Love me so Tender
Domino City Arc
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

After 8 months of brooding and thinking as to whether or not love me so tender was to be posted, my partner and I decided to give a shot and post it just to see what people would think about our story! Love me so Tender is a massive story, based on Tendershipping and a hell lot of other shippings as well. LMST is but a product of our twisted evil little minds and what started out as a 'Bakura stealing something' story, it ended up to be one of the best stories we have ever written.

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

Chapter 1: Do not lie to the Innocent

Tonight was finally here. It had been hours since the sun had gone down. If there was any time to start moving, this was it. Weeks, bordering on months, of planning had gone into this night. There was something that Bakura needed in this building, and tonight he was finally going to get his hands on it.

He looked up to the building briefly, getting his bearings. The lights were off, with the exception of the ones in the front - but those were always on anyway, to deter people from breaking in. Hah. Like that's going to do them any good now. He smirked to himself, thinking that this would be all too easy. Then again, he had spent a lot of time and effort trying to find the perfect and least dangerous way of getting in to grab what he needed. Yes, this was going to go well. Nothing would stop him. It couldn't, right? He knew what time the employees of Kaiba Corp went home, what time they came in, and where all the security points were.

Bakura took a short breath and went forward, ready to finally get this plan underway. At the moment he was doing his best to avoid detection, sticking to where it was darkest and hiding his brightly-colored hair from sight under a hood. He hated doing that - it was uncomfortable. As soon as he got what he needed and got out, he would without a doubt just tear the damned cloth off of his head.

Taking a small pin out of his pocket, he stuck it into the keyhole of one of the small rooms he knew to be a storage area of some sort. This wasn't the first time Bakura had picked locks, especially not here. He couldn't just try to do something like this without at least testing different tactics out or finding what he could! Otherwise, this wasn't going to work at all. He moved the pin a little more and grinned when the door clicked open. He went into the room and closed the door behind himself, locking it out of habit more than anything else. He was in... Now all that was left to do was find his way through the rest of Kaiba Corp and avoid anything or anyone that might find him, get what he came for, and get out. Easier said than done, but this was not going to be a problem at all.

Taking a quick, cautious look into the hall, Bakura left the room he was in and continued on. Nobody seemed to be around, just as he had thought. Now, if only he could find his way around... he knew the basic layout of the place, due to having seen the building from the outside many times and guessing based on what he had seen the employees doing and talking about. But that still didn't change the fact that he wasn't entirely certain where what he needed was hiding. It could be anywhere, but thankfully, most people were the same when it came to hiding important possessions. Put it either where someone would least expect it, or lock it away where nobody could get to it.

Unfortunately for Seto Kaiba and the higher-ups at Kaiba Corp, that wasn't about to stop Bakura

Ryou Bakura has just recently decided to take a job in the Kaiba Corporation. True, he was only looking for a part-time job but when he saw that he has an opportunity to be a member of a world-renowned Kaiba Corporation, he knew he wanted to take the chance and simply go for it.

His father is off in another Egyptian expedition and had left him alone to care for their house so getting his permission was not needed at all. It will bring food to the table, so why not right? Well, that's what he thought before he realized that the job that he was taking on was Kaiba's actual secretary. He could not help but wonder as to why he was allowed to work while being a part of their school. Ryou knew about the policies of their school, most importantly, the policy about having a part-time job. In truth, Ryou and his dad was not poor at all. Being someone who goes to Egypt for expeditions and stuff, Bakura's father would usually find something of importance during his trips. His hazel gaze fell on the Millennium Ring, the circular object that had triggered for everything to begin, including the cause of his nightmares every night. He could not help but wonder as to why he keeps on dreaming about someone who looks like him...

The secretary simply shook his head and shrugged the thought of. The idea of finding someone who looks almost exactly like him is next to impossible but still, like most of his nightmares, this one does not seem to fade quickly. Ryou could not help but to feel at least a bit suspicious as to why the place was so quiet. It seemed to him as if the place was a little too quiet. He placed the files that he was holding back on the table, looking around. The Hikari furrowed his eyebrows as he looked made his way towards the door. He peeked at the little window, seeing someone with white spiky hair picking the lock of one of the rooms. He tilted his head to the side, wondering as to why the security alarms had not been triggered yet. It made his curiosity heighten after every second. His heart racing as he saw the man enter the room. He caught a small glimpse of his face before moving to the wall, seemingly panting as he leaned against it.

Part of him wanted to stay inside the said room for he did not want to die- no, not yet a least. According to the papers, there's this white-haired thief out and about. If there was a time for him to stand up for himself, it was right now. Ryou gulped a little as he took every ounce of courage and had it build up inside him. He rushed towards the door, looking at the label as to where he entered. It was the room where all the documents and top secret information was hidden. Only Mr. Kaiba had a key to this place and of course, himself, and he was sure there were no other duplicates. The key itself was intricate so the person who entered must have some skill in lock-picking. He took the key from his pocket and immediately opened the door. He carefully made his way in, looking around for the thief.

After flicking on a light switch, the exact contents of the room finally became visible. It looked like a bunch of filing cabinets and papers. This would definitely be beneficial - maybe he could find something out about what he was looking for?

