Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me. I'm merely borrowing the characters for a little plot that sprouted in my mind.
Normal POV:
A small figure stood on the doorstep, drenched to the bone in the soaking October rain. He raised a hand and knocked on the door. It swung open to reveal a darker, taller shape who beckoned the small one in. He drew off his hood, uncovering long, fluffy, snow white hair.
"Ryou, right on time, my dear," the other figure rasped. He went and turned on the light, revealing even wilder, blonde-white hair.
"Marik, I knew I could count on you." Little Ryou proceeded to undress.
Ryou's POV:
I knew it was wrong. Beyond wrong. Yet I still went every week, longing for the oblivion, the sweet fog clouding my mind. I was soaked to the core, but I could really care less at the moment. What lay ahead pumped my fresh, red blood through me and gave me warmth.
Marik opened the door to darkness, his raspy voice welcoming me. I drew off my hood.
"Marik, I knew I could count on you."
Bakura's POV:
Did Ryou honestly think I didn't know about his outings every week? Fool! Nothing escapes me! I worried about him. He came back every week from his outing, refusing to take off his hood and his jacket until he was in the sanctity of his room. Not even when he was wet.
I heard the door click shut and knew it was my time. My time to figure out where he goes, this weekly ritual of his. I follow silently, a couple of blocks behind, my millennium ring guiding me towards him.
I saw his slim outline approach a house. Is my little Ryou cheating me all this time? I calmed myself. Waited a few moments. Then I snuck in. I wasn't a thief for nothing.
Marik's POV:
"Are you ready, my little Ryou?" I clutched the knife in my hand. He nodded, his hair bouncing enthusiastically.
"Remember, don't-"
I cut him off. "Not too deep, I know." I paused for a moment. "What are you going to tell Bakura? He's bound to know sooner or later."
"I know," Ryou replied. "Soon, probably. Can we start now?"
"You know what to do."
Bakura's POV:
I followed their voice through the house. Marik? Of all people? I began to rationalize. They must be doing something else. Don't jump to conclusions, Bakura.
Voices pulled me out of my thoughts.
"…too deep, I know." A pause. Muffled sounds. "…tell Bakura? He's bound to know sooner or later."
My Ryou. My sweet innocent Ryou. "I know. Soon, probably. Can we start now?"
"You know what to do." I followed the voices and approached a door. It was half open, so I stuck my head in. And the scene terrified me.
They were both undressed, and instant rage flew through me. Ryou is mine! I continued my survey of the room. A bed, handcuffs on each post. Marik with a knife. And… and I don't even see the teeniest flicker of fear on Ryou's face. On the contrary, he looked almost… hungry. Lustful.
Motion distracted me from my thoughts. Ryou has climbed onto the bed and was handcuffing himself. My eyes widened. What is he doing to my Ryou? And then it slammed into me, those two simple, short words coming from my hikari's mouth.
"Cut me."
Ryou's POV:
The excitement was almost unbearable. I could just about fell my skin opening, the blood spilling out, gushing everywhere. Marik climbed on top of me.
'Cut me."
The knife slicked open my chest, my neck, my stomach, my limbs, everywhere. I relished in the sweet sweet pain. The hurt inside my chest was gone, replaced by blissful oblivion as Marik, my only true friend Marik, marked my skin with intricate cuts and scars. I closed my eyes as the pains and worries faded away.
Odion's POV:
I heard moans and screams and gasps from upstairs. I knew Ryou was here for his weekly haven, where he didn't need to feel the hurt and the rejection and the humiliation and Ra knows what else for this short period of time. I gathered the bandages and disinfectants. Ryou was going to need them.
Bakura's POV:
I watched as Marik's knife sank into my dear Ryou's flesh, as wounds appeared on my light's body. Blood poured onto Ryou's flawless, or used-to-be-flawless, skin. And worse. Ryou was glorying in his pain. I couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop!"
Ryou's POV:
I turned my head at the voice. No! It can't be! What's Bakura doing here?
