Pharaoh and the Thief

Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Warning: Slight violence, language.
Author’s Note: A huge thank you to all my reviewers who are always so patient and understanding. Sorry to leave you with such a cliff hanger last chapter. Hope this will make up for it.

Chapter 14

Atem’s eyes went wide, and he gasped for breathe. He tried to stand from his chair, but stumbled to the ground, his body spasming violently. Bakura dropped to his knees next to him, holding onto his shoulders desperately, trying to make it stop.

This couldn’t be happening. He was happy now. Everything was supposed to work out. Atem couldn’t leave him now.

Panic made his mind blank, and he shook the pharaoh helplessly, not knowing what to do. He heard someone yelling Atem’s name over and over, not even realizing it was him. The rest of the world was blocked out, and all he could focus on was Atem’s slackening form. Hot tears were sliding thickly down his face, and he brushed them away viciously as they clouded his sight.

“Help him!” he screamed at Seth, who had kneeled next to him.

“I’m trying!” Seth hissed back, brushing Bakura aside. The world seemed to snap back into place and Bakura regained his composure. He sat back enough to allow Seth to tend to the pharaoh, but remained close. The others were scrambling around in fear and Akhenden’s voice soon rose above the din.

“Someone has poisoned the pharaoh! There is an assassin among us!” he screamed, waving his arms around in emphasis. Bakura ignored him and stayed focused on what Seth was doing.

“What can I do?” he asked, hating sitting here when Atem needed him. He had to do something. After all the times Atem had saved him. He couldn’t fail him now.

“Nothing until the healer gets here,” Seth replied, looking him in the eyes. Bakura saw the same fear there that he knew were in his own, and he felt extremely grateful to Seth at that moment. He knew he loved the Pharaoh too and wouldn’t let him die.

“Please, Atem. Please don’t leave me. I love you, don’t leave me,” he whispered in a voice thick with tears, gripping his hand and wishing he could send his own life force through it and save him. He needed to save him. He couldn’t fail again.

Suddenly, without warning, Bakura was grasped brutally by two pairs of hands and yanked backwards to his feet.

“NOOOO!” he screamed, struggling with all his might to return to the unconscious pharaoh’s side. “Nooo! Let me go!”

“It was him!” Akhenden’s course voice accused, pointing a finger at the thief. “He tried to kill him before! He’s finished the job!”

“NOOO!” Bakura screamed once again. “Let me go! Atem!” With as much effort as he could manage, Bakura wrenched himself from the guards and threw himself back down at Atem’s side, grabbing his hand and fighting through his sobs, praying desperately to any god that would listen.

He was viciously torn away again, three more guards coming to restrain the frenzied thief. Then Akhenden was standing before him, blocking his view of Atem. Bakura tried frantically to see around him, to pull away, but there were too many hands restraining him.

“You filthy little bastard,” Akhenden hissed. “You’ve deceived the pharaoh with your lies and now you have poisoned his body! You will die for this!”

Bakura snarled at him, anger making his red eyes glow. “If you don’t let me help him I will kill you,” Bakura threatened in a deadly tone. “Now let me go you son of a bitch.”

Akhenden regarded him disdainfully. “Don’t threaten me,” he growled, as he nodded towards one of the guards. “Search him.”

Bakura snarled again, vowing to tear out the high priest’s still beating heart if his prejudice kept Bakura from helping Atem. Rough hands dug in his robes, searching for evidence that wasn’t there. Bakura ignored them and continued to struggle viciously, determined to make it back to Atem’s side. Seth was kneeling next to him and the healer was there, but Bakura couldn’t make out what was happening. He was going to kill every single one of the guards holding him back.

“Priest Akhenden,” Bakura heard a guard say. The other high priests had come to the pharaoh’s side, making Bakura absolutely infuriated. Atem didn’t need these people. He needed him.

