So I was bored and thought to myself, 'what if Bakura was Phantom Skye and Ryou was Claire?' And then I realized that it would probably go something like this. A super-flirty!Bakura and a clueless-as-usual!Ryou. And then I realized that it would be fun to do a chapter for all of the heart events, so I decided 'what the hell', it's not like I don't have three or four fics desperately in need of an update /sarcasm.

Anyway. This black heart event chapter is pretty short, and I'm pretty sure they all will be. The heart events will be fairly close to the real thing and the dialogue is (almost) word for word, but I have taken a few liberties to have everything make sense- Ryou needs a reason to be up at midnight, after all. You don't even have to play Harvest Moon DS Cute to get it (hopefully).

Without further ado, enjoy!

Ryou sighed softly as he righted himself, dragging the back of his hand along his forehead to wipe it free of sweat. Work was hard, especially farming, and sometimes he wanted nothing more than to complain. To think he was supposed to be the hardworking one! The sun was relentless, and the dry heat of summer made his work that much more difficult. He wanted to go to sleep, to be honest. A nap sounded like a dream come true.

But that just wasn't an option for him.

He had to finish watering the fields before it got to be too late, and there was still a plot full of crops that needed to be harvested and delivered to his neighbor, Romana, before midnight. No, he wouldn't be taking a break for some time.

The backbreaking labor of farm work was tough, and the rewards were far and few. He had enough money to get by, especially when his crops sold well, but there weren't many opportunities for fine things. But tonight...

Romana was the wealthiest woman in Forget-Me-Not Valley, and she had a certain fondness for pineapples. When she had heard that he had a large plot of them ready for harvest, she had offered him nearly 1,000 gold for each- double the usual price. There was only one problem- she needed the pineapples tonight, and she usually went to bed at midnight. That meant that he needed to get the fruits to her house before it was too late, and that in turn meant all of this hard work had to take place in one day. Woe.

But the lure of profits was too strong to ignore and simply pass up, and so Ryou slaved in the sinking summer sun until every pineapple had been collected.

By the time the fields were emptied, the sun had dipped low into the sky. Everything around him was painted in various shades of gold and crimson, and even his light hair was dyed a bright saffron color by the bands of sunlight. Sweat poured profusely down his neck and soaked his shirt through, and with a touch of regret, he realized that there was no way he'd ever be able to visit Romana's mansion looking like this. It would be like showing up at Kaiba's mansion in his birthday suit and a sombrero- not something that anyone did stone cold sober.

With a skip in his step, he showered quickly and toweled himself off. His hair took the longest time to dry, and so he let it down to dry in the air while he chose a set of clothes to wear over there. He selected his nicest outfit, a blue and white striped shirt with a lighter blue button up hanging open on top, and made sure his hair was smooth and presentable. Romana was Kaiba-rich, after all. It wouldn't do to look like anything less than perfection.

By the time the clock struck ten, he had the pineapples gathered in a basket and carried them carefully out the door. He had only two hours to get there, but that should be plenty of time considering it was just down the road. He jogged lightly, and though his breath caught a little with the exertion, it was nothing compared to this morning. The sun had gone down, and it had taken with it much of the oppressive heat that he had suffered through all day. It was almost nice outside. Almost.

The mansion loomed into sight before him, and he paused by the fountain in front of the mansion to catch his breath. He placed the basket on the fountain's low stone wall and took a few deep breaths, anxiously smoothing his hair down.

A flash of movement in his peripheral vision stole his attention, and he glanced behind him to try and spot the source. He stared at a suspicious looking flagstone on the ground for a moment before laughing at himself. There wasn't anyone around here, at least, nobody that would hide. Romana's granddaughter Lumina should be inside, along with the manservant, Sebastian. Nobody outside to spook him, and nobody within a mile that would want to.

"Heh heh."

The small chuckle made him jump, and Ryou whirled around to see a cocky-looking young man approach him. There was a smirk on the man's face, and his hands hung lightly off of hips that swiveled with every sauntered step.

"Hello, beautiful. Walking alone at night? That isn't very safe. There are thieves around here, you know," he said to Ryou. The coy smirk oozed sex, from the glittering, lusty crimson irises to the pale, twisted lips. Ryou found his cheeks flushing with sudden and random desire that he couldn't place.

