(no subject)

[bringmemythrone]

The wide-eyed girl with her back against the brick wall of a pawn store didn't deserve the harsh words being shouted at her. She was young, eighteen at the oldest, and a runaway. She was also attractive, in an almost innocent manner, and had been particularly easy to con.

Bakura gave a barking laugh before he took another step closer to her. It was broad day light, and while they weren't in the best part of town, he didn't want to risk having someone call the police. Currently, he was only getting questionable glances, and he wondered what was going through the minds of the passersby. He imagined most of them felt sorry for the girl, but if anything, she deserved this.

"You're a stupid bitch if you think you can walk out on me now," he informed in her, moving his hand to stroke her cheek. The gesture was, opposite of his words, soothing and while she was scared, she seemed to almost lean into the touch. This man had been good to her, helped her even, enough so that she was willing to tolerate his spastic behavior. Or she had been.

"I-I--" She really couldn't find words, and she looked at him helplessly. "I won't leave?" It sounded more like a question now, and she really wasn't sure what to do. He wouldn't hit her, though he'd hit her before. Multiple times, but that had been in the comfort of his own apartment, where it seemed more acceptable.

He was low, and she knew it. If he could do this to a young girl, then he wasn't a decent human being at all, and yet, he'd been more than willing to give her a place to stay when she needed it. He'd bought her food to eat, cigarettes to smoke, and cocaine (though from what she could tell, he'd either already had that, or his roommate had). He'd told her what to expect -- she'd been the one to decide to run away, she had to work for a living, and there was really only one option.

He laughed again, punching the brick wall beside her head and took a step back. "You're fucking right you won't leave~" His blue eyes surveyed the area for a moment and he finally looked over to her and snapped, "In fact, you should run over there," he motioned to the liquor store, "and get me something to drink. Don't care what, so long as it's strong."

As far as he was concerned, today was going fairly well. He was making money quickly off this easily manipulated little girl, not too mention two others, and he was actually sober enough to enjoy it. The fact that he enjoyed it didn't say much for his character, but he'd never really had a good character to begin with. Besides, money was money, and that was all that counted.

The looks Shizuka was receiving were decidedly curious, likely wondering why a girl in the university's uniform was wandering the streets in such a seedy part of town. Truth be told, Shizuka didn't especially want to be there, but one of her closest friends was celebrating a birthday in a few days and the redhead had neglected to purchase a present.

She'd known, of course, but had just been so busy that she'd had no time to breathe, let alone shop. Now that she had some time to herself, she'd known exactly what to get the girl.

It was just a matter of getting to the store and back without losing her purse, or worse.

She should have brought someone with her, she knew. Malik, perhaps, or even Isono. But her decision had been impulsive, as had so many of her decisions in her life, and once she'd made up her mind, she hadn't hesitated. Now, she was questioning the intelligence of her choice, especially when she passed a pack of gang members who whistled after her and called out questionable things.

Ducking her head, she sped up, knowing the boutique was only a few blocks away, hidden atop a Thai restaurant. They sold items from other countries, likely acquired illegally but no one ever questioned, and they had a purse her friend had been gushing about for a month. It would be the perfect present, if a little pricey, but the look on her face would be worth it.

She paused, however, when she saw a familiar form harassing a frightened young girl, going so far as to slam his fist into the wall beside her head. Eyes widening, Shizuka bit her lower lip. Then, before she could think, she hurried up to him.

The girl darted away, headed towards the liquor shop, but Shizuka paid no mind. She instead slid in front of the thief and slapped him hard.

Out of all the things the king of thieves expect, running into Shizuka in this part of town was not one of them. After his fight (though it seemed to be much more than just a simple fight) he hadn't expected to see her again. He'd continued to taunt her online, but as he'd told her once (maybe twice) before, he had a habit of picking fights when he was drunk, and clearly, he had no problems picking fights with women.

The slap across the cheek came as a total shock and it actually caused Bakura to stumble backwards. Instead of a hand reflexively going to his cheek to rub the sore spot, he bitch-slapped Shizuka hard across the cheek, only afterwards realizing who it was. With wide eyes, he uttered a surprised, "S-shit, Shizuka," and grabbed hold of her wrist, roughly pulling her into an alleyway. Who knew how many people had seen that?

