I’m Just A Thief
Marik wiped Bakura’s face again with the white cloth. The blond kept Bakura covered, even in the
intense heat of the sun. marik could tell Bakura was
running a fever. His body was sore and
had barely moved since he had been returned to the Oasis the week before. Bakura laid on blankets, his body full of
sweat and his backside full of sores that would not heal.
Marik fed Bakura whatever food he had managed to steal on his
short
trips to
“The King of Thieves is never ill,” Madu
growled. “Many tales have been told as
to Pharaoh Yami’s body slaves suffering from the same ailments. We should be grateful that Bakura is still
alive.”
Osahar nodded. “Please take this herbs to Bakura. Put them in hot water and give them to
him. When I was struck with fever, these
herbs helped me.”
Marik had given the herbs to Bakura, but the improvement was
slow. Bakura opened his eyes to Marik
and took the blond’s hand. “Ishtar, I need for you to
bring Rayna to me.”
“Rayna?
I can try. You lay here.”
Bakura tried to turn on his side and he let out a muffled
scream.
“What do you need, Itemri?”
“Drink….water….”
Marik grabbed a cup they had stolen from a tomb and filled it
with the water in the lake. He gave the
cup to Bakura. “I will return with Rayna.”
Marik jumped on his horse and rode to Rayna’s
brothel. Marik arrived there as Rayna
was eating a large lunch. Marik entered
her room and panted heavily from racing up the stairs.
“Marik? What’s wrong?”
“Bakura needs you. He’s very sick with a fever.”
Rayna gasped and her eyes became glassy. “No. Is his fever
bad?”
Marik nodded. “He sweats and he has been having nightmares.
He vomits and he is covered in sores.
You have to come see him, Rayna. He requested that you come see him.”
Rayna put down her orange. “Will Bakura die from his
illness?”
Marik shrugged. “His illness has not yet improved for seven
days. I fear this has weakened him. I cannot even say for certain that he is
alive at this moment.”
Rayna took a towel and wrapped her food in it. “These can go
to Bakura. He’ll need them.”
“You’ll need them, too, Rayna.”
Rayna shook her head. “No, I won’t. I won’t be living at the
brothel starting tonight.”
Marik tied the towel’s edges. “Why? Are you buying your
freedom?”
Rayna shook her head and her hand went to her belly. “No. I
am carrying a child, fathered by the High Priest Set.”
Marik’s jaw almost dropped and his eyes went wide. “What?!”
Rayna shrugged. “I am carrying the child of the High Priest
within my womb.”
Marik walked around the bed to her. “What about Bakura? Don’t you love him?”
Rayna nodded. “I do. But, I cannot leave my daughter in the
palace alone, Marik. I grow weary of a life serving the sexual needs of men.”
Marik shook his head. “But Bakura loves you. This is going to crush him.”
Rayna looked down. “I know.
But, I did this for my daughter.
Bakura would want me in a safe place like the palace.”
Marik narrowed his eyes at Rayna. “Do you want to see what
kind of a ‘safe place’ the palace is?
Let me tell you what kind of a safe place it is! Bakura was brought back
to me bleeding and barely conscious. He
told me that Pharaoh Yami forced himself on him. Yami raped him. How safe are you going to be where Bakura and
I cannot protect you?”
Rayna stepped back. “You don’t understand, Marik. I NEED to
get away from this life! I cannot live this life anymore! If Bakura loves me, he will understand
that. If you knew, Marik, what I
suffered living this type of life….you would understand that, too.”
Marik grabbed the towel. “When you see Bakura, you tell him
that you are carrying the spawn of the High Priest.”
Rayna grabbed Marik’s arm. “Marik Ishtar,
please….don’t be angry with me. I only did what I thought was right for me and
my child.”
“What about Bakura?”
Rayna released Marik’s arm. “Bakura lives his own life. I am not
bound by Bakura’s laws. We are not
husband and wife. Therefore, I owe no allegiance to him. I do love Bakura. He has always been the only lover in my life
who has not raised a hand to me in anger. He has never taken me against my
will. Bakura has shown me nothing but
love and respect.”
Marik opened the door to her bedroom. “I don’t want Bakura
hurt, Rayna.”
“You love him, too, don’t you, Marik?”
Marik nodded. “As his lover, I do not want to see him
harmed.”
Rayna’s eyes widened. “You….made love to him?”
Marik nodded. “I did. And I do not want him hurt by either of
us. Bakura deserves better than that.”
Rayna nodded. “I don’t want Bakura harmed either. I just want
him to understand why I did this.”
Marik grunted and lead her down to his horse, hoping that
Bakura would understand.
*******************************
Marik and Rayna arrived at the oasis and found Bakura on the
sand, his fingers twitching and sweat pouring down from his face.
Rayna jumped off the horse and kneeled before Bakura. “Bakura
Itemri?”
Bakura’s brown eyes opened and he smiled. He took her hand
and placed it against his warm cheek. “Rayna….you’ve come back to me. How I missed you!”
Marik folded his arms, watching to see Bakura’s reaction when
Rayna told him the truth.
