Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. Yami, on the other hand... (Joking, joking... -beats back lawyers-)
Summary: AU- Ryou's father discovers that his son has changed and is acting... strangely in his absense. What does he do? I think we all know this won't end well.
A/N: Hey, guys! Yes, another new story. I'm very enthused about this one- it's going to be great.
Some things that need to be explained…
1. In this story, Ryou did get the Millennium Ring containing Bakura (Yami Bakura). However, that is where the original story line stops and mine begins. This includes other YGO characters as well.
2. No yaoi. Sorry, guys.
3. I made up the name for Bakura's father. I'm sure he has one, but I couldn't find it. ;; I hope you like the name 'Seiko'.
4. Hint: Go look up the meaning of his name. Also be sure to look up what Horus represents so you know why it's mentioned as scruffy-looking later in the chapter.
5. There will be a sort of 'theme song' for every chapter. I find that this really helps the reader to understand what's going on, what emotions are running high, and what might happen next. The theme song for this chapter is "Unwell" by Matchbox 20.
(Cliché, I know. Come on, it's the name of the fic and it fits perfectly. Work with me here. The songs will get better.)
-Aithril
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Unwell
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Are you sure you're not crazy?
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"Hey! I'm back!"
No reply.
"Ryou? You there, buddy?"
Nothing.
His father, Seiko Bakura, shrugged. Must be out somewhere...
He strode around the corner and deposited his coat in the hall closet.
... wait a minute.
He retraced his steps and stared.
On the kitchen counter was a statue. It looked Egyptian, and he guessed it to be Ra. But next to it was another- Osiris. Who was next to him? Ma'at! And on it went, a whole line of gods that patiently sat in a neat row on the marble countertop like soldiers waiting for the go-ahead. All the figurines were in prime condition and looked to be carefully cared for… except for Horus, the god to the very left. He seemed a bit beat up. But the real question was…
Why were they in the kitchen?
Seiko wandered into the living room, head swerving to and fro in wonder. An old Egyptian tablet was resting next to a lamp that flickered like a torch when he turned it on. All across the walls hung pictures of tombs, treasure, and pyramids.
Either Ryou's interests have changed... or he's scored a
very obsessed girlfriend.Then he spotted it- something normal! A black leather couch squatted in front of the television. So that's what he bought with the money I sent him...
There was only one thing missing... but he didn't have to look very hard.
Something glinted gold in the corner of his vision and he turned towards it, not in the least surprised at what he saw.
Leaning in the corner was a solid gold sarcophagus. How did he know?
He tried to lift it and nearly broke his back.
Oh my... God.
A real coffin. A real one. Not a fake plastic one, a real one. He was too afraid to open it and check, but the evidence was there all right. Where had Ryou gotten this? Was it stolen, perhaps? The images of crazy people partying in his apartment and drawing with sharpie markers on his walls increased as he walked into his son's bedroom. It was painted black on one side and light blue on the other.
What kind of color clash is this? Easter-themed Oreos?
Ryou's bed was unmade, something completely unlike him. Seiko frowned. Not only that, but all the sheets were bunched in the middle as if two people had climbed out either side...
A small white night table on the blue side of the room supported some type of stand. What could it be for? Seiko had no idea.
His mouth was dry with... surprise? Apprehension? He wasn't sure. But he needed a drink. After closing the door behind him, he made his way to the kitchen and pulled a glass out of the cabinet. While the water level rose to the brim, he suddenly noticed a small slip of paper taped near the phone:
Marik- 03 9284 0294
Marik, huh?
Seiko hesitated, set the glass on the counter, then snatched up the phone with a firm resolve. If he was going to unravel the sudden change in his son, he had to start somewhere- and what better place than with his friends? He dialed the number with the slightest of trembling.
It picked up.
"- the fuck are you doing? I told you not to touch that! Stop laughing! For the love of Ra, just put it down and-" There was a fumbling noise as the phone was dropped on the other end. "Sorry, hello?"
Ryou's father was too dumbfounded to say anything.
"Hello? Anyone there?"
Seiko slammed down the phone and backed away from it, breathing heavily. What had happened to the nice kids Ryou used to associate himself with? How did he ever come to know that psycho anyway?
He took a long gulp of water to calm himself.
Calm down. Be logical.
He glanced around.
It's not like you can just go watch TV after that. Go see what else your son has hoarded in this apartment.