In fact, Ryou could only stare blankly for a moment before blurting the first thing that came to mind. "Who are you?" he asked. If there was one thing Ryou knew, it was that he had never seen this man before in his life, and that was a pretty big deal considering how small this valley was. Everyone knew everyone and vice versa, making it nearly impossible to keep any secret whatsoever- especially when the secret was as attractive as the one that was standing in front of Ryou.

The man, flipping his silvery hair out of his eyes, threw Ryou a dazzling smile. "Me? I'm quite the ladies' man, men too when they're as lovely as you, and a King of Thieves and of all the stars in the sky," he said.

A fluttery feeling brushed somewhere deep in Ryou's chest, making his legs want to crumble into toothpicks. Why? Why did he feel like that? It was just some... extremely attractive boy. That was all, right? Oh, but his wry grin and his lean body made Ryou want to reach out and touch him, just to make sure he was real and not some spirit of the darkness sent to lure the innocent away and steal their hearts and souls.

Just then, Lumina burst out of the front door. She looked angry and pointed at the 'King'. "Hey, aren't you that famous thief that warns his victims ahead of time?!" she yelled over the fountain. She began to stomp angrily towards him, but the King only held up his hands as if proving his innocence with his empty palms.

"Sorry, but I'm a little pressed for time. I was just about to jet out," he said with a shrug. And then he glanced back at Ryou, saying in a suave tone, "Heh heh. Call me Thief King Bakura. I have a feeling we'll meet again. It's in the stars."

"Wait right there!" Lumina cried, charging closer at a quicker pace.

Bakura redirected the sassy smirk, throwing it towards Lumina and making her stumble and stop in her tracks for a moment. "Heh heh. Hold up, beautiful. Don't let such raw anger steal away your beauty." His grin widened until it was utterly devilish like some ear-to-ear cheshire smirk, and he turned and bolted down the flagstones and down the steps, away from the mansion, Lumina, and Ryou.

For a moment, Lumina seemed entranced by his words, whispering, "What a smooth talker! Thief King Bakura," softly to herself as Bakura's black clothes were swallowed up by the night.

"He's, uh, getting away," Ryou told her, and she snapped to immediately.

She took off, chasing him down the steps. Confused, Ryou squinted and peered into the darkness trying to spot one of them, but they had gotten too far away. What was he supposed to do now? The thief, beautiful and cocky as he was, was getting away! Didn't that mean Ryou was supposed to chase him down? He couldn't let silly little words distract him!

Oh, but they'd been so lovely, spoken in a smooth, beguiling voice that was rough and yet still sweet, deep without being gravel, and soft while still being noticeable. It was a voice with a lilt that lured sailors to their deaths and spouses to commit acts of adultery. Sinful, almost. Honey stirred into poison, or a rose crested with an array of thorns. And when he had called Ryou beautiful, well... Ryou had never before thought of himself that way. But now there was nothing else in his mind but those dirty little thoughts that teased and touched and tortured him with visions of suave thieves with silver tongues and moonlit hair.

A thief like that, well, they could drag more than their fare share of innocents down into some sweet state of corruption. And Ryou, despite his reservations, had to wonder if that wouldn't be such a bad thing after all...

No! He was good! He would not take some thief's side! He would help Lumina bring this 'Thief King Bakura' to justice! He was just about to head out after Lumina when he saw her appear, out of breath, through the gloom.

"Thief King Bakura! He- he got away from me!" she said, looking only a little upset. She closed her eyes, and for a moment, she looked almost... blissful. A tiny little half-smile touched her lips. "Hmmm, Thief King Bakura," she sighed dreamily.

Ryou almost echoed the sentiment.

Lumina stood there for a moment more before turning to face Ryou. "Are those the pineapples Romana wanted?" she asked, pointing to the basket that still sat on the stone wall. Ryou nodded and picked the basket up, but something caught his eye. One was missing. Just one.

The thief, no doubt. Suddenly, this thief wasn't so romantic. He had stolen one of Ryou's precious pineapples, and that was positively unforgivable.

