Chapter one
Winter, the season where water is frozen as ice and snow begins to fall. Kids love watching the snow, daring to count the falling liquid and coating there hands in it as they curiously put their arms out the windows. That's how winter would be in a fairytale, full of snow and children singing, in reality children think only of the presents at Christmas and the snow which falls is never really admired, homeless people get sick and beg for shelter and everyone is busy giving rushed written cards to there loved ones. There was one person who did admire the season greatly though, every Christmas he would carefully decorate the apartment he lived in, a ring of flowers on the front of his door, the banners in the living room, the tinsel which hung from each corner, the Christmas tree which sat next to the television lit up beautifully, on the top sat a homemade dove. Most families had an angel or a star but not this boy; he had a dove with a small parcel in it mellow beak, it arms out spread and it's quill coated in black feathers, he had read somewhere that an angel had been falling from the sky, it's wings chained, and it's arms outspread, but by fate a dove was resting in a tree when the angel reached it's view, it quickly flew from the tree and approached the falling angel, when it reached, the dove peaked at the rusty locks and freed the angel. Now every year the young boy put a dove on, in hope that one day the dove would give back his wings to and he could fly up to his sister in the sky and give him the one present that he was never able to give her.
It was night on Christmas Eve, the windows were shut and the door was bolted up like usual, a large model of 'monster world' sat on a medium sized table and small figures trapped behind glass frame. No light was shown, not even the usually lit up Christmas tree, everything was silent and still the house seemed empty to those who listened but to those who looked you could see the young Ryo Bakura lying down on a small bed, the blanket tangled and his toes peaking from the end of the fabric, there was but one pillow under his head and then long beautiful lavender hair took the rest of the bed up,
His eyes were closed but gently flicking as if he was in a trance, his arms laid neatly beside him but his hands clenched the mattress as if in comfort, his face drunk in the streetlight and soft panting was quiet but heard.
"B…Bakura?" He spluttered, his face drained of more colour.
He let out a small cry then adverted his head to the left.
"S…stop it, what are you doing?" he whimpered, his nails dug deeper into the mattress. In his dream he could see a knife and the ropes which coiled around his wrists like snakes, Bakura stood there with a evil grin on his face looking pleased, then he stood forward and raised the knife to Ryou's wrists.
The pale teen let out a pleading cry but the older white blond just raised one finger to his mouth and hushed him.
"Shh… why so sad my precious? Why do you cry and plead? You know you love it when I hurt you." The thief said, the knife was digging into the younger boys arm and red liquid sparkled down, then in a quick flash the knife cut a deep cut into his wrist, Ryou tried to scream but was cut off when a hand was caught over his mouth.
"Why scream? Nobody loves you," Bakura whispered his eyes tracing the pale blonds body in quick disgust but also pain.
"Your sister, and your mother they abandoned you, left you here so they could die, and what of your father he left on a so called mission in Egypt, and when was that… three years ago?" The thief hissed cutting more fiercely into the other wrist.
Ryou was now whimpering tears sliding down his cheeks.
Then his eyes snapped open to the cries of someone screaming 'Merry Christmas' (1)
He quickly shut the curtains and waited in the dark, he would wait 'till sunrise ignoring the blooded knife (2) and the blood that still dripped from his wrists.
He waited until 6pm before passing out. He was alone.
Marik Ishtar made his way out of the airport, his sister and brother behind him; over his shoulder he held a backpack full of various manga's and clothes, he was going to enjoy living in Japan, he had already told Yuugi about his stay and the small boy was well to say happy would be an understatement. He had already enjoyed Japan; the people on the plane were kind and even gave him food. Isis didn't enjoy it though, she kept growling at people to leave her alone as she was stuck in the bathroom for nearly the whole day.
A various couple turned to him and wished him a Merry Christmas.
Marik just blinked in response, the couple blushed as he spoke out in Japanese.
"Sorry!" the British couple spluttered before walking off.
Marik watched after them then mumbled the words in fluke English.
"Mary chrismus?" he whispered to himself trying the new taste of these words in his mouth, he then smiled.
"That must mean 'hello,'" he cheered, Isis sighed then put her arm up for a coach.
