As Malik Ishtar awoke, the first thing that terrified him was the surrounding darkness. There were no lights as far as his eyes could see, and just that fact alone made his entire body tense up with fear. He hated darkness with every fiber of his being, and he would even go so far as to say it was his worst enemy. Darkness had surrounded his childhood, as well as his every move during Battle City. It was a thing to be feared, an unknown- who knew what could be lurking in a place like this? And surrounded by his enemy, Malik felt nothing besides cold terror rushing through his veins.

Cold. That was the second thing Malik noticed about his surroundings. Having grown up in Egypt, Malik had always been sensitive to cooler temperatures. So while it was nothing compared to the period of time called "winter" he had discovered, it was nowhere near the comforting warmth he had grown accustomed to. He shivered slightly, although he could no longer tell whether it was out of fear or cold. He attempted to bring his hands closer to him, hoping to warm them up somehow.

Nothing happened.

At first, Malik thought his mind was playing tricks on him. It was still dark, after all. Of course he wouldn't be able to see them. He moved his hands together a second time, but rather than feeling his palms hit each other, he noticed a slightly raw feeling around his wrists, as his hands stayed laid out to his sides. Out of curiosity, he tried his legs, only to find that they too were bound to some unknown surface.

Malik felt his heart rate speed up as a cold dread swept through him. This situation was, in a way, nostalgic. Not that that was a good thing. Malik felt trapped; claustrophobic, even. Just as he had when-

Malik pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, choosing instead to focus on his current situation. He was tied down to something stomach-down in a cold, dark room. He wasn't sure why he was here, how he got here, or whether or not this was even real, but as he grew more terrified with every passing second, he knew that he needed to get away, and fast.

Unfortunately, Malik also quickly realized how impossible that was.

He couldn't help it- he screamed, louder than he had in years. Wherever he was, there had to be someone around him who could hear.

He screamed for what felt like several minutes, pausing in ever-increasing intervals to catch his breath. He waited for some kind of response, and after his throat was raw and his body felt exhausted, he finally received one.

"No one else can hear you, you know," said a smooth voice with a hint of some sort of accent. It seemed familiar, somehow, but Malik couldn't for the life of him place it. "We're the only ones down here." Malik lifted his head and tried to look around, but was stopped as a hand grabbed his hair before pushing him back down. Whoever the person was, their grip was surprisingly gentle, despite the circumstances. Malik swallowed.

"Who are you?" he tried demanding, although his voice was still weak from screaming.

The only response he received was that same voice's twisted laughter, for a few seconds that felt like ages. Malik almost regretted saying anything- the person he was dealing with was clearly far from sane.

"Who am I?" the voice eventually managed, hints of laughter and condescension still present in their tone. "Hm, I wonder- who am I? How can you ask me this? How can anyone from back then ask me this? Wasn't I significant enough to leave even the slightest impression? Come on, Malik. Think for a moment, and use that pretty little head of yours for once in your life. I'm sure you, of all people, can remember who I am. Unless, of course, I was unimportant to you, just as I was to everyone else?" Malik's mouth felt dry. He knew this voice, he did. So why couldn't he put his finger on who it was?

When Malik didn't respond immediately, the person screamed, "Answer me, Malik! Who am I? Do you remember my name?"

Realization hit Malik like a ton of bricks.

"Bakura," he breathed. His response prompted another fit of laughter from the darkness. Malik waited with growing irritation for the noise to stop. All he really wanted were answers to his questions, and all he received was laughter and condescension. And if there was one thing Malik couldn't stand, it was being talked down to. He was Malik Ishtar, after all. He had been through hell that had warped him into something much more powerful than a simple-minded child. He had been able to stand up for himself when no one else would stand up for him. He was anything but weak, and by no means did he deserve to be treated as such.

Although, based on his current state of mind, he was beginning to wonder if that was really the case.

"I don't go by that name anymore," the voice finally said. "That name is what you all used for him. The darkness inside of me that, make no mistake, never truly left. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You can call me Ryou."

