Saturday, January 14, 2006

Egypt has a much richer plant and animal life, as demonstrated by friezes with lions, giraffes, and ostriches. The deserts have many desiccated plants, while in the Nile Valley almost all of the arable land is for farming. Very few wild plants can be found.
Most of Egypt's animals are domestic--donkeys, chickens, pigeons, cows, horses, and camels. But out in the desert gazelles, caracals, reptiles, hyenas, and foxes roam about. There are many ducks and birds along the Nile. Fish are also bountiful in the waters of the well-known river; mostly perch.
Egypt isn't known for having rare and valuable plants and animals, but they all play a big role in Egypt's life.



This ancient country has many historical sites and backgrounds. After all, Egypt is greatly recognized for its mysterious secrets that it holds--and still does.
Alexandria and Cairo are Egypt's two largest cities, but even larger tourist attractions. Cairo's citadel was built in the 12th century by the Sudan Saladin. It was crowned by the 19th century mosque of Muhammad Ali, is named for Egypt's first statement, and he is buried there.
Although this area is not as well known as others, Saqara is the area where the first large stone structure, the Stepped Pyramid Tomb, was built in Egypt. It was built for 3rd dynasty Pharaoh Djoser by a royal architect names Imhotep.
Giza is well known for the site of the Great Sphinx. It has the head of King Khafre and the body of a lion. It was carved over 4,000 years ago.


Egypt has many different religious beliefs, and some are brought to many places in Africa from Egypt.
Islam is the state religion. Muslims, as the people who follow this religion are called, pray five times a day facing a statue of Mecca. They are called to their praying posts by a bell ringer.
Egyptians believe in the afterlife, a spirit world where the soul may be taken after death. That is why they bury their Queens and Pharaohs with his/her jewelry, treasures, and even deceased pets, for the Egyptians worshipped cats and believed they were holy. But alas, tomb robbers invaded the pyramids where he/she was buried. Pyramids have many twists, turns, and traps that could leave the thief wandering hopelessly in darkness for days and weeks at a time until he died of either starvation or a trap. The Egyptians were the first to come up with pin/timber locks, which made the sacred burial tomb an even more secure place.
They also believe in reincarnation, and that the soul may return to another body to repent the sins of the past.
The Egyptian religion has many different people that have all sorts of beliefs that are carried all throughout Africa.

Customs and holidays of Egypt are shared with many family members and friends. Much time is spent visiting friends or chatting in cafes while smoking and sipping coffee. A special and traditional event is a visit to the public bath every now and then. Not many holidays are shared with the United Sates and Egypt.
Holiday foods for the wealthy and average include the regular stew, along with fruits, vegetables, bread, wine, and meat. The less fortunate have the same. Sometimes if they were lucky, they have wine on very special occasions.
Traditional farming, including the ox-drawn plows, are still widely practiced in Egypt. Workers still make Feluccas, which are large sailing boats used to carry groups of people at a time to different destinations across the Nile River.
Egypt is a very traditional based country, and if you are in the upper caste areas, you are almost family.



The Great Pyramid

Sekhmet, the Goddess of violence and destruction





An Egyptian tomb. The carvings in and outside of it portray the pros and cons of the afterlife.



A Camel



Permalink

Bakura stared off into space. He had felt Ryou’s lips press warm and inviting against his own. He had heard the words his light had spoken so softly and with such heartfelt emotion, “Bakura, meet your son… Baraka.”, and then everything had ceased to exist or to matter. Bakura shut down, going completely numb. He no longer gave two shits about the refreshing breeze that continued to blow with occasional strong gusts, carrying the briny smell of the ocean waters on the air to meet his nostrils. He no longer gave a flying fuck about the warming rays of the afternoon sun that heated his bronzed skin, making him appear otherworldly with his shocking white hair whipping around his head in a mad frenzy. He no longer registered the comforting weight of his light sitting in his lap nor did he witness the look of worry on Ryou’s face as Bakura remained motionless, not reacting in any way.



“Bakura?”



Bakura also didn’t recognize the sound of his name being called softly in Ryou’s familiar lilting voice so full of concern.



Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura’s neck and gently pulled his dark’s head down to rest on his shoulder when Bakura didn’t respond to his name. Ryou held Bakura in a firm embrace for several long worrisome minutes, stroking his dark’s hair with slender fingers, his mind gently touching Bakura’s, finding he hadn’t been blocked from Bakura’s thoughts or feelings… there just were none. Finally, Bakura moved, pushing away from Ryou, a steely gaze lit upon Ryou’s troubled expression before a gravely voice devoid of life broke the air.



“Are you ready to continue onward?”



Ryou raised both eyebrows and stared at Bakura, his bottom lip trembling, his mind distressed by his dark’s apparent disregard of Ryou’s startling news. Ryou reached out a hand to stroke Bakura’s face when a warning grimace appeared out of nowhere causing Ryou to divert his hand to his lap.



“Don’t you want to talk about your son?”



The grimace quickly turned into an angry scowl.



“No, actually I don’t and you need to get the fuck off my lap. Pronto.”



A hurt look flashed swiftly across Ryou’s face unnoticed by his dark for Bakura was now staring off in the opposite direction. Ryou said nothing, thoroughly confused by Bakura’s behavior, and extracted himself from his dark’s lap, carefully making his way to the passenger seat.



Running on autopilot, Bakura turned the key in the ignition, providing the power needed to raise the windows and the top of the convertible. Once all was secured to Bakura’s satisfaction, he depressed the trunk release and the trunk lid of the Mustang popped open on demand, bouncing on its springs until the wind forced it to catch, locking in a full upright position. Without peering at his light or uttering a word, Bakura next reached for the door handle and exited the car in a hurried fluid movement as if he couldn’t get away fast enough from Ryou’s side. Once standing beside his vehicle, Bakura took the time to adjust himself. He buttoned his pants in a distracted sort of way to make himself presentable.



Ryou sat in the passenger seat, distressed, wringing his fingers in both hands. He watched Bakura round the backend of the Mustang, grab a few items out of the trunk of the car, and then slam the trunk lid shut with authority. Bakura stomped toward the white four-wheel drive vehicle, haphazardly throwing the items he had retrieved from the car into the already packed cargo area of the Jeep. Bakura opened the driver’s side door, grabbed the steering wheel, and hauled his ass into the seat, slamming the door shut with enough force to rock the entire vehicle. Still staring straight ahead, Bakura addressed his light through their bond.



~ Get your pretty little ass moving, Ryou. Let’s roll. We’ve got shit to do, shit to discuss. ~



Ryou’s hands were shaking. This was not exactly the kind of reaction he had expected out of his dark. This cold attitude was chilling to say the least and frightened Ryou considerably, making his heart ache especially now that he remembered more about the revelation surrounding the fact that Bakura had had a son.



Ryou relived in vivid detail that fateful night when he had survived his nightmare and then was thrust into the desert oasis with Bakura’s past self’s one-time lover. He closed his eyes as he recalled how Shemeit had been so kind to him even though Ryou had tried his best to push her away. She had knelt in front of him with a bundled offering in her arms. Ryou, feeling very anxious, had accepted the wrapped gift and had been astonished to find a baby swaddled within, a baby that looked exactly like Bakura. As it turned out, the baby that had been placed in his arms was the very same baby that Ryou had drawn in his sketchbook with such precision. Bakura’s son… Baraka, the very son that Bakura did not know, until now, even existed.