Ryo Bakura woke up late that morning feeling rusty. He groaned and sat up, raising his wrist to wipe his eyes, instead it stopped midway before he noticed that there was dry blood up his wrists, he sighed to himself then walked to his bathroom and washed the blood off. The clear liquid turning to a screaming crimson, he washed at his wrists until the dry blood was gone but still he scrubbed his wrists with the soap and in time it began to hurt. He stopped when his arm had turned a scabby pink; he was now looking at his reflection. He was the sad British boy who no one loved, the boy who was always the one to merge with the background, and become a blur of something forgotten. He might be an angel but he was forgotten.
Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door.
"Open up this is the police!" a familiar voice yelled, Ryou hesitated before limping over to the door and opening it, there stood a smiling Joey (3) and Yuugi carrying presents.
"Merry Christmas Reeee-you!" Joey sang plunking his lips and closing his eyes.
Yuugi laughed but then stopped as he noticed his pale friends wrist.
"Ryou!" Yuugi cried before rushing inside to get a bandage, Ryou blushed and quickly stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"What'd you do man?" Joey gasped yanking Ryou's wrists from his pockets and examining the large cuts.
"I cut them…" Ryou mumbled, Joey looked up wide eyed and opened his mouth.
"… On accident you know how clumsily I am!" The pale teen finished quickly before letting out a forced laugh, the blond didn't look as if he believed him but went into side and went hunting for his present. Ryou laughed then pointed to Joey's present, which was carefully wrapped and placed on the coffee table, Joey began opening it when Yuugi ran back in and started to wrapped the bandages around Ryou's wrists,
Ryou whimpered remembering the ropes but managed to smile at Joey as he begged Ryou or Yuugi to put on the necklace, Ryou had to do it as Yuugi was to short but he did it carefully so the little dog (Joey thought it was a cat) wouldn't break, Yuugi opened his after and gasped when he saw the remade version of monster world bored game, that left Ryou's presents.
Joey Handed him it, it was carelessly wrapped but Ryou still opened it as if it was made out of gold, when he unwrapped it his eyes filled with tears, there he, Yuugi, Joey, Tea, Tristion, Marik, Isis, Odion, Duke, Mokuba and Kabia were, this was taken straight after there adventures ended, Duke, Isis and Joey were smiling, Yuugi and Tea were smiling but they looked more forced probably from losing the pharaoh, Odion was striking a casual pose, Mokuba and Kabia were smirking, and he was there in a headlock with Marik who was laughing. The real Ryou blushed and at the memory but smiled all the same not allowing the tears to fall, the frame was coated in sand and shells and looked like it took hours to do.
"Me and Yug made it ours!" Joey said proudly beating his chest like a gorilla.
Ryou put it down and hugged his two friends before they watched a film but ended up going to the game shop.
"So where is Yuugi and Joey now?" Marik asked Yugi's grandpa who was sweeping the dirt away from the shop like he did every Monday expect this time he had a new broom.
"Last time I heard he was going to a friends house." Chuckled the old man sweeping more madly at the dirt. Marik rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Oh well, tell Yuugi I stopped by." He said before turning and bumping right into the boy himself.
"Hey Marik!" Yuugi chirped after recovering, Marik bowed in respect and only looked up when he saw another pair of shoes.
"Joey!" Marik gasped hugging the blond (4.
Joey grinned.
"Hey where's my bow you dumb blond!" He laughed; Marik smirked before slowly bowing keeping his head low.
"Hey… you…. Guys!" another voice panted, Marik slowly looked up and for a moment the sun blocked the persons face but when it removed itself. Marik found himself looking up into the most perfect person, the person he dreamed of in the night, the person's name he whispered at night, the person he wished to hold again.
Ryou Bakura.
"You remember our friend Ryou Bakura?" Yuugi asked. Marik nodded then bowed again but only to hide the blush.
'Oh yes I remember you'
Kitten: first chapter done, some was thrown in there. Please read and reviews! Please? And merry Christmas.
1: well at Christmas or New Year I always scream it out.
2: well it seemed a little odd that his wrists just bled from a knife in a dream so he cut his own wrists without knowing it, you know like in those movies.
3: I can't spell Joey's Japanese name and I'm so used to calling him Joey.
4: well I noticed that Marik has a stronger bond with Joey than Yuugi so there you go.
