Lion Heart

Catti± Well if you wanna read my stuff you’ll have no choice really *chuckles* And a disclaimer in caps would actually not do that much I’d say… I’m gonna keep the nice half insulting one. Glad you like the story and have fun with the new chap!

Dragonlady222: Awesome, I follow the rules and still they try and fuck me over. That speaks great of the staff here *rolls eyes* I’m glad you like the story and have fun with the new chapter!

KirikouChan: There is a cliffhanger because I’m evil *smirks* I am known as the ‘Cliffhanger Queen’ here and there so I think that’ll speak volumes ^^ you’ll get used to me; you’ll kinda have to now won’t you? *grins* Now, damn you for beating me at almost EVERYTHING. *shakes head* Well, I’ll see you on Monday!

Cosmic Tomato: I think Shimon might’ve actually gone insane at one point, but he’s still in denial. Honestly, I am rather mean to that man… even if I barely involve him in my plots. I’m glad you liked Yuugi’s breakdown scene. I’m always a bit hesitant when it comes to scenes like that, but I seem to be pulling them off rather well. Seth plainly had to get laid. Honestly, that stick up his ass must’ve been hurting him. And yeah, I agree that a lemon would reuin this story. I’m trying to focus on other things, and a lemon would make it seem… well plainly less. It’s why I consciously decided not to put one in. Well, hope you enjoy the next chap as well!

Hmmm: Oh yes awesme protection! I’m sure the original creators of all these series ggo onto the i-net and go LOOKING for people to sue on sites that sate FANFICTION because it’s obvious they’re earning money with it over FREE sites. Yup, I completely agree with that. *rolls eyes* Glad to know there are more brainless idiots like the staff out there. Thank you for proving that.

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Well, I see you’re all still as fond of my cliffhangers as always XD Yes, I’m evil for leaving it there. I’m more evil for not picking up where I left off last chapter °grins° don’t worry though, I’m sure you’ll all just love the chap °coughs° so, R&R folks!

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--: 13 :--
War

Bakura growled as he glared at the shadows shifting around him. He once again tried to ignore them as he got ready for the upcoming fight that would most likely end the war, though he was becoming more annoyed by the minute. He wasn’t leaving him alone one bit today. He kept trying to draw attention to himself, obviously annoyed at one thing or another. The slight stabs he could feel from time to time proved that much. Bakura even had a pretty good idea why he was annoyed, but didn’t really feel like getting into it. Still the more his annoyance rose, the more the urge to whip around and yell grew.

A few more moments and Bakura finally snapped, whirling around and glaring at the wall where the darkest shadows roamed. He still wasn’t quite sure where he was supposed to glare at but that patch of shadows seemed very appealing to him right now.

“Would you leave me alone for Ra’s sake?! I’m trying to get ready and you stabbing me with your shadows really isn’t helping much!”

The feeling that something was glaring at him furiously washed over Bakura, and he was wise enough to know it was probably real and not just his mind playing tricks on him. He was angry and glaring at him right now.

“Use them.”

Bakura rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “I’ve already told you that I’m not going to use those two to blackmail Atemu and that damned cat into anything. Stop whining about it.”

A particular hard stab followed his statement, but Bakura refused to show it had hurt. He remained impassive as if he hadn’t just been stabbed by shadow magic.

“Your feelings for the boy are clouding your judgement. Use them.”

“I said no!” Bakura grit his teeth in anger, “I will not use Ryou and I’m pretty sure Mariku will say the same about that loudmouth crush of his. We can beat those two idiots without blackmail.” He turned around and started for the door, planning to leave the conversation there.

For a moment the glare he could feel on him intensified to a point where it felt like it was actually burning his skin. Before he could turn around or do anything though, the shadows around him shifted again, more chaotically than ever now. Bakura briefly registered that this only happened when extremely powerful attacks were being formed and only thanks to his reflexes was he on time to defend his mind against what was coming.

Bakura had to use all his magic to deflect the pressure he was suddenly putting on his mind. There had been times before that he had tried to take over his body, but never before with this much force. Obviously this was not just a matter of disobedience anymore, and he was really trying to gain control of his body this time.

And come to think of it, that would solve all the issues he had in an instant.

With a groan Bakura tried his best to stay in control of his own body, to not let his mind be taken over. Sadly though, the enormous amount of power that was being used to invade his mind was too much, and in a matter of moments Bakura crumpled to the ground just in front of the door, grabbing his head as if that would make everything stop. A few moments more and his hands simply fell limply to his sides, Bakura slowly rising to his feet again.