Ryou sighed, feeling sad and miserable. He clutched the sketchbook to his chest, opened the car door, grabbed his book bag, and exited, shutting the door behind him. He was no sooner out of the vehicle when the Mustang’s exterior lights flashed once, twice in quick succession and the horn sounded – loud, foreign, and unforgiving in the ocean air as the alarm system was set.



With his head hung low, Ryou scuttled around the front of the Jeep and opened the door, hauling himself up carefully to sit in the seat adjacent to Bakura. Glancing over at his dark with apprehension, Ryou found Bakura still staring off into space through the windshield, unmoving. Ryou placed his bag on the floor between his knees, deciding to stow away his sketchbook for now, and strapped himself into the seat. Finally Bakura moved. Following suit, his dark hooked his own seatbelt then fired the Jeep up with a quick flick of the wrist.



Bakura maneuvered the Jeep through a break between a pair of sand dunes to their right and drove off at a leisurely pace, following the line of demarcation where the ocean wetted the sand versus where the sand remained untouched by the incoming waves. They bounced along in complete silence until Ryou just couldn’t take it anymore. Not having the energy to yell to be heard above the surf he resorted to attempting a conversation with Bakura through the mind-link.



~~~ This isn’t a public beach, Bakura. We can get into serious trouble for trespassing. Didn’t you see that this stretch of land is posted? ~~~



~ I am well aware that this property is posted… and with good reason. ~



Bakura’s voice sounded dead and uninviting. Ryou realized that his sadness was rapidly being replaced by irritation.



~~~ Maybe we should just go home. ~~~



Bakura picked up on his light’s change in attitude and snapped back.



~ No. We will fucking finish this. You wanted answers; you’ll get your fucking answers. ~



Ryou turned to face his dark, his eyes narrowing at the harshness and the accusatory manner in which Bakura’s words had scorched across the bond between them. Ryou spat back a response.



~~~ What if I want to go home? ~~~



Bakura suddenly turned his head to glance at his light. Ryou noticed immediately that a spark of life had returned to those dark chocolate depths that he loved to lose himself in. Bakura leaned over and rubbed Ryou’s thigh and offered a weak smile.



~ I’m sorry for lashing out at you. It was unfair of me. Please, let’s continue our journey… together… humor me? ~



Ryou considered the request that had been relayed to him with such sincerity. He nodded.



~~~ OK. ~~~



They bounced around some more, Ryou clasping the roll bar from time to time to help steady himself as the Jeep navigated through the ever shifting sands of the beach, hitting the occasional beachside version of a pothole. Ryou was having trouble maintaining the silence. He had lived with it for over a month and a half and longed to hear his dark’s deep, rumbling, sexy voice grace his ears or even their bond.



~~~ Why have you brought me here? ~~~



~ For a few reasons… ~



When Bakura didn’t seem like he was going to offer those reasons freely, Ryou prompted him.



~~~ Which are? ~~~



~ Because the sands remind me of my homeland, and the ocean, obviously vaster, still inspires memories of the river Nile. I thought it would be the perfect setting for our little chat without the inconvenience of traveling to Egypt. ~



Ryou felt sadness and loneliness in a quick spike of emotions that coursed through his body. The feelings originated in him not in Bakura. He tried to imagine what it had been like for his dark to be ripped from all that he had known and loved, his country, his people, his way of life, his own grain of sand in the hourglass of time plucked from his reality and stowed away in an object of power for thousands of years. Ryou shivered at the thought of being taken from his own familiar plane of existence and locked away in forced solitary confinement for eons to be reborn in an alien age and surroundings. He had not really given the whole subject of Bakura being unhappy with his current situation since it had seemed that his dark had adjusted so well to his new environment. A low-level panic blossomed in Ryou’s heart. He really didn’t want to ask but the words were already slipping from between his lips before he could recall them.



~~~ Do you miss Egypt? ~~~



~ Not really. It’s changed and I have not. Besides, I missed you. ~



Bakura had been quick to respond, taking his light by surprise. Ryou glanced over at Bakura’s profile gratefully. The alarm he had begun to imagine concerning Bakura’s general unhappiness evaporated immediately upon his dark’s words. Ryou’s mind locked on and caressed over and over again the admission that Bakura had missed him.



~~~ If you would decide you wanted to move to Egypt, I would go with you… if you wanted me to… ~~~



~ I do not want to go back permanently. This is home now, I am happy here… with you. Perhaps I would feel the need to visit my homeland now and then… but I would only travel with you by my side. ~



Ryou’s heart soared with happiness. Maybe there was still hope…



~~~ I would gladly go whenever you would choose to return. ~~~



Very quietly Ryou added, peering down at his hands.



~~~ If you would not be opposed, I would like to see where your village once stood. I would like to know the area where you grew up and played as a child. I would like to stand within the foundations of your home and thank your mother and father for giving you life, for making you for me. ~~~



Bakura was shocked not to mention at a loss for words. He kept stealing glances over at his light who remained seated with his head bowed, now tracing Bakura’s name in his left palm.



~ Ryou… baby… look at me… ~



After a few beats of time, Ryou shyly peered up at Bakura, and, with his left hand, cleared away a few flyaway strands of hair that blocked his unobstructed view of his dark. Bakura took notice of tears forming that Ryou tried to stave off without success. The well of water in Ryou’s eyes deepened, pushing a tear or two over each brim, sending gentle trickles down his light’s flushed cheeks.



~ That was incredibly beautiful… just like you, precious one. Maybe we will have a reason… a special occasion to commemorate and we’ll travel to my place of birth to give thanks and share our happiness for my parent’s presence can still be felt whispering on the cool night breezes of the desert where they perished. ~



Ryou wondered and was about to ask Bakura exactly what he meant by having something that he and Bakura would have to celebrate when his dark returned to the original inquiry.



~ There is another reason for being here… on this particular beach, my Ryou… ~



~~~ And why is that? ~~~



~ You have always dreamed of the ocean. It is calming to you, is it not? ~



Ryou shouldn’t be but turned out to be flabbergasted that his perceptive dark had picked up on the fact that Ryou felt at home by water… in particular, by the ocean… any ocean. He tried to recall if he had even mentioned to Bakura that one day he would love to make his home by the sea.



