Lion Heart

Cosmic Tomato: Yeah Teana really should just crawl into a corner and die the most painful death in existance. That would be the vbest thing that could ever happen… really too bad it never happens °sulks° and with my disability to kill her in this fic, it just sux for me. Oh well, have fun wit the new chap!

Evil Pharaoh Atem: Yup, I’m in the US right now! I come from the Netherlands, which is thei really small country in Europe that no one seems to be able to point out on the map really cuz it’s so bloody cmall. As for your guess °gives cookie° damn you for being right. Makes me think I’m all predictable… which I am but leave me in my dreamworld where I’m not. Anyway, have fun with the next chap!

Dragonlady222: Meeting was fun ne? I really hope you got that sleep XD And hey, we get to meet when you all kick me onto the plane home again possibly right? So that’ll be fun ^^ Have fun with the new chap.

Catti: Even though I’m updating on time… can you throw those tomatoes anyway? Cuz I’d love to see that! °snickers° She’s probably gonna hit me if she reads this but bleh, I’ll dodge. Have fun with the new chap.
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Well, Tavi did not attempt to keep me away from the comp to update. Her i-net however was a bitch for a while and wouldn’t let me on so it took quite a bit of effort to get me on. All applaud John, Tavi’s husband, who came up with something that would make it happen. Go him! Anyway, all enjoy the new chap! Not sure when the chap for next week will be… I’m going back next Saturday and I’ll be in the plane all night (stupid 10 hour flight °grumbles°) so we’ll see how that goes. Anyway, have fun and R&R people!
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--: 10 :--
Deal

“Let me go damn it!” Ryou shook his head as he took a step back to avoid getting kicked by Malik’s flailing legs. Another day, another failed attempt at escaping. And as usual it was Mariku to catch them. Ryou seriously considered the idea that Mariku continuously kept an eye on them just so he could catch them when they – or rather Malik – tried to escape again.

Well, catch Malik anyway.

Currently, Malik was trying to get out of the hold Mariku had on him. Mariku was trying to hold the younger bridal style but because Malik was squirming and thrashing so much you could hardly tell. Mariku was simply grinning happily though, apparently not caring whether Malik struggled or not, as long as he could hold the other.

“Aw, but Mariku doesn’t want to let go.” Mariku’s grin widened as his grip tightened, forcing Malik to hold still. Malik glared up his look-alike.

“I don’t care about what you want. I don’t see you caring about what I want so why should I care what you want?” Mariku pouted at that.

Ryou sighed and shook his head. This was a normal ritual nowadays. Malik would drag him along on one of his escape attempts, Mariku would catch them, the two would argue, and they’d end up being put back in their ‘room’. Bakura and Mariku didn’t even bother with guards at their door anymore. Half the time they could just walk around the hideout freely without anyone trying to stop them. It was only when they got too close to the exit that they would be caught.

The amusing thing to this all was that Malik didn’t even seem to try and actually get away by now. Ryou suspected that Mariku was actually getting to Malik and that his friend liked his look-alike a lot more than he was willing to admit. Malik had already admitted – though Ryou had had to drag it out of the other – that as long as Mariku wasn’t discussing how he’d killed several people, he could be fun. Mariku seemed a completely different person here than he was while fighting.

And he wasn’t the only one, actually.

Bakura, although the change in character was less, seemed to have a similar quirk to him. His sarcasm and cynicism stayed, though his completely sadistic nature lessened greatly. He was calmer, gentler even for lack of a better word. It really had been a shock when Ryou and Malik had realized what completely different people Bakura and Mariku actually were outside of fights.

“Come on,” Ryou’s attention snapped back to the duo in front of him as Mariku started moving back to the room they stayed in, “Time to go back to your room.” Completely ignoring Malik’s protests that Ryou wasn’t coming along, Mariku hummed happily – a habit that only served to fuel Malik’s anger usually – and walked back the way Malik and Ryou had come from.

Ryou blinked at the retreating forms and slowly disappearing voices, a somewhat amused look crossing his face even though he was slightly worried. For who he was worried he wasn’t quite sure though.

