Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Fraudulant Shadows ❯ Heros Who Were Villains ( Chapter 5 )

Fraudulent Shadows

Heros Who Were Villains

Chapter 5

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"B-Bakura? Is that really you?" Joey asked and stood from his seat.

Bakura narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the room and revealed his whole body. He wore a brown tuxedo with the white undershirt unbuttoned at the top and no tie. On his feet, he wore a pair of black, snakeskin boots. "Of course it is." He then smiled. The smile that could break a thousand hearts. A smile that Ryou Bakura would never sport. It was a wicked, covert kind of smile.

Joey stumbled back a few steps after realizing it wasn't the same Bakura. As he studied the man's body thoroughly, he became fully aware of the rigid scar over Bakura's right eye and darkly tanned skin. He resembled Thief Bakura. However, his eyes were the same brown as Ryou's, maybe a little hollow, but definitely the same color.

"What's the matter, Joey? Are you alright?" Anui asked, noting the expression of sheer fear.

The blonde teen looked up at Anui. "Uh…yeah." He relaxed his nerves that were about ready to force him to make a run for it. "I…just can't believe how much Bakura's changed."

Bakura knew it was a lie. He could sense the teen's fear of undesired acknowledgement. He smiled, trying to appear less sinister. "Yeah. The accident did a number around my right eye, but I can still see out of it." He moved his bangs aside, exposing the marred flesh and brown iris.

"I'm glad you're all right though." Joey caught on quickly that Bakura was trying to cover up for his trepidation as well. "Um…you ready to go, Bakura?"

The man nodded and allowed the teen to leave the room first.

"Bakura?" Anui asked.

Bakura looked back at the doctor. "Yeah?"

"Make sure you keep an eye on him. I'm afraid that he may be experiencing some side affects."

"Alright. I'll keep a close eye on him." He shut the door behind him and followed Joey. "Hey, kid! Why don't you wait up for a second?"

Joey snarled under his breath. "Where's Ryou? What happened to him?" He asked bluntly.

Bakura was taken back by the question. He stopped in his tracks. He remained silent until Joey also paused and peered down at his feet. "He…died…instantly in the accident. I took over his body before the ambulance arrived."

"What happened to him? How did he die so quickly?" Joey asked meekly.

The man winced. As much as he tried to forget that day, it still came back to haunt him. "He was crushed…under the truck's trailer."

Joey turned to face the man, his tears threatening to spill. "Then…how did I make it? Wouldn't I be crushed too?"

"The truck fell over onto Ryou's side. You were thrown out the windshield before it even fell."

The teen leaned back against the wall he was standing next to and started weeping. "Why…did all of this happen to us? What did we ever do to deserve this? We…didn't do anything wrong…did we? Why did Ryou have to die? Why not me?!" He exclaimed, echoes of his strangled voice filling the halls.

Bakura was immediately at Joey's side, comforting him. "Joey, it wasn't your fault. It's just…one of those days. It was Ryou's time."

They both fell into a deep silence, one waiting for the other to break it.

The x-bandit lifted the blonde teen to his feet and wrapped his arm around his small waist. "Come on. We need to get some food into you."

Joey nodded and allowed the older Bakura to lead him out of the building. He caught glimpses of people staring at them as they made their way out. "Why are they staring at us?" He asked a bit irritated.

Bakura smirked. "Well, you did scream in the hallway. I think I would stare too."

The teen felt a little humiliated, but let it slide. "Fine. I'll let them stare…for now."

When they had finally made it out of the building and down the steps, a long, black limousine pulled up.

"Doesn't this belong to Seto?" Joey asked as he looked at Bakura. His eyes began to light up with excitement in hopes to see his lover. "Is he in there?"

Bakura scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh…no. I work for Kaiba. He's letting me borrow his limousine."

"You work for Seto? That's new," Joey half mocked.

The white haired fiend snorted at Joey and opened the door. "Just shut up and get in. I'll explain it later."

Joey sat on the far end of the limousine, making sure Bakura and he was out of touching distance. He still didn't trust the bandit, no matter how much he changed.

Bakura tapped on the glass that separated them from the driver. He waited for a response.

"Yes, Mr. Bakura?" The driver asked.

"To Kaiba Corp."

