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Yu-Gi-Oh!: Aurora	By : NeonTiger Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 12172 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Aurora

By Neon Tiger and
Yuki Ryu

Chapter Seventeen

----

�� Malik sat
comfortably in the cave's surprisingly large library, surrounded by books of all
kinds in assorted piles. He looked over the massive book in his lap, running
his fingertips along the words as he read them. He had to thank Bakura for
teaching him how to read the ancient books, as it was most helpful in his goal.
�� He was going
to find a way to save Bakura and the
spirits from their fate.
�� Bakura had
been acting rather resigned about the entire subject of escaping his
"fate" and chose to avoid talking about the topic or his past as much
as possible. However, Malik had made up his mind about it. As he saw it, the
thief was enslaved by supernatural powers so it would take supernatural powers
to rescue him. That was where the books came in.
�� The books were
ancient and filled with knowledge that had long since disappeared from this
world, from a civilization of magic and mystery that was beyond human grasp.
Thanks to Bakura's lessons, however, it was no longer beyond his grasp. The library in the cave put
the Pharaoh's library to shame - while there weren't as many books, the books
it did have were far more valuable than those that Isis
had read to him. And far more helpful, too!
�� It had been
three months since the death of his father, three months since he decided to go
on his mission and devour every text available to him for the answer, three
months since he asked Isis to read the books from the royal library to him, and
three months since he began searching the books in the cave he and Bakura
shared. For those three months Malik had been encouraging Bakura to resist the
spirits - to find another way to satisfy them.
�� Malik grinned
slightly. Thanks to his meddling and increasing insistence, he could tell that
Bakura was staring to wear down. He had even gotten Bakura to admit that the
books might hold something the silver-eyed boy hadn't been aware of before.
Bakura had even started some research of his own, though he never went into
detail as to exactly what exactly he was researching.
�� "I feel
bad for nagging him so much," Malik thought, sighing softly. "It's
putting him in a bad mood... but to save his soul, I don't mind temporary
misery."
�� With that
thought, Malik put a slip of paper into his book to mark his place, and then
set the book down and stretched. Bakura was due back soon from his latest trip,
which Malik had made him swear was not
to feed the spirits. The former slave had made an effort to ask Bakura every
time before he left anywhere - even if the thief lied to Malik about where he
was going, it meant he would at least have guilt while doing it.
�� Malik stood
up, stretching his legs again, before heading to the kitchen. He would make the
thief a nice meal for him, with hopes of taking off some of the edge that the
former slave had been forcing upon Bakura.
�� Even though
Malik felt incredibly guilty over forcing Bakura to face just how terrible the
things the thief was doing for the spirits really were, he knew that it was
necessary.� Despite his lack of knowledge
about many things, especially how to deal with people, it was clear, even to
him, that the spirits were slowly eating away at Bakura's sanity, and had taken
far too much of it already.� Because no
one had ever cared about Bakura before Malik arrived since Kuru
Eruna was lost, and furthermore simply used the thief
at every opportunity - a sad fact that he had slowly uncovered over his many
conversations with Bakura over the topic, in spite of his friend's reluctance
to talk about his past - Bakura had been at the mercy of the spirits' vengeful
will for over a decade, with no one to help him.
�� Malik had
learned much these past three months, both from books, and from Bakura.� The fact that the blond was succeeding in
coaxing Bakura to open up little by little and talk about these dark things
eating away at his soul, letting Malik help him deal with them, made the former
slave feel determination like he had never known before.
�� It hadn't been
easy to get to this point. After Malik had returned from the Pharaoh's palace
things were looking so hopeful, in spite of the thief's deception. Bakura had
been more affectionate after that, and hadn't spoken a word about Malik
returning to the palace or that the blond should stay in the cave while he left
to make another sacrifice. It had been a very pleasant time that gave Malik
hope that Bakura could be freed of such a horrible fate as being a slave to the
enraged ghosts.
�� Unfortunately
as more time passed Bakura grew increasingly restless, as the spirits took
their toll on his sanity because of how he ignored their demands for blood. His
temper would fray and he would end up becoming angrier at anything and
everything in general. He was good about keeping his harsh glares and venomous
words directed away from Malik, though a number of things in their home
suffered from it. More than one piece of furniture and precious item stolen had
been shattered in a violent rage.
�� More worrisome
had been the fights Bakura would end up picking with random strangers when they
were in the city together. Malik had been utterly terrified that the thief
would get arrested for such actions, but fortunately they would escape the
scene before the guards could get involved.
�� It was clear
at that point that eventually something was going to give.
