It has been said that man is greedy, that it is in our basest nature to take. As if guided by something larger than ourselves, we think only of our own survival and needs. Each person the center of their respective universe. Because, you see, no matter how giving, how kindhearted or foolish, man will always place his desires before others.
But in a world where reality is constantly twisted and molded to fit the conceptions of those who bear its' scars, there is perhaps an exception to this…rule. To be exact, a young boy. A child of purity whose bandaged heart burnt with the flames of a warrior. Whose untamed mop of white hair matched the innocence he seemed to exude from the pores, rivaled only by the worldliness contained in those iridescent green eyes.
Despite his seeming fragility, he was a person who could wither the most potent of storms and walk out in one piece. Whole despite the lack of something. His pixie like face, alit with intelligence in place of mischief, nearly always bore a small smile of some sort. A peaceful grin made to reassure others, to display affection in the best way he knew how.
This boy, whose very existence defied all logical explanation, was named Ryou. Ryou Bakura.
However, no man is without his faults. No angel is exempt from the possibility of falling and thus, neither is he.
Caught by the confines of a golden prison and immersed within the vilest of shadows, Ryou's opposite sat. A master of deception atop his gilded throne of lies. Both dark and light were astonishingly similar yet irrevocably different to one another; lanky instead of frail, greedy instead of giving, red instead of green and tainted instead of pure. A warrior with a devils heart and ice at his very core. By many names this villain had been marked, by many titles he was known, and yet, as if to make a mockery of that which he tortured the spirit took on the name Bakura.
His cruelest thievery to date.
"Hikari, hikari" He whispered into the ear of his sleeping opposite, watching with sickened glee as the boy endured a fitful rest. "You will be my tool, my weapon to use against that hateful Pharaoh. Together, we shall find the Millennium items, we will destroy what's left of the boy kings' spirit and send this world hurtling towards darkness. When there is nothing left, when this land is coated in ashes and rot, we shall rebuild. We will rule."
"No" Ryou whimpered. "I won't help you! I won't!"
The Spirit paused before chuckling, a sinister sound akin to the way a beast would rake its' claws across stone. A vile noise befitting its owner. "How about I make you a deal, daft little light. In return for your help, I shall give to you your sister and beloved mother. I can grant you this, boy. No longer will you have to satisfy your longing with those pitiful letters. No longer will your sadness hold you. And isn't that what you want? To see your precious people again? You see, I know all about that type of loneliness."
The young boys' lower lip quivered in fear. A potent thing that made the darkness behind his lids seem terrifying, that grew the seed of doubt and formed monsters from even the thinnest thread of memory.
"I know how it tears you apart inside. I know how each day and each night you pray to have them back, how you'd give anything to breathe life into their breathless corpses." Ryou flinched as if physically hurt. "My own kin were taken away from me, you know. My own life was stolen right out of the palms of my grubby little hands. I took, Ryou, I took because it was all that was left. There was no kindness for one such as myself. But here I am, young one, offering you that which was denied me; the return of those who abandoned you. All it requires is the full relinquishment of your body, the destruction of your will. Isn't that a small price to pay for Amane and Mother?"
The honey like words that poured from those deceptive lips, a sweet poison to the heart and an even deadlier toxin to the mind, swayed the boy like nothing ever had. Light was his being, thus Light was what he always strived to be, but those words cast shadows on that seemingly simplistic plane. Dangled the string of 'want' tauntingly before his very eyes.
"I w-won't ever hel-help you. My b-body is my own. M-my will is my o-own."
Throwing his head back, the sprit laughed. Cackled at the childs' indecision. "You yourself doubt those pitiful words, Hikari! How do you expect me to swallow them? No. I will tell you Ryou," His name rolled off the spirits tongue like silk. "I will tell you what'll happen, because you are too weak to make such a choice. The ability to choose lies within the strong, lay with those willing to take whatever they want to reach their end goal. Something it is apparent you are not nor can do. You see, boy, I will take over your soul. My flickering light, you will be gone and reunited with your precious people. I made you a deal and I'm nothing if not true to my word after all."
The shadows stretched, devouring the land inch by merciless inch. Each ray gone was another doubt added, another thirst that needed quenching. Another pain that needed resolution. Something which the voice had promised, the whisper that haunted his nightmares.
"So Ryou, are you ready to give me control?"
More light melded together with churning shadows.
"Are you ready to see your loved ones again?"
To the center it delved, ice like mist creeping up the pale boys' legs.
"It is time Ryou, prepare yourself."
Placing a hand gently on the fidgeting boys' heated cheek, chilled fingers ghosting the rose tinted skin, Bakura called out to the shadow magic swirling within his being. Drawing power from the very place that sought to hold him. They devoured the boy easily enough, what with the little resistance the child put up. Shame really, only a year under his influence and the boy was already ripe for the picking.
"My light should be stronger than this, pathetic little-"
"NO"
The spirits eyes bulged, ruby like irises smoldering with shock and furry. "What?!"
"NO! I SAID NO!" Ryou screamed, his normally sedate voice wrought with anger, laced with defiance. "I will not be your pawn! My mom and sister wouldn't want to be brought back if that was the cost! The world…THE WORLD IS TOO HEAVY A PRICE TO PAY!"
His words wrung through the quiet and pierced the amassing shadows.
"I won't sacrifice the world for that, I won't let their deaths be mocked in such a way. I want them back, I want them back so badly it hurts, but if another's death is meant for that to happen then I will not stand by and let it. If I have to suffer, I will. If I have to hold the burdens on my shoulders then fine. But you will not take over my will!"
Each shout let light wash over the land once more, abated the thirsts that had arose and assuaged the pains that wracked his heart. Every word made the spirit disappear bit by bit, small evil by small evil.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT BOY!" The spirit screeched, that mask of deceptive calmness broken into miniscule pieces. Such an act revealing the cowardice beneath. "DON'T YOU DA-"
"I WON'T ALLOW YOU! I DON'T WANT YOUR PROMISES! I DON'T WANT YOU!"
Silence befell the room, cloaking the tension and morphing it into something calmer, something considerably more peaceful. The hum of relief buzzed through the air, echoing off the hastily painted dry wall and into the hearts of both of its occupants. Each resolute in their own choices.
"I will be back Hikari. This isn't over yet, not until I take over your body and defeat the pharaoh." He growled as his corporeal form disappeared, slowly being absorbed back into the circular band that lay against the boys chest. "You will regret not taking my offer."
With that, the spirit vanished back into the cage that had held him for several millennia. The effort of manifesting himself pushing him into a near powerless state that would endure for another four years until the two would meet again.
"I know, voice. I know."
~Fin~
Author's notes: Was this a bum ending because my brain fizzled out at the last possible moment? Yes, yes it was. Anywho after two months of pissing about, I finally hiked up my big girl panties and decided to type something. Short-n-sweet. Nah, but in all honesty writers block has been hitting hard. I would've posted something sooner or went with the original ending I had planned but unfortunately, my creative juices have run dry.
I feel like this may or may not confuse some people but in this story Ryou is twelve, a time period where he wasn't aware that Bakura even existed. Until that role playing game part I believe(I don't know if this is exact or not), Ryou considered Yami Bakura to just be a voice in his head. Hence the reason for him calling Bakura 'voice'. Take this little scene as one that he would consider a dream of sorts, where the spirit tries to convince Ryou to relinquish his body while he sleeps.
Anywho, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed!