Seto: I can’t believe I did that chappie! 

Bakurasgirl: But the fans loved it!!!  You should be honored.

Yami:  Look at it this way: you could be playing with dolls.

Seto: BUT I’M DANCING IN MY UNDIES!!!!!!!!!!!  NO! I AM THE CRUEL, HEARTLESS, DASHING COUNTERPART TO YUGI!

Bakurasgirl:  Watch it, Seto.  My fans are powerful!  They make me put a censored bar on you if you catch my drift.

Seto: You wouldn’t put me---in “my birthday suit!” You wouldn’t dare!

Bakurasigrl: * looks at reviewers *  ??????

//….//-Bakura to Anzu
[...]- Ryou's thoughts

Soul Stealer

    Bakura and Malik pursued Yami and Isis out of KaibaCorp.  Malik hurled a dark ball of energy at them as they scurried out of the way.  Bakura stopped suddenly holding Malik back.  "They're getting away, baka!"
Bakura laughed.  "Don't worry. They won't be eluding us for long.  Follow them at a distance and let me know where they are."  Bakura began to walk away.
"Where do you think you are going?  If you anger my queen, I'll make you pay!"
"We will get her the necklace.  We just need a little....persuasion.  I'll be back." Malik cursed quietly and ran after Yami and Isis.

****In the Shadow Realm*******
     Bakura returned to the hikaris' dungeon.  Marik and Yugi were asleep while Ryou stayed awake keeping his eyes out for Yami or Bakura.  Ryou watched him approach silently still determined to change Bakura back.  [I am not giving up on you, Bakura.]  Bakura sneered at Ryou when he confronted him.
"Where's Yami?" Ryou asked gripping the cold metal in front of him.
"He will join us shortly, hikari.  Don't you worry."
Ryou looked down the hall and noticed Malik missing. "Where's Malik?"
"Pursuing Yami and Isis.  They ran out on us after we were attacked."
"Are you alright?  Are you hurt?"
"Don't patronize me!" Bakura scowled at him.
Ryou grabbed his wrist.  "Don't you see you are helping our enemy?"
Bakura grabbed Ryou's shirt again colliding him with the bars again.
"How dare you accuse my master of being my enemy!"
The hikai rubbed his forehead. "He's the one controlling you? How?  Why?"
"I'm not here for idle chat!  I'm here for the little one."
"Yugi!  Wake up!"  Bakura pulled Ryou for ward knocking him into the bars.  Ryou fell to the floor with a groan as he heard the telepathic lock snap open.  Bakura entered and Ryou jumped on his back knocking him down.  Ryou straddled his hop holding his wrists.  "Look at you, yami!  You're not like this!  Snap out of it!" Ryou punched Bakura in the jaw relieving all the tension he had built in his muscles.
Bakura flipped Ryou over holding onto Ryou's wrists.  "You are talking nonsense!"
Ryou felt the tears pool in his eyes again.  "You love me, Bakura.  You love me and I love you." A loud crack echoed through the cell and Ryou held his cheek.  Bakura picked him off the floor and slammed him into the wall again.  Ryou knew his injury was open again and cried louder than ever rousing Yugi from his sleep.  "Bakura!"  Yugi ran to Bakura and tried to pull him off of Ryou.
"Yugi!  Run!  Don't worry about me!"
Yugi turned as Anzu waited at the door.  "Where is Yami, Bakura?" Anzu chided.
"He ran from us. I came for bait," he said glaring at Ryou, "but his little punk got in my way."
Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura whimpering.  "Fight it, Bakura, fight it," he whispered into his ear.
"I...can't...too....strong," Bakura whined returning Ryou's whimper.  "Sorry."
Yugi turned furiously to Anzu after watching Ryou and Bakura's embrace.  "You leave Yami alone!  How can you do this to all of us?  You always babbled endlessly about friendship.  What changed you?"
"I have always been this evil, Yugi.  Anubis has always been a part of me.  Nobody ever suspected I was evil incarnate."
"No, we knew you were evil, but nobody suspected you were this evil."  Anzu pulled back her hair.  "Look me in the eye and say that again." Anzu revealed the Millenium Eye!  Yugi stagggered back. Memories of his grandpa's trapped soul froze him.
"Yugi!  Bakura!  Anzu, please!  Don't take his soul!"
Anzu closed the door behind her.  Yugi ran to wake Marik.  "We need Yugi, Ryou," she said as she approached him slowly raising her hand to his cheek.  Bakura's mind wanted to stop her, but his body betrayed him by holding Ryou tighter.  Anzu brushed her lips against his ear letting her cold breath send shivers up his spine.  She began to nibble his earlobe as he clung to Bakura almost in hysterical tears.  She pulled back and turned his face to look at her, tears falling from his eyes.  Ryou vigorously tried to wipe the evidence of her twisted affection from his ear, scratching, clawing, and rubbing so hard, the flesh turned red.   
"But we don't need you,” Anzu said turning to Ryou.  Bakura could feel her grip his mind.    

“Do it, Bakura.  Show him how expendable he is to us.”

Bakura looked at Ryou in the compassionate, frightened eyes.  After all they had together, the sunsets…the sunrises…the endless nights wrapped in each others arms…fluttered before the eyes of each of the boys.  Bakura was no longer the cruel, demented madman he was.  No he was a gentle man corrupted by a cruel, demented mad woman.  Bakura could still hear Ryou breathlessly calling his name in a mantra of love.  Ryou watched slowly as the man he loved blatantly tell him, “I do not love you.”  That alone was enough to destroy him.  That was cruel.  That was heartless. 

“Please, yami,” Ryou cried hanging his head blocking his flowing tears. “Before you do this, I want you to know that I love you so much, nothing can take that away.  I don’t know when you’ll return to normal, but I want you to know, you’re forgiven. ” Ryou kissed Bakura on the lips to solidify his pledge. 

//No…Anzu….I…..love him. Don’t make me do this to him. //

\\ Do it, you fool! \\ Anzu’s eyes glowed yellow sending spears of pain through him. 

“What are you doing to him, Anzu?”  Ryou said gripping Bakura tighter and kissing his sweating face repeatedly to distract him from the pain.

Bakura shook his head as her voice screamed in his head, \\ DO IT, YOU FOOL OR I WILL ELIMINATE EVERYONE IN THIS LITTLE CELL! \\

Bakura’s Ring  glowed brightly when a piercing scream echoed through the dungeon.  Ryou gripped onto Bakura tightly shaking.  A cold breath hit Bakura’s face and Ryou’s body went limp in his grasp.   // Ra almighty.  What have I done? //   Yugi turned quickly to see Ryou fall to the ground in a heap.
Yugi ran to Ryou on the floor as Anzu walked away calmly.  “Such a nice little boy.  Such an awful shame.”

Marik opened his eyes to see Yugi over Ryou’s lying form.  “What happened?”  Marik asked.

“Bakura stole Ryou’s soul with the Millenium Eye!”  Bakura held Yugi by the wrists and dragged him out of the cell.

“I’ll get you, Bakura!  How can you do that to your own Light?” Marik threatened.

“I don’t think you have a strong say in what I do.  With a blink of an eye we do can much more than steal Ryou’s soul.”  Bakura said gripping Yugi tighter.  Marik scowled at Bakura as the door locked behind them.  Bakura left with Yugi. 

Marik ran beside Ryou and rubbed his back.  “Ryou?  Wake up!”  Marik positioned Ryou against the wall, his eyes closed, his breathing uneven.  Marik saw Ryou fall over.  Malik opened Ryou’s eye.  The glistening eyes were now dark.  “No soul.”

Ryou: ANZU KISSED MY EAR????  * runs to the bathroom  covering his mouth *

Bakura: …Look what you did, bakurasgirl!

Bakurasgirl: Sorry, I had to. The devil made me do it…I mean, Anzu.

Bakura: DIE DEVIL WOMAN!!!!! *runs after Anzu with Malik’s Rod *

Bakurasgirl: YEAH!!! *readers and author chase Anzu with metal bats and pointy objects *

Next Chappie: Yami and Shadi caught…Where is Isis?