�� Though Malik
had tried his best to stay at Bakura's side to prevent the thief from having
the opportunity to kill someone, one day, about a month after he had returned
from the palace, Bakura had snapped. To Malik's shock Bakura stole back his
locket and left the cave before he could stop his friend from doing so. Without
the locket or any magical abilities Malik was trapped within the cave, helpless
to prevent Bakura from leaving.
�� Two days later
Bakura returned. He had been unable to even look Malik in the eye as he
returned the locket he had given to the former slave, and all he could say was
that he was sorry.
�� After that Malik
stopped trying to get in Bakura's way when his former master wanted to leave on
his own at the bidding of the spirits. He had seen firsthand what they would
force Bakura to do, and to what extremes Bakura would go to achieve a bit of
peace from their maddening demands. He had also seen just how frightening
Bakura had become because of them, and he did not want to see that terrifying
crazed look in Bakura's eyes ever again.
�� Such a sight
was worse than the night his father had died.
�� Although
Bakura still sacrificed people for the spirits, when he would return, Malik
knew it right away and now understood why he would return sometimes with blood
on his clothes but with no wounds.� The
sight of blood, no matter how little, was a dead giveaway, and Malik would
either see them when he greeted the thief, or when he washed Bakura's clothes
later.� After so many confrontations with
Bakura about this, the silver haired boy stopped trying to hide it, and would
simply say that he was sorry upon his return and nothing further than that.
�� It was
shocking how often Bakura would have to make sacrifices, or at least it was to
Malik.� He guessed - given past memories
and these new clues and incidents - that his best friend would manage to on
average last about five days more or less before the spirits became too
overwhelming for Bakura to bear.� For
such torture to become unbearable after less than a week, refraining from
giving in for over a month must have been excruciating for Bakura.
�� Malik had also
learned that Bakura going out to steal was not only practice for when the thief
went after the Millennium Items, but it was also used as a means to hide the
fact that his main purpose was to kidnap people to sacrifice.� After all, if a person went missing during a
robbery, someone would more likely assume that it was the work of a greedy
thief trying to make extra money for slave trading, and not realize that it was
the work of someone making ritualistic sacrifices.� Thankfully the time between each sacrifice
slowly lengthened due to Malik's determination to help Bakura, which served as
proof that he was making progress.
�� Even if Malik
still had a lot of work ahead of him, he felt hope for the future.� He knew for certain that one day that he
would save Bakura's soul.
�� At that
moment, Malik heard the sounds of the cave entrance opening up. Eagerly, the
young boy turned about and hurried to the front of the cave to greet Bakura -
who, hopefully, would not be covered in blood.
�� However, as
Malik rounded the corner, he came to a dead stop and gawked.� What he saw was not the awful sight of Bakura
covered in gore from another murder, but something far worse.� The main entrance hall of the cave was filled
with people, the Pharaoh's soldiers, with many more pouring in. Leading them
was none other than the man that he had run into three months ago at the
palace: High Priest Runihura, the wielder of the
Millennium Ring.
�� Malik stood
frozen in shock and horror, too paralyzed with fear to even move. The color
drained from his face as the priest turned to stare at the much older man,
their eyes locking for a moment.
�� "You
there!" Runihura shouted as he thrust out his
hand toward Malik, pointing accusingly at the blonde.� "Surrender yourself in the name of the
Pharaoh!"� Before the blond could
answer, the soldiers were already rushing towards him, each carrying sharp,
deadly spears.
�� Panic surged
through Malik and he let out a scream before bolting away from the invaders,
images of Kuru Eruna
flooding his mind. All he could think about was what they had done then and
what they might do to him now.
�� Malik could
hear the soldiers running after him, shouting as they went. Fear filled every
corner of his being as he darted along the hallways and rooms, trying to get
someplace safe away from the Pharaoh's men. Unfortunately, the cave had no
other exits - he had to hide until they left.
�� Quickly, Malik
circled around to the back of the cave and dove behind the Anubis statue there,
ducking behind it. As much as he was terrified of the unknown threat that was
hidden behind the rock wall, he was more terrified of the known threat down the hall: the soldiers.
�� As Malik hid
behind the golden altar with the hopes that it might protect him, he cringed at
the sound of the soldiers as their heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway.
�� "Search
every room!" he could hear the priest shout.� "Capture everyone you find!� Leave no place overlooked!"
�� The giant
stone doors of what were once homes to some unknown people that had made
residence in this cave before Bakura and Malik had arrived were wrenched open,
slamming hard against the rocky walls, only adding to the noise that the
soldiers made.� The curtains that
separated the main hallways from the others were torn away, including the one
that shielded the statue of Anubis from view.
�� Malik tensed,
his eyes wide, as he remained perfectly still. He could feel his heart beating
faster inside his chest, his fear reaching incredibly high levels.
