Summary: AU - A strange man comes to visit the young Ryou in his troubled sleep, and soon it is hard to tell truth from lies.
Pairing: Ryou Bakura / Yami no Bakura / Yami no Malik - Necroshipping
A/N: I hope you will enjoy this piece of text as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am open to comments and critique.
Sleeping Sand
He looked down at the wooden hourglass dangling from his neck in a thin leather band on his chest. The horrified middle-aged woman in front of him opened her mouth as if to scream, but she couldn't. No words were said, only utter silence filled the room.
She saw the minutes drift away while the time stood still around the two of them. Minute after minute passed by as each grain tumbled into the waist of the hourglass. Her life was in there, and now only a few pathetic grains were left.
"It looks like your time is up," he said, his voice cold as ice, just as the last grain of sand fell into nothingness, completing what once was her life.
The mystical figure slowly closed his eyes and raised the scythe into the air, while her scream echoed through the emptiness of his deaf ears.
He hadn't been able to sleep these last few nights. Something had bothered him, but he didn't know what. It was like someone was watching him from somewhere close around. He was probably just fooling himself. Right?
Once again, he was lying in his bed late at night. He couldn't sleep. There was no chance. The white hair was clinging to his young face, soaked in sweat.
Ryou tossed and turned unable to sleep - unable to give in to his desire to leave this world and enter the doors of another.
It was dark outside, and a full moon was glowing slightly through the open window. The wind felt cold against his warm skin, but it failed to cool him down the slightest. He decided to throw the wet blanket on the ground.
Needless to say, it didn't help at all.
Outside he could hear occasional footsteps mixed with the rare sound of bypassing cars. The young teen wasn't living in the inner city; it was a way too busy place for the likes of young Ryou. Too much stress, too much action.
He had become more fond of the smaller villages. He found the calm and easy living much more appealing, and so he lived by himself in a small apartment.
The time was half past midnight, when a strange howl was heard through the window. The curtains moved rapidly due to a sudden strong wind. Ryou sat up with a start, his breathing anything but calm. What was that?
It was probably just a stray dog. Yes, a dog.
Dogs weren't rare to come by. A lot of people were oblivious to the fact that dogs without owners were searching the streets late at night.
The penetrating sound sent chills down his spine, and Ryou noticed that he had started shaking rather strongly. The sweat on his bare torso turned cold.
His upper- and lower teeth were colliding rapidly, but as he looked towards the open window, he made sure to clench his jaws tightly together. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The moonlight was touching the trees gently in the quiet wind.
As minutes passed by, anxiety started to take its toll on Ryou. He wanted to pop his head out in the brisk wind, but something kept him from doing so. A picture started painting in his mind. A stranger with full intention to inflict pain.
It soon became too much for the boy to handle, and he jumped towards the wooden window and peeked out hesitantly.
Nothing.
Darkness embraced the surroundings tenderly and the grass let itself be lulled by the sweet promise of peace.
"That's unusual," Ryou thought to himself when he gazed up at the moon. It was like it had grown in size.
- As if the silver silhouette had approached the earth if only a bit.
He was about to close the window as well as the curtains, when a beige dog walked slowly across the street getting closer and closer towards Ryou's bedroom wall.
The shimmering rays of the moon were reflected in the soft and smooth fur on the dog's back as it moved. It seemed to grow larger; it was a lot larger than he had originally thought. The closer it came, the more nervous Ryou became. The dog walked steadily across the small and grassy area before his window, and suddenly it was mere meters away from him. Ryou met its gaze and was forced by an unknown power to cast his eyes downwards.
There was something in those dark eyes that he didn't like. Something that drew him closer. He could sense it. When they had made eye contact, it was as if he could feel the doors of his mind squeaking. He would surely go mental – if he wasn't already.
He dared to look at it again. The dog, which had the silhouette of a wolf and the fur of a young and beautiful retriever, cocked its head to the side as if it waited for Ryou to say something.
After an eternity of staring, it moved its paws slowly forward. As a reflex, Ryou backed away quickly covering the window with the soft white curtain.
He didn't want it to come any nearer. There was something wrong with that dog. It was seemingly taking much interest in poor Ryou. Maybe it was sick? Maybe it had rabies. Maybe it was violent and bloodthirsty.
Soon after the curtains had been ferociously closed, yet another howl went through the cool night-air followed by a series of low growls just outside the window.
