Disclaimer: Alas, I still am not in possession of the rights.

Note: To those who responded to the previous post of this fic, FanFiction somehow deleted it yesterday. I greatly appreciated the reviews and favorites, so I would be extremely grateful if you responded, again. Okay, enjoy~

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Ryou sucked in a sharp breath as he backed into the wall. Nowhere to run. His teeth chewed desperately at his lower lip as his eyes frantically darted around, searching for any escape.

'You're not going anywhere, Hikari.'

Ryou's gaze snapped back to the shadows before him, and he gasped. Bakura loomed a mere two feet from him. A sadistic grin spread across his face.

'I wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun, would I, yadonushi?'

Ryou shook his head. "Please... don't-"

'I honestly don't understand why you continue to plead, Hikari. It does nothing. In fact, it is irritating.' He flashed another grin and stepped closer. 'And you know how I am when I'm irritated.'

Tears welled in Ryou's eyes. "Don't, please don't do this. I didn't do-"

'What is it, yadonushi,' Bakura leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest in mock contemplation. 'That those idiotic policemen of yours say when they catch a criminal?'

"I'm not a criminal!" Ryou cried, lifting slightly off the wall, his fists clenched at his sides. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Bakura examined his hand nonchalantly. 'Something about the 'right to shut up', correct?' He grinned, matching Ryou's gaze, again. 'I rather like that.'

"You can't-"

Bakura slapped his palm over Ryou's mouth, stifling his protest. Ryou's eyes widened. Bakura smirked, reaching into his back pocket. He grasped a metal ringlet, then dangled the small pair of handcuffs before Ryou's face. His hikari sucked in a breath beneath Bakura's hand.

Bakura chuckled. 'You seem rather feisty tonight. As the only 'law-enforcer' here, I thought it best to use the proper equipment.'

Ryou suddenly ripped out of the Bakura's hold and bolted past him. However, Bakura spun around and grasped the boy's forearm. Ryou cried out as he was slammed back into the wall. Bakura's nails dug into Ryou's upper arms, pinning the boy to the solid barrier. The fear was evident in his hikari's round brown orbs.

Bakura laughed softly as the hand holding the cuffs slid to Ryou's wrist. The boy jerked, but was immediately stilled when Bakura pressed his body against his, crushing him against the wall. Leaning forward, he whispered into his hikari's ear. 'Let's see what form of punishment best fits a traitorous slave.'

"No!" Ryou's violent wriggles were rendered vain as Bakura's body flush against his.

Bakura grinned, then suddenly pulled back and flipped the boy around. He grabbed both wrists and pinned them behind Ryou's back, pressing him into the wall.

"Please, Bakura!"

Bakura ignored the boy's cries and snapped a metal ringlet around one of the Ryou's slim wrists. He lifted off the boy and pulled him across the small bedroom to Ryou's desk against the opposite wall. He used his foot to move the chair from the desk, then shoved the boy into the seat. Before his hikari could retaliate, Bakura was behind the chair and had yanked Ryou's arms through the holes in the back. He clipped the second cuff around the boy's other wrist, chaining him to the chair.

Revealed the necessity to physically restrain the boy, Bakura smirked. He gave the short chain connecting the metal ringlets a sharp jerk. 'These won't break, hikari. Top quality.'

Ryou stop struggling for a moment and bit his lip with a slight frown. "You stole them, didn't you?"

Bakura chuckled leaning forward over Ryou's shoulder. 'Perhaps.'

He stood and walked in front of his bound hikari. Eyeing the boy's futile exertion, he chuckled. 'Yes, I do like how you look when you're tied up, yadonushi.'

Ryou yanked harder at the cuffs, then looked up. "Why are you doing this?"

Bakura grinned. 'Do you fear me, yadonushi? Is your conscience prodding you with your guilt?'

"Conscience?! I didn't do anything!"

His dark eyes narrowed. 'Oh, yadonushi? You claim innocence?'

"I don't claim it! I did nothing wrong!"

Bakura cut the space between them in half. Ryou instinctively sunk into the chair, again.

'Is that so? Treason? That's what it's called, isn't it? Isn't treason a capital offense in countries?'

"Treason?" Ryou squeaked. "What are you talking about?!"

'What I'm talking about, Hikari,' Bakura's arm snapped out, and his fingers snatched the collar of Ryou's shirt. He pulled Ryou up until their noses nearly touched, lifting the chair from the ground. 'Is the number of times you have betrayed me. The number of times you have sided with the Pharaoh. The number of times you have gone against my orders, and betrayed my wishes.'

Ryou scowled. "You can't betray something to which you never swore loyalty!"

Bakura gripped Ryou's chin. 'A slave does not choose its loyalty. It merely follows the commands of its master.'

"I am not your slave."

'You are my yadonushi, so you are on par with, if not lower than, a slave. And you will listen to your master.' He let the chair drop back on the ground.

Ryou struggled to maintain a firm jaw, but failed miserably. Bakura smirked.

'And of course, when a slave disobeys, he must be punished.'

His grin widened when Ryou stiffened, fear evident in his eyes. A satisfied smirk on his face, Bakura circled his captive predatorily. Ryou turned frantically against his bindings, desperate not to have Bakura behind him.