�� Malik could
hear the soldiers coming closer, slamming open the doors that led to the
library where he had done so much research, the room where Bakura made his
healing potions, and the others he had yet to venture into.� He could hear the soldiers talking amongst
themselves, some in wonder at how this place had been made, others inquiring if
someone had found the young boy yet.
�� Just then
Malik heard something that made his blood run cold.
�� "Someone
check behind that altar!"
�� Malik looked
up just in time to see a soldier, who looked barely any older than him, peering
behind the altar and locking eyes with him.
�� The soldier's
eyes widened before he immediately moved back to get the attention of the
others.� "Here!" he shouted at
the top of his lungs.� "I've found
him over here!"
�� Malik squeaked
and scooted further behind the statue; thankful he was small enough to fit in
such a tiny alcove. He doubted the soldiers could - and even if they could,
their weapons wouldn't. Thus, even if they tried to wriggle their way in he
could kick them right back out!
�� Many groping hands
reached in as a number of soldiers tried to grab any part of Malik that they
could.� Thankfully for him they were
unable to reach due to how large the altar was and how narrow the space between
it and the wall was.� They shouted at him
angrily to come out or for others to try harder to get inside and reach him,
but their efforts were in vain.
�� Malik kicked
and slapped at the hands whenever they got too close. The soldiers clearly grew
increasingly angry and frustrated at his actions. However, the former slave
didn't care how angry they got so long as they left him alone!
�� Eventually
they ceased their efforts after all they yielded was nothing but bruises for
their arms and hands.� One attempted to
squeeze their entire body through, but was too large to fit.� A number started to discuss what to do when
the voice of the priest interrupted them.
�� "You
found the boy?"
�� Malik froze,
his eyes widening, as he recognized
that voice, the cold and unfriendly voice of Runihura.
�� "Yes,
sir, but we can't get him out from behind that altar!" presumably one of
the soldiers said.
�� "Y-you..."
Malik murmured, the color draining from his face.
�� "Another
altar?� Here?" Runihura
asked, unable to hear the blond muttering.
�� "What
should we do about him, sir?"
�� "Reach
behind there and grab him.� Drag him out
of there!"
�� "G... go
away!" Malik cried out as he gripped the altar tightly. "I'll tell my
sister on you!" It was a long-shot, but he had to try something. Surely
this priest would have some measure of respect for Isis!
�� "Not if
you're dead, boy," Runihura said in a frightening tone.
�� "...What?" Malik repeated, his eyes
wide as he stared at Runihura past the statue. He
couldn't have heard the priest correctly.
�� "I'm
sorry honored priest, but none of us can reach around to get him," a
soldier said.
�� "I'm...
safe, I guess," Malik thought as he peered over the statue slightly.
"But what did he mean...?"
�� "S-sir,
are you serious? He's a little boy!"
�� "Don't
question the High Priest! Know your place!"
�� "Remove
that statue!" Runihura commanded, and Malik
could barely see him point at the statue, a rather frightening look on his
face. "That 'child' has ties to the infamous Thief King, who has been
kidnapping countless people of our kingdom!"
�� Some of the
soldiers rushed forward to do as they were told, but immediately jerked
backwards when the eyes of the statue started to glow. A low growl escaped from
the statue as it seemed to glare at the soldiers hatefully.
�� "W-what
is...?"
�� "It's
haunted!"
�� "Stand
your ground!" Runihura barked. "The power
of the Millennium Ring shall hold this trap at bay like the others!" A
golden glow then started to surround the Millennium Ring as its points shifted
about, as if in a strong breeze, and the tinkling of metal echoed off the cave
walls in an ominous manner.
�� The growling
of the statue seemed to increase as the glow of the eyes intensified, casting
all in a crimson radiance. Malik gawked at the statue as well as at Runihura, completely baffled by the situation.
�� Runihura was not intimidated by the apparently living
statue, even though many of the soldiers surrounding him were. He muttered
lowly to himself and then thrust his palm outwards at the statue with a cry. A
strange gold light emitted from the Millennium Ring then and hit the statue.
�� The statue
quivered in response as it seemed to hold its ground. However, as valiantly as
it fought, all too quickly the light dimmed before the statue went silent.
�� Malik felt a
growing sense of dread as he started at the statue, the color draining from his
face as fear welled up inside him.
�� "The trap
within that statue will not harm us, so move it aside, men!" Runihura commanded roughly.
�� The soldiers,
now encouraged that their mighty priest had subdued the statue, hurried
forward. They grabbed at the statue and slowly tugged it out, feeling
increasingly confident as it made no protest as it was being removed.
