A/N: Forgive me if the characters are out of character. It's been a while since I've really, really watched any Bakura scenes in Yu-Gi-Oh!
On another note, I understand that this one-shot is sort of inconsistent, but I couldn't find a way to work it more in one direction or the other that would change it for the better.
Tendershipping if you squint, I guess?
There is one technical detail of this story that may be debatable. You see, the entirety of this story is based on the fact that, in this telling, whoever is not in control of the body is also not susceptible to the physical feeling of the body.
Scarlet Snow
A cold seeped into the room in the early morning. Ryou woke uncomfortably sore and cold, and fought to grasp his covers around him tighter to shield him from the frigid air. A sleepy, droopy-eyed glance out the window confirmed his suspicions as to the source of the cold; the entirety of Domino City was covered in a thick layer of soft, bright, white snow. The morning sun, when it managed to peek through the gray-tinged clouds, glinted off of the miniscule ice crystals, sending a blinding glare into the eyes of whoever thought to look directly at the snow.
Slowly and begrudgingly, Ryou climbed out of bed, wincing as his feet hit the floor. He ached all over, and could feel the workings of a chest cold. A coughing spasm wracked his body, an illness most likely brought on by the miserable weather. On a day like this, it was doubtful that school would be in session. It seemed that the road was completely blocked by the results of last night's snowfall.
Ryou went immediately to his closet and grabbed a thick jacket, sliding it on over his pajamas before heading to the kitchen for breakfast. He started the stove to spread some warmth throughout the apartment and gathered the ingredients he would need for breakfast.
When he went to the refrigerator to get milk, he grimaced, the simple action of raising his arm to eye level causing an onslaught of pain. His hand found the carton, and, sure enough, it was practically empty.
That's right, he thought, I was going to go to the store to buy more milk last night, but I was too tired from the toll Bakura's actions took on my body. That also explained how much he hurt.
Ryou opened the flap on the carton and tilted it, peering inside. There was enough for a few sips for breakfast, maybe. He gathered his breakfast and sat at the table, eating in sleepy silence.
After he cleaned up his breakfast, Ryou went back to his room to change. Still donning the heavy jacket, but now wearing more weather-appropriate clothing underneath, he stepped out into the cold. Residents of Domino city were bustling about now, walking through the snow-covered roadways and leaving signs of their travels behind. Ryou walked slowly towards the grocery store.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Ah. Ryou had thought something was off this morning. He'd almost gotten used to the silence, enjoying his mind being his own for a while.
"I'm going to the store, since I didn't have any milk for breakfast," Ryou thought and whispered at the same time.
"You're going to make yourself sick, going out in this weather."
For a moment, Ryou entertained the idea that his Yami might actually be worried about him, but he quickly shook off the idea. Bakura was probably more worried about the state of Ryou's body since he'd probably want to use it later.
Ryou would have made a remark about how he wasn't able to go out last night, when the weather was less miserable, but he was interrupted by another voice; this time, one that wasn't in his head.
"Bakura! Hey, Bakura!"
Ryou turned. "Yugi. Good morning."
Ryou's smaller classmate caught up with him, smiling broadly. "What are you doing out? I'd think you'd be in bed, like everyone else."
"I… just need to run to the store and grab some milk. Um, what about you? Why aren't you home?"
"I gotta go pick up some stuff for Grandpa. Hey, since we don't have school, I was going to invite everyone over this afternoon! Wanna come?"
Ryou smiled. "Sure. I'll be there."
"Cool! Well, hey, I gotta go. See you around!" Yugi waved, before heading off again. Ryou turned and kept on his way to the store.
"You're not seriously going over there."
"Yugi invited me over, so I am," Ryou whispered. "They're my friends."
A motion out of the corner of his eye told Ryou that his Yami had decided to let himself be seen, if only by Ryou. For Ryou, and only him, it seemed as if someone were walking alongside him.
Ryou turned and headed down a narrow side street that was a shortcut to where he was going. From there, it was only a short distance to the store.
"The Hikari of the Pharaoh is no friend of mine."
"But they're friends of mine. I'm going, not you."
"We're both going. We share a body, remember?"
Ryou didn't have to answer. The weight of the Millennium Ring around his neck became all too apparent.
Ryou fell silent for a while and continued walking, his feet trudging through the snow. Suddenly, he felt something build up in his chest. He coughed heavily.
"I told you, you're making yourself sick. You should've just forgotten about the milk."
"I'm fine. I can do this." Ryou insisted.
"You're exhausted."
And whose fault is that? Ryou wanted to say. He was surprised at himself; such a biting remark wasn't in his nature.
"You're mentally exhausted, too."
There wasn't much Ryou could reply to that. It was true; his exhaustion went beyond just the physical stuff from the night before.
"You're in no shape to traverse the streets in this weather. Let me take over."
Surprised, Ryou shook his head. "I told you, I'm fine!" he said, a little bit too loudly.
"No, you're not."
