Bakura
[timeline: sometime after Otherworld 4]
Bakura was bent over his books, trying to study, but very aware of the woman watching him. The beautiful woman who had changed his life twice -- once when she brought him to her Castle, and then again when she bound him to her.
Aara. The Princess of Otherworld.
Why had she chosen him? All her other males where so handsome, some even beautiful, but he was a monster! It made no sense.
"A penny for your thoughts."
"A penny?" He raised an eyebrow.
"It's a saying from the Human World that Kurama uses. A penny is a coin." She had been watching him trying to work. "You seemed like your head was filled with deep thoughts so I was wondering what you were thinking about."
The mage blushed which darkened his skin to a dark blue. He lowered his eyes. His hideous eyes! Blood red surrounded by yellow! How could she even stand to look at him?
"Well???"
"I … I… was just trying to figure this out." He stammered.
"You know, for a mage you are a terrible liar."
Bakura looked at her, then put down his books, and went to the bed, sitting beside her. "Princess..."
"Yes, Mage."
"I was trying to understand … well … why me?"
"Why you what?"
"Why did you bring me here? To the Castle?"
"Because you were one of the most powerful mages around."
"But there were other mages. And there was more. Remember what you said on the day when you first met me..."
For many years now, Youko Kurama had been her only male and Otherworld desperately needed more power to protect its lands. There were several mages living in Demon World that might be interested in coming to Otherworld, with the promise of a tower of their own and a safe place to study. Youko had sent invitations to each of them to come to the Castle and meet the Princess and five of them had accepted the offer. The first four ranged from not very powerful to medium powerful, but would serve nicely, gaining power with study and time. But the Princess did not seem interested in them, telling each of them that she would give them an answer soon. They left promising to come back the moment they were chosen.
Shortly afterward, another mage arrived, this one uninvited -- a healer mage from Otherworld. He had heard the about the invitations and thought he might be able to help in a different way -- not with power but with his healing skills. His name was Kaiba and he offered to help but without being bound, fearing that her power would suppress his own. Aara liked him instantly and offered him a home, which he accepted and she built him a tower on the south corner of the Castle.
A month later, the fifth mage finally arrived. He was dressed a black hooded robe, which covered everything. His hands were gloved and his feet booted. They could see nothing of the mage himself at all. He bowed before her and offered his services, and like Kaiba, also requested not to be bound.
"Tell me about yourself." The Princess asked.
His voice was muffled by the hood which hung down low over his face. "I am from the Northern Lands of Demon World. I live in the high mountains by myself."
"Do you have a name?"
"Bakura."
"Why do you want to live in Otherworld?"
"The mage that is chosen will get a tower of his own and a home here in the Castle. I would like that. I have been alone all my life." The last words were said with no inflection but Aara could feel the pain behind them.
"Let me look at you."
"I would prefer not to have you look on my countenance."
"So you are to live here and no one is to ever see you?" Aara said in amazement.
"Yes."
She reached for his hand, taking the black gloved fingers into her own small hand, and whispered. "Please, Bakura, for me."
"I am a monster."
"I do not think so. I can sense your feelings and there is no evil here. Your heart is good."
"My face is not."
"Please." She looked at him steadily, almost as if she could see past the hood, straight into his heart.
"Most scream in terror. My own mother did."
"I am not most."
He stared back for a moment, "No, you are not."
And then he pulled back his hood, revealing light blue skin marred with black geometric lines -- demon markings. He raised his eyes -- his terrible red and yellow eyes! -- and she never flinched. Not the slightest movement.
Instead, the beautiful Princess of Otherworld smiled. "You are not a monster. You are beautiful."
That day changed his life forever. A second tower was built on the north corner for him, and he found that no one in the Castle seemed to mind his looks. Perhaps a maid or guard when seeing him for the first time, but after that they simply accepted him. Kaiba became his best friend. And the Princess -- his savior! He fell in love with her the instant that she smiled. And remained silently in love while she took five other males, and then when a being of her own kind appeared and the bindings transferred to her twin daughters: Vara, who was loving and kind like her mother and who returned her three males to Aara, and Ashara, who betrayed them all.