Shaking his head and preparing to follow the other two, Ryou only now realized how strangely at ease he actually was in the hideout by now. When Malik and he had only just arrived he’d been terrified to a point where he refused to move even an inch. Now he was walking around freely to a certain point and was actually amused at Malik’s denial. Shouldn’t he be trying to get out now that Mariku was busy with Malik? Shouldn’t he hate the people who had been fighting and hurting Yuugi all this time and had kidnapped them? Shouldn’t he still be terrified of this place?

He gave a hesitant glance at the exit, wondering if he actually should try to escape now that he knew Mariku wouldn’t stop him. Strangely enough he knew Malik would be fine and Mariku’s strange obsession was something more than just a game. He wasn’t quite sure why that had changed, but he knew it had.

He was about to actually give the idea a shot when he heard a muffled cry of what seemed to be frustration coming from a room close-by. Glancing at it, Ryou recognized it to be Bakura’s bedroom. Curiosity getting the better of him, the white-haired teen walked over to the door and silently opened it a little so he could see inside without being seen himself. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Bakura was in the room, arguing with what seemed like the shadows themselves. Stranger than that, a whispering voice seemed to actually be answering from those same shadows. To top it all off, Bakura seemed to be having some kind of break-down, grief emanating from every fiber of his being as he kneeled on the ground, though not a single tear could be seen on the other’s face.

“I know what he did, damn it! You don’t have to keep reminding me of that!” Bakura glared, though it was obvious even he didn’t quite know what exactly he was glaring at.

“Then cease your resistance and simply do as I command you to do.” The shadows seemed to darken and a strange gleam appeared in Bakura’s eyes, before the King of Thieves shook his head violently and regained his old expression, glaring once more even though it seemed to do nothing.

“I will not be controlled simply to gain more power.” He rose from the ground, the grief that had been beaming off him before being replaced by anger, “Aknunkanon destroyed my village and Atemu will follow in his footsteps if we don’t stop him. I know this and I don’t need you to constantly tell me. I will destroy him by myself without that extra power!”

Ryou’s eyes widened at the exclamation, a small gasp escaping him before he could stop himself. Bakura immediately turned to the door and spotted him. A strange sensation that something else was watching him from the shadows as well shot through Ryou. The teenager pushed away from the door, fear now gripping him. Although Bakura had been oddly nice to him the entire time since he’d opened up a little, he doubted that listening in on a conversation like that would give him a lot of bonus points.

“Kill him, no one must know of me.” Ryou’s eyes widened further at the whispered voice, the fear increasing greatly. Bakura’s eyes merely shifted back to the shadows as he glared harshly.

“I just told you not to order me around.” With a few steps Bakura had left the room, slamming the door angrily. The shadows around him shifted for a moment, darkening greatly before they calmed down again and regained their normal colors.

Ryou gulped and took a step back, not sure what to expect after Bakura - someone who had probably taken lives before and was trying to kill one of his best friends - had just been ordered to kill him. When Bakura looked at him though, it was merely with an annoyed look that, although it looked threatening, didn’t seem murderous in any way.

“The next time you listen in on someone, I suggest you don’t get caught. Don’t do it again or he will kill you, no matter what anyone says.” Ryou could’ve sworn he heard disdain for that idea in the other’s voice as well as see it in his eyes, but it could’ve easily been his mind playing tricks on him as well.

“You’re… not going to kill me?” Bakura rolled his eyes at the question.

“I would’ve killed you already if I was planning to do that. Don’t repeat what you just saw, not even to that annoying friend of yours. If you do I will find out and I might change my mind.”

Ryou swallowed thickly again even though there seemed to be no real threat in Bakura’s voice. He really didn’t understand Bakura at all. He’d seen the older get furious with people about smaller things than this, and yet he simply gave a warning without getting angry at all now. Not that he minded - he just couldn’t understand it.

Ryou shifted nervously, “Why don’t you ever get angry with me? I’ve seen you get angry for things that weren’t nearly as bad…” He shifted again, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer but curious to know at the same time. He wanted to know things about Bakura, and this had been the first time he’d ever gotten the chance to. His timing probably wasn’t the best, but he doubted there was actually a good time in the situation he was in anyway.