Once in the alleyway, he gave her a harsh (albeit protective), "What are you doing here?" That hadn't sounded like he wanted it to, and he added, "I didn't mean to hit you." That hadn't been what he'd wanted to say either. Damnit. "What the fuck did you hit me for?"

Shock followed the blow, though rationally, Shizuka should have expected some sort of retribution. It appeared to be purely reflex, however, but it still stunned her, leaving her almost languid as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her into an alley.

Which, of course, wasn't exactly the place she wished to be with a man who professed to not care if she ceased to exist and was known to do terrible things to people and enjoy it.

It didn't take long for him to put her back up, however, and the famed Jounouchi temper rose to the surface, rare as it occurred with her. She wasn't entirely sure, honestly, why she'd hit him when she wasn't a physically violent person to begin with, but she'd done it, and now she had to defend herself.

"You're a bully," she spat, glaring at him as hard as she could manage with her cheek red and throbbing. She could already feel the bruise forming, knew people would ask questions, but wasn't entirely concerned with that yet. "You were bullying that girl. She couldn't have fought you off, and yet you did it anyway, because you're rotten."

Her little rant wasn't entirely fueled by what she'd witnessed; after all, he'd hurt her, too.

Her words clearly didn't sting, and Bakura just reached out and grabbed Shizuka's chin, tilting her face to the side to examine the bruise. "You should put ice on that," he told her, as if ignoring what she'd said altogether. Still, he doubted she would leave him anytime soon and he let her go, not bothering to hide the smirk that formed on his lips.

"She's a whore, Shizuka," he stated, "and she was trying to cheat me out of money." He'd have done a lot more than 'bully' her if they hadn't been on a street in broad day light. "But yes, I'm rotten, rotten to the core, and yet, you still make a point of slapping me. In public, no less." He took a step forward, getting closer to her.

"Who's to say I won't do the same thing to you I was doing to her?" he inquired, thought he didn't sound entirely threatening. "You hit me first, and clearly, I'm not above hitting a woman. What if I were to beat you instead? Would it have been worth it?"

Unconsciously, despite knowing - or hoping - that Bakura wouldn't really hurt her, Shizuka shrank back against the brick wall, feeling it pressing against her. A part of her almost wished he would strike her again; the answering blows from either Kaiba or Jounouchi - whichever could get to him first - would be satisfying.

And no less than he deserved.

But something about what he said confused her. Shizuka wasn't exactly knowledgeable about prostitution matters, but didn't a man pay the whore for sex, not the other way around? How could she owe him money? And since when did he frequent prostitutes anyway?

It didn't matter, she supposed. Whoever or whatever the girl was, she didn't deserve what he'd done.

"Coward," she hissed. "You always go after those smaller than you. And now you threaten me?"

Bakura grinned at that, laughing darkly. "Mm, you know me so well," he teased, "though I didn't see that as much of a threat." Even if it had been, he'd simply wanted to know if she thought throwing herself under the bus for a whore was really worth it.

"I threaten the people I need to threaten, Shizuka," he pointed out, "and I don't bother to consider whether or not they're smaller than me." He shrugged his shoulders, laughing again, though he stepped away from Shizuka. It didn't leave much difference between them, but he wasn't within reaching distance anymore.

"Didn't you want me to leave you alone?" He looked her in the eyes now, smirk still gracing his lips. "This sort of defeats that purpose, doesn't it?"

It did, of course, and he had a point, but Shizuka was beyond caring. She had been blind to who and what he was for so long that seeing something like that was like a harder slap in the face than he'd delivered. As if reminded of it, one hand rose, touching her cheek and almost managing not to wince with pain. He was strong, and she was stupid to put her trust in him to the point where she was practically offering him a chance to hurt her.

But even he must know that to do anything further would mean his death.