"Come on," Lumina told him. "You can bring those inside. I can pay you," she said.

With a small frown on his face, he followed her inside of the house. That thief had better hope Ryou never saw him again, or there would be hell to pay...

The following morning, his pockets significantly heavier with the weight of the previous evening's gold, Ryou called up Karen, who ran the General Store. His newest cooking utensil, a cooking pot, had just come in the mail, and he wanted to try it out. And really, what better way is there to try out a new cooking pot than to make curry in it? Ryou sure didn't know.

When the ingredients had all been bought, he cooked up a storm, trying out various recipes to create the finest and most elaborate curry he could. The final result was the tastiest indigo curry he had every made. And, with success humming pleasantly in his blood and bringing that smallest of serene smiles to his face, he assembled a picnic basket of his favorite things. A bottle of grape wine would complement the flavor of the curry perfectly, and the candle would, when lit, smell of sweet vanilla.

He was content, and headed out just as the cicadas began to chirp. Sunset was, without a doubt, the best time to enjoy the Goddess Pond.

The events of last night were completely forgotten to him as he made his way to the lovely little pond said to be the home of the Harvest Goddess. But then, Ryou wasn't sure he believed that. After all, the Harvest Goddess hadn't been seen in a long time, at least, not since Ryou had taken over the Forget-Me-Not Valley farm. But that didn't change the fact that the calm waters and bell-shaped flowers lining the path made it the most peaceful place in the valley.

He laid a blanket out on the grass in front of the edge of the pond, humming lightly as he did so. The basket was cracked open, and the candle was set just beside him. When it got dark, he'd be glad for the light it offered, and the gorgeous cast of fire reflecting on the water. He poured himself a glass of the wine and used the fork he'd packed to bring a taste of the curry to his lips.

It was phenomenal. Absolutely heavenly. The best he'd ever fixed beyond the shadow of a doubt. For a moment he simply sat there, content to sip his wine and eat his meal in peace. Until he was rudely interrupted, that is.

"Hello, beautiful," a silky voice purred, surprising Ryou for the second time in as many nights. "I didn't think I'd see you here."

"You!" he cried.

"Me," the thief echoed, smirking. "Don't you know it's dangerous to be out alone? And with such... delicacies, I might add. Is that curry I smell?"

"Y-yes," Ryou squeaked. He was frozen, immobilized with his fork only inches from his lips, by the sight of this phantom Thief King who called himself Bakura.

Yes, it was definitely Bakura, of that, there was no doubt. Nobody else had the same fluid grace, the same teasing red eyes.

Bakura hummed lightly, crouching down onto one knee so he'd be looking Ryou in the eye. "Mmm, it smells homemade. Mind if I try a bite?" he asked.

Without waiting, the King leaned forward and closed his lips around the tines of the fork. There was a stunning sensuality to the way the lips moved on the steel, widening into the smallest of unconscious smirks as the mouth was opened. Two tiny, almost fang-like teeth glittered inside of his mouth, flashing for only the split second they were exposed. And then, as the lips closed around the fork, they pursed slightly and looked soft and kissable. Ryou let his jaw drop slightly in surprise. Goosebumps lifted along his arms in a racing chill.

"Mmm! Quite good. You'll have to tell me what your secret is, beautiful," Bakura said with a small wink.

"Ryou."

"What?"

"Ryou. That's my name," Ryou forced out. "N-not beautiful."

Bakura tilted his head slightly to the side. "Ah, but Ryou, you are quite beautiful. So natural it seems almost unreal. In fact, I think you're doing this on purpose!"

"Doing what?"

"Why, what every maiden does around me. I don't think it takes a fool to get what I'm saying."

Ryou flushed angrily. "Are you saying you think I did this to see you? To impress you?" he yelled, perhaps a little too loudly. "I did this for me, because I needed a break. You stole one of my pineapples, you know. Do you know how much work it took to grow them? A lot. That's how much. Nearly a solid month of daily watering for each. I didn't come here to feed you my curry!"

Suddenly, Ryou clamped a hand on his mouth.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to yell like that. I don't know what came over me. I was just, well, irritated. And..."