So Bakura opened up a drawer and began shuffling through the seemingly hundreds of files, trying to find anything - labels, papers, whatever - that could point him towards his target. He wasn't able to look for very long, however, when he heard a noise coming from outside. Footsteps? What the Hell? Everyone should have left by now! Of course he was a little bit pissed at this slight miscalculation, but still, it wasn't quite enough to get him out of there. Besides, simply walking out when someone was coming was a guaranteed way to get caught. But maybe this person was just passing by?

That thought was dispelled as soon as he heard the sound of a key turning the lock. He cursed under his breath, grabbed a few papers out of haste, and darted to the light switch. Bakura clicked it off and moved behind the cabinet he had been shuffling through, pressing himself against the wall and trying his hardest to remain hidden. He was surprisingly good at concealing himself, having to have learned the hard way how not to be seen. But still, this didn't assure him any safety at all. In fact, he was hoping more than anything that this person would just leave after a few more minutes...

"I know someone's h-here! Where are you?" his voice shaking, his eyes looking around.

He almost laughed at the voice coming from the doorway. Whoever it was, they sounded scared. It's just a child! He thought to himself. Surely this person couldn't be any older than he was? Maybe a year, at most? More likely, he was younger. A wave of relief washed over Bakura. If worse came to worst, and he was seen, he could always overpower this kid. He had tucked a knife away in his pocket. It wasn't large, and he didn't think he'd need to use it, but having a safety net of sorts was always a good option.

He pressed himself closer to the wall, smirking confidently. He had no reason to reveal himself right now. This won't be a problem at all.

Ryou was feeling even more fidgety the moment he entered the dark room already. He gulped a little and fully entered the room. He had wished that the person had come out the moment he asked him to. He could not help but shriek a little the moment the door shut due to the automatic lock system. He panted a little and backed up, his back pressing against the wall as he looked around. He noticed that the thief did no sudden movements to reveal his hiding place. However, the room itself was not ridiculously big. True enough, there are random file cabinets here and there, meaning that there were a lot of spaces for him to hide in but it would not be hard for Ryou to find him. If only he would stop acting such a wuss and start to stand up for himself. Ryou knew he had to finally stand up for himself. To him, it was either now or never.

As of now, he had two options. He could easily brush it off and walk away or he could look for the mystery person that made his heart beat fast. Ryou took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He walked towards the middle of the room before walking to the file cabinet that was labeled 'A-C'. He pulled on the handle as he started to look for the any missing files. When he deduced that there were no missing files from the said cabinet, he moved to the next one, making sure he kept an eye out just in case the thief decided to do anything.

His eyes trailed off to the artifact around his neck. He felt as if the object itself was reacting to the thief but he simply shrugged it off. After all, why would this Ancient Egyptian artifact be interesting for a common thief? He shoved the Millennium Ring inside his shirt before going about with his business.

But this thief was not common at all, now, was he? A common thief would usually go after convenience stores, homes, or even banks for that matter. However, this thief had decided to go for Kaiba Corporation- The Kaiba Corporation. Certainly, this thief was in it for the Intellectual things. Ryou was confused with his current train of thought, to be honest. What exactly would a thief want with a company mainly concerned with games? Wouldn't the person get more cash if he simply robbed other stores? Maybe, it was for patenting. Maybe, it was for the intellectual property rights. Maybe the person was some spy from a competing company that is in for the fall and demise of the Corporation! Ryou could not help but to shake his head at what he just thought of. Honestly, he has been watching too much spy movies causing him to be this paranoid- But was it really that far from the truth? What if the person is really a French spy in it for the destruction of the entire world?

"Who are you? Answer me! I-I have a... a..." he looked at his person, trying to figure out as to what item he could use to threaten the thief, "A... pen..? I mean a knife! Yeah, that's better..."

Bakura's eyes widened for a moment and he pressed himself closer to the wall, as if that would help him. The person had come further into the room, closer to him, making the white-haired thief panic slightly. But at least he had a good look at the boy now, and realized he wasn't in much trouble at all. He was small, possibly even smaller and thinner than Bakura himself. Yes, it would be easy to overpower him...

That thought was instantly ripped from his mind as he burst out laughing. It was a little louder than he meant to, but he couldn't control it. It probably would have scared whoever was there, even if they were bigger and less... well, afraid, than this boy.

Once he calmed down, then Bakura realized he was pretty much screwed at this point, and that hiding was pointless. There was little echo in the room, so it would be easy to tell where the laughter had come from. So he stepped out, hands up in a mocking way, and smirking like he hadn't just been caught breaking in, but like he was playing a game of some sort. "All right, all right. You've got me." He laughed lightly, and lowered his hands to his pocket, touching his knife to make sure it was there. He lifted it so that the handle was just barely visible, giving his 'captor' a small glimpse. "I mean, you have a knife, don't you? Show me yours and I'll show you mine."

Looking closer at this boy made Bakura's eyes go wide again, then narrow. He looked all too familiar, and it was creepy. Maybe if he looked more like someone that the thief just knew in passing, then it would be okay, but... this boy looked almost identical to him! Same white hair, if only a little tamer. Same eyes, only slightly bigger and more innocent-looking. They even had a similar build...

It was like he was looking at his reflection.

To emphasize this, Bakura reached up and removed the hood he was wearing, letting his long hair free at last. "Who are you?" He asked coldly. As if he were in a position to - he was the intruder here, after all. This boy was probably just doing his job, whatever that may have been.