"You don't need to beat up girls who can't fight back. Is it to soothe that disgusting ego of yours? Reassure yourself that yes, you can still beat the helpless?" There was venom to her tone that even surprised her, but the brainless family aggression had yet to leak from her system. It didn't even matter that she was in a dangerous position; she wanted to be heard.

She even went so far as to ball up her little fists.

"Yes, that's why," came Bakura's sarcastic response. He rolled his eyes before continuing, "If I really wanted to 'beat the helpless,' you'd have been on the ground, broken, by now." He was by no means honorable and what he'd been doing to the timid girl from earlier had certainly not been right, but it'd been for money, not his ego.

He glanced down at her fists, wondering if she was stupid enough that she'd try to strike him again. "Do you really think your words will change what I am? You're wasting your breath," he informed her. "You're just like the Pharaoh if you think constantly preaching at me is going to do a damned thing. It hasn't worked before, and it won't work now."

Shizuka had absolutely no intention of going after him again. Even she wasn't stupid enough to get into a fight. Had Kaiba been with her, it would have been a different matter entirely, but then, Kaiba would probably have destroyed Bakura for the initial slap and wouldn't have allowed matters to escalate this far.

So she uncurled her fists and tempered her frown a little. Bakura was right; her words would have no effect on him. And her anger was finally bleeding away, so she figured that a hasty retreat would be the best option for both of them.

She needed time, too, to come up with an excuse for the bruise she had no doubt would grace her cheek by that evening. She simply couldn't tell anyone what had happened, or the threats would fly.

Still, Shizuka had to glare her likely ineffectual little glare as she pushed away from the wall, making for the exit of the alley.

Bakura grabbed her wrist, pulling her backwards. "I'm not about to let you leave so quickly, Shizuka." If she'd thought that was threatening, he'd just have to prove her wrong. He threw her back up against the wall, stepping closer. "Why are you running off so quickly?"

He grinned darkly at her, fingers stroking her cheek. "Haven't you missed me? We used to be such good friends." He leaned in, keeping her face close to hers. "How have you been?" The hand that wasn't on her cheek slid to her hip, fingers entangling with the fabric of her shirt. "How's your love life?" He was chuckling now, hardly taking himself seriously at all. He really did enjoy this, seeing people scared of him, uncomfortable around him.

The movement barely registered until Shizuka's back was to the wall again and the thief was touching her in a rather inappropriate manner. Only then did her eyes widen, and her mind truly comprehend what sort of situation she'd put herself into. She never did learn, did she? And he was too close for her to wriggle away, there was no way she'd be able to shove him any useful distance...

Was he just trying to scare her? If so, it was working, but perhaps if she tried hard enough, she could manage not to show it.

Of course, her pale face and panicked eyes gave it all away.

"...my love life is none of your business," she managed lamely, more distracted than she wanted to admit by the hand on her hip. But she could ignore the rising flush to her cheeks, and the slightly elevated heart rate.

"Why not?" Bakura chuckled, resting his forehead against hers. "Isn't that what friends do? Talk about those sorts of things?" He slid one of his fingers under her shirt, feeling how hot her skin was compared to the cool outside air. He had no intention of going beyond this point (though, fuck, he would have loved to), given that he'd really only wanted to threaten her a bit. Feeling her scared beneath him was reward enough.

He stopped and pulled back slightly when he heard a meek voice behind him. "Bakura-sama?"

He turned around, though his hand still held Shizuka to the wall, blue eyes meeting with the eyes of the whore from earlier. "What?"

She extended her hands, offering him a bag, and explaining, "I bought your liquor." Her gaze then moved to Shizuka, giving her an almost sympathetic glance. Shizuka wasn't someone she recognized or had seen around Bakura before, and she certainly didn't look like she wanted to be where she was. Still, what could she do? She wouldn't have been able to defend either of them if she'd tried. "May I go home now?"

He grabbed the bag, waving his hand dismissively. "Whatever you want," was his flippant response. She heeded the words, giving Shizuka one more look, before she ran off again. He pulled farther from Shizuka now, using both hands to rummage through the bag. "You want something to drink?" He laughed, looking over at her, giving her a smile that seemed out of place. It wasn't nice, but it wasn't the harsh, taunting one he'd had earlier, either.

