I'd Die For You

By Spirit Summoner

Bakura collapsed, exhausted. Exhausted but safe.

At least for the time being.

The menacing monster would no doubt return to attempt to claim them again but neither the thief nor the pharaoh had the strength to even consider a repeat of the ordeal.

Yami gasped desperately, clouds of black smoke emerging from his mouth. He tumbled awkwardly, falling onto something strangely soft. Crimson eyes opened, slow, tired and heavy. Yami blinked and waved a lazy hand in front of his face to swipe away the smoke that clouded his vision.

His mind throbbed with questions, questions and still more questions.

What's happening? Am I still the Shadow Realm? Where is Bakura?

"Bakura!" he gasped in realisation.

Yami twisted to the side and rolled over the strangely soft object he had landed on which turned out to be a body. And sure enough, it belonged to no other than the infamous Tomb Robber himself. Yet he was so pale and his breathing laboured – as though he had far over stretched his limits.

But more worryingly, Yami noted with a look of slight horror, the Millennium Symbol was flashing on his forehead.

But that can't be! Yami rubbed his temples in what he prayed was a manner that would soothe his pounding brain. That symbol should not be there – I sealed all our Items away and we hid them so that they cannot be found.

The only Item that they had not sealed away was the Millennium Rod that they had returned to Marik so that he would have the power to send them to the Shadow Realm. Still, that didn't explain why the Millennium Symbol was currently shining with its power on Bakura – the thief had no connection to the Millennium Rod and so would not – or so Yami thought – be able to tap into any Shadow Magic using it anyway.

Yami took a deep breath and instantly regretted it. For some reason, the air stank and tasted sulphuric, and it burnt his tongue and nostrils. Even so, it achieved the sobering effect that he had aimed for.

Okay…there are seven Millennium Items, he reasoned. If I can remember which I sealed away and who holds the remaining Items, maybe I can work this out. Yugi and I have always been in possession of the Millennium Puzzle, and I assume that Bakura has always been close to the Millennium Ring. Those were sealed away with the Millennium Necklace that Ishizu gave me and we gave Marik the Rod. So that leaves three…

"I know that Shadi holds both the Millennium Key and the Scales, but he couldn't possibly be behind this, could he?" Yami asked aloud.

No, that couldn't be. Shadi was the Guardian of the Millennium Items and would never abuse their power in such a way.

Unlike Pegasus…

After he and Yugi had defeated the Duel Monster creator he had barely been seen or even heard from.

"Could Pegasus be plotting something else?" Yami wondered.

But then what is his plan? This is so unlike Pegasus – too clandestine.

Then again, it wasn't as though that many people had the power to wield the power of the Millennium Items, aside from Pegasus who had been chosen as a host for the Millennium Eye the rest all had links with Ancient Egypt.

Even Kaiba…

Yes, Seto Kaiba who believed only in the rational and reasonable and could never be persuaded to accept his past. There was no way that Kaiba would have masterminded any plot involving anything which couldn't be explained by science and logic.

Absently, Yami traced the Millennium Symbol etched on Bakura's forehead. He felt something move underneath the skin and drew his hand back in shock.

"Bakura?" he asked worried as the thief frowned slightly, as though something was troubling him. Sharp teeth bit into a pale lip as the symbol rippled and faded only for the lines to reappear and rise through the flesh. "Bakura, what's happening to you? What's going on?" Yami cried in desperation.

Bakura's body began to jerk violently and Yami instantly went to quell his movements so that he would not injure himself. As soon as his hands made contact with Bakura's body the two were wrapped in an intense gold light. The darkness began to contract, boxing them in until it touched the light. Where they met became solid lines that sparked like a damaged fuse, the tiny embers bounced against the lines, painting in familiar stone walls on which hung a portrait of a beautiful young woman.

Cecilia Pegasus…

In the distance he could hear the cheering of his friends and –

"And the winner is," a dramatic pause, "Yugi Moto!"

More celebrations and a modest laugh.

Yugi…

He remembered, Yami remembered this – it was the day that he had defeated Pegasus, rescued the Kaiba brothers and saved his Grandpa's soul.

But I already know what happens.

Or so he thought.

Pegasus stumbled wearily into the room, one hand clamped over his eye. Yami heard his sobs as he faced the painting.

"I – I failed you. I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you. I wish I could have saved you…"

I hadn't realised that Pegasus had been so distraught. He must have really loved her. He still does – I can't believe he devoted so much of his life to reviving her. He really wasn't bad at all – just blinded by his love. He would have done anything for her, even sacrifice himself to bring her back…

"You pathetic fool!" sneered a cold voice.