Bakura stared at him for a bit, a look on his face that clearly showed that a debate was going on in his head. Ryou looked down to the ground nervously, unable to keep looking at the older as he stared back.

“Look at Mariku and your friend. You’ll figure it out.” With that Bakura turned and opened his door again, stepping back into the room without another word.

Ryou’s head shot up as he stared, the logical part of his mind instantly providing him with the answer that since Mariku and Malik obviously liked each other, Bakura must mean something along those lines. The emotional part of his mind was yelling at him that it was a ridiculous idea though. Not only was it absurd that someone like Bakura would ever like him in such a way, he was also being held captive – even if they were permitted quite some freedom – and it was just impossible for something like that to happen.

And yet, at the very same time his heart rate quickened just a little more.

Ryou hated the person Bakura was when fighting. That Bakura terrified him and he wanted nothing to do with that side. The Bakura that Ryou had seen for the last two weeks, though, was a completely different story. As much as the Bakura he’d seen fighting against Yuugi scared him, that Bakura only half seemed real. For two weeks now he’d gotten to see a completely different Bakura that - in some weird way - had protected him.

Ryou silently, in the deepest recesses of mind, admitted that he liked that Bakura.

Before Bakura could close the door or Ryou could say another word, one of the people who seemed to be part of some kind of army of Bakura and Mariku’s rushed into the hideout, an excited look on his face, “Sir! We caught someone that might interest you!”

Bakura turned back, an eyebrow raised at the rude entrance, “And who might that be?” He leaned against the doorframe, completely ignoring Ryou now.

“Princess Teana of Libya, sir. She was asking questions about you and Mariku and actually demanded to see you!”

Bakura’s eyebrow rose higher at that, surprise visible on his face. It was a well-known fact that Princess Teana was staying with Atemu, trying to win the title of Queen of Egypt. Why would she demand to see him?

“Did you bring her here?” The man nodded.

“Yes, we blindfolded her so she wouldn’t know where we are and circled the hideout a few times so it would seem like we were going much further than we actually were.” The man grimaced, “She’s been whining the entire way and is now yelling at the guards with her.”

Bakura scowled, already seeing a very annoying conversation coming up, “Fine, bring her in. Even if she doesn’t have anything important to say we’ll still have a new hostage. Who knows what she means to Atemu.”

The man nodded and rushed back to the entrance of the hideout to fetch Teana. Bakura turned his gaze back to Ryou.

“Go back to your room and send Mariku back.” Ryou hesitated for a moment before nodding and quickly starting off in the direction of his room, feeling Bakura’s eyes on him the entire time until he was out of sight.

Teana was brought in a moment after Ryou had disappeared out of sight, the girl demanding that her blindfold be taken off. The man guiding her winced as she yelled at him, rubbing his temple in annoyance and a clear showing that he was getting a headache. Bakura sighed in irritation.

“Take her blindfold away; let’s hope she stops screaming then.” Teana instantly shut up as she heard Bakura’s voice, her head turning in the direction of the sound even though she couldn’t see. Her blindfold was removed and she blinked a few times to get used to the new lighting, before glancing back at the man that had guided her.

“You should really learn how to behave around a princess of my standards. How dare you-“

Bakura decided to cut her off before she could start a rant; something she seemed quite good at, “He doesn’t have to do anything. He obeys me - not you, dear Princess. Now what is it that you wanted to discuss with me.”

Mariku entered the hallway at that moment with an annoyed look, not happy that he’d been torn away from Malik. He gained a curious look as he spotted Teana though, cocking his head to the side in question.

Teana gave the new arrival a brief look before focusing back on Bakura, “I have information that will probably interest you.”

Bakura leaned back against the wall behind him in boredom, “Really, and what might you have to offer me? I doubt you’re going to tell me you want to betray you dearest Atemu just because you might’ve had a fight with him.

Teana gave him an annoyed look at his disrespectful tone but continued nonetheless. “I know who Hikari is. I do believe you’ve been trying to find that out for the past year now so I think that should be interesting enough to you.”