"Malik's throat felt as dry as sandpaper. Ryou was the one behind this? Kind, innocent, Ryou Bakura? There was no way it was true; it wasn't possible. It had to be the ghosts and regrets of his past ganging up on him, drawing out memories he had tried so hard to forget in the form of a twisted nightmare. Yes, any time now , he would open his eyes, and see his familiar small bedroom. It was just a dream, a game formed by his own mind. He had no choice but to play along; it was the only way to escape.

"Okay, Ryou," he said finally, his voice regaining a bit of composure. "Then tell me this. Where are we? And what am I doing here?" Malik had hundreds of questions rushing through his mind, but these were the first two to surface.

"Hmm. Well, now that you mention it, it is rather dark in here. How about this. I'll light some of the candles I have here, and you can try and guess where you are."

Malik slowly nodded, although he was sure that Ryou couldn't see it. He heard the sound of a match being struck, and a moment later, two small, flickering lights appeared, illuminating the room. After that there were two more, and another two after that. Another scream almost rose from Malik's throat as his surroundings slowly registered in his mind.

Everything about this room, from the size to the carvings on the aged, cracked walls, gave Malik a morbid feeling of déjà vu, and only served to heighten his sense of fear. There was no way that he could be back here, of all places. It had to be a dream, because there was no plausible way that Ryou could even know about this place. In fact, the only people he knew of that did besides himself were-

His siblings.

No, he needed to calm down. Making assumptions would only hurt him in the end, after all.

"Why are we here?" he asked, his voice quiet as he struggled to stay calm. "How did you find this place?"

This time, Malik saw the grin growing on Ryou's face. It was surprisingly calm given the situation, although his eyes were almost wild, presumably from excitement. Although the idea that Ryou could be excited at all about this… situation was terrifying in its own right.

"Well, Malik, you of all people should understand how easy such things are when you have people to control."

Malik's blood ran cold. "Where are they, Ryou." The words were spoken with venom, but Ryou didn't even flinch. Malik had an idea of what had happened, but he had pushed it to the back of his mind, refusing to acknowledge the idea that Ryou had done something as horrible as he was imagining at that moment. After all, Ryou was supposed to be the innocent one. He shouldn't even be capable of something like this.

Right?

Ryou was still smiling. "They didn't suffer at all beforehand, so please, don't worry about that. I promise you, everything happened very quickly."

Malik felt numb. For a moment, he couldn't say anything, despite all the emotions building up inside of him. Rage, shock, fear, and sadness blended together into a dizzying mixture of feelings that mad Malik feel slightly sick to his stomach.

"You psycho," he finally spat. Ryou cocked his head slightly, but still looked slightly amused by Malik's reaction, only serving to make Malik more angry.

"You psycho!" he repeated, just a little bit louder. "What did they do to you to deserve something like this? What did I do? What… what are you going to do to me?"

Ryou said nothing at first, the only indication he had been listening a slight widening of his grin.

"What am I going to do…?" Really now, Malik, must I answer all of your idiotic questions? You always struck me as being smarter than that, so I assumed that you could figure it out on your own. But I suppose that if you really want to be this way, then I have no choice but to give you a few simple clues. First off, have you really not noticed this?" Malik heard Ryou move his hand ever so slightly, and he reluctantly glanced upwards. The sick feeling returned almost immediately upon seeing the knife, eerily glinting in the candlelight. His eyes widened, and his heart seemed to skip a beat.

Ryou, however, was completely unaffected as he continued speaking. "Second, just look at yourself. Tied down to a rock, one that should seem extremely familiar. Yes, that's right. The very same rock that you laid upon seven years ago, on the day your darkness was born. You're lying there completely helpless, just like you were back then. So, how does it feel? Personally, I could laugh at the irony. Here's the great Malik Ishtar, powerful controller of minds, being controlled." Ryou glanced down at Malik's terrified face and smiled a smile that could hardly be considered sane. "I must say, having someone like you completely at my mercy is exhilarating. I can see why you always enjoyed it so much."

