The Ontology of Darkness
Haha, yeah I got my rewriting paws all over it. Blame my beta reader, Tucker's Mayflower, she's my enabler! XD Naw, she's bloody awesome!
Disclaimer: I down claim any claim on Yu-Gi-Oh!. Seriously.
WARNINGS: (omg, spoiler!) dead body and implied abuse.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Prologue
The phone rang. It echoed through the empty apartment.
Books lay strewn across the floor, a few shards of a broken glass in the grey carpet, an upturned chair.
Riiiing… Riiiing…
Ryou became aware of the phone, like gradually awaking from a deep sleep. It took him a moment to even realize he was hearing it, but once he did all the other sensations followed.
RIIIING…
He blinked, finding himself upright beside the couch and looked around. Evidence of last night's fight greeted him. The books Bakura had thrown, the chair Bakura had kicked in his anger and the glass he had aimed at Ryou's head. He felt the dull throbbing of bruises the Shadow Realm hadn't healed yet.
RIIIING!
Startled, Ryou looked at the phone and realized Bakura wasn't there. Was he still in the Shadow Realm?
RIIIING!
Ryou flinched. He couldn't pick up the phone. Only Bakura picked up the phone. No matter how insistent it was.
RIIIING!
Ryou reached for it anyway, despite knowing better, despite knowing the consequences. He lifted the receiverand stared at it for a moment, as if surprised by its appearance or his action, before slowly bringing it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Bakura?"
Ryou immediately felt weak. He sat down on the couch, winded, trembling.
"Bakura?"
Ryou bit his lip wondering if he should answer, knowing that he should not. His heart began to pound as he pondered.
"Bakura, are you there? This isn't time for one of your jokes."
"Ryou," he murmured on a sudden spike of daring – and immediately regretted it.
His father hung up, leaving the steady, damning beep.
Ryou slowly closed his eyes as he felt the desire to disappear come over him again with the knowledge that the world was better off without him and that he was better off without it. Already he felt lighter. The pain of his bruises and in his chest began to numb – it was better this way.
"Ryou?"
Ryou's eyes snapped open and the receiverdropped from his grip. "Bakura?"
Bakura stood before him, solid and real as he ought to be. But something seemed off. He was calmer. Ryou could feel the tranquillity emanating from him like the gentlest breeze. Ryou couldn't even recall Bakura ever being this…content.
"There's something in the bathroom," Bakura said matter-of-factly. No snide remark, no insult, just a statement. Bakura himself looked only mildly curious. Very odd indeed.
Ryou stood up and followed his gaze to the bathroom. He froze.
Sprawled across the tiled floor was the body of a young woman.
Oh Bakura, you and your homicidal tendencies.
Please R&R! I take feedback seriously =)
Next chapter: Seto has visions, visions of a future marred by war and chaos! Demons spilling from a tear in the very fabric of the universe! ... oh wait, that'd be Night Horrors. Yeah, I got nothing.
