Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Half Full or Half Empty? ❯ Before the Storm ( Chapter 29 )

JG: -_- Not much to say here but… ENJOY!! And thanks for the reviews! I've decided to start putting up review responses so… here goes (I'll start from the bottom of my latest review page, could be a while back XD):

Oichijouji: Yah, I wasn't kidding when I said there would be a surprise! Lol… I didn't like Mai so I decided to kill her off ^^

The Almighty Elena: Yup I killed Mai. Shoulda killed Anzu but she plays a bigger part later on in the story as you know. And yes Kaiba likes girls ^^

Dreg: Nope, I don't steal lemons!

YamiAlex17: I'm glad you like my story! Thanks for your encouraging reviews ^^

Pickeslices (Nadim): Thanks for your reviews AND your e-card you sent me! ^_________^ and yes I thought it would be funny if Bakura and Marik called each other names in bed!

Washu-Washu: YES! KAIBA LIKES GIRLS! HOW HARD IS THAT TO UNDERSTAND?! Lol… Shadi? Kidnap Ryou? Too weird… I was gonna make it Gozubaro but he's dead so nunya! Yeah Bakura's been through a lotta shit… but my stories always have a happy ending! ^_^ and I'm sorry I burned your eyes! But I had to! I HAD TO ROB ANZU!! MOOOOAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

Avvy: Yeah, Shika hates her Dad. But who wouldn't after everything he did?!! Yeah, Shika heard them… doing it lol… but I didn't make it out like she did ^^ those two are animals!

Rowan Girl: You like my story? THANKS! BTW: I'm putting you in one of my comedy fics just so you know ^^ (sorry I broke your heart *hands new unbroken heart*)

VisciousDragon: On the edge of your seat in SUSPENSE?! WOWZERS!! NEVER had a review like that! Didn't know my story was THAT good ^^ THANKS A BUNCH!! *showers you with candy and various YGO plushies*

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will, don't sue.

Warning: Swearing… no sex scenes yet. Maybe a lemon next chapter.

Before the Storm
______________________

Afet, Ryou, Jou, Anzu and Malik stood around Shika in the execution-witnessing area. Everyone, including Shika's grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were there to watch. Although he deserved what he got, it was sad to watch Sevilin go. Go straight to the fiery depths of Hell, that is. Being strapped down to a hospital bed with two intravenous tubes in his arm, Sevilin had already been anaesthetized*, ready for the final injection. Security guards stood in each corner of the room, their big ugly black weapons in their belts. The electrocardiogram monitor beeped slowly in the background.

"We will now administer tubocurarine chloride to discontinue the inmate's breathing." A security officer declared. A clear solution was seen running through one of the IV's. Three or four minutes later, Sevilin's breathing came to an end.

Shika fought the hiccups that rose in her stomach as her tears began to show. Jounouchi noticed this and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him. Practically all of her friends from Domino High had a hand somewhere on her back to comfort her.

"We will now administer the final drug into the inmate's system to induce cardiac arrest." An officer pulled a hospital-green curtain around the bed to shield the view of Sevilin's death. The beeping of the cardiograph monitor soon severed. Shika bit down on her lip and sat down on a nearby chair.

"I am so sorry Shika…" Anzu said as she bent down to the violet-haired girl.

Shika looked up and wiped her tears away. "Everybody dies of something I guess." She then stood up. "Mom, I'm going to go… I don't have to stay for this do I?"

Afet stroked her daughter's long silky hair. "Of course not dear… you go if you want to."

~*~

"So… how did you die then?" Shika asked as she sat with Bakura on the edge of the Domino River, paddling her feet in the cool water currents.

Bakura closed his eyes as he rested his head on Shika's lap, sprawled out on the grass. "Do you really want to hear the story?"

Shika nodded. "Sure. I wanna know everything about you."