Ryou paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. "But I suppose I'm getting a bit off topic, aren't I? I said I would give you clues, and I still have one more. Take one more look at yourself, and the position you're in. Spread out on a familiar rock and terrified, just like that day seven years ago. Your surroundings, your position, and your emotions- all of it has been faithfully recreated for you. In fact, only three things are missing, one of which holds the answer to your question. You have no one waiting on the other side of this. You have no father, who can easily be destroyed. There is only me. Ryou Bakura, who will not be defeated, especially not after making it this far. I intend to fill in that third and final blank for you, and nothing you say or do will get in my way."

Malik said nothing, realization of what was happening slowly hitting him bit by bit. Everything was exactly the same, except for the people. Exactly the same as the initiation. And Ryou- psychotic, apparently twisted Ryou- had a knife. And at that moment, Malik knew. Ryou had no intentions of killing him. He had something much, much worse planned. Something that, scarily enough, Malik could imagine. After all, he had been through it before.

"No…" Malik couldn't get his voice much higher than a whisper. "Y-you couldn't… no, you wouldn't… you're not Ryou, he was so much better than this. He was innocent; he was the light-"

"Stop it." Ryou's voice, which had, until that moment, stayed calm, turned colder than the room they were in. "Don't you dare say that I'm innocent. You know nothing about me, so who are you to make that sort of judgment?" Ryou raised the knife in his hand. "I can do this! I can torture you, make you bleed and cry out for mercy until you can't take it anymore! I could kill you, Malik Ishtar, because I am that much stronger than you! So, I dare you to say that again! Tell me exactly how innocent I am!"

Anger covered all of Ryou's features, to the point where he truly seemed like a madman. Malik only stared on in horror as Ryou appeared to try and calm himself, his eyes, hidden by his long bangs.

"Ryou, I-"

"Shut up." Ryou's voice returned to a low growl. "If you keep talking and shaking like that, then this will become not only harder for me, but a whole lot more painful for you." Malik didn't even have a chance to think of a response before an intense burst of pain exploded on his upper back.

Malik gasped at the sudden contact, and only barely succeeded in holding back a scream. Malik's eyes were squeezed shut so tightly he saw spots, although even that was better than imaging Ryou's current expression. Not that he could focus on anything at that moment, as the white hot, searing pain spread across his back and through his entire body. It was far too similar to what he had endured as a child, from the overwhelming pain, to the small rivers of blood overflowing from the cuts, and spilling over to the side of his body.

It wasn't long after the torture began that Malik finally began screaming from the pain. His throat felt raw from all the stress it had undergone, but compared to the agony that was tearing across his back, it was extremely insignificant.

Through the pain, Malik heard a quiet humming sound in the background. He forced his eyes open for a split second, and saw Ryou acting completely casual, as though he wasn't ripping open scars that should have remained closed. His eyes held a hint of concentration, while his mouth remained formed in that ever-present smile.

"These scars are beautiful, you know," he said, not looking up at all from his work. "Not just because of their intricacy, although your father must have been extremely skilled with a knife. But there's something about physical scars that strikes me as beautiful. Maybe it's the idea of them. The idea of a physical reminder of the pain you endured, of some specific event that made you so much stronger. They tell the stories that words never could." Ryou paused for a moment, as though contemplating what he had said.

"But you know, I think the blood covering them only makes it more beautiful. I only wish that I could have watched them be created, although this is a rather nice alternative, don't you think?"

"…Shut the hell up," Malik muttered, although it took quite a bit of effort to get the words out. "You're nothing but a sadist. You would have to be insane to think something like that. Scars are nothing more than useless blemishes. Besides, what the hell would you know? You aren't the one who has to live with this for the rest of his life." Ryou paused again, this time stopping the cuts completely.

"What would I know? There you go, making more unfounded assumptions." Malik could say nothing as Ryou rolled up the sleeve of his blue striped, bloodstained shirt, the same one that he had worn in Battle City. He set the knife down on the rock, and gestured to his upper left arm. Malik's eyes widened.

