Anything for a friend
Jonouchi walked down the store-lined street, whistling and swinging a plastic grocery bag in a circle around his arm. It was early evening, the sun was just starting to dip below the horizon, and the blond boy had finished stocking up on ramen and chips for the weekend. It wasn't the makings for a healthy meal, but hey, it was that or leave the shopping to his dad, and if he did that they'd both go hungry.
A small grin grew on the boy's face as he let his thoughts wander. The next day Yuugi was going to drag Ryuji over to his Grandpa's game shop and try to get the young man a new job there, and Anzu was in charge of bringing over food for the gang to have an afternoon full of burgers and card games. Then he'd call Shizuka and work out their meeting for next Friday, and-
A short cry of pain startled Katsuya from his thoughts. The boy swiveled around, immediately running in the direction the sound came from. If someone was hurt, he was going to have something to say about it. Besides, that voice sounded familiar...
"Bakura, please!"
Jonouchi barreled around the corner and into a dim and dirty alleyway. What he saw caused him to lose his breath.
Ryou was there, his yami in physical form, a hand twisted in the boy's white hair and shoving him against the grimy brick wall next to him. The human's arms were littered with bruises, and a thin line of blood poured from his hairline.
"Hey!" Jonouchi yelled, partially in dismay and mostly in indignation. The spirit whirled around, spinning Ryou along with him, his head pushed down so he was hunched over nearly double.
"J-Jonouchi..." Ryou whispered, his eyes swimming with tears as he strained to look at Jonouchi through his think bangs. His words were quickly cut off with a strangled whimper as Bakura yanked on his hair to shut him up.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jonouchi demanded, storming towards the two in a fury, his groceries discarded and firm footsteps echoing loudly through the alley. He stopped inches away from the pair, trying to decide whether he should try and get Ryou away first or to start by whaling on the evil spirit.
"It's not your concern." Bakura stated nonchalantly, staring at the taller blond with calm blue eyes that glinted with impassive confidence.
"Of course it's my concern! Ryou's my friend! Get your mitts off him this instance!"
With a cry of anger, Jonouchi socked Bakura straight in the jaw.
The blow caused the spirit to drop his hold on Ryou and stagger back a few steps. While Jonouchi herded Ryou behind him and prepared to fight, the yami lifted a hand, gingerly pressing where the fist had come in contact with his soft flesh.
"I was willing to let you go," he growled as he turned to face the two. "But now you've got me in a bad mood."
"Yeah, whatever, ugly." Jonouchi sneered. Where did this freak get off? He knew the guy wasn't the nicest spirit in the world, but that he'd actually hurt Ryou... he might be some super-powered being, but Jonouchi was a fighter, and these streets were his home court. If it was the last thing he did tonight, he'd teach Bakura not to mess with his friend.
"Hey, Ryou, I'm gonna get you out of here, okay?" Jonouchi reassured, turning to face the cowering teen behind him. That was a mistake.
"Look out!" Ryou shrieked.
Jonouchi whirled around towards the yami. A fist flying with strength and precision at his face was the last thing he saw.
Jonouchi raised his head groggily as he slowly regained consciousness. He hadn't expected Bakura to be able to hit that hard…
It took him a few seconds to realize he was no longer in the alley, instead tied to a chair in a poorly lit room. Jonouchi tested the strength of the bonds and was annoyed to find the person who tied him knew what they were doing— he could barely move at all. His eyes flitted around the room, and he quickly decided it was Ryou's bedroom, not only by the bedroom furniture and Monster World paraphernalia but also because Bakura was leering at him from the opposite wall. Jonouchi frowned at the smug spirit, but his eyes continued their path, searching for his friend. He finally found him curled in a corner so far away from the scant light it was almost completely dark. The blond's eyes softened in sympathy at the shaking yet silent boy. He quickly frowned when he realized Ryou had several more gashes than he had when Jonouchi found him.
He must have tried to protect me from Bakura… tried to keep him from taking me here, then… Jonouchi's eyes narrowed and his gaze swung back to Bakura as he correctly assessed what had happened.