~~~ You are right, my dark. I do dream of the ocean. I love the roar of the waves during a storm. I love to hear the gentle lapping of the water on a calm day. I love the smell of salt in the air and the feel of sand between my toes. I love to swim in the powerful waters and laze on my back and let the currents have their way with me. I love to walk along the beach and scour the shoreline for shells that are so beautifully intricate and unusual. I feel at peace by the water. ~~~



Ryou sighed and gazed out at the teasing ocean as wave after continuous wave rolled in and quickly embraced the land with gentle caresses before retreating to the main body of water in a bashful rush to initiate the sequence of seduction all over again.



~~~ It’s beautiful here. I could stay here forever. ~~~



As Ryou continued to stare wistfully out at the hypnotic dance of the sea, his dark stole a peek at his light and smiled.



~ I’m glad you feel so passionately about this particular posted parcel of land because we now own it. ~



Ryou gasped, his eyes now riveted on his dark, struggling to comprehend what had just been revealed. In his amazement, he had automatically switched to speaking aloud… loudly…



“Did you just say we own it? This? This stretch of beach?”



“Yes, for miles both ways.”



Ryou sputtered, “But how? Bakura… what the hell is going on?”



“I thought you said you liked it?”



Bakura smirked at Ryou, thoroughly enjoying rocking his light off the solid foundation that was Ryou’s own little world as the young one knew it… in a good sort of way for a change. Ryou floundered for words.



“I do! I do! I absolutely adore it! I just don’t understand! You show up out of nowhere in a brand new car we can’t afford! We drive for hours to another brand new vehicle you apparently purchased as well which we definitely cannot afford on top of the first! And now you tell me we own miles of beachfront property which we could never afford in a million years? Did you rob a bank?”



Bakura finally cracked a smile, a wry one, but a smile just the same.



“No, I stole from the fucking pharaoh.”



Ryou shot him a look.



“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”



“I managed to find a few of my hidden treasure stashes that had remained concealed for three millennia. Am I fucking good or what?”



Bakura chuckled happily, pretty damned pleased with himself. Ryou sat there with his mouth wide open staring at his dark.



“Are you putting me on?”



“Is that an invitation, my light? I’d like to be putting you on… my hardened dick… you’re a nice… tight… fit… we should christen your Jeep as well with some good old fashion fucking…”



Bakura’s eyes flashed crimson at his light with a sexual hunger that made Ryou quiver in his seat and flush a brilliant pink. When Ryou didn’t respond verbally, Bakura reluctantly adopted a more serious tone.



“Regardless… I am very serious. Hidden caches equal a buttload of fucking money.”



“So you just decided to buy land?”



“No, not just any land… this land. I’ve had my eye on this piece of property for some time now and just bided my time. Finding my private hoard helped in the finance department, that’s for damn sure. The stupid fuck who previously owned this property didn’t know what the fuck hit him when I told him he was going to sell it to me.”



Bakura reached over to cup his light’s chin, the pinpricks of red diminishing, allowing his deep chocolate irises to express his sincerity.



~ I know how you have always wanted to reside by the sea. I did it for you. ~



Ryou swallowed and gazed at his dark, perplexed, but happy, enjoying the feel of the roughened thumb that stroked his cheek.



~~~ Bakura… I don’t know what to say. ~~~



~ Just use your mouth... ~



It didn’t take much for those ruby eyes to reappear, flashing brilliantly in his light’s direction. Ryou shook his head and smiled prettily at his dark and at the double-entendre.



~~~ Thank you, Bakura. But, you do know that I don’t need you to spend money on me. You spoil me. I just need you. We could be destitute for the rest of our years and it wouldn’t matter as long as we were together. ~~~



~ I know, my Ryou. You spoil me with just your presence; however, I enjoy pampering you… making you happy… in many ways… ~



~~~ But I am happiest when I am with you. No amount of money can replace you, my dark. ~~~



~ I know I can’t buy your affections – ~



~~~ Nor do you have to… for you already own my affections… ~~~



~ As you do mine. Just know that you are priceless to me. ~



Ryou’s heart felt ready to explode with joy. He took Bakura’s hand at his cheek and kissed his dark’s palm, right over the symbol that bore Ryou’s name, and smiled shyly over at the elder one. Bakura smiled back and winked.



~ We are almost there. Just a little bit longer. ~



Bakura directed the Jeep in a smooth line up the beach, steadily drawing nearer an outcrop of rock. Ryou found his pulse quickening as he contemplated what else his dark had up his sleeve in the way of surprises.



~~~ So this is what you were doing since you got back last night? Purchasing vehicles and investing in beachfront properties? ~~~



~ Among other things… I did some prep work from overseas – international money transfers and cell phones are quite the modern conveniences. I also had some setting up to do before I could pick you up and bring you here with me. ~



Ryou blinked in amazement at the outcrop of rock, realizing he had underestimated the sheer size of the obstruction. Basically, it was a cliff wall that extended onto the beach. Bakura steered the Jeep around the wall of rock and tucked away within, was a hidden cove – a perfect little beach haven. Ryou came to attention, straightening in his seat, and pressed forward as far as the seatbelt would allow. Ryou didn’t even realize he had reached out and clasped his dark’s hand that resided on the gearshift.



~ You like? ~



~~~ Bakura. Oh my… It’s lovely… ~~~



It was like some isolated, romantic hideaway that Ryou had always dreamed about. On the beach, a private retreat had been created. A large blue and white striped cloth cabana had been erected far enough back from the water’s edge to take in account for the rising tides, the cloth snapping and cracking in the wind. Inside the shelter, an inviting looking setting for two to enjoy a comfortable night on the beach had been meticulously arranged. A much smaller mate to the bedroom cabana had been set up off to the left which apparently housed more supplies to further ensure a relaxing stay. Tiki torches were strategically placed around the perimeter, surrounding what was obviously a place of seduction. A small pit had been dug out in the sand several yards off the side of the larger cabana. A ring of rock outlined the depression of which the center was filled with driftwood. A load of spare kindling had been stacked neatly along one side of the pit; a pair of lounge chairs sat side by side awaiting their future occupants along the other. A large fluffy beach blanket was spread out on an expanse of sand closer to the water, piles of inviting beach towels awaited use. Beach umbrellas sprang up from the sand by each established sitting or lounging area. Everything imaginable for a quick, yet well planned out, intimate beachfront getaway seemed to have been thought of and placed in the small haven that Bakura had purchased for his precious one. It was the perfect little love nest…



Tears streamed down Ryou’s cheeks as the Jeep came to a rolling halt. Bakura parked beyond the largest cabana, close to the wall of rock that stretched out and beckoned to the sea, so that the vehicle was out of the way and did not block their magnificent view. Bakura quickly departed the vehicle and circled the backend to open Ryou’s door. He held up a hand to his light to help Ryou out of the Jeep. Ryou unbuckled his seat belt and without a hint of warning, launched himself at Bakura, causing his unprepared dark to fall backwards with a startled grunt into the sand with Ryou’s body sprawled out on top of him, covering his dark’s face and neck with a barrage of kisses.



“Down, boy! Fuck! If I knew you were going to react like this, I would have figured out a way to locate my fucking stashes sooner! You can show me just how happy you are with me later, eh?”



Bakura wiggled his eyebrows.



“You may not want me after I tell you what I must but my feelings for you will not change.”



Bakura was stunned into silence after that astonishing admission. Ryou took advantage of his dark’s hesitance, bending down to smother Bakura’s stunned mouth with his own, thrusting his tongue into the familiar warmth, moaning, crushing his pelvis into Bakura’s prone body.



~~~ Just remember you were made from me as I was from you. We are half of each other’s soul and I could not live without you. Promise me you will still want me after I tell you everything. ~~~



Ryou’s grinding into Bakura’s body and plundering of his dark’s mouth had escalated to a near frantic pitch.