Relief washed over her in waves when he pulled away, followed almost immediately by a disappointment she attempted to brutally squash. Though she still trembled, she wanted his hand on her again, and could only attribute it to the fact that she hadn't seen Kaiba in some time.

That was why, right?

Shizuka noticed the pitied looks from the whore, and felt oddly ashamed. But considering the distance he'd pulled away, focused more on his alcohol - and offering it to her, likely knowing she would refuse - she instead decided to grasp her chance.

But get off one more nasty comment.

"I should never have given you the Ring," she spat before bolting.

There was a chance that he would have let her go, had she kept her mouth shut that one last time. Bakura made no move to grab her, and instead just moved in her path, letting her bump into him. He set the bag on the ground before using both hands to shove her backwards.

"Should never have...?" he repeated with a laugh. "The Ring belongs to me, Shizuka. It would have found its way back to me with or without your help." He licked his lips, this time pinning her to the wall with both hands, gripping tightly on her shoulders. "As do the rest of the Items. You and your little friends can snap at me all you want, but it won't change a thing. I'll get what belongs to me back, whether I have to use force or not."

Shizuka never liked slamming into people, especially given her own lack of weight, so hitting Bakura's chest actually hurt. And, as usual, she should have said nothing and silently made her retreat. Now that she was pinned, too, flinching away from him, she still couldn't manage to shut up.

"I'll never give you another Item." Not that she'd so much as sensed another one in a long time, but that wasn't the point. He knew of her ability, so her words were more than just bluster. Any further Items would go directly to Mahaado, if she were the one to discover them, and not a word would be breathed to the thief.

Especially considering how much he'd changed since he'd acquired the Ring. Much like how the Rod had twisted and corrupted Kaiba, Shizuka appeared to have made the same mistake twice, which while unsurprising was still frustrating. Did the Items affect everyone that deeply? Would Mahaado eventually be affected as well?

Bakura licked his lips, giving Shizuka an overconfident smirk. "You don't need to," he told her, moving back enough to pull the Sennen Ring out, over his shirt. Holding it up, he laughed, "You were kind enough to give me the one Item that's capable of pinpointing the others. I've already used it to locate and steal the Rod."

The last part was, of course, none of her business. He'd tacked it on as more of a brag, knowing that it had been her boyfriend who had sealed it in the safe. Had Kaiba even noticed it was missing? "I've got three of seven, and I know the other four will wind up in my hands. It's only a matter of time."

Shizuka's lips parted, but for a moment, she had nothing to say. Mahaado hadn't told her the Ring could locate other Items. And if he had the Rod, too...Kaiba had said it was safe, had promised her no one could get to it.

Then her eyes narrowed. "I won't let you." Not that she could stop him. "Mahaado-san won't let you either. I'll bet you don't know who has the other Items, do you? Otherwise you would have taken them by now."

Of course, that insinuated she knew where all the other Items were, which she didn't. She only knew of the Ankh's location and she figured that was common knowledge, but she wasn't going to announce it to him.

"All you want to do is kill people with them." Baseless accusation.

"I'll take it Mahaado has something, hmm?" he grinned, tilting his head to the side. "I've already killed him once for an Item. A second time should be easy enough." He didn't answer her question, though it did make him wonder if she'd found the other four already. His hand moved to the dagger at his hip, though the weapon was covered by his coat. He could threaten her; if she did know, he had every reason to.

Her accusation stopped him though and he looked up at her. "For all you know, I could be a collector," he snickered. She wasn't entirely wrong, though -- if he got all seven of them, his personal goal was only to kill Yami (and now Yami's children; fuck that family for not cutting off where it should have), but if he truly did open the portal to Darkness, then yes, everyone else was in danger as well.

"I never said Mahaado-san had anything. You're a fool if you don't think he'd oppose you taking any more Items." She couldn't have slipped that badly, could she? And she especially didn't like how flippantly he discussed having killed the magician back in Ancient Egypt. Briefly, her fists coiled again; she wouldn't let him harm her friends, especially Mahaado, not after the magician had taken her under his wing and shown so much trust.