He let his eyes wander up and down the others body again, trying to take the details in better, at least until his eyes hit the golden relic around the boy's neck. He almost surged forward, but managed to hold himself still. The shock and surprise weren't as easily held back, however. That item... that ring... that was what he had been looking for. So the rumors are true, then. Coming here wasn't a waste of time. But... how do I get it? He couldn't just attack this boy, not after he had so carelessly shown him his face. And he didn't really want to kill this boy, no matter how beneficial it would be to him. It was strange... Bakura never batted an eyelash at having to do things like hurting others, but this was different somehow. He needed answers, and then maybe this feeling would go away.

"Where did you get that?" He demanded, pointing at the Ring hanging around the boy's neck.

Ryou was praying that he was simply hallucinating when he saw someone enter the room. He was praying that everything was but a misunderstanding and that he would simply go home and eat his cup noodles in peace. But apparently, that was not going to happen tonight. He felt as if chills slowly ran down his spine the moment he heard a laughter echo in the room. He did not know what was wrong with him at this point but Ryou wanted to know who exactly this person was. Once again, he felt like a cat, wanting to discover more even though he knew that he was putting himself in danger in his conquest for his so-called truth. His laughter echoed throughout the room as he could not help but feel that the thief was mocking him already. At this point, Ryou was already regretting the fact that he tried to threaten a thief. So far, what he knew was that he's someone who does not play easy games and the Hikari felt stupid mainly because he was putting himself in more danger by threatening him.

Suddenly, an image of a man appeared right before him. His voice was deep and yet sultry in a way. Ryou could not help but gulp the moment the handle appeared in his area of vision. 'Look at what trouble you dug yourself in this time Ryou! That man has a knife! A fucking knife!' he thought as his eyes went back to the face of a person. Almost immediately, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He felt as if he was looking at himself- a couple of years from now. His features were more angular signifying that he was older than him but other than that, it was as if he just found his long lost twin. His hair was spikier than Ryou's and his lips were in a permanent smirk or so seemed. His eyes were fixated on him as if it was looking into his soul already and at this point in time, Ryou was feeling intimidated by him already.

The brown-eyed boy took a step backward the moment the thief asked for him name. "Bakura. Bakura Ryou," he said in the most respectful way. Why exactly was he thinking of manners at the time like this. All Ryou was thinking of right now was to look away. He felt as if every part of his energy gets drained the moment their eyes would meet. He felt as if he was already under a spell and weirdly enough, he liked that sort of feeling. He shook his head, mostly to forget as to what he was thinking moments a go. He should stop thinking and start acting... Right?

"Wait. W-Who are you? And why do you look like me? What the heck..." Ryou took a deep breath before speaking once more, "Is happening here..? And why should I tell you about this ring?"

Ryou felt the aura of the person grow more intense. The intruder then proceeded to asking him about the artifact around his neck. He was asking as to where he got it. Ryou felt confused. He did not want to tell the truth but if he were to lie, would he even survive an attack when this thief is the one who has a real knife in his hands? Ryou bit his lower lip before looking at him sternly, as if he had a newfound confidence.

To Bakura, this was all a game. At least it was in the beginning. Now he couldn't be sure. The smirk was wiped clean off his face, replaced with a scowl the moment that the boy said his name. Bakura? That couldn't be, could it? Bakura was his name. So they didn't just share an image, but they shared a name too? This was all becoming too much, too quickly.

He scoffed. "Just a coincidence," he muttered under his breath. He looked back up, his eyes cold and narrow as before. "You can call me Bakura, too," he said, feigning calm as he spoke. Actually, the thief was a bit surprised that he sounded as composed as he did. His thoughts were a mess right now. "But if you want, you could add 'Yami' to that. Either way, we have the same name."

The smirk came back, only now Bakura looked much more intimidating and menacing than before. He took a step closer, pulling the switchblade knife out of his pocket and flicking the blade out part way, then clicking it back in place. It was just a reminder of sorts, almost a threat, so that this Bakura Ryou knew what he was dealing with. Or was about to deal with, in any case. He laughed bitterly. "I think you know why you should tell me, Ryou," he hissed. Normally he would have called the boy by his last name, but addressing him as 'Bakura' would have just felt a little bit too weird.

"But aside from that..." He flashed his knife's blade again, just to make a point. "...That Ring around your neck belongs to me. It was mine before you had it, and I'd quite like to have it back."

His eyes darted back down to the golden item around Ryou's neck. It was dull due to the lack of light in the room, but in the proper setting, it would glow and shine just as he knew it was supposed to. He doubted the boy even really knew what it was, and guessed he probably just wore it because it was a gift of some sort, or that he thought it looked interesting.

But it's so much more than that, Bakura thought to himself. If only he knew.

Ryou felt his heart rate rush at every syllable the man uttered. How could he possibly be a Bakura as well? How were they related? Was he really supposed to be his long lost twin? The Hikari could not help but to step back the moment he took a step forward. He gulped a little when he finally saw the blade in his hands. The shine reflected in his eyes almost making Ryou slightly more scared. The man started to talk about the Ring around his neck. Could he possibly be the one that haunted his mind day in and day out? True enough the dreams were talking about someone that looked just like him- if not even more sinister. He took a step forward, and soon enough, he was inches away from Bakura and his blade.