"Alright," Bakura began as he sat up. "It all began after the day that Marik was killed…"

*:*:*:*:*:*…flashback…*:*:*:*:*:*

Born in Al-Iskandariyah, raised in Kuru Eruna, Bakura was now locked in a Memphis Palace prison cell. He had nothing now. Nothing except a long, starved death sentence which would now haunt him until the day his life ended. His life as a wealthy thief was over now. Marik was gone, thrown face-down into a shallow desert grave; just like all the other slaves. Marik deserved better than that, though. Because of him, of his innocence and of his loyalty, Bakura's life was spared.

I was a fool to bring him into the life of stealing. Bakura thought as he lay against the warm stone wall of the stuffy prison compartment. At least he got off easy. Still, he never deserved to go like that. Hondo, that bastard. I'll kill him once I get out of here…when and if I do. As Bakura pondered over his thoughts, a woman's voice was heard echoing down the empty corridor:

"What do you mean?" She called. "My son is… he's dead? But why? How?"

"After your son went missing all those years ago, he became a thief. His partner in crime is locked up, in a cell not far from here." Bakura snarled in hearing the High Priest Set's voice. "I am sorry, Sadeh. General Hondo will be severely punished for your son's death. As for Bakura… do you have anything to say to him?"

Shit, it's Marik's mother! I didn't know she worked in the palace… I wonder what she does here… Bakura thought as he listened to the quiet footsteps of Sadeh nearing.

A woman with long, sandy blonde hair, mauve eyes and tan skin stopped outside Bakura's cell. Her thin frame trembling and lavender orbs wet with tears, she whispered: "You…"

Bakura was wide eyed. He could hardly believe the incredible resemblance between Marik and his mother Sadeh. "Y-you're… Marik's mother…"

"I am," Sadeh replied. "You turned Marik into a thief! You stole him from me!" She cried.

Bakura continued to look into the angry heliotrope eyes cast down on him. "Living a wealthy life of stealing is a better option than being treated like dirt as a slave! Your son deserved better than that!" He hissed.

"Marik did not deserve to live his life in denial!" Sadeh spat. "At least if he were still a slave he would be living truthfully!"

Bakura frowned. "Just who are you anyway… besides Marik's mother. He told me you were a slave! Just as he was! A slave from Aswan!"

"I moved to Memphis from Aswan with my son because life in Aswan was rat shit! I belonged in a clan for many years until I fell pregnant with Marik to an outsider. Marik was born, and I was kicked out of the clan. Seventeen years later, word had it, that boats were setting sail from Aswan to Al-Iskandariyah! So, fuck this, I thought, and we stowed away on one of the boats. We were found out and made into slaves like the rest of them; I was to serve as a kitchen hand, which is what I still do today. The night we landed here, Marik was stolen! Stolen by you! Marik was the only thing I ever had…"

Bakura was flabbergasted. "I'm sorry…"

Sadeh spat through the bars into his cell. "May Osiris have no mercy upon your worthless soul."

~*~

Bakura's verdict was announced earlier in the day. He was to be hung, his corpse left for the hungry street dogs. This would take place tomorrow at dawn in the Memphis town centre. For now, Bakura was lying on the hard wooden bed, shivering, with only a thin woolen blanket to warm him. The desert wind was chilling his bones through the barred windows. Marik… why can't you be here…

"I am here, Bakura."

Bakura jerked his head up and looked around the room. He saw nothing. "Marik?" I must be going round the twist!

"Bakura…"

"Who the hell is fucking with me?!" Bakura was getting frustrated now. He ripped the blanket off of himself and leapt up from his bed. Then, a misty sort of shape appeared in front of him.

"Bakura… it's me. Don't be frightened." The shape slowly materialized to be Marik… in spirit form. "I have come to tell you something, my friend."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You must seal your Ka into the Sennen Ring before you die! I have done so with the High Priest Set's Sennen Rod." Marik said. Just then, High Priest Set walked past holding the Sennen Rod in his left hand.

Bakura was overwhelmed. He touched the spirit's face, only to find his fingers slipped right through it. He frowned, and took the Sennen Ring out of his shirt. "How am I supposed to seal my Ka into this?"