~ Slowdown, Ryou… baby… slowdown… ~



But Ryou didn’t listen. He continued his relentless attack on Bakura’s body that was showing signs of high arousal despite all sorts of warning bells going off in Bakura’s head.



~~~ Promise me now, Bakura! Promise me! ~~~



On any other occasion, Bakura would have been beyond fucking delighted that his light was showing such atypical aggression, in fact, he might have even felt compelled to suggest that Ryou take him but this particular chain of events was wrong… so very, very wrong. The sense of ill boding continued to intensify even though Bakura’s body was betraying him, giving off all the appropriate signals to Ryou that his dark was ready to fuck. Ryou panted wildly from his writhing perch atop of Bakura and stoked the furnace of lust further by declaring war on Bakura’s sluggish tongue and humping Bakura’s body into the sand.



~~~ Fuck me now, Bakura! Now. Here. Now! Oh, GOD, how I want you! You have to be inside me… NOW! Nothing else matters anymore… ~~~



Ryou wrenched his mouth away from Bakura’s bruised lips and began tearing at his pants in frustration to release his throbbing erection when Bakura seized both of his arms.



“Ryou… baby… shhh… stop it!”



Tears were streaming down Ryou’s cheeks in rivulets.



“No, no, NO! B-bakura, p-please… take m-me… make me yours a-again… p-please tell m-me you will s-still want m-me… You have to!”



Insistent hips circled against Bakura’s pelvis, making Bakura arch his back into the motion and release a mighty groan. With a huge burst of will, Bakura threw his weight forward and to the side, rolling them and reversing their positions, effectively pinning Ryou to the beach in a shower of sand. Bakura’s thighs straddled his light’s legs, hooking his feet back and around Ryou’s knees, holding the younger one down, stopping the undulating hips and the resulting stimulation of his manhood. Ryou’s wrists were restrained by Bakura’s hands on either side of the young one’s head that tossed from side to side as his light fought to escape.



“Ryou… come on, knock it off! What the hell has gotten into you? Settle down! It’s OK!”



“No, it’s not, OK! You are going to be disgusted with yourself and hate me! You are going to leave me again and I am going to wither and die a slow and painful death!”



Bakura was thunderstruck.



“Holy fuck, Ryou! Stop talking like that and listen to me! Settle down! Don’t cry!”



“I can’t help it! You don’t know what I do… you are going to leave me again – and this time for good! I can’t face it! I just want to die!”



“I am not going to leave you! I told you that already!”



“Yes, you are!”



Bakura leaned down, plopping his forehead onto Ryou’s chest in frustration.



“Please stop. Please don’t cry. We’ll get through this. I will promise you that.”



Ryou immediately stopped squirming, his chest hitching and heaving as he fought to control his weeping.



“But, Bakura–“



“Shh… Help me carry the supplies in the back of the Jeep to where we will be spending the night. Will you do that much for me?”



Ryou closed his eyes, biting his lip with the effort it took to calm down. He nodded his agreement through a trickling of tears. Bakura stretched out to lap the salty dribbles away. He peered down on his distraught light.



“No more tears.” He sighed. “We will talk. Tell me all that you have to. I promise I will not go away unless you want me to.”



“But I’ll never want–“



“Shh… no more talk right now.”



Bakura nimbly dismounted Ryou and bending down, held out a helping hand to his light. Ryou peered fearfully at Bakura and took the offered hand. With care, Bakura aided his light to his feet, pulling him into an embrace. Bakura held Ryou tightly to his chest, rocking from side to side in an effort to sooth his light as much as his own fraying nerves. Bakura took the opportunity to gently brush the sand from Ryou’s backside and from the young one’s hair. Ryou clung to his dark, screwing his eyes shut against Bakura’s chest, his ear in line with the strong thudding beat of the elder’s heart. Bakura placed a quick kiss to the top of his light’s head and then took a step back. Still holding Ryou’s hand, Bakura guided him to the tailgate of the Jeep.



Bakura handed Ryou an overnight bag and an elongated brown paper bag with a corded handle filled with miscellaneous items for a picnic of sorts.



“Can you carry all of this comfortably?” Ryou nodded. “Good. Why don’t you get your book bag as well since it seems to be playing an integral part in our little soap opera?”



Ryou nodded once more, concurring with his dark’s suggestion, and moved away to retrieve his school bag in the front of the vehicle. Bakura managed to manhandle another overnight bag that he slung over his shoulder and a large cooler.



“I’ll come back for the rest. Let’s go get you settled.”



With that, Bakura led the way over to the prepared area. Bakura dropped off his load, helped Ryou with his, and made his light sit on the generous beach blanket under the largest beach umbrella.



“I’ll be right back.”



“Don’t go.” Ryou whispered, reaching out a hand. “Don’t leave me.”



Bakura clasped the hand that implored him to stay and gently rubbed with his thumb the markings on his light’s palm.



“I’m just going back to the Jeep. I’ll be right back, I promise.”



Ryou looked sullen but nodded, giving Bakura permission to leave his general vicinity. Bakura smiled, bent down to kiss his light’s knuckles, and then released the delicate hand. Ryou’s fingers stretched to keep as much contact as he could with his dark up until the very last second when their fingertips brushed against each other and finally their physical connection was broken. Ryou watched his dark as he strode confidently away, white spiky hair getting caught in the sea breezes, whipping out in all directions from his head.



Ryou was struck by how similar this scene seemed to another. He reached for his book bag and pulled out a sketchbook whose cover was red and whose contents was filled to the gills with drawings of his dark. He leafed through the many pages, stopping to gently trace the lines of some of his favorites when he came upon the sketch he had drawn from memory one night that felt so long ago when Ryou had been feeling extremely lonely and needed his dark.



Ryou would never forget the night that Bakura had made the delicious pasta dinner and had surprised Ryou by recreating his fantasy of having Bakura make love to him on a mountain of fluffy white pillows. After they had eaten dinner and Bakura had tried to fuck Ryou into the wall of the dining room, the dark one had placed Ryou in a chair with the intent to leave the room briefly to set up the surprise awaiting Ryou in the bedroom. Ryou had protested, not wanting Bakura out of his sight but his dark had reassured him, promising Ryou he’d return shortly. At that moment, much like mere seconds ago, Bakura had walked away from Ryou with the red silk shirt he had been wearing that night billowing out behind him, looking so fucking sexy.



What Ryou had captured on paper was Bakura’s return, the jaunty overly-confident stride more than evident on the page, muscles rippling on the exposed nicely chiseled chest, Bakura’s mane of hair blowing out and away from his head. Tight jeans hugged his hips, showing off the hard muscular thighs and the significant bulge in the crotch of his pants. The tails of the opened red shirt floated behind him in his haste to rejoin Ryou. Bakura had appeared like some erotic god of sex out of an intense, sinful, yet pleasurable dream. That magical night, coupled with the godly appearance of Bakura returning to him from the bedroom, was one of his fondest memories, one that Ryou had felt compelled to commit to paper.



