Summary: Post YGOTAS Timeline; Ryou has been sent to a faraway boarding school, only to find that the entire school is being experimented on by some government group. Just as he's about to give into despair that his life is ruined, he makes an unlikely partnership with the last person he ever expected to see.
WARNING: This story is rated M for mature themes involving scientific experimentation, sexual themes, violence, adventure, suspense, humor, plot development, and steamy lemons. Not all at once, and not over the top, but definitely in there. Please read with discretion.
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! and all of its characters © Kazuki Takahashi. This is a fan fiction, and no money is being made off of this story. Please support the original artist.
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Chapter One
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Ryou stared at the document in front of him, unable to read it because of the shock he felt at what he was hearing. He knew his father had been low on money recently, since he'd stopped sending Ryou any for living expenses. It had forced him to get a part time job just to survive, even though something like that wasn't allowed in Japan for high school students. He also knew that since the millennium items had been sent into the abyss when Bakura was defeated, and the Egyptian display had moved back to Egypt, there had been a slump in the amount of visitors to the museum. It was now costing his father more money to run it than it was making.
But he hadn't expected something like this!
The principal leaned forward, fingers steepled together and a tight, smug smile spread across his face. Ryou didn't like the way he looked, his eyes evaluated him as if he were an object rather than a person. "All you need to do is sign it," he said. "Your father has already signed all of the legal documents, and your belongings have already been moved into the room that has been assigned to you. You just need to sign the agreement that says you will abide by our school's rules."
Ryou frowned, looking up at him unhappily, before lifting the pen and twisting it anxiously in his fingers. It was true, this was already a done deal, and even if he didn't sign, he was stuck here. At the boarding school his father had sold him to.
Sold, Ryou thought angrily. That's exactly what he did! I did my research when he told me I was going here, and I know what this place is. It's a boarding school for boys, where they send orphans, troublemakers and delinquents. The people who run the place are scientists who pay the families of the students for the rights to experiment on the environment of the school to "help shape them into model citizens" or some such buggery. It's a bunch of lies and propaganda! This is a science lab where they experiment on people that society doesn't care about, that's it.
The principal cleared his throat. "Your stalling will only get you negative marks, Mr. Bakura. Just sign the agreement, and I'll take you to your room."
"I got it," Ryou sighed, gritting his teeth angrily. How dare his father send him here, just because he needed money. How dare this school be in the middle of nowhere, where there was no cell service. And how dare his "friends" back home not even care he was here. "Have fun," they'd told him, before going immediately back to their conversation and ignoring him. They might as well said "good riddance" instead.
Glaring at the document, Ryou signed his signature with too much pressure, denting the paper under the weight of his pen. He set it down too loudly, then stood up, giving the Principal an impatient glare.
"Ah, good," the man smiled. He was used to dealing with much more troublesome youths than Ryou, so his behavior neither surprised nor phased him. "Come with me, then, I'll give you the tour. This way..." he led him out into the hall and through the school with a pleased look that made Ryou want to groan.
As it turned out, "the tour" consisted of a very, very brief walk to the dormitories with no explanation of the rooms or hallways they passed. Ryou was led straight to his room and handed a key.
"There's a guidebook on the bed, I suggest you read it," the Principal commented, and gave Ryou an unwelcome pat on the head. "Dinner is at 7pm sharp, and you begin classes on the morrow." He smiled, his hand lingering too long on Ryou's head, a dark and secretive smirk on his face. "Best of luck."
Ryou pushed his hand away, feeling a shiver roll down his spine. Not waiting for the man to leave, and not feeling his characteristic politeness, he unlocked his room and went inside, locking it behind him when the door was safely shut.
He let out a sigh of relief. "I think I already hate this place," he mumbled, eyeing the tiny room that he'd been given. There was a single window across from the door, and the bed situated under it. A desk sat against the wall to his left, and a closet took up the right side of the room. Sure enough, along with his two suitcases and his laptop bag, a guidebook sat on the bed. "It's like being in a prison more than a school."
It only took him four steps to reach the bed, that was how small the room was. He counted them as he walked to it and carefully opened his bags, beginning to unpack his belongings. Ryou kept his mouth shut, and his mind empty, as he moved robotically to put clothing in the closet, laptop on the desk, and store his empty bags on the ground inside the closet. It was only after everything was put away that he sank to the ground, leaning his back against the undersized twin bed, pulled his knees to his chest, and let his head sink down to rest upon them.