Bakura’s interest was instantly piqued, the white-haired thief standing properly. Even Mariku gained a serious look on his face as he stepped next to Bakura.

“You’re actually going to betray Atemu?” Bakura frowned, “Why would you do that?”

Teana narrowed her eyes, “It’s none of your business, but if you must know, I can’t stand that lion. He’s been stealing all the attention away from me. He’s stealing my Atemu away from me. I’ll give you any information I know about him. The only catch is that, since you’ll no doubt win this little war between you and Atemu with that information - you’ll leave Atemu alive and you’ll let him and I live peacefully in Libya. I’ll take him away from Egypt and he’ll become my husband there. I’ll make sure he never tries to take back the Egyptian throne and we’ll all be happy. I just need you to get rid of that pesky lion for me.”

Bakura stared at her before gaining a mocking look, “And what makes you think I’ll keep to that promise, even if I do make it?” Mariku snickered next to him, obviously having a similar idea.

Teana merely narrowed her eyes at the two, “Egypt isn’t in the best of states. When you win that battle against Atemu it’ll be in an even worse state. If you don’t keep to that promise, I’ll make my father declare war on you and you’ll easily be crushed. I’ll make you pay for ever betraying me.”

“And what if we just kill you now?” Mariku gained an eager gleam in his eyes. This girl was quite annoying and demanding, and he would gladly rid the world of her.

Teana glared at him, “If I go missing and Atemu has to say that I’m most likely dead, my father will attack out of revenge. There’ll be a third party fighting over this country with troupes that haven’t been waging war this entire time. I can assure you that you’ll lose that fight.”

Mariku’s face dropped, obviously disappointed. Bakura gained a thoughtful look as he stared at Teana. “You hate the great ‘saviour’ that much?”

Teana snorted, “Atemu only pays attention to him. I’ve seen him in his human form twice now. The first time he was practically lying on top of Atemu as he slept and the second time I could practically feel the fact that he’s in love with Atemu beaming off him. Atemu is mine. I can’t have that lion ruining that.”

On the inside, Bakura was laughing maniacally at the girl in front of him. If Atemu only had eyes for Hikari, than he would gain no interest in her when the cat was gone. On top of that, he’d seen the interaction between Hikari and Atemu. They worked completely in sync and could practically read each other’s minds. If Atemu knew Hikari as a human as well, it wouldn’t surprise him if Hikari wasn’t the only one with a crush. Still, he could work with this deal. Even if he did let Atemu live for the time being to gain control of Egypt, he could attack Libya and kill Atemu later when Egypt’s power was back.

He was fairly sure that Ryou and Malik knew Hikari personally, either as a human or as a lion. The confirmation of that fact would greatly help him though, and whether or not he’d take this deal, if he killed Atemu it would definitely start a war with Libya. This Princess definitely seemed pushy enough to sweet talk her father into a war just because Bakura had killed her ‘soul mate’.

Glancing at Mariku as the other glanced at him too, and with that one look seemingly conveying all his thoughts, Bakura turned back to Teana with a smirk, “Fine, it’s a deal. I’ll make sure Atemu stays alive and his little cat dies. In exchange for that you tell me everything you know about Hikari.”

Teana’s demeanour changed completely, a bright smile now on her face as happiness beamed from her aura. Bakura mentally rolled his eyes at the change.

“Hikari’s real name is Yuugi. You apparently have two of his friends here captive and he hasn’t been sleeping much because he’s too worried. He looks like a kid of maybe 15 summers, but I doubt he actually is with the way he acts at times. He looks a lot like Atemu only in a more innocent and child-like way, and his eyes are purple instead of red which is the same colour his hair is tipped in. He’s been living in the palace but he’s mostly not there during the day because he’s scouting for clues to your whereabouts, and no one but Atemu, Seth, and another friend called Jou know of his human form.” Teana paused for a moment, going over everything she’d learned over the past three days by observing Hikari, Atemu, Jou and Seth, before adding one more thing, “And although I’m not sure and it doesn’t directly link to Hikari, Jou and Seth seem to have a thing going. Seth just seems a bit too happy when Jou’s around and he stares too much.”