"It used to belong to you. Now it belongs to me. I did not steal it from you so why should I give this ring back? It's mine!" he stated, his voice getting louder at every word.

The moment he uttered the word 'mine', the item itself began to glow. By some freaky turn of events, the ring itself began to levitate, as if it was telling Ryou that it really did belong to Bakura. The wide-eyed boy took the ring in his hands, dropping the pen that he was holding. The little arrow like pendants below the ring started to point to the mirror image in front of him. As it began to glow even more, the pendants started to move to a different direction as it pointed to a particular space on the wall. Ryou somehow ignored the person in front of him after that. He started to make his way to the said space on the wall. He then noticed that the arrows were still pointing straight to the wall. He tilted his head to the side when the pendants began to shake, as if telling him to check the space that it was pointing to. He quickly felt the wall, looking for anything that is out of the ordinary. He was about to give up when he felt a slight crevice on the wall. He could not believe it. Why did the wall paper cover up something on the wall?

He hurried back to the spot in front of Bakura, getting his pen before rushing back to the space. "You can threaten me all you want later, Yami. I just want to figure something out," he said, feeling as if this was the only way to rid him of the nervousness. Heck, if he surrendered the Millennium Ring to him, Yami Bakura would still probably kill him. So might as well, get rid of the curiosity and have him killed anyway, right? When Ryou finally took out a little square from the wall paper, he saw that there was some sort of locker there. It was a combination locker but it only made Ryou even more curious. He could notice that there was a glint behind the box. What exactly was the combination? He could not help but simply sigh exasperatedly. He knew his next move will be stupid- even more stupid that accidentally rolling down a mountain.

"What's inside that locker is probably what you're looking for. Just... leave the documents alone and you can get whatever is inside the locker," he said; his voice still a little shaky. The Millennium Ring was reacting to this space really weirdly. What exactly did his father say when he gave the Millennium Ring to Ryou? He closed his eyes for a while, trying to think about it.

'That ring belongs...' "To a set of seven Millennium items," he said; his voice barely over a whisper.

Bakura's eyes narrowed even more dangerously than before. This wouldn't do at all. Clearly this boy had no real idea of who he was dealing with, or what Bakura was capable of doing to him. Maybe he was ignorant, or maybe just naive. But it didn't matter in the end, because Bakura was going to have that Ring no matter what. It was his, not this foolish child's! I guess I'll just have to make him realize...

"You may not have stolen it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's mine!" He was about to reach out and do something, perhaps hit Ryou, or tear the Ring from his neck and run off with it, but the fact that it began to glow and move on its own was enough to cause the white-haired thief to pause and just watch. He was still angry, yes, but he could ignore it for now. Something important was happening, it seemed. To Bakura, it was rather familiar, but the boy himself seemed to be in a sort of trance, as if this had never happened to him before. In spite of himself, a grin broke out on Bakura's face and he stepped behind the other person, following his short footsteps to the wall. He didn't dare reach out or try to touch anything - that might interfere with what was going on.

He almost laughed, but held back and slipped the knife back into his pocket. He was watching Ryou curiously, trying to figure out what he was doing, when finally the safe became visible. He smirked. Ah, so there was more than one thing he needed in this building! It was a good thing he had run into this kid. It certainly made his life a whole lot easier. Now if only he could get Ryou to give up the Ring...

Without saying a word, Bakura took out the documents he had pinched moments ago and placed them on top of the filing cabinet next to him. He doubted they were of much use anyway, and had taken them only as a means of security for him. If they turned out to be important, he could always use them later for blackmail. But that wasn't something he liked doing very much, and he had something better now anyway: Bakura Ryou.

"There, I put down the documents I had. Now show me what's in that safe," he said calmly. The confident, almost smug tone had come back to his voice, and he crossed his arms comfortably. "Open it."

If what was in the safe was really a Millennium Item, like he thought based on how the Ring was reacting, then he would need Ryou to get it for him. And the boy seemed to know something about the items, so having him around might not be such a bad thing for now. But if he knew too much, or made one wrong move, then he could be easily disposed of.

Ryou was kind of perplexed. Why would a thief like him immediately agree to what he suggested? Maybe his hunch was true. Maybe, he was really looking for the Millennium Items. The real question at the end of the day is basically... Why? Aren't they simple trinkets? Why would someone look for them in the first place? Well, a deal's a deal. Soon enough more questions flooded his mind. Why would Kaiba have a Millennium Item in this room? Why would he have it in the first place? Why is this person looking for them? Why is this ring reacting to them in the first place? What is the purpose for these items? Why was he asking so many questions? He could not help but jump when his voice brought him back to reality. Open the safe. Ryou could not help but scratch his right temple a little. He did not know the combination to the safe but he knew how to crack open a safe.

'Maybe, it's best to follow what he's saying for now,' he thought as he leaned his ear against the cold metal.

Most of the time, people would put up a fight if they were ordered to open a safe that didn't belong to them. At the very least, they would protest. But this one? No, he just listened. Bakura couldn't help but give a confused look to the other male, even though his focus was trained entirely on opening the safe. Why did he just do it without even speaking up? I didn't even threaten him this time...