"Do you remember this? You should; you were there when it happened."

"Ryou, that was-"

"That was what, exactly?" Ryou's eyes grew fierce, although he grinned. "You know, Malik, I like to imagine this scar as a battle wound. It's a part of what made me who I am today, and I respect it for that. But sometimes I ask myself- was it really necessary? Or is it something that could have easily been prevented, had someone decided to intervene at the right time?" He laughed, picking up the knife again. "Of course, even I know how impossible that is. Nobody cared enough to even notice my feelings, let alone take them into consideration."

"I-"

"Stop talking, and don't bother with excuses. The past can't be changed, only atoned for. Now, I'm going to make that happen." And without saying another word, Ryou returned to his work.

The pain had never disappeared during Ryou's brief pause, but as he restarted to carve into the scars on Malik's back, it seemed to reach a whole new level. It wasn't very long before Malik had lost the strength to fight back in any way. His back felt as though it was engulfed in flames, and the blood loss was beginning to make him dizzy. All he really wanted was to give in to the nagging unconsciousness, fade out of the pain and into the absolute nothingness.

Just let yourself sleep, Malik. It's what you want, right?

No, I can't. That would be letting Ryou win.

He won't win from something so insignificant. The only way he'll win is if you let yourself die, which won't happen- you survived this once, you can do it again. Taking a quick nap won't change anything.

You don't know that. What if he decides to kill you in your sleep? Don't pretend like that isn't a possibility. Ryou isn't normal; he's completely insane. He would do it in an instant if he wanted to,

Exactly. He's insane. He would have no problem murdering you, whether you were awake for it or not. Wouldn't it be so much less painful to just let yourself sleep?

Malik argued back and forth with himself between waves of pain, although his arguments grew weaker along with his body. Just as his eyes began to close against his will, his entire body exhausted and heavy, he heard the sudden clanging of metal being dropped to the floor.

"That's too bad," said a voice from the distance. "There's nothing left to cut. I suppose I should cover it up and stop the bleeding, or he really might die." Malik vaguely wondered why Ryou wouldn't want that, but ultimately decided that it didn't really matter.

The last thing Malik saw before giving in completely to unconsciousness was Ryou mimicking the actions of his former darkness by licking his blood off of the knife, grinning widely.

Xxx

For the next several days after that, Malik drifted in and out of a fitful, dreamless sleep. Every now and then he would briefly open his eyes to see Ryou, whether he was humming and changing Malik's bandages, forcing water or food down his throat, or simply staring at him, that disgusting smile still on his face.

"I heard the pain is so bad you scream for a month," he thought he heard Ryou say once. "I must say, I'm looking forward to it." But besides that, Malik was oblivious to the world around him, choosing instead to take refuge in the numbness of sleep. Ryou could wait, and so could the pain.

Xxx

Of course, when Malik finally awoke for good, Ryou was right there next to him. A look of mild surprise crossed his face, followed by an uncharacteristically relieved smile.

"You finally woke up," he said, sighing. "You've been in and out for a few days, and you had a bit of a fever. I would assume that's normal, though…" Ryou trailed off for a moment, as though lost in thought about something, but came back only a moment later. Malik seized the chance to throw in a response.

"I thought you wanted me dead," Malik muttered. His entire body still hurt, although he knew for a fact that the worst was still to come. The feeling of sleepiness still lingered, numbing some of the pain. Ryou laughed airily, waving his hand.

"Malik, if I wanted you to die, you would have been dead a long time ago." Ryou's expression grew more serious. "You know, I don't know if I like being accused of things like that. You're in no position to be making assumptions, after all."

"What the hell do you want, then?" Without thinking, Malik tried to move his body into a sitting position, and ended up letting out a sharp cry of pain, suddenly much more awake. He lost any progress he had made on sitting up, and fell back onto his stomach with a gasp. Intense pain shot through his body yet again, bringing him to scream for what felt like the hundredth time since he had fallen into this… situation.