Bakura raised an eyebrow, “Well that last fact might be useful later on, we’ll see. I assume Hikari, or Yuugi or whatever asks around in his human form?”

Teana shrugged, “Probably, I doubt he’ll get any useful information if he tries it in his lion form. I don’t follow him around outside of the palace so I don’t know for sure but it does seem logical.”

“Anything else?” Mariku was now leaning against the wall, a bored look on his face. Winning the war was really more Bakura’s thing. He just liked destroying things and Bakura had been a friend of his since they were kids and he’d found Bakura in the desert, nearly dying from thirst and without a home. The fact that they were friends was the main reason he was helping Bakura, though it was a nice bonus that he got to destroy things because of it.

Teana gave him an annoyed look at her information being handled with such rudeness. It had taken her quite a bit of effort to gather this much since Yuugi would only show himself if he was practically sure he was safe. “No, I already said he hadn’t been sleeping much so you can imagine how tired he is. Atemu’s been forcing him to rest more though because Hikari found out that you’re planning to attack soon and everyone needs to be in top condition.”

Bakura scowled at finding out that his plan for a full-scale attack had actually been found out. He’d hoped for the element of surprise but it seemed he’d just lost it. He’d continue nonetheless though; he was becoming restless.

“Well then, I suggest you go back to the comfort of your palace then. I doubt Atemu, whether he likes you or not, will like the idea of you missing very much.” He turned around to go back into his room like he’d been planning to do before she’d arrived, “I thank you for the information and I’ll make sure your future husband will live to see another day after the fight.” He glanced at Mariku briefly, “Mention the name Yuugi to our guests and see how they respond; I want to know for sure that he’s their friend.”

Mariku nodded and grinned, happy that he could go back to Malik now. He turned and happily walked back to the room where Malik and Ryou were staying in, once more humming to himself.

Bakura gave one more look behind him at Teana, and then focused on the man that had brought her in, “Blindfold her and take her back. Make sure she isn’t recognized.”

With that he closed the door behind him, hearing furious muttering coming from Teana, no doubt about the way she was being treated. He simply ignored it as he noticed the shadows in the room once more darkening.

“For once leave me alone and go bother someone else.” There was a stab that shot through him as he growled, trying to hide his pain as much as possible.

“You will obey me, Mortal.”

Bakura glared once more before sitting down on his bed, silently going over the information he’d just gained and any way that he could use it. He ignored the shadows around him as best he could, knowing that for now it was probably best not to argue.
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Yay, they got screen time! And it only took me… a lot of chapters! Go me! Anyone who still has no idea who the voice from the shadows is… wow, you guys really need a new brain. Now onwards to the preview and as usual, Review!

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Preview:

Yuugi’s magic burst free from him as a look of pure rage crossed his face and the shadows around him lashed out at the group surrounding him. The thieves that had been about to charge at him looked shocked at the sudden display of power, before the shadows around them consumed their souls without a second thought. One by one the men fell, all wide-eyed and without even the slightest chance at escaping. Yuugi watched it impassively, angered amethyst staring at the scene with a strange calmness that didn’t reflect the incredible turmoil currently going on inside of Yuugi’s mind. His own magic was boiling, releasing itself with great force and once more lashing out at him just like the time Ryou and Malik had just been kidnapped. Yuugi seemed strangely numb to the pain this time though, as if he couldn’t feel it even though he knew it was there.

He stood slowly, the shadows around him roaming over the ground in chaotic patterns that should be impossible. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the man that had been speaking to him fall before him, a look of horror on his face as he lay there, motionless. “I’ll get them back for this.” Furious amethyst gazed in the direction of the palace, before the magic around Yuugi brightened, the entire street he was in being engulfed by golden magic. As it retreated, Hikari stood in place of Yuugi, ripped clothes falling to the ground as the still chaotic magic didn’t seem to effect him in the slightest. All the stabs Hikari felt were ignored, anger numbing his sense of pain to a point where it plainly couldn’t be felt.