�� Malik watched
helplessly as the statue was moved, his heart racing. He jerked his head up to
stare at Runihura with wide eyes, as he started to
realize that the High Priest was completely serious.
�� Such a
realization came too late, unfortunately, as the priest suddenly thrust a sword
through the young boy's chest the moment he had been exposed.
�� Malik's eyes
widened as he let out a strangled cry, blood splattering as the sword stabbed
into his flesh. The boy jerked back against the wall, trembling all over as
pain flooded through him. His eyes filled with tears due to the pain as all the
color drained from his face.
�� "Boy,
listen and listen well," Runihura said in a low,
dangerous tone as he glared directly into Malik's eyes and held the blond
pinned to the wall with his sword. "The wound I have just given to you is
not fatal, but that could change in an instant if you do not do exactly as I tell you. Do you
understand?"
�� Malik made a
strangled sound, unable to really respond due to the pain. He stared at Runihura, his body shuddering violently as blood gushed out
of the wound. This was what had
destroyed Kuru Eruna, this was what had destroyed Bakura's life.
While Runihura most likely was not there when it
happened or was even responsible for it, he was still cut from the same mold as
the people who had.
�� This was the Pharaoh's evil.
�� "Do you understand?" Runihura demanded as he twisted the blade clockwise ever so
slightly. "Speak!"
�� Malik let out
a scream as he jerked, his eyes snapping shut at the pain. He trembled as his
hands fumbled up, grasping the locket around the neck instinctively. He
clutched it tightly before struggling to get some breath, despite the pain.
"...U... Understand...!"
�� "Good,"
Runihura said in a self-satisfied manner as he ceased
moving the blade. "Now, you are going to tell me exactly what I want to
know, and you will tell me the truth, otherwise you shall suffer. Where is the
so called 'Thief King'?"
�� Malik stared
at Runihura, as it slowly settled in his pain-filled
mind that the priest and the soldiers were after Bakura. But for what reason?
The priest had mentioned kidnappings - they must have been referring to the
sacrifices! What did they intend to do to Bakura after they found him? Clearly
with how vicious the priest was being to him,
they planned to do much worse to Bakura.
�� "Where is the Thief King?" Runihura repeated in a louder voice as he slowly twisted
the blade once again.
�� Malik let out
a pained cry, his eyes snapping shut as he flinched. He gasped for breath, each
motion painful. He could hear the guards shuffle uncomfortably at the sight of
a young child being tortured, but they still did nothing to stop it. Malik knew
he was on his own.
�� The question
was what could he do?
�� As difficult
as it was to accept, Malik had to make a choice between himself and Bakura. He
couldn't fight off the priest, especially not with a sword inside of him. And
even then, that choice really didn't exist. There was no guarantee the priest
wasn't going to kill him anyway, even if he cooperated. Besides, the priest
clearly meant to seriously hurt Bakura, if not kill the thief outright. He
could see that there would be no opportunity to beg Isis
to convince the Pharaoh to spare Bakura.
�� With all that
said and done, there really weren't any other options left open to him. He
could never sell out Bakura, even to save his own life. He couldn't fight off
the priest, as he could feel his body starting to go numb from pain. He was
losing far too much blood. And even if he didn't have a sword inside of him, he
was still greatly outnumbered and the priest had the power to neutralize even
the Anubis statue. He had no chance against them. So what could he do?
�� Runihura ceased moving the sword once again, if just to
allow Malik the chance to respond. "Boy, you had best answer for your
sake, and quickly," he said in a low, angry tone. "As it is your
wound could still be treated, but the longer you take to answer me the more
blood you shall lose until you have not a drop left within your body. Tell me
where the Thief King is and I shall show you mercy, otherwise I will make
certain you suffer until your life ends and Ammit
devours your sinning soul."
�� "...Devour...?"
Malik murmured, his eyes widening slightly before narrowing into slits. Devour.
�� "I am
here fulfilling the will of the gods, so by defying me you're defying the gods
themselves!" Runihura ranted, apparently
ignoring what Malik had said. "Repent and tell me all that you know now or
you shall be shown no mercy from me or the gods for your defiance! Tell me where the Thief King is."
�� Malik's
expression darkened as he mustered the energy to glare at Runihura.
His hand twitched before jerking back, snapping the locket's chain around his
neck. His hand fell to his side, still clutching the now chainless locket in
his fingers. His whole body was starting to go numb, but he had to be strong -
he had to protect Bakura.
�� Malik swore
that he would save Bakura!
�� "Impudent
boy!" Runihura snarled as he once again began to
twist the sword, this time more harshly, so that it created a sickening sound
as blood splattered everywhere. "I know that you are in cahoots with the
Thief King! The gods themselves have told me! Surrender him now or you shall be
cursed eternally!"