"It will happen by itself, Bakura. But I must be going. Goodbye my love… I will be seeing you in the afterlife…" Without a moment to spare, Marik had vanished.

~*~

"HEAR ME city of Memphis! This boy you see here, is the one, who STOLE ALL OF YOUR GOODS!" The High Priest Set bellowed from the hanging platform.

The whole crowd, hundreds upon hundreds of people, booed at Bakura and threw various random objects; mostly rotten vegetables. Bakura snarled as a moldy tomato hit him in the eye. At present, he was standing upon a wooden platform with his wrists and ankles bound, and a rope was secured around his neck.

"THIS BOY was the only thief left from Kuru Eruna! He was the only survivor left standing! He is the one which has caused our city endless mayhem and distraught!"

More boos. Bakura rolled his eyes at the unnecessary speech that was drawling on and on and on.

"WATCH NOW as the Thief King reaches his final end!"

The rope around Bakura's neck tightened. Set smirked down at Bakura, expecting Bakura to cringe under his scrutiny. Instead he got a wily, cunning grin. "You won't be seeing the last of me, Priest."

And with that, Bakura was killed with a smile upon his face.

*:*:*:*:*:*…end flashback…*:*:*:*:*:*

"So… you were hung? In front of everybody?!" Shika looked mortified.

"Yes," Bakura laughed. "That fool. He didn't realize that Marik and I would be granted an afterlife in the Sennen Items!"

Shika smiled a little. "I guess it is a little ironic."

"I had no idea we would have to wait five millennia until we next saw each other though." Bakura said. "As a matter of fact, you were the one that brought us together."

"Me?" Shika asked, a bit disbelieving.

"Yes," Bakura said simply. "If Ryou hadn't chosen to go to Japan on exchange, I never would have met you or Malik. And Malik is Marik's hikari… coincidentally."

Shika smiled. "I guess it was fate that brought you and Ryou here."

Bakura nodded and lifted his head to the sky. He pointed to a thick mass of rolling black clouds. "I think we should go. It seems the Gods have been angered."

Shika giggled. "Or more like, we're in for a subtropical storm."

Bakura shrugged and stood up. "Same diff." He pulled Shika to her feet. "Try and forget what happened today, Lotus. It will hurt for a while, believe me. I lost my whole family to the slaughtering spree of Kuru Eruna. Be lucky you still have the majority of yours left."

Shika sighed as they began walking. "I know Bakura. I'm also lucky to have you and Ryou too."

"I feel the same." Bakura said. "Which is why… I want to give you this." Bakura stopped and took a small velvet box from his pocket.

"What's this…? Bakura?" Shika seemed puzzled.

"Don't worry I'm not asking you to marry me." Bakura muttered. "Just open it."

Shika raised an eyebrow and depicted that Bakura was most certainly a hopeless romantic. She opened the box, and inside was a gold ring sculpted as two pythons that met at the top. Between their teeth was a square shaped amber-topaz gem.

Shika gasped. "Bakura… where did you get this?!"

"I didn't get it. I had it made. The fanned-pythons represent your past in Ancient Egypt, the topaz represents your birth stone of the present time that we are living in." Bakura explained.

"It's so beautiful. How did you pay for this?"

"That's not the point." Bakura thought, snickering as he remembered when he and Marik went to Cash Converters to trade in Anzu's ring for some cash. "The point is, that you like the ring. You do like it, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Shika cried, flinging her arms around the spirit's neck. "Thank you so much…"

Bakura blushed. "It's my way of saying I love you, because I do."

"Aishiteru too, Bakura." Shika said as she put the ring on her right ring finger. She grasped his hand as it began to rain lightly. "Let's get home, before the storm."

~:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:~

*= Anaesthetized: Under anaesthesia… deep asleep.

Next chapter: Not entirely sure. Ideas are appreciated… not that I ever get any.

Updates: Dunno.