Tears poured from his eyes, soaking his jeans. For the first time in his life, he couldn't find the bright side. Here was the truth, plain and simple.
He was alone in the world, and nobody, nobody, cared if he were alive or dead.
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Ryou stayed that way until the bell rang for dinner, but he had no appetite, and felt no desire to get up and eat. Instead, he rose stiffly to his feet and moved to the bed, lifting up the guidebook and setting it on his lap. A sigh escaped his lips, anger and sadness evaporating with it, leaving only a feeling of apathy behind.
So, no one cared about him. He was alone. Hadn't he always known that was true, deep down? Why should it bother him more now than it ever had before?
"School is going to be a nightmare," he said out loud, his voice holding no emotion. "It's only guys here, scientists will be experimenting on the environment around us, and if I thought the bullying was bad before, something tells me it will be worse in this place." He opened the book to the first page, a hint of a grimace on his face. "Better at least start tomorrow knowing what to expect."
At least reading was never a chore for him. Ryou cast aside everything he didn't want to think of, focusing on the words printed in black ink on the pages before him instead. Here were the rules of the school, the schedule for the year, a map of the school, and all other sorts of information that he could use. It was useful, concrete, and served a purpose. It helped him to remember what it felt like to be optimistic, to face new challenges with determination instead of despair.
He read through the boring, mundane sections of the book about mealtimes, class times for each grade, and general behavioral rules quickly, and by the time he reacted the third section of the book about Environmental Situations, his mood had already lifted.
He could do this. It would be okay.
Ryou began reading the Environmental Situations Guide with a faint smile on his face. It was different from the rest of the guidebook, outlining the agreement that had been signed by their families, and spouting a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo that, after reading it over and over, Ryou decided was saying that all of the experiments conducted by the school were legal. It also seemed to say that whatever harm came to the students was also the responsibility of the students, and no legal action could be taken against the school in regards to physical, emotional, or mental damage.
A frown now took the place of Ryou's smile, and he held the book closer to his face as he read. Hold on a second here… was this saying that the experiments were actually damaging? Or just taking precautions in case something crazy and unlikely occurred? He shook his head, and kept reading.
"Rules that students must follow, or risk academic and/or physical consequences, up to and including being expelled, solitary confinement, or death," he murmured out loud, fingers tightening against the hardbound book. "One: Killing another student is absolutely forbidden, and will result in your death in return. There is no negotiation on this matter. What the buggering hell?" He set the book down, looking around his room with wide eyes.
More and more, this was feeling like prison. Perhaps it was! After all, this was where adolescents that were shunned, unteachable, and unwanted were sent off to. There was probably some sort of martial law in effect.
Swallowing, he lifted it back up and continued reading. "Two: Your rooms are your safe space. No one is allowed to enter another student's room without permission, and no experiments may be conducted on students in their rooms. The penalty for breaking this rule is extreme, and determined on a case by case basis." He wiped his forehead, feeling relief. At least there was one place he could be safe… "Three: You must obey the authority of the faculty. Disobedience will not be tolerated, and depending on the severity of the disobedience, will be punished accordingly. Four: During experiments, students are exempt from punishment for their actions, unless such actions are deemed premeditated by the faculty. Incidents will be judged on a case by case basis. Wait…. what is that supposed to mean? What kinds of experiments do they run?"
Ryou flopped back on his bed, groaning under his breath. Just what kind of place was he going to have to endure, here? This was becoming more and more of a nightmare, and he hadn't even started yet.
He let the book rest against his chest, eyes staring blankly at the dull ceiling. "I hate this place," he mumbled. "It's like I'm being punished for committing some heinous crime." Which was ironic, because he was the last person on earth to do such a thing. If he was guilty of anything, it was of being a side character that got screwed by the anime company once, and then by 4kids a second time. Being abridged was like being screwed a third time, but getting the chance to complain about it sometimes.
And now the story was over. The plot had concluded. All the characters got to go on with their lives.
"And my life," Ryou laughed, aware of tears sliding down his cheeks into his ears. "My life is a blithering JOKE. Three cheers for the limey British kid. Hip, hip, bugger me."
He closed his eyes.
He was done reading, done thinking, and done dealing with this right now. He was going to just go to sleep, dream something happy, and tomorrow he was going to start classes in a new school, and make some actual, fucking friends.
"It's going to be different," he whispered. "I'll make it different."
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To be continued...