"If… If I let you take over, you're just going to go do whatever you want," Ryou panted, suddenly out of breath. The grocery store was just around the corner. He could see it.
"I won't. I'll get your stupid milk, and just go home. That's all." There was a pause, and then, "Please."
"No," Ryou whispered, "I don't… I can do this on my own. I don't need you to do everything for me."
The bell above the door chimed as Ryou entered the store. He sluggishly went to the refrigerator section and grabbed a carton of milk, paid, and left.
The walk back was even more taxing that the walk coming to the store. Ryou tripped and stumbled multiple times just crossing the street. Each step caused the carton in his shopping bag to bump uncomfortably against his legs, only making things worse.
"Ryou. You need to let me take over."
Ryou sighed. "I told… you, I can… can do this." He coughed. The side street was coming up, and he turned the corner.
What he saw made him stop in his tracks. Four large, burly men, gang members, were lounging over the road, blocking the whole thing. Ryou straightened up, and a determined look set in on his face.
"Really, Ryou. Let me take over. Now."
"No, you don't need to. As long as I ignore them, they won't hurt me." Ryou clutched the plastic shopping bag tighter. He could always take the long way around, and completely avoid this confrontation, but taking the long way would more than double the distance back to his apartment. And, no matter what he said to his Yami, Ryou really couldn't do it.
He took shaky steps, each one shifting the bag so that it hit his leg, and tried to approach the small portion of the street that had a little room for walking. The gang members paid him no mind as he approached. He walked in between them, nearly home free, when he stepped on something buried in the snow. His ankle turned sharply, and he let out a pained cry, twisting and falling to the ground. The accursed milk carton ripped itself out of the plastic bag and fell upon one gang member's head.
The four men stood up quickly.
"'Ey! Whadduya think yer doin?"
Ryou sat upon the ground, clutching his injured ankle. He quickly stumbled to his feet, limping backwards and holding up his hands apologetically.
"I-I'm sorry, I-" he coughed, "I didn't mean to!"
"Ya little punk! Ya think ya can mess wit' us? Ya think we're gonna let ya go easy?" One of the thugs clutched the milk carton in his hand. He hurled it at Ryou's head. The boy brought his hands up to protect himself, but the blow knocked him to the ground.
Ryou grunted. He could feel himself starting to slip away, as his Yami tried to take over.
"No… No, stop…" Ryou said, but not to his attackers. A wave of some power, maybe from somewhere deep inside of himself, surged through him. He pushed back, regaining control of his body.
"You fool!" Bakura said, but was his tone less malicious than frantic? "Let me take care of them!"
"N… No. I don't want you to kill them…"
Ryou regained his footing again, and didn't waste time in turning and fleeing. He limped as quickly as he could. However, he didn't make it far before a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. A heavy fist rammed into Ryou's stomach. He hunched over, his body wracked by a spastic coughing fit. Two hands grabbed his coat collar and he was thrust against the wall.
"Nng…" Ryou moaned, pushing against the thugs. He flailed about, trying to knock them away. One flailing limb managed to hit one thug in the jaw.
"Rrg… You punk!" the thug screamed, reeling back. Suddenly, the other three thugs backed off, as well. Before Ryou could get away, though, he felt something else ram into his gut.
"No!"
Ryou couldn't really process what was going on. There was a loud bang, and then a fiery pain that seared through him. The hands holding him to the wall disappeared, and he collapsed to the ground. He gasped and choked, hunched over, while the gang members simply walked away.
"Ryou! What are you doing? This… If you'd just let me take over, I-"
"I don't…" Ryou gasped, each word taking an infinite amount of effort, "Want you… to…" he coughed. Scarlet spots discolored the pure white snow.
"Now isn't the time to be stubborn!" Bakura appeared before Ryou. He reached forward, though he couldn't actually physically touch his Hikari. "Please, Ryou, you can't handle this. Let me-"
"To… To have…" Ryou continued, "Have to… to… feel… this… p-pain."
Bakura faltered. He knew, he'd always known that Ryou was the sort of person to put other people before himself. But, to take it this far…
Ryou knew that if he just switched places with Bakura, the pain would go away. He wouldn't be able to feel it anymore. But he kept himself from doing that. He didn't want to selfishly push his pain on someone else. Especially not Bakura.
Ryou slumped to the side, his strength sapped from him. He could feel his Yami pushing, trying to take control, but Ryou couldn't subject him to this. Never. His eyes slipped closed, and his breathing became more erratic. A slow wave began to grow from under him, staining the snow a dark, endless scarlet.
He could see, in his mind's eye, Bakura standing over him. Bakura pleaded.
"Ryou! Don't go! Please, Ryou, stay with me! Ryou…"
Bakura leaned forward, appearing as if he was resting his head on Ryou's chest. He wanted, dearly, to be able to hold Ryou, hold him in his last moments. He moved his arms as if he could wrap them around Ryou's body.
If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend.
A/N: I hope you liked it!