A sharp pain blossomed across his face as Akhenden sharply backhanded him. Bakura looked at him in shock, momentarily distracted. He was about to threaten Akhenden’s life when the priest held up a small glass vial between his fingers. Bakura was confused by the silence that spread across the hall. All eyes, save those of the healer and Seth, were turned on him now, and then he understood.

They had taken the vial from his robes, the vial that held the poison.

That servant in his room...

“You!” Bakura growled. Anger was boiling in his blood. He hadn’t felt fury like this since the pain of Kul Elna was still fresh. Akhenden would pay.

“If he dies, I will kill you,” Bakura growled. “You will watch your own heart stop beating as you die,” he whispered viciously.

Akhenden gave him a look of utter disdain. “Take him away,” he commanded the guards, who rushed to obey, pulling the screaming and struggling thief from the hall.

“NOOOOO!!!” he screamed, his voice going hoarse. “I can’t leave him! Atem!”

As he was dragged away, Bakura screamed every curse he knew on the old man, invoking every god of every religion he could think of to punish him, and swearing his own vengeance.

When they finally managed to drag him into a cell, a couple of the guards took the liberty of making sure he stayed put by bloodying his lip and breaking his nose. When they finally left him alone on the dirty floor, Bakura felt the anger slowly leak away and leave a terrible unfathomable emptiness.

Atem. He didn’t know if he was alive or dead. If he was dead...Bakura couldn’t even allow himself to think of it. What would he do without Atem? How could he survive? He had nothing in his life but him.

He wiped the blood from his face, staring at the bright red streak it left on the back of his hand. The sight of it lit a sadistic spark in his mind as he wondered whether Akhenden’s blood was as bright as his. He hoped so. He would bleed for this.

The thief began pacing back and forth in his tiny cell. It was driving him crazy that he didn’t know anything of Atem. He had to know. He viciously wiped at the blood still leaking from his nose and growled in pain. The bastards had broken his nose.

He fingered the bruised flesh gently, feeling the break before gritting his teeth and shifting it back into place, grimacing against the pain. He gave up the pacing and instead collapsed in a dirty corner, head in his hands and allowed himself to cry. He had never felt so defeated and alone in his entire life. Atem was dead. He must be, everyone he loves dies.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Hours later, Seth found Bakura trembling in the corner of his cell, blood crusted on his face and his eyes red and swollen. The moment he heard footsteps, Bakura’s head jerked up. When he saw it was Seth, he staggered to his feet, but his stiff muscles seized up and he nearly collapsed again. Seth stopped in front of the door to his cell, waiting for Bakura to steady himself against the wall.

“Is he alive?” Bakura demanded, coming to stand in front of Seth, gripping the bars tightly. “Is he okay?”

Seth regarded him coolly. “Did you do it?” he asked quietly.

Bakura narrowed his eyes. “Just tell me if he’s alive!” Bakura demanded.

“Answer me first,” Seth replied.

Bakura’s knees started to give out and he sank to the ground. “Please, just tell me. I need to know.”

“Not until you answer me,” Seth replied steadily.

Bakura looked up at him with sorrowful eyes. “How can you even ask that of me? He saved me. I could never...”

Seth nodded, seemingly satisfied. “I had to ask.”

Bakura nodded, not really listening anymore, tears glistening on his face.

“He’s alive,” Seth said softly. “Still unconscious, but he’ll recover.”

Bakura looked at him in surprise. “He’s alive?” he asked in a trembling voice, not daring to believe it.

Seth smiled softly. “Yes.”

“Can I see him?” Bakura asked, hope shining in his eyes.

The smile left Seth’s face. “I’m sorry, Bakura. I don’t have the authority to release you yet.”

Bakura pulled himself up by the bars, pleading with Seth. “Please. I need to see him. I need him to know I didn’t fail him.”

“I’m working on it. I promise I’ll get you out as soon as I can,” Seth said, looking Bakura in the eyes.

Bakura nodded. “Be fast.”

Seth jerked his head in agreement, and with one last glance at the broken thief, he left.

XxXxXxXxXxX

“Bakura?” Atem mumbled sleepily as he slowly regained consciousness.