Shizuka hadn't taken her eyes off of him, and now the amber orbs narrowed, though there was still fear in her posture. His hand moved to something, and she was willing to bet it was some sort of weapon. But she still continued to tell herself that he wouldn't harm her, ignoring the sting of her cheek.

"I won't let you either, not if they...make you like this." She deliberately ignored his 'collector' comment; there was no way he wasn't using these Items for some nefarious purpose. Then, "Let me go."

Bakura rolled his eyes, easily seeing through her little lie. "Then he was quite the strange person to mention out of the blue, wasn't he?" he murmured, letting the Ring fall back to his chest. "Either way, I'll just have to have a chat with him, just to see." Between the two of them, Bakura would pry information out of someone. He was sick of waiting here, impatiently.

"What exactly do you plan to do to stop me? Hit me?" He gave her a curious look, as if honestly wanting to know what she thought she could do. "If I have to, I'll kill you right here. You don't know a damn thing about these Items, and I can assure you, they're nothing you want to get caught up in."

"Because he has opposed you since ancient times," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and she were speaking to an especially slow child. "And if you kill me, you won't outlive me for very long." An empty threat, considering no one would be able to charge him with murder, though she had no doubt accusations would be flung.

But it didn't matter; he wouldn't kill her. She had to believe that.

He could though. Reflexively, her eyes lowered, not so much a show of submission as one of uncertainty. She could hit him, but it wouldn't accomplish anything, only infuriate him further. Likely, her best course of action would be to stop talking, let him boast, and then wait for him to either let her go or walk away.

"I know enough about them to know you're the last person who should have them."

Shizuka almost blurted out that Yami couldn't have stopped a mouse from stealing cheese, especially now that he was a woman, but that would have been mean and unfair. However, it made sense if the thief would only stop and think about it. Mahaado had powers, magical ones, and Yami didn't. So she decided to point that out, using the same tone. "Mahaado-san can do magic." She'd seen it herself, when he'd protected her in that warehouse.

"I shouldn't have given you that Ring. You don't deserve it." Then she paused, looking back up at him. Slowly, she said, trying to recall what Mahaado had taught her of the origin, "Yami-san's father...thus they belong to Yami-san, not you."

He really wasn't listening. "I said let me go."

Bakura rolled his eyes at that, though she had a point. Mahaado and he had only met once since they'd been transported here, but the man had turned him into a girl on the spot -- actually, "He seems to mess up with his spells a lot, hmm? Or maybe he just likes making men into women?" At least, he assumed Mahaado was how the Pharaoh became a woman.

Hearing her say what she had angered him, though he managed to do nothing but sigh heavily. "Yes, yes, they're his," he hissed, grip on her should tightening before he let her go altogether. He was still close enough that she couldn't have left if she tried. "His father killed every fucking person in my village to make those Items, and yet they'll always belong to Pharaoh-sama."

He laughed, though the sound was bitter and his eyes drifted to the bag on the ground. He wanted a drink, and really, what did he care if she got away? He didn't need her for anything, so he settled on moving to grab the bag and a drink. He opened the bottle (didn't bother reading what it was) and chugged it, grinning as it burned down his throat.

Shizuka blinked, her eyes following his movements. If what he said was true, then it certainly made sense why the Items apparently had the tendency to corrupt their wearers. Born out of the blood of innocents...

"If he killed everyone, why aren't you dead?" Obviously he hadn't been murdered.

Though her temper had flared again for a short while, it was dead now, and she felt tired and weak. Leaning against the wall, she eyed the distance between them, wondering if she could get away. Her shoulders were aching now, and the offhand way he treated her, knowing she wasn't a threat, was a little insulting.

Then it all clicked in her head. If the Pharaoh had murdered everyone Bakura knew to make those Items, then that would be why he was seeking revenge on Yami. It made sense, in an idiotic villain sort of way; Yami hadn't murdered anybody, after all.