�� Malik let out
another scream and hunched forward, his eyes snapping shut. After the spasm
finished coursing through the young boy's body, he slowly lifted his head to
glare poisonously at Runihura. "...The thief...
king... is beyond... your...
reach..."
�� The young boy
jerked his hand about so that the locket was facing the wall, before tapping it
roughly against the stone. Malik felt a surge of satisfaction as he felt the
wall shudder before it started to move.
�� "Will...
of the... Gods?" the blond hissed at Runihura,
though he found himself grinning at his victory. "...Let's see... your gods... protect you..."
�� "What in
the world?" Runihura gasped as the wall began to
move and stepped back, removing his sword from Malik's body as he did so.
�� Malik fell
forward with the sword no longer holding him upright, and landed on his face,
though he couldn't feel the impact. He couldn't feel much of anything anymore,
as his body was going numb.
�� As the secret
door once hidden by the statue of Anubis began to open a massive dark cavern
was revealed. The light of the torches could then reach inside to reflect off
countless massive formations of crystal in every color in the rainbow. The
sight was so dazzling that the priest and soldiers momentarily forgot why they
were there as they gazed in awe at the marvelous sight that was beyond anything
they had ever seen before.
�� However, their
vision was soon blocked as a dark shadow appeared in the doorway seconds before
a pair of hideous eyes, white in color and undoubtedly sightless, peered in
through the hole, accompanied by a low growl.
�� The shadowy
creature shifted, each movement accented by the sounds of nails running along
stone. It possessed countless rows of razor sharp teeth, jagged and uneven,
which glistened in the torch light as a long, slimy tongue flickered out.
�� The tongue
rolled about as the guards and priest alike gawked at what they saw, not truly
comprehending it. Slowly the muscle twitched about before finally stopping,
more or less in the direction of the priest. The creature hesitated a moment
before slurping the tongue back in to its mouth, saliva splattering about. It
then hunched forward and let out an unearthly scream before charging forward through the doorway.
�� Malik was
unable to see the creature, or even the fate of the priest and the guards.
However, he was able to hear it. The
sounds of screams, both human and not, filled his ears even as his eyes grew
dim. The blond managed a weak smile as he took satisfaction in knowing that he
had saved Bakura, he had saved the thief from the horrible priest and his
guards.
�� The last thing
Malik saw before darkness overcame him was the fuzzy image of the Anubis statue
as it crouched next to him, eyes glowing a soft red.

----

�� It had been a
terrible day for Bakura.
�� Though Bakura
had gone out that morning with the intent to only get supplies from the city,
on the way there he had been suddenly overwhelmed by the spirits' cries.� They had become so loud and so insistent so
abruptly that he had nearly blacked out.�
He had no choice, he had to make another sacrifice to them, otherwise
they would have driven him insane.
�� That was where
it had all gone wrong.� The thief
couldn't be as cautious as he normally would have been because of the agony the
spirits put him through.� Though he did
not get caught kidnapping a traveler leaving the city, he was unable to
properly bind his captive.� His next mistake
was to take his prisoner directly to Kuru Eruna so that he could silence the spirits as soon as
possible.
�� Before Bakura
could take his captive into the temple, the man had gotten free, and had a
hidden knife.� Though the thief had won
the scuffle and the man ultimately became a sacrifice, he did not come out
unscathed.
�� Bakura had
been fortunate in a way. If the knife had slashed any deeper into his flesh, he
would have lost his right eye.
�� Without any
way to treat the wound, Bakura returned home holding the still bleeding right
side of his face.� He expected that Malik
would be horrified by the fact that he was now covered in his own blood instead
of just his victim's, and that his friend would use this as yet another excuse
to try and convince him not to listen to the spirits anymore.
�� He did not
expect to find that yet another place that he called home was the site of a
massacre.
�� The cave was
filled with corpses strewn about, mostly in pieces, as blood stained nearly
everything in sight.� What was further
shocking was not only that the more intact dead bodies were recognized as being
soldiers of the Pharaoh, but there were also twisted masses of flesh, claws,
fangs, and other things that certainly did not look remotely human.� The still forms of the unnatural, nearly
indescribable fallen creatures were covered in pearl colored ooze that
apparently served as their blood, which also was covering the statues of Ra,
Osiris, and Obelisk.� There were also
many burn marks scorched into the stone and charred piles of what likely were
of things formerly living.� The smell of
blood, burnt flesh, and something nauseatingly sweet filled the air so thickly
that it could be tasted.