“Pharaoh?” a voice asked as Atem made out blurry figures hovering over him.

“Get back, you’re crowding him,” said a harsh voice Atem recognized as Seth’s.

“Seth?” he asked as he groped empty air, trying to find something solid to hold onto until the room stopped spinning. “What happened?”

Seth’s stern face came into view and Atem focused on it until it became clear.

“You were poisoned. We don’t know who the culprit was, but it wasn’t a fatal poison. Akhenden has Bakura arrested on suspicion,” Seth told him, filling him in.

“Bakura? I want him here now,” Atem demanded, satisfied that his voice wasn’t wavering anymore.

“Of course, my Pharaoh,” Seth said with a bow. “Isis, watch him?”

The High Priestess nodded and took Seth’s chair next to Atem’s bed as Seth left without hesitation to fetch the thief.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Bakura was leaning limply against the bars where Seth had left him an hour ago, but he jerked to attention when he his sharp ears detected Seth’s footsteps. The raw emotion on Bakura’s face was almost painful to see, the helpless hopefulness that shone in his usually impassive face.

Seth held up the keys and a genuine smile spread over Bakura’s face as he pulled himself up and impatiently waited for Seth to unlock his cell. Bakura scrambled out as soon as he did; only saved from stumbling by Seth’s strong arms supporting him.

Seth helped Bakura to the Pharaoh’s quarters, but he paused just outside the door. Bakura pulled at his arm impatiently, desperate to see for himself that Atem was alive and well.

“Just a moment,” Seth said, pulling the thief around to face him. “You look terrible. I don’t want Atem to be anymore upset than he is already, and if he sees you like this, he will be,” Seth said sternly.

Bakura regarded him coldly, but nodded his agreement and let Seth wipe the crusted blood from his face and make him look a little more presentable. Bakura watched him intently as the priest tried to rub the blood from his shirt.

“Do you know who...?” Bakura started to ask, letting his sentence run off as Seth glanced at him with an icy gaze.

Seth regarded him for a moment, trying to decide whether or not he should reveal his findings to a very distressed Bakura.

“We have no proof yet,” Seth said finally.

“That’s not what I asked,” Bakura said flatly. “Do you know?”

Seth stared at him, not missing the steely determination in Bakura’s eyes. “Yes.”

Bakura let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. “And?”

“I think you know too.”

Bakura studied Seth’s decided composure. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Seth nodded, his icy gaze softening as he noticed Bakura’s shoulders droop. The white haired man turned to go in, but with a spilt second decision, Seth pulled him back.

Bakura looked at him in confusion.

“Your village,” Seth said quickly. “It was him too.”

Bakura stared at him, eyes widening slightly. His composure changed suddenly, his back became straighter and his eyes took on a hard gleam. Bakura nodded his thanks and Seth released him.

He didn’t know why he told Bakura that. He knew Bakura was in no condition to think this over rationally. But, he deserved to know. He deserved to know, and he deserved his revenge. Seth knew if he was in the same position, he would want that too.

Bakura entered the Pharaoh’s bedchamber, and Isis looked up in surprise. With a stern look from Seth standing in the doorway, she vacated her seat and left as Seth closed the doors behind her.

Bakura stood in the middle of the room, simply staring at Atem, who was looking at him worriedly as his eyes lingered over the bruise on his nose.

Bakura was confused by so many emotions overpowering him. His heart was battling over his hate for Akhenden and his love for Atem and the terrible emptiness that hadn’t quite left him yet. He was feeling cold and murderous as he had finally found the person to pin every wrong ever done to him on, but when Atem’s soft voice spoke his name, warm relief washed over him, and he forgot it all. The thief hesitated no longer and climbed right into the bed with Atem and wrapped his arms around him tightly.

“I thought you were dead,” Bakura whispered burying his face in Atem’s neck, his voice thick with tears. “I thought you left me.”

Atem hugged him back, stroking his fingers through soft hair and kissing him softly on the forehead. “I’ll never leave you.”