Bakura took another drink, gasping afterwards and replying, "... clearly, they killed everyone but me." He was slightly surprised he'd had to explain it like that, but he could see why. "They needed ninety-nine. I was a leftover, but the only leftover." He snorted at that, though it was obvious he was trying not to think too hard about what he'd just said.

"Whatever, whatever. Just go."

Shizuka continued to stare at him, even after he'd told her to leave. So that was how it was, that was why he...was him.

He hadn't given details, but she could fill in the blanks well enough to understand. If her family and friends had been taken away from her and murdered for the sake of creating little Items full of darkness, she wouldn't have been especially happy either. How old had he been? How had he escaped their fate? Had he...watched it happen?

Her anger and resentment turned into compassion, and instead of leaving, she stepped forward and hugged him. God she was moody.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

The reaction he received wasn't one he'd gotten before, and he looked down at her, eyes wide with surprise. He quickly collected his composure, giving her what appeared to be almost a glare. "What for?" he snapped, trying to worm his way out of her grasp. He stopped short though, and just let her keep her arms around him.

"My point is just that they're mine," he mumbled. "They're the bodies of my family, my friends, so I should get to keep them." The fact that they were the keys to Power had nothing to do with it, oh no~

It was obvious by his reaction that he found her affection to be nothing more than an intrusion. Feeling stupid, Shizuka let him go, taking a step back and refusing to look at him. His heart had hardened long ago, and the odds were not stacked in his favor, likely had never been.

He didn't trust her. He didn't care about her. So why did she keep trying?

Maybe she just didn't want to give up on somebody. Maybe a part of her felt she could eventually get through to him. Maybe...

She wasn't entirely sure, honestly.

"But they're evil. They...they're full of darkness."

"No kidding," Bakura replied with a laugh, moving to lean back against the wall himself and down the rest of his drink. He tossed the empty bottle over towards a garbage bin, watching as it fell short, looking slightly amused with his own miscalculation. "Either way, I won't get any peace until I have them all."

He shrugged his shoulders, looking over to her. "I didn't get to kill Pharaoh-sama's father, the man who ordered this, so he's the next best thing. I won't let his family continue when mine didn't get to. An eye for an eye."

"That's not fair," Shizuka flared at him, looking at him now with fire in her eyes. Then it died again and she sighed, shaking her head. "Yami-san didn't do anything to you. That is like blaming me for something onii-chan did. It's childish."

Understandable, though, in a way. Bakura obviously required some form of closure. Death wouldn't work though; once he'd had his revenge, then what? It was like drinking from a cup of ashes. It wouldn't leave him feeling whole.

Or at least, that was what she'd learned from all the books she'd read. What did she know of revenge anyway?

"I won't let you hurt him, or his babies. What sort of monster kills babies?"

He stared back, though he didn't seem phased by her expression. Shizuka could yell, fight, or preach to him all she wanted and it would never get through to him. He chuckled softly, considering slumping down to get another drink but deciding against it. "Me," he answered with a shrug. "You've been warned over and over that I'm just that, a monster, and yet, here you are with me."

It really didn't make sense to him. Even after she'd finally seen him for what he "really was" and denounced him, she was here, trying to get through to him. How long would it be before she'd realize there was nothing to get through to?

Even if there was something more, Bakura was so used to suppressing it that he wouldn't have known himself. He knew, personally, that he wasn't entirely evil, but he wanted to be. He wanted to be like Dark Malik, who could just forsake everything for the Darkness. It wasn't that hard, right?

"I don't think you're really like that." Kaiba absolutely hated it when Shizuka got all optimistic on him, but it was true: she tried her best to believe in people. Bakura had already proven to her, through his prior more positive actions towards her and how he'd treated Anzu during their relationship, that there was good in him. It was just...buried now, farther than before, likely in part due to Anzu's actions and in part due to the Ring.

Taking a deep breath, Shizuka stepped over to him again, then leaned up and brushed her lips against his cheek. The kiss was gentle and brief, but she hoped it conveyed the hope she felt that he could throw off the darkness and be...well, human again.

Because she truly didn't want to have to take steps to have him killed.

