RH: This song is one that has affected my life. If not for it my mom would be dead right now and I would not be alive. I hear this now and it makes me think of how Bakura treats Ryou. I could see him singing this to himself after getting beaten by Bakura.

Ryou: But why/hugging Bakura/

RH: because...you are the only couple there is that has something to do with abuse. Now Bakura do the disclaimer.

Bakura: RH does not own Yugioh or the song Live to Tell.

RH: Song lyrics: blah

Flashback: blah

Thinking: 'blah'

Mindlink/blah/-Bakura //blah//-Ryou

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Ryou cried out as another kick was delt to him in the stomach. He coughed violently and blood splattered out of his mouth. Bakura sneered at him and kicked him again.

I have a tale to tell
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
I was not ready for the fall
Too blind to see the writing on the wall

"Weakling. That's all you are. A weak little pussy. You can't believe someone would ever want you, you stupid little bitch." Bakura laughed insanely before stepping on Ryou's wrist breaking it into two and crunching the bone. Ryou screamed in pain as he watched the blood poor from his broken wrist. He didn't understand why he was being beaten at the moment. He hadn't done anything wrong. Bakura had come home and Ryou had been trying to sew up one of his shirts which Bakura had thrown at him earlier and told him to fix along with a pair of jeans and a few more shirts.

flashback

Ryou sat with the needle having just finished the jeans and the other two shirts. He wiped his brow and pulled out the next color of string he needed. He wished he had a sewing machine to do this on but Bakura had broken it in one of his drunken stupors.

Ryou sighed as the phone rang and he lifted it to his ear.

"Moshi Moshi, Ryou speaking." Ryou said. He listened as a telemarkter tried to get him to buy a subscription to some magazine before hanging up. He sat back and pulled the shirt out. The holes in it were numerous. He sighed again before starting in on them.

The door slammed open and Bakura stomped through it. He walked straight into the living room where Ryou sat sewing and noticed he hadn't finished his clothes. That pissed him off further and he ripped the clothing from the boys hands and grabbed his hair pulling him with him up the stairs. As they got to Bakura's room Ryou started to shake from fear. He knew what hid behind that door and he started to struggle to get away. Bakura growled and threw the door open.

Ryou cried out as he was slammed on to the floor and then he felt the first punch from Bakura's hand.

end flashback

A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me

Ryou heard the faint splatter of blood as he was picked up by his hair. He could feel the tugging in his scalp but his body was to numb to notice the pain. He watched as the demon infront of him smiled evily and leaned foreward to him.

"Nobody wants a weakling. Why do you think your sister and mother killed themselves? Huh?" Bakura laughed again as he saw the tears fall down Ryou's cheeks at the mention of his Mom and sister. He wanted to yell at the bastard that they didn't kill themselves, that they were struck by a semi and that they died on impact...it was an accident, but ever since Bakura started to tell him the new story, Ryou had questioned it himself.

I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warm she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can't take that from me

Ryou cried out as he was thrown against the wall. He could feel his own blood falling from a cut on his head. He watched as Bakura walked towards the door.

"Clean up this mess...and finish my shirt." He growled before leaving Ryou laying on the floor. Ryou finally let his tears fall as he heard the words repeated in his head. He picked himself up from the floor being careful to not bump his crushed wrist and headed for the bathroom to get cleaning supplies and to wrap up his wrist. After years of being beaten he had learned medical things to keep himself out of the hospital.

'Though it looks like I'll have to go to get this wrist fixed...he didn't just break it...it's crushed.' Ryou thought as he wrapped it gently and placed it in a sling. He quickly cleaned up Bakura's room and made sure to get all the blood out of the carpet. He felt the weariness start inside him. He wanted to sleep but knew that he had to finish the shirt before Bakura got back.


A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me

Ryou pulled the last thread and quickly tied it off before holding the shirt up. It had taken alot of effort to do it one handed but he had gotten it done within a half hour. He placed it with the other ones and quickly cleaned up the living room, making sure to not leave anything of his out in the open.

The phone rang again as he put the basket back in his room and he picked up with a tired hello.

"Hi Ryou, it's Yugi."

"Hi Yugi, how are you?" Ryou asked gently. He hadn't talked to his friend in awhile.

"I'm fine, Yami wanted me to call and let you know that we're going to see a movie. You wanna come?" He asked. Ryou sighed and shook his head.

"Sorry Yugi I can't. I have to clean the house. It's a pig sty." Ryou answered as he looked around at his spotless house. He hated lying but knew he would get hurt worse if he even tried to go out without Bakura's permission.