The chauffeur nodded. "Of course, sir."

As they started down the highway, Bakura analyzed Joey from the corner of his eye. "You haven't changed at all, have you? You look good."

Joey blinked. Did he just hear a somewhat nice comment from the x-bandit? "Uh…thanks?" He sighed when he bowed his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Except…I have this scar on the back of my neck from the accident."

Bakura winced. "I remember that. It was the last thing I saw before the truck fell on me. I'm glad it was nothing more than a deep flesh wound."

The blonde teen nodded. "Yeah, I am too. Who knows? Maybe Seto will like the small change. He's into scars isn't he?"

The man stared at Joey with a firm abhorrence in his gaze.

Joey shuttered from the stare. "What did I say wrong?"

Bakura's eyes softened and he smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, Joey. I didn't mean for that to happen. It was just something I've always kept in mind when you said that. It's also something that I'll never forgive myself for."

"What happened? If you don't mind my asking," Joey said.

"I don't mind. Nevertheless, please don't show any remorse or saying anything to Seto when we see him. He'll probably kill me if he found out that I told you."

"So, it's about Seto?"

Bakura nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. It happened right after the accident. He tried to commit suicide. Kind of a sappy ending if you ask me."

Joey gasped. "You're serious? Was it because he couldn't live without me?"

"Of course! What else would it be? He loved you deeply, Joey." Bakura sighed. "He tried to stab himself with your dagger through his chest, but I stopped him before it happened and it resulted in a devastating blow across the face with the same dagger. It was an accident. I tried to pull up as he pulled down on it and then we side swiped it across his face and over his left eye. It resolved in him getting over fifty stitches." He peered over at the trembling teen. "It's not something I want to witness or go through again."

Droplets of Joey's tears fell onto his hands in his lap. "I wasn't dead. Didn't he know that?"

"No," Bakura replied. "Not after he received a call from your father. Only then, did he realize how foolish he acted."

"At least…he found out before it got worse." Joey lifted his head up and relaxed against the seat. He stared at the sky through the sunroof. The window opened slowly as he pressed a button on his door. The sky was perfectly blue and clear and it was a nice fall afternoon. There were no clouds and it wasn't very cold at all. The breeze dried Joey's tears before they skimmed down his cheeks.

Bakura smiled at the image of the teen. His golden hair made him appear as if he was glowing with relieved warmth. "You promise you won't tell Seto?"

Joey shook his head. "I won't. You saved him. So consider it a repayment."

They both chuckled and suddenly hit the car floor with a hard thud.

"Ugh! That's why they say wear seatbelts!" Joey groaned. He rubbed his forehead as he sat up and peered over at Bakura. "Hey man. Are you alright?"

Bakura grunted as he stood on his hands and knees and exclaimed at the driver. "What is the big idea, Jeff!? Watch where you're going!"

The driver rolled down the window and pointed at an accident that took place a couple of blocks down from where they stopped.

A large monster loomed over the petrified pedestrians and traffic. It roared loudly as his red eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, as if about to devour someone.

"I-is that the Red Eyes Black Dragon?" Joey asked. "It's real. How…how can that be?"

Bakura ignored the questions as he leaped out of the limousine to stand with the other spectators. He looked behind the vehicle only to see more cars blocking their way of escape. "Blast it! We won't make it out of here alive unless we run."

The teen also stepped out of the vehicle to see the dragon clearer. "It really is my dragon!"

The x-bandit snapped at the teen, demanding him to get back into the limousine.

"Why? It's my dragon!" Joey argued.

"No it isn't, Joey! You don't know what happened sixteen years ago. I'll have to explain it to you later, but get back into that car and stay there!"

"But…what about you? What are you going to do?"

"I have to look for an escape route to get us out of here!"

"Why, when I'm here?" Someone above them asked.

Joey and Bakura both looked up to see a shadowed form leap from one of the buildings' balconies and onto their limousine.

Joey could tell that the figure was facing them, but the shadows concealed his face from view. "Who are you?" He finally asked.

The man bowed his head as he took a step forward into the light and then lifted his head back up, giving a smirk.

To Be Continued

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A/N: Haha! I'm sooo evil! >=3 I bet you can't guess who the hero is! If you do, I'll seriously be astonished. O_o;