She really must not have, if she was willing to still try and talk him through things. Bakura watched as she approached him, clearly startled when she kissed his cheek. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"You're ridiculously hopeful, Princess," he teased her, using the nickname he'd given her again for the first time in weeks. Then, he turned his head and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her none-too-innocently. "I'm never going to change."

Considering how he'd reacted when she's hugged him, Shizuka had been fully expecting him to wrinkle his nose, wipe his cheek, and mutter about cooties. Instead, he actually touched her, pressing her against him, and kissed her.

Her eyes grew wide and she stared at him, clearly not having expected that kiss. Her cheeks immediately turned red and she clutched at his upper arms, lips parted slightly in surprise. Why had he done that?

What a ludicrous situation. They'd gone from smacking, to yelling, to threatening, to...this, in the span of what, half an hour? Not even? Why couldn't anything in her life ever be clean cut and simple anymore?

"You don't know that," she said finally, voice a little thick.

Bakura grinned at her, amused that she hadn't pulled back completely. Hell, here even he knew he deserved a slap. That didn't stop him from pushing his luck. How could she be so faithful in him, anyway, when he'd done nothing (from what he could see) but let her down?

"I do, I do," he answered, kissing her again, grip tightening around her waist. He knew he had to stop himself at some point (and probably should have before this) but that still didn't stop him. "You should at least kiss me back," he mumbled. "I won't tell a soul."

And now their encounter had moved into distinctly forbidden territory. The last thing Shizuka had been planning to do when she'd seen him bullying that poor girl was kiss him, but somehow, secluded in that alleyway, it didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Except for the fact that that would be cheating, and she loved Kaiba.

Her fingers curled in the fabric of his shirt, trembling just slightly, and she found that while she knew she should shove him away, regain her dignity and stalk off before any more damage was done, all she could do was stare at him stupidly.

Bakura smirked against her lips, not bothering to hide his overconfidence. He was a little impressed that she hadn't pulled away immediately, but in the end, was it really that surprising? His ego really did get the best of him at the worst times.

Still, he didn't hesitate to press his luck even further, slipping his tongue past her lips. The arm around her waist tightened, hand moving her shirt up enough that his fingers could rest on her bare back.

Shizuka made a muffled sound when his tongue invaded her mouth, but she didn't properly regain her senses until she felt his hand on her bare skin. The sheer fact that her body wanted his hands in other places frightened her, and she squirmed, trying to fight away these confusing thoughts and desires.

She was with Kaiba. She loved him. And yet, didn't her reactions here prove that she wasn't content? He kept promising to spend more time with her, but in reality, it had become less and less. They rarely even spoke anymore, only seeing one another some evenings when she spent the night at the mansion.

She was lonely, and couldn't help but figure Bakura was taking advantage of it.

Bakura, however, knew next to nothing about how her relationship with Kaiba was going, much less how lonely she was feeling. It wouldn't have mattered to him either way. At this point, he'd learned that while people constantly insisted to him that relationships were supposed to be monogamous, he'd been the only one stupid enough to actually think that they were.

He broke the kiss, breathing against her cheek for a moment before chuckling. She was truly oblivious. After all the innuendos, all the times he'd directly told her he wanted to have sex with her, she still couldn't pull away.

And he wasn't exactly going to put that to waste. "Princess, Princess," he whispered, almost as if he were scolding her, his lips moving to kiss along her jaw.

As if Shizuka had no control over herself, her eyes slid closed and her head tilted back, though her mind was screaming to push him away. She couldn't ruin things with Kaiba, she just couldn't, not after everything they had been through. She would only be proving that she wasn't worth trusting, that she wasn't worth his love and affection.

She already felt like an awful person.

"You should stop," she whispered, though her voice was a little hoarse. It was the only protest she could muster at the moment, as his lips on her skin were just too distracting.

"Should I?" he replied, smirking deviously at her. "I've got no reason to stop." He kissed her again, softly this time. "Why would I quit now, when I'm so close to what I want?" He could actually smell the alcohol on his breath, which made him question how sober he actually was. He felt fine, so he must have been.