As the white-haired King of Thieves looked up, his usually russet eyes were a completely crimson colour. The eerie look of one being possessed was barely noticeable though, and the being now in control of Bakura’s body only gave himself a quick look-over to make sure he was ready before leaving the room.

Mariku was already waiting outside, leaning against the wall with an obvious bored look on his face. He glanced up and grinned as his long-time friend approached, “All ready to go kick some Pharaoh butt?”

Bakura gave him a quick glance before turning to some of the minions that had easily been persuaded to fight for their goal, “You, I want you to go get the two prisoners. Make sure they can’t run away or do much of anything really.”

The men nodded and quickly ran off to do as they’d been told. Mariku stared at his friend in momentary disbelief, before recovering and glaring at the other, “Didn’t we decide not to use Malik-pretty and Ryou?”

Bakura shrugged, obviously not caring, “They’re our trump card. Threatening them or maybe killing one off might make that damned Pharaoh more cooperative.”

Mariku glared more harshly, “We can’t use them like that! You said so yourself last-“

“I said a lot of things that don’t matter anymore.” Bakura glared back at his partner, “Now hush and leave the thinking to me.”

Before another word could be said, Malik and Ryou were brought in. Ryou glanced around nervously, not knowing what was going on, as Malik tried to struggle against the ropes that were binding his hands behind his back. The ropes were so tight they were cutting his skin even without him even trying to move them, but that didn’t stop him from trying to get out of them.

“Good now let’s go. I don’t care how you drag those two along but keep them out of sight for now.” Bakura smirked again, only more sadistic than ever before. Ryou only took one look at this Bakura before biting his lip, instantly knowing what was happening.

That look was a lot like how Bakura had looked the day they were kidnapped, though this time it was even worse. One look at the other’s eyes and Ryou knew for a certain fact that this was not Bakura, but someone else completely.

And he had a very good idea who it was.

That day now almost a week ago flooded back to his mind, the day he’d seen Bakura struggling not to be taken over by that being in the shadows. Apparently that being had won this time, taking over Bakura’s body completely

Bakura walked towards the exit of the cave they’d stayed in for quite some time now, Mariku following with a death glare that would frighten any other man to death. Ryou glanced nervously at Malik, trying to decide whether or not to tell the other what he really knew as they were roughly dragged along, before deciding that since Bakura wasn’t there anymore, the other really couldn’t do anything even if he did say something.

Sad, but true.

Before they had so much as been thrown onto a horse to be dragged along to what seemed to be the battle for Egypt, Malik was fully up to date on everything that Ryou thought was going on. The blonde stared in slight shock at the two leaders of the rebels, everything that had happened now falling into place. Still, they couldn’t do much. The only thing it did for him right now was lessen the guilt that had been rooted deep inside him together with his denied feelings for Mariku. If his look-alike really was being controlled or manipulated , and his anger right now really was aimed at them being used in this way, he really couldn’t say that Mariku was such a bad guy anymore. Crazy, definitely. But not really that bad.

“We have to stop… that thing.” He muttered to his friend, trying to stay as close as possible to the other as long as he could before he’d be dragged off to some horse to be brought to the battle field.

Ryou gave the blonde a hopeless look, “But what? If Bakura couldn’t stop that thing from taking over… what are we supposed to do?”

Malik gritted his teeth, completely blank on the answer to that question himself. He glared at the man hoisting him away from Ryou and towards the horse he’d be on for quite some time, though he was powerless to do much with his hands being bound so tightly. He was now determined to get to the bottom to this though, and if Ryou turned out to be right he was going to kill that thing that was currently possessing Bakura and influencing Mariku.

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Atemu rushed to his room, ignoring the state of panic that the palace was now in. Even though they’d known the attack could come at any minute, the fact that it was actually happening was still somewhat of a shock. Perhaps the mostly peaceful time he’d had – attack-wise, anyway – had instilled some kind of fake feeling of safety deep down inside him. Now, however, that feeling was completely gone of course.

As he rushed into his room, Yuugi looked up from the windowsill he’d been sitting in, surprised at Atemu’s early return as well as the way in which he’d stormed in. He gave a questioning look at the other, “Atemu? Something wrong?”

Atemu straightened as he gave the other a serious look, “It’s started. Bakura and Mariku are attacking.”

Within no time Yuugi had gotten up and discarded his clothing, his skin already glowing with the faint shine of magic. Before Atemu knew it Hikari was already standing next to him, his body tensed as if he could be attacked at any minute even though they were still safe within the palace.