Looking up, Ryou noticed Bakura was on his way back to the blanket with the last load of items from the Jeep. With a wistful heart, Ryou put away the red sketchbook. His fingers fell on the sketchbook that included the drawing of Baraka. Ryou extracted the compilation of drawings and thumbed through the pages until he reached the depiction of the baby that was causing major strife in his dark, the little beauty smiling cutely up at him. Ryou couldn’t help but smile back and caressed the chubby cheeks with the tips of his fingers. Ryou shared his joy with Bakura through the mind-link. He heard Bakura sigh in his mind.



~ You like babies that much? ~



~~~ In particular babies that look like you… ~~~



~ He also looks like you… ~



~~~ I suppose… ~~~



Ryou continued to stroke the picture of the baby lovingly.



~ You met… my son? Gods, that just sounds so fucking weird falling from my vile lips… ~



~~~ No, it doesn’t sound weird. I could certainly imagine you as a father. And, yes, I did meet your son. I got to hold him in my arms, Bakura. He was beautiful… like you. He was the spitting image of you, my dark, bold, devilish, and brazen. He had your tufts of wild white hair, your mannerisms... he was simply a beautiful baby boy. He stole my heart… ~~~



Bakura reached the blanket, dumped off his load, and then slowly approached his light who still hadn’t looked at him but remained peering down at the picture of the baby. Bakura’s eyes reluctantly fell on the son he never knew.



“What color were his eyes?”



“They were brown, tinged with green, the emerald green that shined in Shemeit’s eyes.”



Bakura plopped himself down next to Ryou and laid back, his head resting on his stacked hands.



“He was a cute little fucker.”



“Bakura!”



An elbow jabbed into Bakura’s side painfully as Ryou moved to snuggle next to his dark’s body.



“Ow!”



“You deserved that! Little fucker indeed!”



“Well, if he was truly my brat, I’m sure he was a fucking hellion.”



“Shut up! You would have been proud. He was beautiful. There was no doubt he was your son.”



The longing in his light’s voice was so evident that Bakura smiled warmly into the sky.



“Is that why you were asking me if I wished you were a woman? So that you could give me a son like Shemeit did, or maybe a daughter?”



There was a lengthy pause as Ryou considered the question. A huge sigh, much too large for someone so slight of frame, escaped his lips.



“Now that I know why those questions were itching to be asked, I suppose so. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to create a brand new life with you, Bakura… to share something so intimate… so precious…”



Ryou shifted against Bakura and passed along the memory of holding the little baby boy close to his body. Bakura felt the gentleness that radiated from his light on a continuous basis pulsing across their bond even stronger than normal.



“Baraka felt so good in my arms. He was darling. But, obviously, I have the wrong equipment for that sort of thing… to bless you with children.” Sadness and something that sounded almost like regret echoed in Ryou’s tone. Bakura sighed heavily and released a hand from under his head to run his fingers through Ryou’s hair.



“You know that I am happy with who and what you are, precious one. Never have I ever wished for you to be female… never. Nor did I ever wish for you to have the physique of a body builder or to have the brawn to be threatening to others by looks alone. Do not feel you need to improve your body because of me. Your swimming and any other activities you do at your gym should be done because you want to better yourself and not because of what you believe I want out of you. I have always thought you were perfect just the way you are… you have grown and developed into a beautiful young man. I have always held an attraction to you… as is.”



Ryou squirmed against Bakura, still holding onto and peering at the impish picture of Baraka. Bakura could feel the heat rising off his light’s cheeks.



“Thank you, my dark. What you said, was very kind and I can feel that you mean your words. One of my fears has always been that I could not live up to your expectations. That you would get bored with me, that I wasn’t masculine enough to hold your interest. I was never tough. I was always the one who got picked on and beat up. I know that I am sometimes overly emotional – more like a female. I cry all the time when happy or sad. I do not have a manly body like you…”



Bakura released his other hand to pull his light tight against his chest, holding him, enjoying the closeness, the feel of the one who was made for him and fit so perfectly against his own body.



“If you are referring to the demeaning shit I used to deluge you with, you can rest assured, my Ryou, none of that bullshit was true. It had been regurgitated to you with the sole intent to break your will and spirit because you frightened me at the time. Without even knowing it, you offered me hope, blind caring and understanding that could lead me to a redemption that I just could not accept nor that I thought I deserved.”



“Bakura… you don’t have to explain yourself. I know.”



“You do need to hear this, my Ryou. We both need to heal. You need to know that you were never worthless for you have so much to give and to share… you are priceless. You were never weak. It took much strength of mind and spirit to withstand the constant verbal abuse I had hurled your way. You can be proud of the fact that you never succumbed.”



Bakura continued to stroke his light’s hair with one hand while the other caressed Ryou’s side.



“You were never a nothing or a nobody for you are everything to me… my precious one. You were never pathetic and I was never embarrassed by you. You are gentle, endearing, and too forgiving for your own good… but never pathetic. You have so much to offer to whomever you decide to let into your world. I am honored to be the one you have chosen to expend your energy on. I certainly didn’t deserve your attentions, your forgiveness, or your affections.”



A giggle that was laced with embarrassment emanated from Ryou’s general direction. Bakura could feel the heat from his light’s blushing cheeks scorching his skin through his shirt. Ryou tittered some more, attempting to bury his face in Bakura’s chest.



“You were just confused. I made you see the light.”



“Very funny. I’m being serious here and you’re yukking it up. Now shut the fuck up and turn a little redder by my confessions.”



“How you talk to me…”



“You get off on it. Now… where was I? I believe at some point your insecurities posing as my past self tried to convince your silly self that you were not enough for me. That is so far from the truth it is fucking laughable. I have never wanted anyone but you. I have never even had the desire to glance at anyone but you. You are the one who makes my cock hard, whom I dream about fucking in every way possible and then some. You fill my heart and soul with light… at times you are too much for me to handle.”



Bakura chuckled at that. Bakura could feel wet spots spreading on his top as hope and desire seeped across the mind-link from Ryou. His light’s voice rode on the ocean breeze, caressing the air.



“I have never wanted to be anything but what you need and want.”



“You have surpassed that goal, my precious one. You are all that and more without doing a damned thing… by just being you.”



Ryou sobbed softly into Bakura’s chest and choked out a self-demeaning laugh.



“Here I go again… crying as usual.”



“It’s part of the Ryou Package and I would not drop the crying option even if I could.” Bakura continued to pet Ryou’s hair as his light sniffled, trying to get his emotions in check. “Tell you what, if you want a baby, we can always adopt.”