The Hikari winced a little at the sudden temperature but he decided to simply ignore it. He held the dial and started to turn it. He closed his eyes, waiting for the click. Soon enough, he managed to open the safe. It was a really old version so opening it was a breeze. He gulped a little as he faced the safe now. He held the dial once more and pulled it to open the door of safe. Inside it was a glowing item. His right hand was shaking a little as he opened the safe further. He was curious, yes. But he also did not want any trouble. What if Kaiba presses him about this? Will he become a fugitive because of this? Kaiba Corporation is a multinational company so it would be easy for them to locate him, would it not? Ryou hesitated for a while before shaking his head. He has already come this far and there was no way that he could back out now. He finally opened the safe fully and saw the item in its full glory. He held the item in his hands as he brushed some dust off of it. Apparently, it has not been held for a while.

He took a small step forward without thinking, getting slightly closer to Ryou. Now Bakura was curious, too. Who was this kid, and why was he doing this? Maybe it had something to do with their similarities? But that was impossible. They couldn't have been connected in any way, right? Although Bakura did have to admit to himself that Ryou looked very familiar, as if he had seen him before, differences and all. It wasn't just his reflection that was familiar, but everything about this boy: his voice, the way he spoke, the vibes he gave off... almost everything.

But that didn't change the fact that Bakura didn't know him. For all he knew, he was leading himself into a trap by having Ryou open the safe. Yet somehow he didn't believe that even when he told himself. Something about Ryou just stood out to him, made it seem like he could rely on him, even if it was just for this. Bakura didn't trust him, but he knew that this boy would be of some use to him. If not now, then maybe if he stuck close...

The lock clicked open and Bakura heard the sound of metal, and suddenly realized that his mirror image was reaching in to the opened safe. The thief could see the eerie golden glow coming from something in there. When he saw what it was from, then he took a short breath in, surprised in spite of what he had been thinking. "The Millennium Rod..." he whispered. He could hardly believe it. He had come to Kaiba Corp chasing one Item, but had ended up finding two. And both of them were right there, in front of him, within his reach...

"A rod?" he asked, facing his 'other self', hoping to get some answers. He tinkered with it a little bit more when he discovered that the lower half of the item was detachable. His gaze fell on the Eye of Horus. The eye stared back at him as he immediately looked at his Millennium Ring. It had the same built. They were both gold. The intricate carvings on both items were similar and it was obvious that it came from the same source. It was obvious that only one person made them. It was also obvious that these items were items that the thief was looking for. He pulled on the lower half of the scepter and pointed the blade at Bakura. To be honest, Ryou was quite shocked to see that the other side of the rod was actually a blade. Ryou's hand was shaking now more than ever as the questions started to fill his mind once more.

"S-Start talking! What exactly are these items? Why a-are they glowing and stuff? What do you want with them?" he asked, as if threatening the other man that he'd hurt him if Bakura doesn't talk.

He flinched a little when the blade from the knife was directed at him. "Hey, hey," the thief said, raising his hands and waving them in a way that suggested that there was no need to threaten him. "Put that down. I'd hate for you to get hurt..." he slipped his hand back in his pocket subconsciously, as a way of assuring himself. Though the thief doubted that the boy would actually try to hurt him, he could see the fear in the wide brown eyes. When people were scared, they could do things that they normally wouldn't even think of doing, so Bakura knew he would have to be careful for now. If he agitated Ryou too much further...

"The Millennium Items," Bakura started slowly. He had no intention of explaining everything, but just saying something would help a lot. "Ancient artifacts, from Egypt. I don't know why they're glowing," he lied, "But the reason I want them... well, I suppose you could say that I'm a collector, of sorts."

He hoped that would be enough for now. It was just vague enough to keep him protected, but also enough to hopefully satisfy the other. "So why don't you give them to me? You already told me I could have what was in the safe, didn't you, Ryou?"

Bakura smiled coyly, almost teasingly, and held out his hand. He was really only half-expecting to have it just handed over, but then again, the boy had opened the safe and taken the Item inside it without any more prompting that 'open it.' But now he was trying to make a deal of some sort. If he had the Millennium Rod now, he could always come back for the Ring later, perhaps after he figured out just what the Rod actually did. He only had a vague idea, and would rather test it before trying anything big.

Ryou's mind was clouded by this time. He was trying to recall as to what his father said about the Millennium Items. They were a set of seven but they were not normal collector's items. If the ring has the power to locate the other items, then that would only mean that the others had some sort of power or capacity as well. He was pretty sure that the taller man in front of him knew something more than what he was telling and it irritated Ryou a bit. He has been pulled into a hole that he himself dug. True, Ryou actually said that he would give him whatever is inside the safe but now that he knows as to what was inside the safe, he could not bear to let go of the item. Ryou then watched him as he slowly extended a hand as if expecting him to simply hand over the "Millennium Rod" as he coined it. The Hikari was sure that he will not let go if this item without proper answers.

The smaller of the two held his hand before pulling him. True, Bakura was certainly bigger than him but Science was on his side at that time. He pivoted his body so he would be the one on top the moment they hit the floor with a loud thud. Gravity was certainly his friend and once Ryou opened his brown eyes, he saw that the thief was under him and he instinctively placed the blade up against his throat. He was sure that they were making a lot of ruckus and felt as if it was only a matter of time before the security would start to make their rounds. Ryou was panting heavily as the gold gleam reflected in his eyes. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead, his breathing starting to get heavier after every pant. He knew he had to say something after what he just did but he could not bring himself to say words, mostly because he did not know what to say in these kinds of situations.