Ryou only stared at Malik as he screamed from the agonizing feelings and emotions welling up in him. Now that the pain was back, everything had to be real again. He was trapped, just as he had been as a child. Except now he had no one, except for Ryou. And he never would, for the rest of his life.

"Why, then," Malik gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Why am I still alive. What do you want from me? Why couldn't you just kill me, like you did everyone else?"

"That's simple." Ryou rose from his seat next to the bed (Malik's old bed, he realized with a shiver) and placed a hand on Malik's head. "You're beautiful, Malik. Your scars, most of all." Ryou laughed upon seeing Malik's reaction. "So, I guess you could say it's something akin to love." Ryou smiled sadly. "Or at least it would be, if I didn't hate you so much."

"Hate…" Malik's mouth felt dry. It wasn't as though he didn't understand the feeling. He had held plenty of hatred throughout his life. But there was still something about hearing the word from Ryou, of all people, that sent a shiver down his spine. It was odd, actually- despite everything that had happened, Malik still couldn't help but think of Ryou as the weak young boy from Battle City.

"That's right, Malik. I believe I mentioned it before, but I hate you quite a bit." Ryou's smile faded. "You helped him, didn't you? Not only did you allow him to cut me so you could reach your own goal, but you were the one who put me in danger of death by Slifer's attack, weren't you?" When Malik didn't respond right away, Ryou screamed, "You remember that, don't you, Malik? How I was nothing more than a pawn in your stupid game of revenge? Well, now it's my turn! I'm not fucking perfect, either- I hate being taken advantage of, just like everyone else! I'm not as forgiving as people think I am! I want everyone to pay for what they did to me, all of them!"

"Ryou, I-"

"…I'm sorry." Ryou's expression, filled with rage only moments ago, had returned back to normal in an instant. "I shouldn't have gotten so excited. You are still recovering, after all." Ryou turned to leave the room. "You should get some more sleep. You might still have a fever."

"Wait," Malik called out as Ryou left the room. "How long do I have to be here? How long are you going to torture me until you're satisfied?" It had been nagging at Malik's mind for a long time, although he was slightly afraid to hear the answer.

Without turning around, Ryou said, "I plan on keeping you here until the day I die. Whether or not you choose to cooperate is up to you." And with those words, Ryou disappeared.

"Really." Malik buried his face in his pillow. In the back of his mind, perhaps without even realizing it, an idea was beginning to form. It was a plan that could never be carried out right now; he was far too weak for that. But he knew that in time he would eventually heal, just as he had the time before.

Xxx

About a month passed in that small, underground tomb. As Ryou had promised, the pain was excruciating, to the point where he wondered if the previous time had been easier. But through that pain, Malik had one thing that had kept him sane. And tonight, all of that would be made worthwhile.

His plan had been perfected throughout the month, to the point where it was foolproof. The only thing left to do was carry it out, and after that, he would finally be free. He could go back to the life of freedom he had earned for himself, and although he would be alone, he could forget about the past and start over completely.

"Hey, Ryou," he called out, his heart pounding in his chest. "Is the food almost ready? I'm starting to get hungry."

"Of course," was Ryou's response. "I'll be right in." As Malik waited, adrenaline building up more and more inside of him, and his hand curled around the object he had stolen from Ryou one night, while he hadn't been looking. Soon, Malik thought. Just a little bit more, and it'll all be over.

"Here," Ryou said as he placed a plate in front of him. "I made sure not to add any meat, since I know how much you dislike it."

"Oh…right," Malik said, hoping that he wasn't coming off as suspicious. If he did, the whole plan would be thrown off. "Thank you, Ryou." Of course, it was a personal preference of his, but at that moment, he could have been eating steak and he wouldn't have cared.

Ryou sat by the bed as Malik ate. The same bed he had been confined to both as a child and in the past month, and where, after tonight, he would never have to be again.

"Hmm," Ryou sighed. "You know, I really am glad that we finally got to take those bandages off." He placed a soft finger gently onto one of the still-sensitive scars. It hurt, despite Ryou's gentleness, but Malik refused to show it and give him the satisfaction.