Bakura grinned at the anger on Jonouchi's face, then lazily pulled away from the doorframe and strode towards Jonouchi, still smiling. He stopped a short distance away from the incapacitated boy.
"You know…" Bakura commented casually, "unlike Ryou, I don't need you to exist. I could kill you easily if I wanted to."
The remark obviously unnerved Jonouchi, but he bit his lip and kept quiet, especially after hearing Ryou choke back a sob.
Bakura glanced over his shoulder at his teary-eyed host and gave him a feral grin.
Then he attacked.
Jonouchi let out a gasp as he felt the air forced out of him. Another fist soon connected with his stomach and shoved him hard against the wooden back of the chair. Jonouchi quickly swallowed the bit of bile that threatened to spill out. He let out a whimper as Bakura pushed him backwards, knocking him and the chair against the wall, causing Jonouchi's neck to snap forwards.
Jonouchi raised his head painfully and winced at the malicious look that seemed to convey that Bakura was barely even getting started. However, a sense of courage flowed into him as he glanced behind Bakura to see Ryou, still huddled in the corner, looking at him with in sadness and fright. He had to give his friend hope.
"Hey, no need to be like that, Ryou!" Jonouchi called out, barely feeling the next blow. "I'll be out in a second, and I'll pay Bakura back twice!"
Bakura frowned as he noticed his prey had stopped reacting to his blows. He followed the boy's line of sight to find Ryou, looking up with a slightly hopeful expression. This would be no fun if Jonouchi didn't care. Bakura hissed and lashed out with a bit more venom at Jonouchi's legs.
"Wanna know why?" Jonouchi continued his one-sided conversation with Ryou, clenching his fists to avoid showing his pain as Bakura kicked his legs viciously. "Because I'm gonna pay him back once for me… and once for you."
"Pay attention to me!" Bakura snapped harshly, slapping Jonouchi's face with enough strength to force it to the side. A faint smile grew on the blond's face as he kept his eyes pinned on Ryou, eyes not switching to his attacker for a millisecond.
"Don't worry, buddy! I'll be fine. He'll be the one beggin' for mercy in just a few minutes!"
The evil yami snarled and paused his attack. In the corner Ryou seemed to pale, causing Jonouchi to frown in confusion.
A second later the blade of a slightly curved dagger was pressed against his neck. Jonouchi's eyes widened, and he sucked in a breath, feeling the frigid steel rub against his throat.
Ryou let out a cry of alarm at the new danger his friend was in. Bakura turned around, knife still to his hostage's throat, and gave his hikari one of his most wicked grins.
"Come here, Ryou."
Ryou's eyes widened, and he shook his head furiously and pressed himself deeper into the wall. He knew what would happen if he obeyed Bakura.
Bakura's eyes narrowed at his yadonushi's timid defiance, and the grin sank into a frown.
Jonouchi struggled to keep from gulping as he felt Bakura move the blade into his neck, smoothly slicing through the skin.
Ryou stared in horror as the dagger slowly continued its path. Jonouchi let out an ill-suppressed whimper as the knife deftly slit through a minor vein, causing a thin stream of red liquid to pour from the middle of his otherwise unsullied neck. Ryou let out a loud sob at the blood before he could stop himself.
Bakura's eyes flickered back to Ryou, keeping the blade where it was in Jonouchi's flesh.
Ryou didn't bother to try and suppress his tears as he approached his yami. He knew exactly what was going to happen next. At least Jonouchi would be safe for a little now…
Bakura smiled almost sincerely at Ryou's deference, pulling away from Jonouchi just enough and lowering the once-more-stained blade to his side. Jonouchi tried to tug a hand to his throat before consciously remembering he was bound. He warily surveyed the swiftly nearing white-haired boys, an uneasy premonition settling on him.
This was quickly realized when, as soon as Ryou was within arm's length, Bakura's hand whipped out, slashing a shallow cut in the boy's cheek.
Jonouchi's eyes widened as Bakura grabbed Ryou by the arm, twisting it behind his back and smashing the boy face-first into the wall beside Jonouchi.
"Bakura! Stop it!"