Then because he was kind to Mirago, Kaiba's apprentice, a second miracle happened. Aara grew jealous of his attention to the girl. And in order not to lose him -- as if there was a chance of that! -- bound him to her forever. He became her fourth male.
But even bound to his Princess, he still thought himself hideous. If his own mother could not bear to look upon him and had refused to even nurse him -- how could he not be a monster?
Aara summoned Kurama and Hiei to her study and, behind closed doors, gave them on a mission: find Bakura's mother and to bring her to Otherworld. She knew that his mother was the key to his healing. Perhaps if she saw how her son had turned out, she would realize that he was not terrifying.
Kurama and Hiei set out immediately, going to the White Tower and then Jaal used her traveling mirror to put them at the outskirts of the village where Bakura was born.
The village was small and poor, the houses in disrepair and the food scarce. Demon World was always gave a hard living, but this village seemed even worse than most. The inhabitants were a mix of demons, mostly B and C class, but there were a few higher class demons among them. Kurama sought out the elder of the village, a Lynx demon who well advanced in age.
"Hail, Lord Kurama and Lord Hiei!" The Lynx greeted the pair, for Otherworld had helped them during the Three Worlds War and demons have long memories, for both good and evil.
"Hail, Sir." Kurama replied. "Forgive me, but I do not know your name.
"There is no reason that you should! I have done nothing worthy of remembrance. But if you wish it, I will give it -- my name is Loral."
"I do wish it, and I will remember it from now on -- and call you friend." Kurama replied in the same formal manner.
Hiei raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He always thought that these types of complex greetings were silly and time consuming. A demon either ate you or he fed you. It was a simple as that.
Loral fed them.
After dinner, Kurama told the elder of his purpose. He thought for a moment. "Bakura, you say? I can't remember anyone by that name being born here."
"He is a blue mage with black demon markings. Now, the fourth male of the Princess of Otherworld."
"I remember a blue babe being born more than a hundred years ago. It was very sad, it was."
"Sad?"
"Yes, the girl was so young and the father came the day after the child's birth and took him from her. She sobbed for days."
"That is not the story as we know it. I heard that the girl was horrified by the child and refused to nurse him."
"Never heard that tale. The girl didn't care what color he was -- but she was not mated and the babe's father was a powerful mage."
"Where can I find this mage?" Kurama asked, his brow furrowing. Was everything that Bakura had come to believe merely lies fed to him by his demon father?
"He used to live in the keep in the foothills of yonder mountain, but about seventy odd years ago, he went to the Southern Lands and became the mage of that Ruler. Haven't heard from him since."
"He worked for Yomi?"
"Well, I guess so, if he was the Lord at that time. Small out-of-the-way villages don't get many visitors with news."
"Is he the mage that Shido killed?" Hiei asked.
"He might very well be." Kurama then turned to Loral, who had a puzzled look on his face, and explained about Yomi stealing the Blood Demon females and how Otherworld helped Shido get them back and how he became the Southern Lord after killing Yomi and his mage. "What was the mage's name? I never knew."
"He was named Raku. He had long white hair, I remember that. But he rarely came into the village and had little to do with us. Just the girl - she was very pretty and he took a fancy to her. I don't think he bothered with romance -- probably either spelled her or raped her -- either way he got her with child and then he took it as soon as it was born. He was a cruel mage -- can't say that I'm sorry to hear that he's dead."
"Is the girl still alive?"
"Yes, if alive you can call it. She never got over losing her baby. Never mated, never had any other children, became sort of a phantom. Just appears in the woods every now and then. No one knows where she lives -- or even how she survives. She looks like a wild animal -- torn and dirty clothing, her hair wild and her eyes strange -- vacant."
"Where does she appear?"
"Usually between here and the keep. No one has ever gone to the keep since the mage left it. Everyone is afraid of it. Evil place!"
"And her name?"