The only room left in the apartment was the bathroom, so he crossed the hall and opened the door, glancing in. There were lovely scenes of crocodiles eating people in the Nile, riveting battles between gracefully crafted ships, and a bathmat with a creepy golden eye symbol.
Wonderful.
He was about to leave when he did a double take. A red stain shone faintly around the sink and he peered closer in fascinated horror. Was that...
... blood?
WHAM!
The front door slammed and he jumped six feet in the air. Sometime on the way down, he decided he didn't want to see his son changed. Skidding into the hallway, he frantically looked left and right. He could hear Ryou talking, and didn't want to be found.
So he dove into the closet.
He pulled the door closed until there was only a half-inch length of vision through which he could see the front door, the kitchen, and into Ryou's bedroom.
The boy seemed to be talking to someone as he kicked open the door, judging by the way it slammed into the wall. "-yes, I know."
Pause.
"I didn't mean to, honestly."
Pause.
"Well, how was I supposed to know I would trip and it would pop out of my shirt like that?"
Must be on a cell phone.
Seiko remembered he was supposed to be checking if any change had come upon Ryou himself... he opened his eyes and peered sideways through the horizontal crack.
His son looked about five years older though it had only been a year and a half since Seiko's last visit. He was wearing a blue and white striped t-shirt, a light blue trench coat, and plain jeans. Relieved to see him wearing slightly normal clothing, the father watched as he carried an armful of groceries to the table, staring at a point near the refrigerator the whole time.
Finally the boy sighed. "I know, I know. It'll be hidden better the next time I go out. And I'll watch my feet." He started putting away the perishables.
Forehead wrinkling, Seiko pressed his eye against the strip of light.
A really tiny cell phone.
Ryou suddenly laughed and pushed back the soft locks of hair that covered his ears. Seiko looked carefully.
Nothing.
What the…?
Still chuckling, Ryou reached out to midair and closed his arms around something. If there had been a person there, it could have been considered a hug.
But there wasn't!
Was there?
"Look, I'm sorry, all right?" He released the 'person' and stepped back, still grinning. "Hey, d'you want some lunch?" Seiko watched as he turned towards the fridge and pulled out a can of something.
"I forgot earlier, but I wanted some tuna fish today. Care to try some?"
His son was crazy.
"Oh, come on! Fish is considered meat."
Pause.
"No, no blood involved."
Pause. He sighed. "Fine, I'll just make some for myself. Do you know-"
The phone interrupted with a shrill, excited cry. Seiko stiffened.
Oh no.
"I'll get it." Ryou caught the phone neatly in one hand and pinned it to the side of his head while he opened the can. "Hello?"
Pause.
"Hi, Marik."
Pause.
"No, I didn't just call you."
Pause.
"Are you sure?"
Pause.
"Ok. Bye." He sounded nervous.
Great, now he was terrifying his own son.
Ryou hung up and turned away, his brow creased in puzzlement.
"Marik thought I called," he explained to the something - or someone, Seiko thought, terrified- and continued chattering on about nonsense, the tuna forgotten.
Starting towards the bedroom, Ryou suddenly stopped and stared.
His door was shut.
"Did you- ?"
At once, he looked more confident and grim. "I didn't."
Pause.
"Calm down, baka. If there's anyone here, I'll find them."
Seiko was white as a sheet when Ryou's head snaked back and forth, listening for something. Upon realizing this, of course, the father tensed and starting breathing shallowly.
Every breath might be too loud.
Shit. There's a crazy person in the house and- and-
It's my son.
"Act natural," he murmured inaudibly to himself. Ryou's head whipped around in surprise as Seiko emerged from the hall closet.
His demeanor changed in an instant. "Father?" Those soft brown eyes of his crinkled in worry, then lit with wary delight. "How did- when did you- why were you in the closet?" he eventually decided to ask.
Seiko smiled nervously. "I came here from my flight about an hour ago and took a nap in my room with my jacket still on." His head bobbled back and forth, trying to force a bit of how-silly-of-me humor into the situation.
Ryou wasn't buying it.
Grinning foolishly, the father trudged on. "I woke up when I heard you talking on the phone to someone- so I was just hanging up my jacket."
They both knew the time lapse from the point Ryou had arrived to when Seiko made his appearance wasn't plausible to this explanation at all.
"Ah." his son said cautiously. "So- so you were asleep?" He had to check.
Seiko knew. "Yes, until a few minutes ago." He kept his tone light.
"That's fine then." Ryou tried to visibly relax. "How was your trip?" He motioned for them to sit down on the leather couch.