"S-Stop lying to me," he said in between pants. Ryou was not born yesterday so when Bakura started spitting lies to his face it enraged Ryou more. "So... So tell me. What the hell are these items? Why can these rings locate the items? I-I don't... I don't understand..." he murmured, his voice slowly getting quieter and quieter. It seemed as if the Millennium Items were slowly taking away all of the energy from his body. Ryou tried to recall if his father told him about these items. If he was not mistaken, it was something along the lines of magic and sorcery. Ancient Egyptians apparently believed in those kinds of things. He pressed the blade even more against his neck but not to point that it would draw blood. It was just enough to make him feel that there was a blade against his throat.

"Start talking. And this time, do not dare lie."

Okay, so lying obviously wasn't the right thing to do. And it wasn't as if he had outright lied, he had just concealed a bit of information he didn't think it was necessary for the other to know. Really, it just overcomplicated things. This could have been simple, but now it was anything but. And the look on Ryou's face... it was a little bit frightening and sent shills down Bakura's spine, but he couldn't say that he hated it. If anything, it was... intriguing.

And in addition to that, he was on the ground, forced down by the boy on top of him. Albeit, Ryou had caught him by surprise, but that was still quite the feat. It wasn't easy to catch Bakura by surprise, let alone knock him down. He had to give the boy credit for that.

"Not bad..." Bakura muttered, eyes moving to rest on the hand that held the blade to his neck. "All right, I'll tell you a bit more. But it's not as if I lied, really."

He paused a moment, trying to think his answer over carefully, scowling slightly. It was kind of hard to focus with all these thoughts flitting about his mind, from wanting those Items he was so close to getting, to wondering why they were here, why Ryou looked like him, and why he was so strangely interested in the boy that had caught him by surprise. He simply stared for a minute, forgetting almost everything, until his sight focused a bit more. Bakura blinked and shook his head, accidentally making the metal of the blade press closer to him, so it hurt a bit.

"I told you, they're ancient Egyptian Artifacts. They each have different... powers; I guess you could say, though I only know for sure what the Ring does. It can find other Items... and that's all I can tell you about that. Maybe I want to collect them to find out what they do... or maybe I want to use them for something." He smirked, eyes narrowing almost mockingly. Well, he had given the answers Ryou wanted, still hiding just enough information. He hadn't lied at all this time. But still, it was probably better to give the smaller male some more options.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" The thief asked. "Or are you willing to get off me? Not that I don't enjoy having a knife against my neck or having someone on top of me... but that's not the kind of thing I came here for, you see."

But something about that bothered him. Why was he not fighting back? In most situations, Bakura would be struggling, and usually he would have no problem overpowering the person pinning him down, either by force or with his words, and he especially would not have trouble with someone this small or frightened. So what was the problem?

Ryou's heart beat was slowly increasing. He did not know what kind of sorcery this person was using but it seems as if it was working on him. The smaller boy could feel as if every part of his body was crumbling into pieces after every word that he uttered. Egyptian Artifacts that used magic. That reaffirmed what his father said the night before he left for another Egyptian expedition. 'The rod has the power to control people's minds and to delve into them as well. Don't worry much about it, Ryou. That was just an Egyptian Myth so you shouldn't think about it,' he recalled, thinking of what the rod can do. His eyes furrowed in thought the moment Bakura moved his neck a little, causing the smaller one to feel frightened to a certain extent. If played right, Ryou could easily kill him and that would make him a murderer. Ryou's mind was full of questions once more. His mind was like a maze and each answered question would bring about two or three more and one would think that they would be in a never ending cycle of questions.

Ryou's eyes suddenly dimmed a little the moment the Millennium Rod started to shine/glow once more. At first he was recalling as to what happened last month, then it began to unravel his past completely. The rod made him recall the day his mother died. It made him recall the day his sister died as well. Then it started to get freaky. He was staring into a desert-like plain and staring into his other self there. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought and when he started to see really dark and scary images, it made him move away from Bakura, leaning his back against one of the file cabinets. His head hit the cabinet pretty hard and he knew that from the loud 'thud' that his head caused. When he moved off of the man under him, he let go of the Millennium Rod, leaving it beside the thief. He clutched onto his chest, breathing heavily as he looked at the floor. That did not look like something that happened to him. In fact, he could not remember ever visiting Egypt before and yet, he felt as if he knew the country really well. He raised his head, looking at the thief once more as his chest rose up and down faster than when he was above the man.

"I-I don't believe in this nonsense," he said, his voice still shaking indicating that he was still a little frightened. Ryou bit his lower lip as he started to think when he heard another voice inside his head. He was used to recalling stuff that his father said or even the instructions that Seto repeat again and again; however, he was not familiar to the sound that he was hearing right now- at least, he was not used to hearing it inside his head. This voice... Was from the man that was talking just a few moments a go. He parted his lips to speak and yet no words came out. Was it really because of the Millennium Rod or was he simply recalling what the man said moments a go? No, he was pretty sure that he was hearing the man plot about how to get the ring off of him right now. He could also hear the clear sound of his voice saying that he needs to get this charm in order to locate the others. Only the completion of the set could bring him closer to the destruction of the life that destroyed his.