�� For a moment
Bakura could only stare, eyes wide with shock and horror.� He didn't even notice the blood that coated
his right eye in doing so, making it harder to see beyond streaks of
crimson.� Though part of him immediately
felt as if what he was seeing now was nothing but a nightmare, one of what he
feared the most that he might find one day when returning to the cave, he knew
too well not to doubt anything that seemed too horrible to be real.
�� Then Bakura
was running.� He shouted Malik's name at
the top of his lungs as he desperately sought any sign of his friend, fearing
the worst.� He was nearly tripping over
corpses in his haste as he ran from entrance hall, as most of the bodies seemed
to be clustered there.� He would have
guessed that many of the soldiers must have been somehow trapped inside the
cave where the creatures ate them if his mind wasn't completely focused on
finding Malik.
�� Strange noises
issued from down the hallway, where a massive creature suddenly appeared into
view, dragging a mangled body of what once had been a soldier. The creature was
disfigured and disgusting, a freak of nature that looked as if it came right
out of a nightmare. It looked almost reptilian, and yet covered with quills and
spikes. Its jaws were enormous, far too big for its face as bloodstained teeth
jutted out in all directions.
�� The creature
lunged forward to tear a chunk of flesh from the corpse, then turned around to
face Bakura with eyes that looked sickly white and devoid of any pupil, but
instead there were many blue and purple veins visible on the surface. It
paused, and then sniffed slightly with its massive nostrils.
�� The creature
breathed deeply, taking in Bakura's scent. It paused once more, dropping the
corpse so that it landed noisily on the ground, then turned to face the thief
more fully. Its tail lashed behind it, brushing against the ground as if it
were continuously gauging its surroundings.
�� Bakura was
forced to skid to a halt in the face of this monster.� He could instantly identify just how
dangerous the creature's massive teeth, claws, and quills were, particularly by
how thoroughly decorated they were with blood.�
His instincts told him to run from the abomination before him, and his
common sense told him that it was too dangerous to face.
�� However,
neither had any say in Bakura's actions right now.
�� "Get out of my way!" he shrieked as
he quickly drew his knife, ready to kill the creature in front of him.� His sanity had already taken a heavy toll
from the spirits earlier, and the sight of so many slain in such gruesome ways,
both human and creature, coupled with his fear of what might have happened to
Malik, made him fear nothing else.
�� The creature
crouched, as if it were about to attack Bakura. However, it suddenly snorted
before rearing back with a shriek and whipped around to bolt in the other
direction. It tore through the hallway, trying to get away from Bakura as
quickly as it could.
�� Bakura was
startled momentarily by the abomination's retreat, but didn't spend any more
time than that wondering why the creature fled from him.� Instead he shouted Malik's name, hoping for
some sort of response, lest another monster find the blond first... if it
hadn't already.
�� The creature
disappeared around the corner, only its footsteps still audible, before another
loud shriek issued - this time, a more frenzied one followed by a very familiar
howling sound. The cave shook as a bright light flashed, and the sound of
something heavy collapsing issued from up ahead.
�� Even though it
wasn't a sign of where Malik was, the activity was enough to spur Bakura into
running in the same direction where the creature had retreated.� All he could think about was finding Malik,
or at least some sort of clue as to where his friend was.
�� As Bakura
rounded the curve, he came face to face with the mangled, smoking corpse of the
creature that had just tried to run from him. Its head was gone, splattered on
the wall, as the neck wound was cauterized from intense heat. Sitting next to
the corpse, crouching, was the Anubis statue.
�� And the
crumbled form of the one he sought.
�� Bakura's eyes
widened with horror.� "MALIK!" he screamed at the top of
his lungs as he ran to his fallen friend's side.
�� Malik twitched
slightly, resting on his side in a large puddle of blood that undoubtedly was
his own. There was a large oozing wound in his chest, and more of the
life-giving fluid trickled down the corner of his mouth. He grimaced before his
eyes fluttered open, his eyes glazed.
�� Bakura fell to
his knees before he even stopped running once he had gotten close enough to
Malik, causing him to skid slightly on the blood-covered floor.� "Malik!" he cried, aghast, as he
took in just how terrible the other boy's injury was.
�� "...S...
sorry..." Malik whispered, his voice weak. He tried to look in Bakura's
general direction, having trouble seeing anything at all anymore. "S...
sorry..."
�� "Don't...
don't talk-!" Bakura said, frantic.�
Without hesitation he removed his jacket and used it to apply pressure
to Malik's wound, trying to prevent more from leaking out.� He tied it around the blond's chest firmly so
that he could block the hole in the back as well. He needed to stop the blood
flow and treat Malik immediately, otherwise...