Bakura wasn’t exactly sure where the fuck that option came from but it seemed like the next logical step if his light wanted a baby and it would make Ryou happy. He heard Ryou’s quick intake of breath when Bakura’s offer to adopt a child hit home. A few seconds elapsed before Ryou responded.



“It wouldn’t be the same.”



Bakura held Ryou close, feeling his light tracing some imaginary picture on his chest with a delicate finger. After a moment of silence, Ryou quietly asked his next question.



“Did you ever think about having children, Bakura?”



“It never crossed my mind. I had no burning desire to procreate then and I have no desire to procreate now. I’m not going to go out and pick some bimbo off the street and fuck her just to have a little bawling bastard of mine released on the world. I told you, I want no one but you.” Bakura began to chuckle evilly. “But just think about it, my light, if you were a female, coupled with my raging libido, you’d have a perpetual bun in the oven. You’d be dropping fucking little hot and piping fresh yeast bombs every nine months. I’d have my own fucking self-made harem.”



“Once again you have quite the way with the English language.”



“It’s true, my light. You’d be cranking out the little snot-nosed brats left and right… each time I fucked your little sassy body. We’d have an army of little angels and demons running amok.”



Ryou giggled at the vivid vision that ran through his mind’s eye of mini versions of his dark and himself scampering through their house. The little Bakura look-alikes with their horned hair and diabolical grins, starting fires, playing with knives, and causing all sorts of major mayhem while little doubles of Ryou, delicate and petite, with large soulful chocolate brown eyes sat quietly watching cartoons, playing with stuffed animals, and coloring pictures in coloring books.



“There is such a thing as birth control… and I hardly think my body would be little after bearing child after child for you, Bakura.”



Bakura chuckled darkly.



“Yeah, your ass and hips would be as wide as the fucking house by then…”



“Thanks. You’re a bastard by the way…”



Bakura smirked and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of his light so near and the soothing sounds of the ocean.



“Who would have thought that Bakura, King of Thieves would be or could be a fucking father?” Bakura lifted his head to take another glance at the sketch of his son that Ryou had placed alongside their lounging bodies. “I guess it would have been nice to have at least seen the little shit... known of his existence when it mattered.”



Bakura sensed a rush of movement as Ryou flipped over to yell at him.



“Bakura!”



Bakura cracked an equally irritated eye open at his pissed off light.



“What?”



“He was not a ‘little shit’!”



“Whatever.” Bakura rolled his eyes at Ryou then closed them again, shutting out his defensive light. “Did Shemeit tell you whatever became of the little shi – perfect little angel – that sprang from the seed of my loins? Did he follow in my footsteps, perhaps?”



More shifting ensued as Ryou repositioned himself, draping his upper body across Bakura’s chest, propping his chin on a wrist to peer at his dark.



“I don’t know, Bakura. All that Shemeit told me was that Baraka had been conceived. I had been too shocked and filled with awe while holding him in my arms that I didn’t think to ask what he had made of his life.”



“I guess it doesn’t really matter what the little bastard grew up to be.”



Ryou gasped in horror at Bakura’s nonchalant statement.



“Yes, it did, Bakura... it meant everything.”



Bakura grimaced and sighed, knowing the boom was about to fall. Bakura could feel his light trembling. Ryou matched Bakura’s sigh and tried to ignore the look of annoyance that had taken root in Bakura’s eyes and settled across his facial features.



“There is one more part to Shemeit’s message, Bakura. Shemeit wanted me to tell you that when she bore you a son, your line remained unbroken.”



“Cue the drum roll…”



Ryou scowled at his dark.



“Bakura, this is hardly funny.”



“I never said it was. Now out with the fucking bad news already. The suspense is killing me.” Bakura muttered dryly.



Ryou sighed one more time, the mind-link became murky and filled with trepidation as his light struggled with the final piece of the long overdue message, the one Ryou was obliged to deliver yet loathed to share all at the same time. It a small but strong voice, Ryou made good his promise.



“Baraka is my ancestor.”



There was a very long, drawn-out pause as Bakura processed his light’s words.



“Meaning… I fathered him… so… essentially… I begot you.”



“Yes.”



Bakura burst out laughing.



“Oh, for crying out fucking loud!”



Ryou pushed himself off of Bakura’s chest who was practically bursting at the seams with hysterical laughter.



“Fuck-me-raw! Hey, I heard incest is best! Now I guess I would know firsthand because fucking you is like fucking pure heaven! Good – fucking – grief! I should have started fucking you back when you were about six so I could be accused of being a fucking pedophile as well! Gods! You’re my grandson times… thirty or more! FUCK!”



Bakura continued to roar with laughter, tears rolling down his cheeks while Ryou waited for the meltdown, the anger and disgust that was sure to follow. It broke Ryou’s heart after all the kind and loving words Bakura had just showered upon him mere moments ago. All of those words would appear to mean nothing now.



Bakura was turning a frightening shade of red in part from the force of the peals of laughter that saturated the air around them in a sickening cloud. Bakura’s attention fell back on his light after a particularly nasty bout of raucous hilarity that was devoid of humor. Somehow, Bakura managed to speak through a few more misplaced chuckles that seethed with an underlining madness.



“Is that it now? Are there any other fucking revelations that are going to totally fuck with our lives some more? Are there some more nasty little gems that are on par with, oh, let’s name them off, shall we? There’s… fucking a woman and fathering a child I never knew existed. The mother even attempted to hunt my fucking ass down over a period of three thousand fucking years to cough up child support payments that are way past being considered delinquent. Oh, and then there’s the fucking whopper of them all! Having the best fucking, mind-blowing sex of both my miserable gods damned lives with my fucking grandson!”



Bakura stopped laughing abruptly and glared at Ryou with eyes of red.



“WELL?”



Ryou met his dark’s eyes and shook his head meekly, finding it difficult to speak.



“No, that’s it.”



With one last ironic snort of derision, Bakura declared, “Yeah, as if that wasn’t enough fucking baggage to carry! FUCK! I’m going for a swim.”



Feeling Bakura’s muscles tense, Ryou quickly backed off his dark just before Bakura leapt to his feet. Bakura’s gaze fell on the ocean, anywhere it would seem except on his light. Ryou was numb. He didn’t know what to say or what to do. He wasn’t sure if Bakura was angry at him, the unfortunate circumstances now surrounding their lives, or both. Ryou drew his long legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself and rested his chin on his knees looking forlorn. Just as he did when he was a child and found comfort in that comforting position when he was unsure of his current plight, he slowly began to rock himself to an attempt to sooth over the destruction his rampaging emotions were inflicting to his heart and soul. Ryou attempted to touch Bakura through the mind-link but was confronted with resistance. In a small voice, Ryou begged for reassurance from the one who was his world.



“Bakura? Please… talk to me?”