Besides, he wasn't the one doing anything wrong. He always got drunk and made out with girls in the alleyways, and wherever else he found them. Their relationship status was none of his concern.

Shizuka was growing quite breathless by this time, and the kiss sent her thoughts fluttering again. But something wasn't sitting right with her, aside from her whole relationship with Kaiba.

So close to what he wanted? Did that just make her another conquest in his mind? Probably.

When he pulled away from the kiss, she said softly, "Yes, you should. We can't do this." She likely would have been sending her message more firmly if she let him go, but she didn't.

"Quite the contrary, Princess," he replied to her, flipping them so she was back against the wall again and he was hovering over her. "We can." His fingers stroked her hip, while his free hand moved to brush her bangs out of her eyes.

Can't implied that they weren't able, and as far as he was concerned, they were. There was nothing physically stopping him, so what else mattered?

Their shift in position made Shizuka feel closed in, and she almost flinched before she realized he was only stroking her hip. Why couldn't Kaiba ever act like this? Such control, violence lurking just beneath the skin; it was hot, and it did turn her on.

But she wasn't a cheater.

"We shouldn't," she insisted stubbornly. She had a feeling he wasn't listening to her deliberately. He'd told her several times he wanted to sleep with her, hadn't he? The thought of sex in an alleyway was disgusting though, no matter who it was with.

"Why?" Bakura murmured, licking at her lips. "What's so wrong with this? You were unhappy with Kaiba for so long, weren't you? Are things magically better?" The questions were just to annoy her, as he really didn't care how they were.

His hand moved up her side now, pushing her shirt along with it. He had no qualms about having sex in an alleyway, though he would have preferred to do it elsewhere. That was, of course, pretending he would get that far. He was well aware that the more he pushed it, the more upset she'd get.

But she'd already told him earlier that their "friendship" was over, so what did he care?

Staring at her for a moment, Bakura weighed on whether or not to quit. "Why?" he growled, nipping at her jaw. "So you can run back to Kaiba, play perfect, and act like you pushed me away when you should have?" He pulled back barely, and added, "I seem to recall you were oh-so-willing to fuck my ex-fiancé with your little boyfriend when you had the chance, so why shouldn't I get the chance to feel you as well, hmm?"

Shizuka stared at him with something akin to panic, again. How did he know about that? Shizuka herself barely remembered that night. It had been something she and Anzu had cooked up together, certainly, but she hadn't known Anzu was with the thief at the time, else she wouldn't have gone along with it. Had Anzu told him? Was he angry about it?

Obviously. So then, was she a way to get back at Anzu? This was all so confusing.

The nip was painful, and she was beginning to wonder if he would let her get away unscathed. The notion made her feel cold. It was almost unthinkable; even Bakura wasn't that bad, right?

"I..." She had been entirely unprepared for the accusation, and wasn't sure how to defend herself.

The truth was that had been something he'd forgotten until she'd bothered trying to tell him no. Anzu was in the past, and as far as he was concerned, if he wanted to get revenge against her, he would have just kept the damned kid like he'd wanted.

"Don't bother," he growled. In a way, that had been his mistake for forgiving her for it, when he'd known that he should have bailed then.

Before the kid.

He pushed away from Shizuka, before he moved to grab his plastic bag again, pulling out another drink. Ah, the whore had been good to him and bought him more than he was asking for. "You might as well go, before I change my mind." Even so, he was still convinced that there wasn't any good left in him.

She should have been thankful that he pulled away, even if it was obviously fueled by anger. Whether it was directed towards her or towards Anzu, Shizuka couldn't say, but she should take advantage of it and leave.

She shivered lightly, a part of her desperately wanting his warmth to envelop her again, but instead she remained where she was for a few moments, watching him warily and trying to process everything she'd learned.

There was no way she'd be able to focus on shopping, not after this. Shizuka would have to find something else for her friend, or else purchase the pocketbook online and have it shipped priority.

That taken care of, she wondered, idly, where she stood now with Bakura, and vice versa. Something else for her to dwell upon, when she was alone. Still shaky, she pushed away from the wall and stepped delicately around him.