Something was not right. For a moment Bakura could feel the hand next to his neck shaking, then suddenly the blade seemed to pull almost away from his skin, as if Ryou's hand had gone limp. This was likely the best chance he'd get to regain the upper hand, but somehow, Bakura didn't move. He didn't even try to - something was holding him there, making him stare at the boy, almost as if he had never seen him before. The feeling was almost... surreal.

Questions were whirling through his mind, few of which (if any at all) belonged to him. Some of the questions Bakura couldn't be sure of himself, as they didn't seem to relate to him and a lot of them seemed to be about him anyway. It gave him a sense of panic and fear that he knew wasn't his, because a moment ago he had been calm and mostly had this situation under control.

There were loud noises, unfamiliar to Bakura, then quick, panicked voices. He couldn't exactly see what was going on, but could tell that this was a memory of some sort, by the way he heard the voices. But they weren't calling him, and the voices certainly didn't sound like any he knew. So what could that mean? Whose memory was he seeing?

Then, the weight lifted. Bakura blinked once, snapping out of his trance suddenly the moment the other body was off of him. The thief hadn't realized how heavy he had been breathing, but now that he was somewhat aware of his surroundings, he shifted and sat up, leaning against the support he gave himself with his hands. What the bloody hell was that? He wondered. But he doubted that he would get an answer from the other male, not while he was in this state.

But the boy's words seemed to answer his question. "You saw it too..." he whispered, barely audible. It was then that the dulling light caught his eye, and Bakura reached out to grab the Rod that had been so carelessly left next to him. He groped around for the other half of it, to conceal the blade again. He found it easily enough (suddenly he was glad to have the small room), and re-sheathed the dagger, clutching the golden artifact to himself. Oh, he was so sorely tempted to try and use it again. But that might not be the best idea right now.

Ryou placed his hands on his ears before thinking really loud inside his head, not knowing if what he was doing was going to work or something but it was worth to try it out. "STOP INVADING MY HEAD!" he exclaimed before looking at the other man sternly, almost glaring at him in a way. He hoped that his theory was wrong; however, there was a nagging feeling inside him that made him feel that he was right.

"Invading your mind...?" The thief repeated almost timidly, hardly believing the words himself. So those thoughts he had just had, they really were Ryou's. Had his thoughts gone to the other's mind too? That could be very, very bad. It almost worried Bakura, but as always, he knew he would be able to turn that to his advantage. He wasn't hearing any thoughts now, after the shout for him to stop poking around in thoughts that weren't his, so it was very likely that Ryou hadn't heard that last thing. Bakura laughed. "Silly, silly boy," he cooed. "How can you not believe in this, Ryou? You just experienced the power of these two Items firsthand... and now I don't think either of they're willing to let you go."

Ryou could feel himself slowly slipping away from reality and fall into his trap more on more each second that he's in the room with this guy who looks like him. The Hikari darted his head up the moment he said something regarding his own thought. Apparently, his theory really is correct. Bakura has the power to read his mind and it seems as if Ryou had this power too. He was about to stand up when he heard Bakura's comment regarding the Millennium Items choosing him. Why did they choose Ryou? Ryou is basically the most normal person that anyone would meet. He went to school like everybody else. He didn't have friends. He was a secretary for a multi-million company but other than that, he was really normal. He held the Ring but when was about to take it off his neck, Ryou felt as if the ring suddenly got stuck in his hand.

And I'm not willing to let you go yet either. Yami Bakura thought while he was talking to Ryou about the Millennium Items. This of course, prompted Ryou's next actions. Ryou used the cabinet behind him to stand up. Surely, if he was to stay longer in this room, who knows what would happen to him next. He already saw what this man was capable of doing and the idea of killing someone was not too far from the tasks that Yami Bakura did before. Ryou's eyes relaxed for a moment before he started to look for his keys. He knew that he used the said key to get in and normally, one would simply walk out of the room. When he finally saw as to where the key was, he suddenly heard the sound of all the electric appliances shutting off. Ryou then recalled in the news that Domino City's power supply is getting low. Usually, the backup generator would kick-in in a matter of a few minutes but for now, they were both stuck inside the electronically locked room.

When everything suddenly seemed to stop, or shut down, Bakura couldn't help but look around a little bit uneasily. He hadn't been expecting it and wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he stayed quiet about it and did his best to keep the confused look off his face. Thankfully, it was gone entirely within two seconds.

Ryou closed his eyes, leaning his head back a little before parting his lips to speak, "Why will you not let me go? Is it because of the Ring? If you want it, take it. Just... Don't kill me," he whispered. The smaller boy knew that he did not want to give the ring up that easily, but still. If it meant that it would save his life, then he would gladly give up anything just so he wouldn't die by Bakura's hands. He knew how important the Ring was to his father. It was one of his greatest finds and it made Ryou panic a little. What was he going to tell the old man when he sees that the Millennium Ring was not on his person. Nonetheless, he felt as if it was far more important to save his life instead of risking anything. Ryou bit his lower lip before muttering, "Just take it."

