither did Marik. I turned fifteen alone. The sun was already setting when I saw a familiar figure approaching.

'Finally,' I thought before I ran to him.

Bakura stopped walking, when he saw me. The pained look was still in his eyes.

I knew what I needed to do. Before he could open his mouth I put my hand to his cheek. Bakura leaned against my hand. He wanted to show me. My hand went through his cheek.

Cold air, he was just cold air, which once had been a human.

'I know what you crave for,' I said.

"Yami," he pleaded, he did not want me to continue, so I didn't

I took my hand away. For a moment we just stood there. The sky above us was turning to that shade of blue, the night was coming.

Bakura held out his hand. On his palm laid a small light blue ball.

"I found it," Bakura said. "I finally found it."

This was... my voice?

Bakura looked at the small ball, smiled a little and offered it to me.

"It's yours. I stole it from you. Your voice. You always wanted it, didn't you? Take it."

I looked at the ball. I recognized it even though I had never seen it before. This was my voice. And Bakura was right, I wanted it. That was the thing I wanted.

But still...

I smiled to Bakura.

'You keep it.'

"But..."

'You stole it for a reason, didn't you?' I glanced at the ball. 'Just keep it, okay?'

The moment I had said it the ball on Bakura's palm started glowing. Bakura looked at it both amazed and happy.

I did not know what was going on.

The gods had gave everyone of the Winds a task. If even one of them could complete it, the curse would break.

Task to the thief, Northern Wind was: 'Get one human give you something on his free will.'

Gods have a weird sense of humor.

Ryou sat on the roof of one of the buildings. He laughed.

He laughed and laughed and didn't care about the glances he was receiving.

He was just a weird looking human laughing on the roof.

So what?

Marik was in the middle of a busy city when he noticed that he had turned into a human. For a moment he just looked around and wondered. He was leaving when a voice stopped him:

"Marik!" It called.

Marik spun around. Malik ran to his brother, tears streaming down his cheek. Marik noticed that he was crying too. Weird.

Malik hugged his brother tightly.

They both laughed and cried.

Malik leaned his forehead against Marik's and whispered:

"I missed you brother."

Marik wrapped his arms around his brother.

"I know," he said and after a while added: " I missed you too."

Malik couldn't help but laugh.

I stared at the beautiful creature that was knelt before me. No not a creature, a human.

Bakura was a human. He held his hands close to his chest and cried.

I had done something. Bakura was a human now, not the voice-stealing Northern Wind.

I remembered what Malik had said. I remembered what the wanted. They wanted to touch.

I walked closer to the crying human, wrapped my arms around him and kissed him.

The kiss came as a surprise to me too. I had thought about it, I had to admit, but I never intended to do it. Apparently my body had decided to take control and actually kiss Bakura.

Well, I didn't mind.

And neither did Bakura. He answered to my kiss, craving for the touch, needing more. When we finally broke apart, both panting for air, I smiled to Bakura and mouthed:

'I think I love you.'

I wasn't sure if he could read my mind anymore. He smirked to me.

'Well that was a surprise,' answered his voice in my head.

I backed away in pure shock.

'You can't talk either?!'

Bakura stick out his tongue to me, or tried to, since he didn't have a tongue.

'What's the deal with that?' I asked.

'It was a punishment.' he answered and let out a small chuckle. 'They cut my tongue. I can make a sound, but making words without a tongue is hard.'

'What did you do then?'

'I lied.'

'You lied?'

'Only once,' he reminded me. 'Unfortunately I got caught. After that day I have never lied again.'

I laughed silently.

Bakura stood up and looked around him like he saw the land before him for the first time. Then he turned to me, held out his solid hand and asked:

'Run with me?'

I got up. I ran with a man who once stole voices. With a man, who couldn't speak. With a man, whom I loved. With a man, who once was a wind.

What more did I need?

A/N My fingers hurt after all the writing :D