Bakura turned to face Jonouchi, grin back on his face and nonchalantly grinding Ryou's face into the plaster.
"You're paying attention to me now, aren't you?"
Jonouchi gazed sadly as Bakura continued to mistreat Ryou, the yami looping his foot around Ryou's ankle and tugging so the boy fell to the threadbare carpet with a cry. He kicked him in the stomach hard enough to flip him onto his back, then stepped on Ryou's neck, causing the boy to choke. A few seconds later, the dispassionate yami grabbed Ryou by the hair, roughly dragging him to his feet. He pressed the boy's back against the wall and the dagger began to sketch a bloody crescent into Ryou's shoulder.
"Stop it!" Jonouchi demanded once more, feeling a tear starting to form in the corner of his eye. The whole reason he had attacked Bakura was so Ryou could be safe…!
Bakura stepped away from Ryou and approached Jonouchi once more. He leaned in, sneer-distorted visage inches from Jonouchi's own face.
"Well, 'Jonouchi-kun'… how do you like being helpless?"
"Just stop it," Jonouchi whispered, swallowing his rancor in the hopes this might deter Bakura's cruel retribution. "Ryou doesn't deserve a bit of pain."
"Really?" The spirit asked blandly, regarding his shaking host from the corner of his eye. "He's not but a pitiful brat. If there's one thing he deserves, it's pain."
Jonouchi responded with a low growl, which cause Bakura to laugh roughly. For a second Jonouchi hoped he had successfully drawn the yami's focus back towards him, but that hope was quickly dashed as Bakura draped an arm over Ryou's shoulder.
"You know it's true, Ryou," he purred into the boy's ear. "You're too much of a weakling either to help me or to stop me. Misery follows you everywhere, and how could that be if you didn't deserve it? No one cares about you, Ryou. And it's a good thing, too. The only thing you could give them is their death. Yuugi and his hangers-on only stick around you so they can keep tabs on me."
The boy shut his eyes tightly, feeling the tears starting to form. He didn't want to believe his yami, didn't want Jonouchi to see how weak he really is...
"Ryou, don't listen to him! I'm your friend! And so are Yuugi and Anzu and everybody!"
Ryou dragged his head upwards slowly, staring at Jonouchi's face. The boy seemed desperate and sad, but over all, very sincere.
"You help make us stronger, Ryou," Jonouchi continued quietly, "remember? Like when Yuugi was fighting Pegasus, or when I was fighting against Mai? You're always there for us, and we'll be there for you, if you just let us and don't seal yourself off like you always do. There's that saying about strength in numbers, but not just that, friends help you even when they aren't physically there." Jonouchi's voice slowly rose in volume and enthusiasm. "Just the knowledge that you have people who believe in and care for you can be enough to keep you going, give you the strength to defeat your enemies, because that's what friends do! They're people you can count on no matter what, through whatever happens!"
"I'm growing tired of this blabbering." Bakura growled, tossing Ryou aside and latching a hand around Jonouchi's throat. He chuckled as the boy gagged, and he squeezed harder.
"There, that'll keep you quiet for a while…"
"No."
Bakura blinked at the quiet yet resolute voice from behind him. He turned around slightly to find Ryou there, standing tall with a grim look on his face.
Bakura laughed softly once more.
"Oh? You propose a different plan?"
"Yes." Ryou said firmly. Bakura was confused at Ryou's sudden backbone. Ryou almost never treated his yami with such conviction…!
"I propose…" Ryou stated quietly, taking a step towards the two, "that you…"
Another step…
"Leave him alone…"
Now he was only a foot away from Bakura…
"And go away!"
Suddenly, Ryou leapt towards his yami, clamping his hands around the other's shoulders and gritting his teeth in concentration. Bakura's hand snapped away from Jonouchi's neck and clasped around Ryou's wrists, trying to shake them off. Ryou was actually trying to force him back into the Ring!
Jonouchi watched in confusion at the battle of wills in front of him. He had no idea what was going on, but he was proud of Ryou for standing up to Bakura, whatever he was doing.
"Are you sure you want to do this, yadonushi?" Bakura growled under his breath. "Give up now and I won't hurt you as badly."