He looked over, smirking confidently. "Hm. Maybe~" he cooed, obviously being vague on purpose. He was almost teasing now. Well, if he had to admit it, then the Ring was the biggest factor in his decision to not let go of Ryou like that. But he couldn't deny he had some sort of interest that went further than that. For all the thief knew, keeping the boy around could be fun. He was actually enjoying himself right now: it felt like a game, and Bakura was quite certain he had the upper hand. That was always enjoyable, wasn't it? For him, at least. "You don't have to worry, I'm not going to kill you. As long as I get that Ring, anyway." He laughed deeply, quietly. He had no intention of killing the boy off, but Ryou didn't need to know that.

Ryou felt a rush down his spine as he looked away from the man. True, he was trying to take the Ring off of his body but it seems to really have chosen him as a master, making the brown-eyes Hikari to panic a little. Why was the Millennium Ring acting weird? He used to be able to take it off and on as he pleases. The smaller of the two walked towards his "self-image" as he looked at him sternly. He sat by his side, making no sudden movements to make the thief threatened in any way. 'I can't... take it off.'

The next thought he heard bothered him a little bit. This boy was more interesting than he had thought, if he was able to keep the Millennium Ring around himself and get it to work. Not to mention the fact that it didn't cause him any pain at all - usually it would have hurt the wearer so badly, maybe even have killed them, if they weren't chosen. So after taking that into consideration, Bakura found that Ryou must really have been special. That was another reason why he wasn't ready to just let him walk out as if none of this had happened.

He laughed slightly. Ryou obviously didn't want to give up the Millennium Ring, and now that he knew that it wouldn't come off anyway, Bakura somehow found that that was okay with him. In any case, it meant he had a new plaything. And that really quite appealed to him. It had been a while since he had had someone around that he could have fun with... even if the enjoyment was not mutual. Bakura got something out of it until he grew bored. And all the things he could do to get the Ring... or even better, to use it without actually getting his hands on it. It was as good as his anyway, if it was reacting now because he was here. Because as far as the thief could tell, Ryou hadn't ever used the Ring before. It probably hadn't responded to the boy at all, until now. But he could use that to his advantage, easily. This could end up being fun after all, he thought, grin becoming slightly more amused.

Bakura shifted so that he was on his knees, facing the other, and reached out to touch the metal of the Millennium Ring. "Hm... really now?" He asked, not looking the boy in the eyes. He was too focused on the Ring itself. Every detail was being memorized, not only by the thief's hand, but with his eyes too. It was oddly warm underneath his fingertips, something that was not expected at all. But his smirk never faded. "Looks like I'm going to have to keep you around then. It would be a shame to lose you so soon." He looked up now, smiling almost cutely (though something in this look was still alarmingly sinister), still of course playing his little game. But he looked surprisingly pleased, whether with Ryou or himself, it was hard to tell.

Ryou immediately slumped back to the ground the moment the other started to talk once more- inside and outside his head. By now, the Hikari was panting, his chest rising and falling every short millisecond. He moved his arm to take off the sweat on his forehead. The hazel-eyed boy felt as if the room was slowly closing in on him, panting heavier at each passing moment. He could barely understand the slurs that he heard from the other boy in the room, mostly because his head was spinning. He did not have claustrophobia, instead, it was more of the 'i'm-in-the-same-room-as-Bakura-when-the-electricity-is-out'-phobia. His hand fell on the side as he barely had both of his eyes opened. His gaze fell on his spiky hair, wondering as to why he looked almost like him. Why did he feel as if they had some sort of connection other than the Millennium Items. Ryou felt as if there was something more than that.

The Hikari closed his eyes for a moment, trying to catch his breath before talking. Unfortunately, he was unable to do either of those things before he felt Bakura closer to him. He wanted to tell the taller boy to back off, even just a little bit. Ryou opened one eye the moment he felt his touch on the Ring. As if by instinct, the hazel-eyed boy instantly tugged on the Millennium Ring, as if it was the source of his life force. Just moments a go, he looked scared and yet, the moment his... his most precious possession was threatened to be taken away, he felt as if he had to do something. Maybe, he has been too attached to the ring. To a certain extent, he regretted what he just said moments a go. He was not willing to give the Ring away that easily- and he was sure as hell that he will not devote his life to this thief.

"I will not fall for your little tricks!" he exclaimed, his eyes holding that degree of determination he did not have moments a go.

If only he did not know how to open a safe... If only he did not pay attention to the Ring when it started to glow... If only he did not pay attention when he saw another person enter the building… If only he did not work late that day... If only he did not work there... If only he did not get the Ring... If only... If only... The situations kept on swirling inside his head. It was as if he had an out of body experience, staring at himself from another person's point of view. Ryou stopped his train of thought for a while, only to realize that they were no longer in the sealed room. Actually, that was an understatement, they were no longer in the Kaiba Corporation. He looked around, realizing that he has not seen the other person who looks like him there. For a second, he felt complacent, hoping that this was all a dream. Unfortunately for Ryou, it was not and at this point in time, he found himself trapped in the middle of what they call the Shadow Realm.

That was a lengthy chapter, was it not? Now, off you go to review this little story by clicking that small button after this that says "Review this Story" and make these twisted girls really happy, alright? :) But seriously! Tell us what you think and let's see what happens with Ryou in the Shadow Realm! :)

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I'll bump up the rating as soon as it reaches that PART already. ;3 So hold your pants for now, Bambinis!