// Where are they? //

“To the North, still pretty far away. I think they were trying to get as close to the palace as possible but since we had spies keeping a close eye on all the towns their forces were gathering in, we were able to stop them still quite a ways away.” Atemu ran a hand through his hair, “Guess it’s finally time huh?”

Hikari grimaced, // I guess so… Though I had hoped they’d cancel their plans or something. //

With a nod of agreement Atemu took his seat on Hikari, the lion instantly racing through the palace halls as fast as he could without throwing Atemu off. They were out of the palace in less than a minute, Hikari speeding up and Atemu bracing himself more. Atemu knew that his army was probably already there, fighting off Bakura and Mariku’s forces. If Bakura and Mariku were already present though, none of them would stand a chance, so they really needed to hurry up.

By the time they reached the battle field, they could clearly feel the signs of Shadow Magic around them. Obviously Bakura and Mariku were there and had wasted no time in starting to kill Atemu’s forces. Hikari jumped over several dead bodies before he and Atemu caught sight of the two. Some of the desert inhabitants’ men tried to jump at them with swords, through they were easily deflected by a simple small blast of Shadow Magic from Atemu as he covered for Hikari.

Both Bakura and Mariku grinned and stopped their assault on the other men that were fighting around them as they saw Atemu and Hikari arrive, the two paying full attention to every movement that was being made. Atemu got off Hikari, the lion glaring dangerously at the two in front of him.

// Where are Ryou and Malik?! // even with all the reasoning he and Atemu had done over the past week, he still couldn’t shake the words he had heard only a week ago. As unlikely as it was that they’d really been killed, he needed to know for sure.

Bakura grinned evilly at Hikari, his eyes gleaming with a malice that was worse than it usually was, “They’re around here, though of course they might’ve gotten caught up in the fight by now. I’m not sure.”

Hikari growled dangerously, only half noting the side-glare Mariku threw at his partner at those words. Although it was strange that Mariku of all people would glare at Bakura for saying something like that, Hikari couldn’t really care less at that moment. All he knew was that his friends were probably still alive, and he could still save them if he managed to beat Bakura and Mariku.

“Well then,” Atemu’s voice sounded just as dangerous as Hikari’s growl had.

// We’ll just have to make sure we get to them before anything can happen! //

Without another word of any kind or sign, both Atemu and Hikari jumped forward, Shadow Magic flaring to life. Mariku tried to summon a blast of Shadow Magic before he could be hit, but was forced to dodge instead when Hikari nearly pounced on top of him. Growling as he side-stepped the attack, a blast fired by Bakura to keep Hikari from pouncing again flew past him, though it almost hit Mariku himself.

Atemu, instantly taking advantage of the opening in Bakura’s defense, quickly kicked the white-haired thief in his stomach, wanting to fire a ball of Shadow Magic right after, but recoiling as shadows enveloped Bakura and acted like a shield right before his foot could hit. Somewhat thrown off by the much improved defense, Atemu took a step back only to be hit by a punch thrown by Bakura, followed by a blast of Shadow Magic.

‘When did he get such a high defense…?’ Atemu quickly got to his feet, feeling Hikari pass by him as the other defended him from yet another blast. Atemu quickly fired back, hitting Mariku on the side and making the other fall to the ground with a curse.

Several more blasts followed from Atemu, this time aimed at Bakura but the other just smirked, the shadows around him actually seeming to take on a physical presence as they rose off the ground to deflect the attacks. Hikari, though amazed that Bakura had managed to learn something like that in such a short amount of time, used his speed to get around the barrier and attack Bakura, the King of Thieves cursing this time as he felt sharp claws dig into his arm.

Mariku quickly tackled the lion to the ground, using his own magic to protect him from the sharp nails that were attempting to cut him open. He winced, even with the magic protecting him still feeling the blunted down nails try to dig into his skin.

Bakura completely ignored the predicament his partner was in, grinning as he turned to Atemu and fired several blasts that seemed far more powerful than anything he’d ever been able to summon before. Atemu quickly dodged to the side, cursing loudly as he was almost hit by one of the blasts. One of the blasts barely grazed his side, throwing him off balance and dropping him to the ground. Before another blast could be fired though, Hikari finally managed to throw Mariku off him and onto Bakura, making the two stumble to the ground. Hikari attempted to blast them but again the shadows rose to form a barrier.

“When in the name of Ra did he learn that?!” Atemu growled in frustration, Hikari jumping to his side and looking at the barrier in annoyance, but wonder as well.