"Kijo"
Kurama thanked Loral for his help and then Kurama and Hiei turned in. Loral had given them his best room -- which was his own for there were none better -- and he refused to take no for an answer. In the morning, they would search for Kijo. Hiei would be in charge of the search, much better at locating people than Kurama was. Once she was found, Kurama would approach her -- if she ran, he would try to ensnare her in a vine.
As predicted, Hiei found her. She was in the ruins of the keep. The keep had partially fallen down and the most of the walls were destroyed. Along opposite ends of the keep stood partial walls with two flights of narrow stairs that ran up to a second floor. When Kijo saw them, she fled in terror. Loral was right -- she had reverted to almost a wild animal.
"Take the left and circle around her and I'll go right." Kurama said to Hiei.
Kijo was fast and knew her way around the dangerous ruins. Obviously she had been living here for many years. Kurama stumbled over uneven floors and almost fell. "I think Youko might fare better here!" He thought and changed to his demon form. He swiftly sped through the keep and soon found Kijo. She screamed when she saw him and bolted up the narrow stairs. He ran up them after her. He caught up with her at the edge of the second floor. Emptiness was behind her, for the wall had fallen many years ago. Youko held out his hand, talking softly, trying to get her to come to him. But she backed up to the very edge.
Hiei arrived on the other side of the scene and he called out when he saw Youko Kurama. "No, Kurama. Raku had white hair -- you are scaring her even more in that form!"
Kurama quickly changed to his human form, but it was too late. Kijo either lost her balance or had backed up even more when she saw him change and fell.
"NOOOOooooo!" Kurama cried as he ran to the edge. Kijo lay still far below him; she had been on the back wall of the keep and had dropped to the jagged rocks below.
Quickly the two demons made their way to her broken body. She was still alive, but barely.
"We've got to get her to Kaiba!" Kurama said as he picked her up and together the pair went back to the Jaal's mirror and then to Otherworld.
Kaiba came out of the room, his face grim. He looked at Kurama and shook his head. "Her injuries are too severe. She is bleeding from a hundred places internally. There is nothing more I can do for her."
Kurama nodded. He felt very guilty -- how stupid of him to change into the very thing that she was terrified of. Even Hiei saw that it was wrong. From the corner of his eye he saw movement and looked up to see Aara approaching with Bakura. She had told the mage what Kurama had discovered and what had happened.
"I'm so sorry, Bakura." Kurama said as the mage drew closer.
"It was not your fault. And you found the truth of my birth. For that I am grateful." He turned to Kaiba. "May I see her?"
"Yes, but there is not much time."
Bakura went into the room, with Aara and Kaiba following. In the center of the large bed was a small woman, her black hair tangled and filthy, her body thin and wasted. What a terrible life she must have led! He sat next to her and took a small hand in his own. "Mother…"
Kijo opened her eyes and saw the blue mage. "My baby!" she whispered. "My beautiful baby."
Tears misted Bakura's eyes and he held her hand tighter. "Yes, Mother, I'm here."
She seemed to come out of her fog a little more, and her eyes focused. "You have grown into such a handsome man! I knew you would come back to me if I waited long enough."
Then her eyes fluttered shut and she gave a long sigh. Her face relaxed into a peaceful countenance. Kaiba put his hand on her chest. "She is gone."
Tears ran down Bakura's face unchecked and Aara slipped her arms around his shoulders. "She is at peace now. She found her son and that was all she wanted. She never stopped loving you."
Bakura nodded, his throat closed with emotion and leaned against his Princess, but he didn't let go of his mother's hand.
Kijo was buried in the far gardens and a statue of a mother holding a child was placed over her grave.
Bakura visited it every day, always placing a single white rose on it. The color of purity. For her love was pure and undying.
Sometimes he could feel her spirit next to him, happy that she had finally found her son.
He looked up at the blue sky above him and held up his hand. He smiled. The sky was almost the same color as his own skin. And it was beautiful! Bakura took off his hooded robe and let it fall to the ground next to his mother's grave. He was finally free from the shame of his birth.