�� "Sa...
safe...? Ah... are you... safe...?" Malik murmured before coughing
violently, spitting up blood as he did so. His body convulsed, some blood
splattering on to Bakura.
�� "Y-yes,"
Bakura said, his voice weak, as he struggled to quickly pick Malik up as
carefully as he possibly could. The blood splattering onto him did not trouble
him so much as the fact that Malik was losing so much of it.� He didn't even notice the terrible wound on
his face anymore.� All that he could
think of was that Malik was dying and that he needed some way, some miracle to
save his friend's life, even if the logical part of his mind knew that Malik's
wound was too great, the blond had lost too much blood, and likely there was
simply nothing that he could do to stop all of the bleeding in time.� Not even his strongest medicine could seal
such a deep gaping wound or replace so much lost blood.
�� Even still
Bakura had to try.
�� "G-good..."
Malik smiled weakly. "...Good... you're... safe... good..."
�� The blond's
eyes were drifting closed of their own violation. He no longer felt any pain,
which was good, though he also felt oddly detached from his body. It was as if
he were floating away.
�� "M-Malik!"
Bakura cried, his voice starting to waver.�
He ran to the room where he kept his medicine. Maybe there was still
time. Maybe if he used all of his medicine, every single trick he knew of, then
maybe, just maybe...!
�� Unfortunately
that hope was dashed in the cruelest of ways. For as Bakura entered the room created
especially for magical rituals, where he crafted and stored all of his
medicine, he discovered, to his horror, that everything had been destroyed.
Glass, pottery, furniture, and ruined littered the floor, along with bloody,
dismembered corpses. The thief looked frantically for something, anything that could help him, but he saw
nothing but ruin.
�� "N-no..."
Bakura breathed in horror as he fell to his knees, clutching Malik desperately
to him, as if it would somehow keep death from taking his friend away from him.
"No..." His voice became a whimper as he looked at Malik with moist
eyes, and he reached out to touch his lover's cheek so lightly, as if afraid
that the touch would shatter Malik like glass. "P-please n-no...� M-Malik...�
P-pl-please d-don't d-die!�
P-please!"� He knew that
pleading would do nothing.� Nothing he
did would save Malik now.� "D-don't
leave me!"
�� "Ba... Baku...
ra... I..." Malik murmured, lying limply in
Bakura's arms. He felt he had to say his next words quickly, before he lost the
chance forever. "...Love... you... so much... love you... so much..."
�� Bakura felt
the breath leave his body at those words, as Malik used his last breath to say
them.� The silver haired boy could not
speak as he watched the light die from Malik's eyes.
�� "No..."
Bakura spoke so very quietly, not wanting to believe that he had just watched
Malik die.� Tears flowed freely from his
silver eyes, the ones from his right mixing with the blood on his face, causing
his wound to sting, but he was unaware, as the pain in his heart was infinitely
greater.� "Please... please...
p-please no...� M-Malik... Malik!� You can't die!� You
can't die!� YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE TOO!"
�� Bakura
clutched Malik's lifeless body closely as he shed tears for his fallen
friend.� "Please..." he
whispered into Malik's ear, even though the other boy could no longer hear
him.� "Please... p-please... you
c-can't leave me...� I love you..."
�� Bakura wished
with all his heart that those words would be like a spell to bring Malik back
to him, but he heard no more words from the one he loved, no breath in Malik's
body.� The only sounds that filled the
cave now, were his own quiet sobs as he wept for the one who his heart needed
the most.
�� Grief overtook
Bakura then, and he threw back his head to scream to the havens, his voice
echoing through every corner of the cave, and even spilling outside, but no one
heard his cry.
�� "MALIK!!!"

----

�� It was hard to
tell how long Bakura remained that way, holding Malik's body closely to his
own.� All sense of time slipped away from
him like sand through an hourglass.�
Neither his crying, nor his pleas, were able to perform a miracle to
bring Malik back to him.� The only thing
that had changed was that the warmth had left his love's body, and some time
during his mourning he had pulled out a fistful of his hair, but he did not
remember exactly when he had done so.
�� The spirits
were speaking to him again, but Bakura did not hear them so much as felt them
on some part of his subconscious mind that was not deadened by grief.
�� Slowly, over
the haze, memories of rotting corpses came back to him. He had seen them almost
endlessly in his nightmares that the spirits had used to gain his attention. He
couldn't count the number of real corpses that he had seen over his life. In
particular the bodies that had littered the village of Kuru Eruna
came so vividly to mind.
�� As Bakura
stared at Malik's corpse, he knew that his love would not return to this
lifeless body.� No, it would now only
start to decay, melt away, until nothing remained but bones.