“Who hurt you, Bakura?”
Bakura’s body shuddered. “The pharaoh….took
me.”
Rayna took a piece of cloth and dipped it into the lake. She put the cool water to Bakura’s forehead
and he let out a moan. “Is that better, Bakura?”
Bakura smiled. “Yes. You always make me feel better, Rayna.”
Rayna gave a heavy sigh and brushed her long hair back. “Bakura? I have
something to tell you and it may shock you.”
“What is it, angel?”
“I am pregnant.”
Bakura turned his head to her and his eyes widened. “You’re
what?!”
“I’m pregnant. I am
carrying the child of the High Priest Set. Tonight I am to move into the palace
to be with Aria.”
Bakura gripped Rayna’s arm firmly.
“Rayna, is this what you really want?”
Rayna put her hand on his chest. “Please don’t be angry with
me, Bakura. I do love you.”
Bakura raised his eyebrow. “You are with child…..of…noble
blood?”
Rayna nodded her head. “Yes, Bakura. I am with child of noble blood.”
Bakura heaved a staggered sigh. “Rayna…..I do love you. And I
know there are things I cannot provide for you.
If I could take the stars from the heavens, I would give them to you. I
would do anything in my power to keep you safe. Having said that…..I only want
what is best for you and Aria. If living at the palace is something you desire,
you will have my full support.”
Rayna bit her lip. “Thank you, Itemri.”
Bakura took her hand and squeezed. “Promise me one thing, Rayna-love. If the pharaoh abuses you, the High Priest
hurts you or your child in any way, promise me that you will find a way out of
the palace and come to me here with Aria Kanika.”
Rayna avoided Bakura’s gaze. “I don’t know….what if I get
caught?”
“Rayna, please. Please don’t leave me without
promising me that you will find a way out for you and Aria. I don’t want to see my child harmed.”
Rayna nodded. “I promise to find a way out, Itemri.”
Bakura smiled and pet her cheek. “That’s my girl.”
“You’re not angry?” Marik asked stepping on Bakura’s other
side.
“I cannot be angry with her, Marik. I know what Rayna has
lived through working under Khalfani and her previous
masters. She has lived with abuses you
could never imagine, Marik. It took all I had to walk away from her. She has a better chance living under the
thumb of the High Priest than living in a brothel sleeping with twenty men
every day.” Bakura took a deep breath. “I cannot offer her what the High Priest
can, Marik. Besides, Marik. I love Rayna enough to
know what is best for her.”
Rayna hugged Bakura. “I knew you’d understand, Bakura.”
Bakura chuckled. “When I recover, I’ll have to fight my way
in to see you sometime. I do love you,
Rayna. I love you very much. I want what
is best for you and Aria. I always have and I always will.”
Rayna leaned down and kissed Bakura’s lips. “Thank you for understanding, Bakura.”
“You’ve always been my girl, Rayna. We’ll always be together forever, Rayna, even
if we’re worlds apart.”
Rayna smiled and brought the food in the towel to Bakura.
“These are for you, Bakura. I hope they help you.”
Bakura cupped her cheek. “You have already helped me, Rayna.
You helped me see that love doesn’t have to be one-sided. And I love you for
that.”
Rayna gave Bakura one final kiss. “I will love you forever,
Bakura. That will never change.”
Rayna sat on her horse. Marik leaned down to kiss Bakura.
“I’ll be back with food, Bakura.”
Bakura nodded and watched Marik and Rayna ride away.
Bakura’s POV
Rayna rode away. In a
sense, she was riding away from me forever. She was going to live in a better
home than I could ever hope to provide. She was going to eat better than Marik
and myself. She was going to be happier
than I could ever make her.
What could I offer her? Starvation in a
hot, isolated desert? Living hand to mouth every day of every week of every year?
No.
Rayna deserved better than that. Rayna deserved a High
Priest. I’m just a thief. A murderer. That is all I
could offer her. That’s no kind of life for Rayna and Aria. Rayna deserved a prince. She deserved someone
who was going to treat her right, shower her with jewels, provide
for her every need.
I can’t do that.
I never could.
I’m just a thief.
I’m not a pharaoh, not a High Priest, not a noble, not a rich
man.
Face the facts: I’m poor, hungry, sick, and the last thing I
can do right now is fill Rayna’s pregnant body with
food. I’m nothing but a common thief.
……
……
Maybe the pharaoh is right. Maybe I’m just a common dog.
…..
A common dog. A common thief.
A common lover. I’m common. Nothing
special about me.
Rayna, wherever you go, always remember that I love you and I
always have. Somehow, Rayna, I will find
you again. In some future life, I will
have you by my side. I will have you to
hold. To love. To caress. To kiss. I will have you back again in this life or the
next.
Together Forever, my love, no matter the lifetime, I will
find you.
…….
If you leave
If you draw your last breath thinking of me, and I have
perished, I will spend my afterlife looking for you.
I will spend eternity trying to find you. We can be together. Forever.
Note: I’m working on the next chapter now, so it shouldn’t be
long before this story is updated again!