A dark shadow had appeared in the corner of the room, menacing shapes twisting outwards to lick at the edges of the room.

"You should be wishing to save yourself!"

"Who – who are you?" Pegasus demanded.

Cruel laughter echoed in the air as a figure began to emerge from the shadows. "Who am I?" it taunted. "Why I am the very shadows of your darkest nightmares!" A ring of light pushed back the black clouds to reveal none other than Bakura.

Yami reflexively held on tighter to his Bakura.

My Bakura. Has it really been that long since I stopped thinking of you as my enemy?

Pegasus shook his head, too drained to cope with what was happening. "What do you want from me?"

Bakura laughed again and Yami shivered. He had thought that he had seen Bakura at his worst, but nothing in his memory quite compared to the apparition in front of him.

"What I want is the Millennium Eye, which I will have after I defeat you in a Shadow Game," Bakura revealed, the Millennium flaring brightly around his neck.

Yami's eyes widened as he watched Bakura callously crush Pegasus who obviously had little inclination to fight back or even protect himself. The victory was easy for Bakura whose sickening smile made Yami aware that he was enjoying himself.

The shadows leapt out and seized Pegasus, immobilising him so that Bakura was able to retrieve the Millennium Eye. Yami cringed as the thief dug his fingers into the eye socket without hesitating once despite Pegasus' agonised screams and wrenched the Item out.

Pegasus fell to his knees, hands covering the hollow in his face as the pain consumed him.

Bakura tossed the Eye into the air and then caught it in his pocket. "You were never meant to wield the Millennium Eye," he mocked. "You were only ever a vehicle to return the Eye to its master – to me!" he turned to leave, and then stopped. He snapped the fingers of his left hand together and an arrow of black lightning leapt through Pegasus' fingers into his empty socket.

The energy curled into a small ball before swelling and filling the hollow to replace the missing eye, although the pain had yet to subside.

"Think of it as a gift," Bakura answered Pegasus' unspoken question. "But it will serve a purpose not only to you, but to me as well. Remember that."

Dark spirals blurred the other Bakura from view and the shadows billowed within the room until the walls burst open from the pressure and the darkness of the Shadow Realm returned.

"Y-Yami?" the frail voice wrenched Yami from his state of shock. He glanced down at Bakura, his face ashen and eyes tired. "What are – what are you doing?"

The young pharaoh had not noticed that his grip had increased in such a way that the collar of Bakura's shirt was practically strangling him. Yami stood up shakily, hoisting the thief with him, ignoring the deep gasp of breath, before he roughly dropped him.

"What the hell?" Bakura seemed to sober suddenly.

"Why didn't you tell me that you have the Millennium Eye?" Yami demanded, his crimson eyes smouldering.

"Pharaoh, what are you talking about?" Bakura blinked, clearly confused.

"Don't play dumb with me, thief," the way he sneered the word made Bakura flinch. "I know you stole the Eye from Pegasus."

"But I – I didn't…" Bakura couldn't understand why the Pharaoh was accusing him of such a thing, but he guessed it had something to do with the Shadow Realm.

"Then how do you explain that!" Yami shouted, his finger pressing against the raised Millennium Symbol on his forehead. With the Pharaoh's touch, the lines shone brightly before lifting themselves out of Bakura's skin so that the markings on the object were clearly visible through the surface of his skin.

Bakura touched his left hand to his head in disbelief. Sure enough, he could feel the lines of the Millennium Eye protruding from his forehead. But he had no idea how it had happened.

"Pharaoh, you have to believe me – I didn't steal the Eye – I don't know how, or even why I have it anyway!" Bakura pleaded, then seeing that Yami was unaffected, he seemed to harden. "Fine then," Bakura spat out with contempt. "If you want to believe whatever the Shadows showed you then go ahead. Obviously everything in this world must be real. Do you honestly believe that? That everything and everyone you've seen here is real?" Bakura seemed to become increasingly hysterical in his ravings. "That – that you – that I – I couldn't – couldn't save her…" the Millennium Eye began to pulse slowly, speeding up as Bakura grew more and more frantic. "I couldn't save her," he repeated, "I couldn't – I couldn't save her."

Shadows began to wrap themselves around Bakura's body, much like those that had attempted to take Amane.

"No!" Yami shouted, instinctively throwing his body over Bakura's. His right hand brushed against the Millennium Eye which was flaring white through the clouds of black.

For a brief moment all Yami saw was black and then…

A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has been reading and to those who have reviewed. It really does mean a lot.

Next instalment will be up in a couple of weeks!