"No, I won't give up. I don't want you to hurt my friends. I won't let you anymore!"
Bakura smirked softly. "I seem to remember having this conversation before. Remember what happens next…?"
Ryou faltered for a second, glancing at the knife pressing against the top of his hand, still in Bakura's grasp. Bakura smirked slightly, feeling Ryou's will waver.
Then Ryou's eyes narrowed once more, and he tightened his grip.
"This won't be like that time. This time I'll win, and you'll stay down!"
"You…!"
Bakura's threat was cut off abruptly as the Millennium Ring glowed brilliantly. Both Ryou and Jonouchi closed their eyes, and in a second the light was gone, along with Bakura.
Ryou gave a sigh of relief, then turned to smile at Jonouchi, weary but almost giddy with happiness. He wouldn't have thought he could contain Bakura so easily, but he could tell Bakura wasn't just luring him into a false sense of security— he could feel Bakura struggling to escape the Ring once more, shouting threats at Ryou that were effortlessly ignored. Maybe Ryou had more control over the situation with Bakura than he thought. He had rarely stood up to Bakura, and usually when he had he had started out with an obvious disadvantage. Could he not be as powerless as Bakura kept telling him?
"Hey, great job, Ryou. I knew you could do it."
Ryou snapped out of his thoughts to see Jonouchi looking at him. The white-haired boy smiled sheepishly as he realized Jonouchi was still tied to the chair.
"Thank you. Here, I'll untie you." Ryou said, moving forwards to free his friend. He started picking at the knot, when a sudden feeling of uneasiness settled over him. Something felt wrong…
Suddenly Ryou realized Bakura was no longer struggling to free himself from the Ring.
The next second he was no longer in control of his body.
…No! Ryou gasped as he found himself in his soul room. If he was here, then Bakura…
Jonouchi frowned as Ryou suddenly froze in his attempt to unbind him, his hair casting a shade over his eyes.
"Hey… hey, Ryou, man… are you okay?" Jonouchi asked worriedly.
The boy raised his head and gave what seemed to be a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Jonouchi-kun. I'm just fine."
Then his fist connected with Jonouchi's cheek.
Jonouchi gave a gasp of pain and confusion. He raised his head slowly to see Ryou smirking at his bewilderment. But Ryou wouldn't act like this…!
A second later Jonouchi mentally slapped himself for his stupidity. Of course Bakura had taken over Ryou and was just imitating his host. He had done so before. But still…
"What are you up to now, Bakura?" Jonouchi growled.
"Just finishing what I started." Bakura commented, brightly and innocently, as he punched Jonouchi in the stomach. The restrained boy gagged, choking and gasping for air. He raised his held slowly and glared up at the grinning yami.
"Oh, I should have done this from the start," Bakura chimed in Ryou's voice as he picked up the knife and slid it lightly down Jonouchi's arm.
"Get out of him right now." Jonouchi bit out as he gritted his teeth against the sharp rush of pain as the blade broke his skin once more.
"I don't think so. See, this way, you know the truth," Bakura commented brightly, kicking his captive in the stomach once more.
"I'm not the one hurting you, Ryou is. It's his fault that he can't stop me."
"That's a load of garbage and you know it," Jonouchi spat.
The spirit shrugged, and lashed out at the boy once more.
Jonouchi lost track of time, caught in the flurry of kicks and punches. The battering continued in the form of his friend, twisting his arm and bruising his chest and the metal blade now slick and warm with blood tearing smoothly through his skin. Jonouchi blocked out as much as he could, biting his lip and refusing to cry out. The pain was pushing him to the verge of consciousness, but as the blond boy stared weakly at the maniac wearing his friend, he put all of his energy into masking how he truly felt. There was no way he'd give this jerk the satisfaction.
"I'm getting bored." Bakura commented casually. "As fun as this was, I think it's time to wrap things up."
With a wicked grin that looked completely out of place on Ryou's mild face, Bakura reached into his coat's inner pocket and whipped out a gun. Jonouchi's breath caught in his throat as the hand of his friend lowered the deadly weapon to rest over Jonouchi's heart.