�� Bakura could
not handle the thought of it.� His heart
could not bear to see that, not again, not with Malik.
�� He wrapped a
silk sheet around Malik's body, one the from their bed, where they had spent so
much time holding each other close, and carried the corpse from the cave.
�� Bakura never
looked back.
�� The trip from
the cave to Kuru Eruna was
all a blur.� Bakura didn't even remember
if he had ridden Dusk there or simply walked the entire way.� He did not care either way to spare it a
single thought.
�� Though years
ago Bakura had sealed part of the temple up, along with a number of hated items
within, he now broke the seal, for these same things that he had despised for
even existing for so very long were necessary now.
�� It took some time
to set them up according to memory, but somehow it all came to him clearer than
he had ever remembered before.� He knew
exactly what to do, where to put a particular object, and what symbol to etch
where necessary.
�� When he was
done, Bakura retrieved Malik's body from where he had placed it upon the
altar.� He had not wanted to let go of
his friend, even if Malik was now dead, and the blond's body was nothing but an
empty shell, but it was necessary.
�� Everything was
perfectly in place.� It was just as Bakura
remembered it to be, save that he was alone there now.� There were no screams; there were no people,
except for him, and the cold body he held in his arms.
�� For a moment
Bakura hesitated.� Part of him wanted to
stop. That part knew that this was all wrong and that he shouldn't be doing
something like this. Unfortunately that part was smothered by an
all-encompassing grief.� The only reason
now for him to pause was so that he could pull back the covers from Malik's
face and give one last kiss to his love's cold lips.� Though it had seemed that he had ran out of
tears, a tear formed in each eye to run down his cheeks and lay to rest on
Malik's.� He wished that he could go with
Malik to where his love had gone, but he knew that his soul was stained with too
much darkness, too heavy with sin to be granted an afterlife to share eternity
with Malik.
�� "I love
you, Malik," Bakura breathed, his voice so empty.� "I'm sorry."� There was so much that he was sorry for.� He was sorry that he could never say those words
while Malik was still alive.� His pride,
his pain, and his foolishness in waiting for a perfect moment that never came
stopped him from telling Malik what was in his heart while he still at the
chance.� He was sorry that he was a
sinner.� He was sorry that he could not
stop, despite how Malik had tried so hard to convince him to.� He was sorry that the same sin that damned
him kept him away from Malik when his love needed him the most.� He was sorry that because he sinned, and
because he knew that he could not escape this sin, that their souls would never
be reunited, not even in death.� And he
was sorry for what he was about to do.
�� After taking
one last look, Bakura covered Malik's head once again with the blanket so that
no part of his love was still visible to his eyes.� His hand shook as he did so, for he knew that
it would be the last time he ever set his eyes upon the one he loved.�� He extended his arms, holding Malik's body
over the cauldron and then let it go.
�� Bakura did not
turn away from what he had done, and watched as fires made of gold consumed
Malik's body.� Part of him screamed for
him to turn away, to not look, but he did not obey that part of him.� He had not obeyed that desperate desire to
avert his eyes as a child when the fires had taken his family, and he would not
look away now when they now took his love away.
�� As Malik's
body melted away, part of Bakura too seemed to melt away as well on the
inside.� That was why he did not notice that
there was no golden metal left behind like with the ninety-nine sacrifices that
had created the Millennium Items on that night so long ago.� Only golden flames filled the cauldron,
growing larger and reaching higher until they spilled over.
�� Bakura was
unable to react in time to move away before the flames reached him.� The flames licked at his skin, surrounding
him, and he watched them in a daze, until the pain they brought pierced through
the haze enveloping his mind.� He
screamed then as the flames consumed him.
�� Eventually the
flames died and Bakura's body fell to the floor.� He breathed shallowly as his eyes gaped
upwards wide and unseeing.� The flames
did not mark his body, save for how they had somehow managed to seal the wound
on his face, leaving behind a prominent scar.
�� Bakura did not
realize it at this time, but the grating white noise at the back of his mind
that was the spirits was now eased.� It
became soothing, but his heart still hurt too much to know that now.� Something else was there now too, or maybe it
had been there all along, and it only now was able to make its presence
stronger, more pronounced.� He did not
notice this presence, at least not consciously, and he never would.
�� But Bakura
would not have cared to know these things at this time. He did not care about
anything anymore, for all that he truly cared for was gone forever. He simply
closed his eyes and allowed himself to die inside so that he would be free of
all the pain.
�� And from
within the shadows of the temple the demon king known as Zork
Necrophades, ruler of the realm of darkness, laughed
as the soul of his one-hundredth sacrifice was finally bound to him completely
for eternity.
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Yu-Gi-Oh!: Aurora