"Shh," Bakura soothed. He placed a long, pale finger on Ryou's mouth, silencing him. "Ryou lovely, has anyone ever said you talked too much? There is a time for words, but I do not think it is here. Listen. What do you hear?"

Ryou closed his eyes and listened. Voices. He heard voices, faintly, far off in the distance.

"A search party," Bakura said, grinning. "They don't know I come here every night, but they do know I like to walk around the valley in the evenings and last night was the first time they've seen me in a while. I think they intend on catching me."

"You're a thief. You deserve to be caught," Ryou said. "All thieves do, even no-good-sexy-pineapple-thieves."

"Did you call me sexy?"

Ryou squeaked. Yes. "N-no!" he said. It had slipped out! He hadn't meant to say it that way!

Bakura wagged his finger teasingly. "Ah, but I think you did. I could have sworn I heard sexy somewhere between no good and pineapple thief. And you and I both know that the only no-good-sexy-pineapple-thief around here is me."

"You're hearing things," Ryou said, looking away. He forced himself to stare at the grass. Maybe if he didn't look up, he wouldn't be distracted by the hypnotic motion of those sensual lips moving with every rounded syllable and consonant. "And you still deserve to be taken away."

"Then yell my name. Call them towards us. Prove that you think I need to be in jail, that I'm a bad boy," Bakura teased. "They're not far now. In fact, I suspect they could hear us now if they weren't so noisy."

Ryou pursed his lips tightly, staring at the ground. Would he? Should he? He opened his lips to say something to Bakura, but when he looked up, the thief was gone. Vanished without a trace as silently as a phantom.

"Bakura?" Ryou asked softly, confused.

He heard a rustle to his left and saw a group of people burst through the brush. They were arguing amongst themselves, and Bakura was right. They probably would have heard everything if they hadn't been so noisy. They saw him immediately, the single fluted glass of wine and lone plate beside him on the blanket.

"Oh, Ryou! Didn't know you were out tonight!" Griffin said.

"Are you looking for Bakura?" Ryou asked him.

Muffy smiled. "We are. Would you like to help?"

"I don't know how much help I'll be..." Ryou said, unable to decide whether or not to tell them what Bakura had told him- that the thief visited the Goddess Pond nearly every evening. He bit his lip. "Bakura is pretty sneaky. He'd probably just hear us coming anyway."

"True, but it doesn't hurt to try," Vesta said with a nod.

Ryou shook his head. "It's pretty late," he said. "I think I'll just head home. Maybe next time, though."

They nodded, and Muffy said, "Sounds perfect!"

"Good luck," Ryou said. He packed his things slowly, watching as the group left. He'd just made a mistake, didn't he? He should have told them. But he didn't, and Bakura was long gone anyway. A thief as skilled as him, he could be halfway to Mineral Town by now and no one would be the wiser. Certainly not Ryou, and certainly not anyone in the valley.

Ryou flopped backward on the blanket. The stars above glittered weakly, drowned out by the moon. A faint breeze shook the trees. Summer was almost over, he realized. Dawn would come tomorrow, bringing with it the second to last day of the season. Where had the time gone? And yesterday... Yesterday, when he had first seen Bakura. That memory still lingered just below the surface of his thoughts, dredged up by Bakura's reappearance.

He hated the thief, hated that Bakura stole from Romana and stole from him and from the countless others that lived in the Valley. He hated himself.

He should have told them, dammit! There was still time to- Bakura said he came to this pond every night! Ryou could still do the right thing. But why did he not want to? It couldn't have been something so shallow as Bakura's fine features. Ryou frowned savagely at the stars, the ones Bakura had claimed he ruled over.

Nobody owned these stars. They had no King, and Bakura was certainly no sovereign, even to them. Thief he may be, nobody could steal them away. Ryou frowned. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would tell them. He would visit Muffy and Griffin and tell them that Bakura came to the pond every night. He would make it up to himself and to them.

I hope to have chapters for each of the heart events plus maybe a few for post-marriage. That includes the feather! I'm also aware that Bakura is severely OOC. I'm thinking of ways to fix it a little...

Reviews are greatly appreciated.