"N-no…" he whispered.
'Ryou's' smile widened as he cocked the pistol.
"You sure you want those to be your last words?"
"I… I know this isn't Ryou." Jonouchi murmured. "And I know you can overcome him, Ryou. Please, try…"
For a second the boy remained motionless, his face hiding all emotion, the gun still pressing against Jonouchi's chest. Then suddenly something clicked, and Ryou's expression turned to one of fear and slight confusion.
Jonouchi breathed a sigh of relief, and his lips turned up into a slight smile.
"Ryou, you're back…"
The boy nodded slightly in response, then started to move the gun away.
A second later the gun swung back into position.
Jonouchi sucked in a breath. "Ryou…?"
"H-he's got control of my hands!" Ryou cried out in alarm.
'How does it feel to watch your own hands betray you, yadonushi?'
'B-Bakura… what are you doing?'
'You managed to gain control once more, thanks to this boy… but you should know don't have the strength to contain me completely.'
'But… why just my hands?'
'You did this before to frustrate my hopes, now I shall do the same. Don't worry… I won't take over all of you for the moment, and I shall not kill Jonouchi.'
Ryou was silent, staring at the gun and the finger starting to press on the trigger.
'But, the gun…'
'Oh, Jonouchi will die. But you'll be the one to murder him.'
'No!'
'But you will, Ryou… you are powerless to stop me…'
Ryou's eyes widened as the grip on the gun tightened and pressed deeper against Jonouchi's shirt, able to feel his friend's frantic heartbeat through the metal. A glint of determination crept into the crystal blue eyes.
'No, you won't! I will stop you!'
Jonouchi felt his heart start pounding faster as Ryou froze, struggling with himself. His friend was locked in a silent battle within himself, the only evidence being the frown of concentration and pain on his face. As he felt the metal of the barrel pushing through his shirt and against his chest, Jonouchi fervently hoped that Ryou would win soon, for both of their sakes.
He saw his friend's finger slipping back around the trigger, and Jonouchi let his eyes slide shut in weary resignation. All he could hope for now was that Ryou wouldn't blame himself for this.
With a scream, Ryou whipped his arm away just as Bakura pulled the trigger. The shot went wild, flying across the room. Jonouchi's eyes snapped open and he saw Ryou panting with exertion, the gun thrown to the floor.
"Ryou!" the blond cried in relief and happiness. "I knew you could do it!"
Ryou's lips twitched into a shaky smile aimed at his friend. Bakura truly, finally was subdued.
"I... I guess I..." Ryou's voice trailed off as he saw where the bullet had landed. Jonouchi watched as the teen's eyes went glassy as he stumbled towards the bullet's destination, grabbing a pierced picture frame and holding it tightly to his chest.
Jonouchi tugged at the bonds, finding Ryou had managed to loosen them, and after finishing working his way out of the bonds he stood and walked slowly up to where his friend was curled on the floor.
"...Ryou?" he asked softly, placing a gentle hand on the contorted boy's shoulder. Ryou relaxed immediately, leaning on the taller boy and pulling his arm away to look at the picture. Jonouchi looked down as well, and saw a photo of a young girl, maybe seven years old, now with a bullet hole through the top right corner of the picture.
"Amane." Ryou whispered quietly. "She's... she was my little sister."
The 'was' was not lost on Jonouchi.
"Oh, Ryou, man, I'm sorry." He breathed, pulling the smaller boy into a hug. "Is there anything I can do?"
Ryou shook his head and buried it in the fabric of Jonouchi's shirt.
"No. Just... please, don't leave yet."
"Of course."
Ryou relaxed in his grip and started to sob, the events of the night crashing over him in an overwhelming avalanche of emotions. Jonouchi just held him tighter and leaned back, rocking the boy slightly.
He would stay as long as Ryou needed him.
Author's notes: As time has gone on I realize Abusive!Bakura is kinda overdone and somewhat OOC, but... well, I still love it when done well. ^^" (I don't think this was done particularly well, but I've wanted to write out this idea for years, so I knew I had to finish it no matter how it turned out.)