I watched as he slowly took steps towards Marik and I. He had an odd look on his face, as if fear and horror and disgust and guilt and concern and shock and disbelief and anger were all fighting a battle against each other for control of his face.
"Ryou…" he breathed. A pause. "Ryou…" He said my name again. It sounded so comforting coming from his lips. "Ryou, what…" Another pause. "What's going on?"
Damn him. The pain was back. Just the mere sight of him, his muscular yet lean form, his wild white hair, his cocky attitude, magnified the hurt. I smiled sadly. "Marik, show him what we can do with the knife. " Marik glanced at me. "My hip would do." He just nodded.
Bakura's POV:
Marik twiddled the knife in his hand, then began carving complicated patterns on Ryou's hip. Designs were appearing, blood was pouring. Ryou…
Ryou's POV:
"Isn't it pretty, Bakura?" I yearned to trace it with my finger. "Marik…" I gave him a look. He unlocked the handcuffs. I sat up, the wounds that were clogging up splitting open again. But it didn't go away. It hurt again. The pain in my chest. It was stronger now. I was about to fall apart.
"Why do you do this, Ryou?" I heard Bakura's voice break. Head Bakura swallow.
Marik started to my defence but I stopped him.
"You want to know why I cut." It wasn't a question. Bakura stared on.
"It hurts too much. You see, I love him, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't love me that way. I'm invisible. Nothing. Just a tool. He's everything. I know I can't have him. He can't be happy with me, I can't be happy without him. So I chose his happiness over mine. I have no shot at life anymore." I took a deep breath. "I cut, because it takes away the pain inside my chest. It brings me oblivion. A world where only redness, knives, and scars exist. A swirling mass of bliss and pain."
I could see Bakura was stunned.
"Who, who is he?"
A pause.
Bakura's POV:
"Bakura."
I heard my name spilling from his lips. Stunned. Devastated. I stared on.
"M-Me?" Ryou had that sad smile again. I didn't like it.
"Yes."
"And you think I don't love you." Oh, this was ludicrous. This is all my fault. If only…
"I know you don't love me. But that's okay. I'm dealing with it."
"By cutting yourself." My voice took on a hard edge.
Ryou's eyes dulled. "What else can I do? Watch you get all lovey-dovey with someone else?"
I was at a loss for words. "Ryou…"
"I know you can't love me. There's no use trying to lie."
"But I do love you." My voice strained with desperation.
My little light chuckled. "'Kura, that's utterly absurd. Nobody can love me. I'm hideous." Something in me shattered. "I'm a pale, short freak. I'm tainted." He glanced down at his hip. "The only thing worthy here are my scars."
"Ryou, hikari…" I walked the rest of the way to the bed and gathered Ryou up. I couldn't resist the urge to bury my face in his sweet-smelling fluffy hair. I breathed in his scent. "You're an angel. How could you be hideous?"
I felt him shake his head. "No. I'm too tainted to be an angel." His laugh was bitter, his eyes filled with sorrow. "Marik… Just do it."
Ryou's POV:
"Ryou-"
"You said you could do it."
"I change my mind!" Marik threw down the knife and stalked out.
Bakura sat down on the bed and gently unlocked my feet from the bedposts. "Hikari, I love you. I've loved you for a while now, did you know that?" He laid down on the bed and pulled me close. Oh, the temptation. Just this one chance, Ryou. Just this once. You'll never get one again. I failed to resist and snuggled into him.
I smiled into him. "No, no I didn't." I found my willpower and pulled away from him, standing up. "We can't be together, 'Kura." I walked over to where the knife lay after Marik threw it down. Picked it up.
Bakura's POV:
He was picking up the knife.
"Ryou, drop it." I sat up. Slowly stalking over to him.
He just smiled back at me.
"Ryou, drop it!"
He was raising the knife.
"I love you, Bakura." He mouthed to me. Brought the knife down.
Plunged it into his heart.
Ryou's POV:
I heard him running towards me and I knew I had no time. I whipped the knife down.
I can feel the blood oozing out. It felt wonderful. I never even noticed I had fallen forward into Bakura's arms, the rush of dizziness was glorious.
I could finally escape.