His father accepted, but perched tensely on the edge. Ryou raised an eyebrow. It looked like he was prepared to explode into motion should the need for it arrive.
"Ryou, I want to hear about you- are you ok?"
He was tossed an unbelievably overdramatic look. "Yes, I'm fine."
"How's school? Anyone picking on you?"
A faint smile ghosted over his lips. "No. No one picks on me anymore."
Seiko gave up and plowed on right to the point. "Look, I lied a bit. I wasn't asleep. Who were you talking to earlier?"
His son looked properly puzzled. "On the phone. A friend. His name is Marik-"
"Not him," his father said impatiently, leaning closer in earnestness. "When you had just came in. Who were you talking to then?"
Ryou played with a string hanging off the couch's stitching. "On a mini headset- with my cell phone. To a friend." he added hastily, his eyes darting from Seiko's to the floor.
The father took a deep breath. "You weren't."
Swallowing heavily, Ryou finally said, "Yes. Yes I was. I-"
"You weren't." Seiko said it again. He sounded more frightened than accusatory now.
Ryou stared. There wasn't much to argue that with. "I wasn't." he agreed lamely.
"What were you- who- do you see someone, Ryou?"
"What?"
"Do you- do you ever see something that isn't real?"
"No." He could say that confidently enough.
His father was near hysterics.
He won't even admit that his invisible things aren't real! Oh God! What am I supposed to do now?
"Then who do you talk to?"
Ryou swallowed again. "Myself." It was true enough, to be sure.
"Yourself!"
"Yes…"
"Yourself!" Seiko repeated, not believing it. "Don't lie to me!" He banged a fist on the coffee table, making his son flinch. "Tell me the truth!"
He was about to say more when a horrified look came into Ryou's eyes. A struggle of emotions played out- displays of rage and fear fought for control. He watched in fascination as rage won the battle.
"You want the truth?" Ryou's voice quivered and rasped harshly across Seiko's eardrums.
"Yes." he said, after a moment, wide-eyed.
Fear surfaced again and won the war.
" I'll tell you." Ryou said softly, stressing the word as if asserting something to himself. "Do you remember the Ring you gave me three years ago?"
"The Ring?" Seiko said blankly. Why did the object sound as though it should be capitalized?
"You found it for me in the market in Egypt."
"Oh, yes." He was relieved.
Just a silly little trinket. Probably wasn't even real gold…
He glanced toward the sarcophagus in the corner and changed his mind.
Ought to keep my thoughts open…
"Well." Ryou stated, finding it difficult to pick up from there. "Well. When I put on the Ring for the first time, something strange happened."
"Something strange? Terrifying strange?""No." His son grinned, a private joke sort of smile. "Marvelous strange."
Seiko was silent for a minute as Ryou recollected himself.
"I heard someone talking to me."
And here it goes.
"That no one else could hear?"
"Exactly. His name is the same as mine- it's Bakura. We're both Bakura. He's a spirit from Egypt-" Ryou rushed on. "- except we don't really know how he was put in there. But you know the game Duel Monsters? He's absolutely brilliant at it and taught me how to play-"
"Wait!" Seiko interrupted. "Do you expect me to believe this?"
Ryou's happiness at spilling this to someone - finally telling someone- dampened somewhat. "What do you mean?"
"This- this absolute load of bull that you're feeding me-" The father stood up, shaking his head. "I hadn't realized it'd got this bad."
"What?" The teen jumped to his feet. "Why don't you believe me-"
"All these trips." Seiko muttered, raking a hand sharply through his hair. "You've been left alone too much. All by yourself- I should've considered your feelings-"
"Stop talking like that!" Ryou shouted, panicked. "I'm fine!" He clutched the edge of his shirt, wringing it back and forth like a security blanket.
"And you wanted to come to Egypt with me…" A tone of dawning realization crept into his voice. "You made up this friend so you could pretend to be on the dig with me. I see it now-"
"No. That's not it."
"I know. It's that you didn't want to be lonely."
Ryou had calmed himself enough now to speak in a level, sensible voice. "Believe me! He's real. I can prove it-"
"Don't start with me."
The teen pulled back, stunned, his mind burning. "Father, why can't you trust-"
"Because you're insane, that's why." Seiko passed a hand over his forehead, dabbed at the sweat forming there, and made his way to the phone.
"What are you doing now?" Ryou asked when he found his voice.
"Getting you help."