“Not now, Ryou.”



The response was neither encouraging as hoped nor out-and-out hostile as dreaded.

In fact, the words were spoken with no emotion at all. That chilled Ryou to the bone perhaps more than if Bakura had lashed out at him in anger and disgust.



“Please, Bakura… don’t walk away from me.” Ryou’s plea ended in barely a whisper.



In that same dead voice, Bakura said, “Give me some time to collect my thoughts.”



Bakura slammed his end of the mind-link shut from Ryou but before his dark had managed to put a lid on his true feelings, Ryou had felt the rage he knew would be present, boiling out of control just beneath the surface, getting ready to spill over the top. Ryou shut his eyes and buried his head in his legs, lengthening the motion of swaying back and forth to match the lamentation of his heart.



Bakura couldn’t look at his light, the skittish one who had learned to trust him, the gentle one he knew loved him unconditionally, the beautiful one who was of his own flesh and blood, the precious one he had seduced with words as well as with his body. Bakura had fucked him over real good both emotionally and physically. He needed to expend some energy before he went on a rampage and did himself some harm.



Bakura roughly stripped himself of his top, stepped over to one of the overnight bags, and opened it, stuffing the discarded shirt within. With his hand still buried in the bag, he rooted around and grabbed something. Toeing off his boots, he then slid his jeans off his frame, adding them to the contents of the bag.



Still in a daze and sensing movement, Ryou had dared to turn his face to the side to peer out from under unkempt bangs at his dark who was now standing behind him completely naked. In open adoration, Ryou’s eyes found themselves drinking in the beautiful body, the hard lines, and the once pale skin now tanned a light bronze. Bakura’s manhood hung large and proud between his legs in a mound of white curls that stood out all the more against the sun kissed skin.



Bakura turned around, baring his muscular ass as he bent down and lifted one leg at a time to slide on a blood red Speedo that traveled up long legs and over muscular thighs. Ryou was enraptured that Bakura would bother to wear a swim suit at all. Ryou noticed right away that the swimsuit was most definitely a thong, the hot red color perfect for his dark. The Speedo did its job showing off all that beautiful figure’s endowments, somehow managing to convince Ryou that the image portrayed before him, for his eyes only, was even sexier than if Bakura had gone swimming in the nude.



Bakura tucked in his goods, adjusted the backend of the swimsuit to his liking, and then spun around and strode off to the awaiting ocean. Ryou watched as Bakura stopped right at the waterline, allowing the gentle waves to break against his feet. Two or three gentle swells of water later, Bakura had sunk down in the wet sand to his ankles.



Bakura stood with his legs spread wide and his hands placed defiantly on his hips as if daring the ocean waters to claim him. He stood that way, unmoving, for a quite some time, long enough to give Ryou the idea to grab a pencil and a clean sheet of paper and to draw.



Now that Bakura had distance between himself and Ryou, with his back to his light, Bakura allowed his façade to crumble away. His face cracked, unmasked in a demented look of torment and fury that was directed upwards toward the very ones he held ultimately responsible for sponsoring the corruption of one who had been wholly innocent until he had been cursed with Bakura’s cancerous and lecherous soul. His eyes shot daggers up into the heavens. Bakura just hoped that the roar of the ocean would cover his own roar of anger and outrage. He took a deep cleansing breath, his lungs filled to capacity, his muscles clenched and then he bellowed.



“Is this your idea of a gods damn fucking joke? You bastards gave me a new body to fuck with me some more, didn’t you? Wasn’t fucking with me the first lifetime satisfying enough! Well… FUCK YOU! If I am to be condemned for my actions and my deeds, why the fuck did you have to give me the most innocent person on this god’s forsaken planet to fuck over? Why? You all fucking SUCK! What the fuck were you shitheads thinking? Haven’t I done enough fucking harm to my light? I guess mentally abusing him wasn’t enough! Oh, FUCK, NO!”



The pressure building within Bakura’s mind and body reached critical mass. Bakura sputtered and fumed, words waited their turn impatiently to spew molten and steaming from his mouth in the mother of all tirades.



“I was drawn to him! He made me feel real for the first time in either of my fucking lives! You let me be healed by him for fuck’s sake! He’s the one! He is the only one for me! He is the other half of my soul! I feel torn in half… I feel dead inside when his presence is absent from my mind! It doesn’t even fucking compare to having my soul ripped from my first body! At least that had been fucking painful! When I can’t caress his very essence in my mind, I feel numb… lifeless… unfeeling… fucking dead! FUCK!”



Bakura’s face contorted into an inhuman sneer as he continued to rage.



“I care for him more than life itself! I have always cared for him… always wanted him! I can’t just turn my feelings off for him! I cannot and I will not! I refuse! If I leave him because of what you fuckers have pulled, he will break for good this time and then he’ll die! The fucking truth of the matter is I don’t want to leave him for I will be nothing without him and be good as dead myself! I hate you all for meddling with his beautiful innocent soul and damning him because of me!”



In a false calmness, Bakura shook his head and pondered the irony of the situation.



“Three thousand years to be left to sit and stew in my personal swill of anger and hatred and I am saved by my own offspring whom I proceed to seduce and fuck! Go fucking figure! And the bitch of it all… I want him even now! Yeah, you heard that right, you fuckers! I want to march right back up to that fucking blanket and pound the ever loving fuck out of him so good and so hard he can’t walk for a fucking month and a half! Gotta make up for lost time! Fucking bastards! AND, WHAT I FEEL FOR HIM IS SO MUCH MORE THAN WANTING TO FUCK HIS BRAINS OUT! I FUCKING HATE YOU ALL!”



Bakura shook his fist in uncontrolled anger at the sky and charged at the surf, plunged into the next breaker, and swam with powerful strokes out to sea.



Ryou had sat on the beach blanket with his sketchbook, looking up occasionally but not really needing to for the image of his dark standing on the edge of the ocean in the sexy red swimsuit so godlike and defiant would forever be engraved in his mind. He had looked up more for reassurance that Bakura was still within easy sight.



A horrible feeling in the pit of Ryou’s stomach had a stranglehold on his emotions, clenching his gut without mercy and causing him physical discomfort. Ryou had been petrified that upon hearing the news that he had to share concerning their shared lineage that his dark would just pack up all their belongings, drive them home, and drop Ryou off on the doorstep, taking off, never to be seen or heard from again.



And, for some unknown reason, no tears were falling. All that was left was a bedraggled sense of hope. Ryou had begged and pleaded for Bakura to still want him. He clung to that scruffy bit of hope like his life depended on it, and perhaps it truly did. Maybe there was more hope than Ryou could have ever imagined since they were still stationed at their hidden haven and Bakura was at least still within eyeshot. Maybe Bakura just needed some time…



Ryou had looked up in time to see Bakura dive into the bluish green water and haul ass out to sea.