// I don’t know… he knew how to use Shadow Magic to protect himself from my claws somewhat before, like Mariku still does… but never like this. //

Giving each other a quick glance, both fired an enormous amount of magic at the shield, hoping to break it and hit Bakura and Mariku before the two managed to get back to their feet and counterattack. The magic hit the shield full force, the barrier holding for a moment before dissipating into nothingness. The blast, though weakened by now, raced on towards the two still lying on the ground.

Bakura quickly pushed Mariku away from him, using the other to push up to his feet faster and jump out of the way. Mariku, off balance as he was, was hit completely by the blast, yelling loudly in pain as he was thrown back.

Bakura threw one look behind him at his partner, his gaze showing uncaring and almost screaming that he thought Mariku wasn’t worth any kind of protection he might’ve been able to give the other. Mariku groaned as he sat up, the Shadow Magic having left burns on several places on his body and blood coming from various wounds.

“What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to get me killed or something?!” the blonde glared angrily, slowly getting to his feet even though his wounds were quite visibly hurting him a lot.

Bakura simply shrugged at his ‘partner’s’ complaint, “You should’ve been faster then. What am I, your mother?” he focused back on Atemu and Hikari, both staring somewhat dumbfounded at the argument going on in front of them.

“Are we going to fight or have a staring contest?” Bakura snorted before firing another blast of magic, Atemu and Hikari quickly getting out of the way to avoid being hit. With only a simple glance between them, an immediate plan was made even though they hadn’t said a word.

Atemu quickly fired a large blast of magic once more, Bakura once more being protected by his barrier – though it did seem weaker this time – as the white-haired King of Thieves focused his attention on the Pharaoh. Hikari darted away, once more quickly making his way around the shield and using Bakura’s lack of attention to him to quickly fire a blast of his own magic. Bakura was thrown to the ground, Hikari jumping at him before being blasted away himself by Mariku.

Bakura quickly rolled out of the way of the blast that Atemu sent at him, glancing at Mariku in something that could to some level be translated into appreciation, “Well, at least you’re good for something.” Without another glance he got to his feet, firing blasts at both Hikari and Atemu to get them away from him again.

Hikari dodged the blasts, quickly jumping away towards Mariku and tackling the other to the ground. Mariku, slowed down by his wounds, wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way and was thrown to the ground once more.

With Hikari and Atemu now on opposite sides of Bakura, both fired a large blast of magic at the other, Bakura glanced from side to side as if trying to determine which was more important to block. Shadows once more rose to protect him, defending both sides even though because of that the shields were less powerful. Neither blast made it through, though Hikari instantly jumped at Bakura as he stopped firing, breaking through the even more weakened shield and slashing at Bakura. The King of Thieves cursed loudly in pain as blood poured out of the gashes that had been made, falling to the ground in pain.

Both breathing heavily because they’d already used so much of their magic, but seeing a clear shot to possibly finish off both Bakura and Mariku, Atemu and Hikari prepared another large blast, Hikari bowing his head in regret that if this worked, he would actually kill the two in front of him. Atemu gave a glance at his partner, grimacing in the same kind of regret but knowing that they didn’t have a choice.

As they both focused back on the two in front of them to make sure neither had recovered enough to put up any kind of defense yet, two very familiar voices to Hikari suddenly yelled out, making Atemu and Hikari look in the direction the voices were coming from.

There, running at them as fast as they could and jumping over the bodies of the dead soldiers and thieves alike, were Ryou and Malik, both looking panicked and out of breath as they came closer. Though at first it wasn’t completely clear what the two were yelling, it became much clearer as they came closer.

“Stop! Don’t kill them!”

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Wow… another cliffie… yeah, still got it XD We’re now nearing the end of the fic so you could’ve really seen it coming with my reputation. To those people who find it necessary to bitch at me for my little rant about the freaking disclaimer thing, fuck off. I have my own opinion about you brainless idiots and about the disclaimer in general. I find the thing utterly ridiculous in the first place so it’s a miracle I bother putting up anything. Leave me alone, or get into a cat fight with me, I really don’t care. Just know that the subject pisses me off and a pissed off me, as my friends have told me, is a rather scary one.

That having been said, I hope you all enjoyed my chapter – and the cliffie (A) – and Review!

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Preview:

Bakura was the only one who didn’t respond to the statement. A smirk crept up on his face as he straightened completely, looking at where Hikari was standing in front of Malik and Ryou, “Well, I see you two found out a lot more than I wanted you to. I knew that idiot should’ve killed the runt when he heard me but of course he had to disobey me.” He gave a humourless laugh, “Oh well, can’t do much about that now.”

Atemu narrowed his eyes at the white-haired man before him, “Who are you exactly if you’re not Bakura? And why have you been influencing him and Mariku all this time?!”