The frightened boy jumped into bed as fast as he could, and he started shaking like a maniac. His eyes were shut tightly in fear, and this way he sat for minutes. Hesitantly, he opened his right eye expecting to see the dog gone.
The sight before him caused him to let out a choked gasp.
A silhouette of the dog's head was printed in the moonlit curtains. It was changing shape in the wind ever so slightly, and two bright eyes were glowing through the moving fabric.
The dog's mouth opened in a loud and chilling bark, and it disappeared out of sight. Ryou was lying in foetal position tightly clenching his knees afraid that the dog might return. Why did this dog make him feel so weak?
Stray dogs had come and gone, but not one had displayed such a control or determination. Actually not many dogs would draw such attention to itself during these hours. At night, when darkness ruled, dogs and cats would search the areas in silence.
He didn't know if the dog had disappeared completely, or if it was still on his property searching through his small garden. He didn't want to find out either.
All he did know was, that there was something terribly wrong with that creature.
That night, a horrible dream clouded Ryou's mind. Dreadful and lifelike, vivid and terrifying.
"No, don't come any closer. I command you to stop!" Ryou shouted.
"You can not get rid of me."
In front of the frightened boy, a very familiar figure was slowly emerging from the glistening ocean. Slowly it came nearer, showing a nice set of teeth which made Ryou worry about his impending future. It was like a smug grin showed itself on the wild canine, and with every step it took, Ryou took a corresponding step backwards trying not slip in the warm sand. Strands of wet hair were intertwined in a giant mess on the dog's back, and as it violently shook the water off, little spikes formed in the fur.
"Why?" Ryou asked silently mostly to himself. He gathered strength to speak louder.
"What do you want? Go away!"
"Nothing good will come out of this.."
Ryou heard the dog's thoughts clearly in his mind. The creature's disgusting mouth was dripping with saliva.
"Why have you come?" Ryou asked with sudden confidence. Somehow the fear had disappeared from within him. If only for a minute.
The stray seemed to think a bit about its answer. It cocked its head to the side and growled: "Soon, it's your turn.."
Without Ryou even realising it, the canine had come so close that he could smell its foul breath. In one swift movement, it threw itself up upon its hind legs and planted its paws roughly on Ryou's weak chest. It was almost taller than he was!
Water was dripping off of the filthy paws, and it travelled down Ryou's bare chest and past his bellybutton. It was so cold..
"Be careful.." the dog uttered silently showing its horrid fangs in a grim smile. A penetrating howl escaped the dog's mouth.
With those last words, the wild dog disappeared in a series of flashes, its muddy paws still firmly printed on the boy's skin. It was soon replaced with the firm touch of a human palm. A tall man was now standing before him, and around the man's neck, an hourglass was hanging freely. Ryou noticed how there wasn't much sand left, and for some reason, it worried him.
The sky darkened dramatically, and thick clouds began to form.
The man's face wasn't visible, but Ryou was able to see teeth inside the otherwise complete darkness of the cloak. Another thing the pale boy saw, was a few wisps of long white hair, hanging loosely down the stranger's shoulder.
The ice cold hand was placed just above Ryou's beating heart, and without any warning he felt the strong and thin fingers burning through the surface, penetrating his sensitive skin. When the teen tried screaming, he couldn't.
An uncontrollable pain started coursing through his body, spreading like wildfire.
"I will find you," a horse and dark voice spoke. "I will find you now."
Ryou looked down at his chest, and he could see it; a mark.. Where the stranger's hand had been, a small paw print was visible. It was black; pitch black.
"Who are you?" Ryou shouted. "What have you done?"
"I am a predator, and you are unfortunate enough to be my prey," the man hissed, his voice dripping with venom.
"You don't know what I have in store for you. If I were in your shoes, I would run, little boy."
"It hurts," Ryou whimpered, and in a moment of weakness, a tear travelled from his dark brown eyes all the way down cheek. He had never felt that way - never in his life had he felt so miserable. It was like he had lost a piece of himself.
Gravity took its toll. The tear fell and disappeared in the sand.
"Get used to it. We all have to deal with the pain somehow."
The man backed away slowly, retreating into the water.
"You have one month to flee. If I for some reason am unable to find you.. You should consider yourself a very lucky boy," the cloaked stranger whispered, his voice crystal-clear in Ryou's mind.