"God, Malik," he muttered, climbing onto the side of the bed to sit beside Malik, who was lying on his stomach. He had been doing it every day lately, and although it still disturbed Malik greatly, he had learned long ago that vocalizing these feelings was completely useless. "It's funny, you know. I still hate you, every bit as much as I did before. But you really are beautiful, and everything I've done for you has only made that even more true."

Malik tightened his grip on the item he was holding, trying and failing to keep Ryou's words from getting to him.

"Mmm…" Ryou's finger was quickly replaced by soft lips, which he brushed gently along Malik's back. And he knew that this was it, and that if he didn't do it now, he would never have the confidence or chance again. With his hands shaking almost uncontrollably, he pulled out the knife he had been hiding, and before Ryou could notice a thing, he wrapped his arm around so it reached Ryou's back, and brought down the blade with as much force as he could manage, sending it deep into Ryou's upper back. He left it in for a few moments, watching as Ryou's expression grew increasingly pained, before yanking it out. Ryou let out a pained gasp as he slowly turned his head to see the wound, staining his t-shirt a deep crimson color.

"Ma…lik…." He choked out. His brown eyes were suddenly filled with fear, as well as the beginnings of tears. Malik had obviously succeeded in catching him off guard.

"You said you were keeping me here until you were dead, right? I'm only making sure that happens as soon as possible." Malik used all of his strength to shove Ryou off of the bed and onto the cold, hard floor. Ryou let out a quick scream, his eyes wide.

Malik's back was already screaming with pain, but he pulled himself to a standing position and knelt down beside Ryou. He saw the other boy staring up at him with pleading eyes, but he felt absolutely no remorse. Everything that Ryou was currently going through he had brought on himself, after all.

"I-I'll let you go, Malik," he begged, over and over again. "I promise, I'll let you leave, but please, help me, don't let me die…"

"You had plenty of chances to let me go, to save me. You chose not to, and now it's too late."

"B-but Malik, I-" Ryou never got the chance to finish his sentence, as Malik stabbed him again quickly and suddenly, this time through the neck. Ryou coughed up some blood as he struggled for air, twitched a couple times as a last sign of life, before becoming silent and unmoving.

Now.

Malik's back felt as though it was on fire, but despite that, as well as his lack of any need to hurry, he ran forward as quickly as he possibly could, stumbling and reaching forward, as though he could grab his future and hold it in his hands. He was so close now, he just needed to climb up those stairs, and-

The pain intensified out of nowhere, and Malik felt something warm begin to drip down his back.

"No…" His scars. Malik knew immediately that they had reopened. He cried out as he fell, suddenly drained of any energy he had had.

Malik's body refused to move after that, and all he felt through the pain was his own blood pooling around him.

I'm going to die here, he thought, knowing that the thought was completely true, whether he liked it or not. But… I brought him down too, didn't I? Besides, I knew from the start that even if I escaped, I would never really live again. I have no friends, and he already killed my only family. Malik's eyes slowly closed as he realized that his scars would never heal, now. And as he gave into the welcoming feeling of unconsciousness one final time, his last thoughts were, How ironic. Here I am, about to die in the exact same place where I was born. The same place I always said I would never return to.

The only thing that gave him even the slightest bit of comfort was the knowledge that Ryou would be trapped forever as well. He had sacrificed so much to get to this point, but thanks to his efforts, Ryou Bakura would never inflict scars that wouldn't heal on anyone ever again.

Xxx

Oh hey look, it's FINALLY DONE. This took me about a week to write out in my notebook, and several hours to transfer into a word document. This is, by far, the longest single oneshot/chapter I have ever written. My old record was around 3,000 words, so let's put that into perspective, shall we? I would really appreciate it if you could leave some feedback on this, with how much time I put into it. Also, this is a rewrite of a story that is extremely important to me, although it only ever received two reviews. If you read both, you can really see how much I've improved since then. So yeah, thank you for your time, and the rest of my stories should be updated again shortly!