"Well why don't we come over and help?" Yugi asked helpfully.

"NO!" Ryou screamed before trying to correct himself. "I mean...it's my house and my mess and I should take responsibility and clean it." Ryou sighed as he got out of that one.

"Alright" Yugi said supiciously. Ryou noticed but put no thought into it.

"Alright then...talk to you later Yugi." Ryou said before hanging up the phone.

The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again

Bakura slammed the door open and walked through seeing that the weakling had cleaned the entire house. Anything that might have alerted someone to Ryou living there was gone and hidden away.

'Most likely in his room.' Bakura thought before plopping down on the couch. /Yo Ryou. Make me something to eat/ Bakura called through the mind link.

//Yes Bakura-sama. What kind of snadwich would you like?// He asked back as he had been taught to.

/We got turkey left don't we? Make me one of them./ Bakura growled before shutting it down and flipping on the t.v.

Ryou sat in the kitchen and watched as Bakura put his boots on the coffee table and sighed before turning to make Bakura's sandwich.

If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
To go very far
How would they hear the beating of my heart
Will it grow cold
The secret that I hide, will I grow up
How will they hear
When will they learn
How will they know

'God I wish I could leave this life. I can't leave yet though, Bakura might start to hurt someone else.' Ryou thought as he made the sandwich. He placed it on a plate and grabbed a beer from the fridge before taking the food and drink to the living room. Bakura flipped mindlessly through the channels and watched as his weakling hikari placed down his food and drink and then bowing and walking away. He laughed at how easy it was to train the idiot boy.

Ryou sat at the table in the kitchen and sighed as he placed his head into his good hand and breathed. He wanted so badly to go upstairs and take a tylonol before going to sleep but knew that he couldn't go to bed until Bakura told him to. He let his eyes close and took a deep breath before finally slumping down onto the table in a deep sleep.

A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me

Bakura growled as he felt the link on his hikari's side open. He knew that the only reason Ryou would let the link slip open like that was when he was asleep. The boy had probably passed out in the kitchen. The little weakling had a lesson coming. Bakura grinned evily to himself as he planned ways to wake up his stupid hikari.

-In the kitchen-

Ryou's even breaths were a sure sign that he was deep in a healing sleep. He looked so peaceful and Bakura glared at the innocencethe boy contained.

'He needs to learn that this world is hard and not all sunshine and fairys.' Bakura thought before grabbing the boys shirt and pulling him close. he watched as the boy gasped at his lack of oxygen and smirked as Ryou's eyes landed on him in fear.

"You were sleeping hikari. You know what the rule is." Bakura said sweetly. Ryou shuddered at the look in his yami's eyes before nodding his head.

"Then repeat it to me." Bakura growled. Ryou shivered again before opening his mouth.

"No sleeping until you tell me I can." Ryou said quietly. Bakura nodded.

"And what's the punishment for disobeying this rule?" He asked.

Ryou shuddered again before looking at Bakura's chest and repeating the punishment.

"You will do anything that you wish to do to me and I will not be able to sleep at all until you are through with the punishment and tell me I can." Ryou squeezed his eyes shut. He knew the night would be horrible. He prepared himself mentally for some form of a punishment when he heard a loud thump and felt his body fall onto the floor.

Ryou opened his eyes, looking up into the clear amythest of his saviors. Yugi helped his best friend to his feet before hugging him.

"Oh Ryou, I thought I was to late." He cried into Ryou's shirt. Ryou was speechless and turned in time to see Yami kick the unconciouss Bakura. He felt his eyes burn and could feel tears slipping down his face. Ryou hugged yugi back before turning to Yami and hugging him tightly.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Ryou sobbed into Yami's chest. Yugi smiled at his friend and called the police.

"It's alright Ryou, it's over. You're safe. " Yami rubbed Ryou's back gently as he said these words. Ryou cried harder and then colapsed in Yami's arms as he felt exauhstion take over his body. The last thing Ryou saw and heard was Bakura's body right next to him and a simple message through the mind link.

/I did...it...for you.../

The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again

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RH: so was it ok? I thought I did ok. It's only a one shot and no I will not consider making anything else to go with this story.

Ryou/crying/ It's so sad.

Bakura/fuming/ You little son of a.../ryou's hand over his mouth/

RH: uhm hope you don't mind that the ending wasn't happy. I didn't think it should be. Anywho I gotta run before Bakura decides to kill me. /runs quicky away/

Bakura: GET BACK HERE!!!!!!!!

Yugi: Please review.