~~~ Be careful. ~~~



It was instinctual and automatic; Ryou sent his words of caution to his dark. He was not expecting a reply just like every morning and evening when Bakura had been gone and Ryou had sent his one-sided messages of love and his wish for Bakura’s return home. He was surprised when Bakura acknowledged him.



~ I will. Give me about a half hour – alone. I’ll let you know when I am on my way back. In the meantime, why don’t you get changed and join me when I return? The water is refreshing. ~



~~~ OK… I would like that. ~~~



Ryou smiled, the clenching feeling that had settled deep within his nerves and in the pit of his stomach suddenly disappeared. It would seem that Bakura was not disgusted enough with their situation to not want to be in Ryou’s company at least.



Ryou didn’t know how he felt about being related to Bakura. He really didn’t have much time to get used to the idea. Even when Shemeit had dropped the bomb on him that Ryou was alive because Shemeit and Bakura had had a son, he had broken down and cried when the meaning had hit him but he had not been given the luxury of time to think about the resounding implications when it came to his relationship with his dark. Ryou hadn’t remembered the dream, vision, or whatever it was to be termed when he had awoken the next morning.



Ryou had always been drawn to Bakura but had never felt a brotherly, fatherly, or grandfatherly – which was more the case – sort of affection towards his dark. The kind of feelings present within Ryou for Bakura had always been as one lover would have for another. It was the kind of elation that flourished when just being in the presence of the other set his heart aflutter, so overwhelming in its intensity.



But, the fact of the matter remained, Ryou was related by blood to Bakura, and for all intents and purposes, that made their relationship morally wrong in the eyes of the world. And, it should make it wrong to Ryou but no matter how Ryou continued to view the situation, he found he could not make himself feel disgusted or ashamed by his feelings of affection for his dark or more poignantly the fact that those feelings also involved a strong sexual yearning for Bakura. Holy God! Watching Bakura disrobe, standing naked before him, and donning that sinful bathing suit had made a lump settle in Ryou’s throat along with the sizeable lump that had stirred between his legs.



Ryou could not deny his feelings for Bakura nor did he want to throw away the relationship he had with his dark because of a fucked up technicality outside of his control. Besides… if what they said while Ryou had thought he was dreaming was true… on the night that Ryou had been given the choice by them… when Bakura had been given a second chance at life with a new body because of Ryou… it did not seem like Ryou was being condemned by them… and they had known of Ryou’s ulterior motives for there had been no hiding his desires…and they had seemed to approve or at least understand…



Ryou’s thoughts swirled in a flurry of pros and cons, dos and don’ts, and rights and wrongs. His eyes scanned the surface of the water where he had last seen the telltale signs of Bakura’s snow white hair floating on the swells of the sea. Ryou tried not to worry but when he could not physically locate signs of his dark, Ryou began to fidget. He meticulously drew the remaining finishing touches of his sketch of Bakura before carefully placing his sketchbook and pencils away in his book bag He stood up and paced in front of the blanket, scanning the waves for his dark.



Ryou sighed; wishing like hell Bakura would contact him already. He thought he saw a flash of white bobbing amongst the backdrop of the ocean when a dark sexy voice melted his worry away.



~ I’m heading in. Do you have your sexy little blue bathing suit on, my light, or are you going to join me naked? ~



That’s when the tears that Ryou had thought had been all cried, started to flow freely from his eyes. With blissful longing, Ryou closed his eyes against all hope and in a breathless voice across their bond, he asked his question.



~~~ You still want me? ~~~



There was a slight pause where Ryou held his breath awaiting the answer.



~ There was never a question, precious one. Of course I still want you, but I will understand if the implications of your message have given you second thoughts. So, I must ask in return, do you still want me? ~



Ryou leapt into the air, no longer capable of containing his joy.



~~~ Yes, Bakura! Oh, yes! I told you my feelings for you would not change! ~~~



Bakura nearly drowned with the sudden rush of euphoria that flooded the mind-link. He sent his own comforting waves of relief and happiness to his light.



~ I am thankful for that because if you had a problem with our ‘situation’, for lack of a better word, I would have to leave you for good. ~



A sudden panic overrode the feelings of joy across the bond.



~~~ What? ~~~



Bakura reached out with his mind and caressed his light.



~ Easy does it, precious one. I did not say that to frighten you, but it does need to be said. Even starting off with the best of intentions, I know for a fact that I would not be able to keep my hands off of you if we were to attempt to live in a completely platonic relationship. I’ve fucked with your head for too many long years to allow myself to even suggest that I could live as a brother with you, especially if you could believe it. That’s all you would need is to have me tearing through your bedroom door one night to fuck you into your mattress. I could not fuck with your emotions and mind like that. Nor do I need to add rape to my vast list of misconduct… ~



~~~ I could not bear to live as a brother with you anyway. You’d drive me fucking crazy. Besides, as I once told you, you can’t rape the willing, Bakura. ~~~



Bakura smiled across the link when he was bombarded with pure elation once again.



~ Get that pretty ass out here so I can touch you and talk to you in person. ~



Quickly, Ryou dropped down to his knees in the sand and opened the overnight bag that he had carried from the Jeep. Sure enough, right on top of a few changes of clothing taken from Ryou’s drawers and closet from home was his blue Speedo that he wore when swimming at the gym. Ryou began to undress.



~ Send me a visual of you stripping for me, my naughty one… ~



~~~ You are insufferable. ~~~



~ I can’t help it if I like to see your beautiful, naked, aroused body… You make me so fucking hard and horny… ~



~~~ You sound winded or are you just hyperventilating because of my beautiful, naked, nearly aroused body? ~~~



~ Possibly both… ~



~~~ You were pretty… pissed off when you left me stranded on the beach all alone. Did you work out all your frustrations? ~~~



~ I’m sorry, precious one. Once again I fucked up. My anger was not directed at you. In answer to your question… there are still a number of frustrations I could not take care of to my utmost satisfaction on my own... ~



~~~ I’m sure I can help you with whatever continues to ail you… ~~~



~ I hope that is a promise, precious one… ~



~~~ Oh, it is… most definitely… ~~~



Ryou glanced out at the water as he pulled up his swimsuit, tucking in his manhood that was beginning to show signs of interest at the conversation he was having with his dark. Ryou could now make out perfectly his dark’s head of white hair as Bakura make his way steadily towards shore with sure strokes.



~~~ Do you just want to come in and rest? ~~~



~ No, the water is too perfect. I’m coming in closer to shore then I think I will do as you like to do… I’m going to float and let the waters take me where they will. Join me. ~



~~~ I’ll be right there. ~~~



~ Don’t forget, you need sunscreen, my light. ~



~~~ I’ll be OK. ~~~



~ Oh, no. You are not going to burn in the infernal rays of the sun. You are going to burn with passion and your ass is going to be on fire when I am through fucking you but the sun will not fry your lovely white skin. The bottle of sunscreen is in the side pocket of your overnight bag. Put it on. ~



Ryou sighed, snatching the bottle of sunscreen from the exact location that Bakura had named. He began to slather the heavy thick lotion that smelled of coconuts and exotic locales on his exposed skin.



~~~ You have always looked out for me… made me feel safe… and wanted. ~~~



~ As I will continue to do… as long as you wish it. ~



~~~ With all my heart I wish it… always… ~~~



~ Then there is no problem as far as I can see… ~



~~~ So, it doesn’t bother you, Bakura… that we are related no matter how distant? This doesn’t change anything? ~~~



~ Even with all the incredible news you shared with me, I do not feel any differently. I can’t. If that is wrong, then I will burn slowly in each of the known hells and any unidentified ones. ~



~~~ Do you feel a connection, Bakura… to me? ~~~



~ I always have… as soon as you touched the Ring and I was aware of your presence, I yearned for you. I just didn’t recognize it at the time. ~



~~~ I know we had talked briefly about it especially the night that we first… when I gave myself to you… and later on when you carved our names in each other’s palms… everything I told you about wanting you, needing you, I felt that as soon as I sensed your mind enter mine when I first accepted the Ring. Is that wrong? ~~~



~ We compliment each other, my Ryou. You are the half that is missing within me as I am what his missing within you. I truly believe we were made for each other. I think that being blood related has little bearing. It is more than that. As I told you earlier you could be in any form that the gods or your God gave you on this earth and I would not rest until I found you and made you mine. ~



Ryou approached the water feeling the gentle rocking motion of the waves at his feet, brushing his ankles. He could clearly make out his dark floating on his back with the tides. Bakura’s eyes were closed as he lounged in the waters, allowing the forces to gently carry him where they willed. Ryou gazed longingly at this dark. Taking a few more steps out to meet the ocean, letting the warm waters embrace his waist, Ryou slipped beneath the waters and swam to his destiny.
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