Bakura chuckled. 'My, how you tremble, little Hikari. I like it very much when you shake.' He continued his orbiting, crossing in front of the boy, again. Ryou's weak glare, his lip quivering, stretched Bakura's malicious sneer. 'Why so scared, yadonushi? It's because you know I'm right, isn't it? If I wasn't right, I wouldn't harm you severely. You fear your punishment because you know it's justified.'

He halted once more in front of his hikari.

Ryou narrowed his eyes. "You're insane."

Bakura's smirk melted. Lips drawn into a thin line, he stepped forward, grasping Ryou's chin with one hand, and pressed the fingers of his other hand to the boy's forehead. Ryou froze, eyes doubled. He sucked in short breathes.

'I am serious, yadonushi.' Bakura felt the subtle tremors course through Ryou's tense body. Lips pressed together, the corner of his mouth curled upward. 'You remember the last time? We had fun, didn't we?'

Ryou didn't answer, his chest rising laboriously.

As Bakura leaned forward, his fingers pressed deeper into Ryou's forehead. 'Now if you're a good little yadonushi and entertain me tonight, I might let you off with a simple punishment.' He chuckled. 'But then again,' He tilted Ryou's chin up. 'I might not.'

"No!" Ryou shrieked and jerked away.

A harsh slap echoed through the compact bedroom. Bakura gripped Ryou's chin, turning Ryou's face towards his.

'You are most unwise, yadonushi.'

"I didn't do anything," Ryou whispered insistently. "Please, Bakura, stop this!"

Bakura stepped back, regarding his hikari through narrowed eyes. A few moments later, a large grin split Bakura's face.

'Oh, I'm going to have fun, Hikari. Your mind is a delightful playground.'

He tapped his chin in mock contemplation. 'The only thing to decide is what form your punishment should take. Ne, my disobedient little yadonushi?'

Ryou's bowed head shook weakly, his defiance slowly conceding to defeat. 'No, Bakura… I didn't.'

Bakura opened his mouth to further mock his captive, but a shrill ring pierced the thick air. Ryou's head shot up and he stared out the open doorway of his room. Bakura growled at the sudden spark in the boy's eyes. He stalked to the doorway, muttering angrily as the phone continued its incessant chime.

He stopped just outside the room and eyed his hikari over his shoulder. He flashed a grin, 'Don't go anywhere.'

Without waiting for a reaction, Bakura continued down the hall to the kitchen, the little amusement he had gain from tormenting his hikari drowned in the agonizing pitch of each ring.

He swiped the phone from its base and pressed it to his ear.

'Moshi, moshi,' he immediately assumed Ryou's innocent mannerisms.

"Bakura-kun?" A scratchy voice vibrated from the earpiece. "Is that you?"

Bakura rolled his eyes, recognizing the old lady as one of his hikari's aggravating neighbors.

'Yes, Akane-bachan. Is there something I can do for you?'

"Oh, I was just to see if you were okay."

'Yes, Bachan, everything is fine.'

"Well, I heard some crashing."

'It's nothing. I'm just clumsy.'

'Are you certain nothing's wrong?"

Bakura snarled inwardly, but answered in Ryou's softer voice. 'Yes, Akane-bachan, everything's fine.'

"Are you sure? I heard a scream-"

'Don't worry, Akane-bachan. I just had a... nightmare...' Bakura finished the word slowly, and a smirk grew upwards at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright. But if-"

'I'm fine, Akane-bachan. Thank-you for your concern. Sayonara.'

Before the irksome woman could answer, Bakura slammed to phone onto the base. A low chuckle rumbled in his chest as the grin split his face. Yes, that would be a perfectly fitting punishment for his rebellious yadonushi.

Bakura walked to the opposite counter and yanked open a drawer. After rummaging noisily through the contents, Bakura found what he was looking for, then quickly swiped a knife from the counter and returned to his waiting hikari.

Bakura stopped in the doorway of Ryou's room, his smirk melting into a scowl. Ryou had maneuvered the chair to which he was chained across the carpet to the desk, and was now reaching for the key. Seeing the boy's fingers were only inches for the desired trinket, Bakura stalked across the room, and thrust his knife into the middle of the key ring. He glared at his hikari, who stared up at him with surprised eyes. The weakling gulped.

Setting his jaw, Bakura grasped the back of the chair and dragged it across the room, then slammed it against the wall, crushing Ryou's wrists in their restraints and earning himself a pained cry.

'Shut up, yadonushi!' Bakura backhanded him across the cheek, extracting another small whimper. 'Your stupid, weakling impulses has aroused the concern of your oh-so-caring neighbors.'

His arm shot out, again, this time grabbing the collar of Ryou's shirt, and dragged him to the middle of the room. Releasing his panting victim, Bakura marched over to the desk and yanked his blade from the desk. Turning around, he held up the key.

'Those cuffs aren't coming off any time soon, so I suggest, if you have any concern for self-preservation, you stop struggling.'

He slid the key into the pocket of his pants, a satisfied smirk twisting his lips at the defeated expression that conquered Ryou's face.

'Now,' Bakura sauntered up to his temporarily submissive hikari, his grin widening with each step. 'Before you decided to dampen my triumph, your neighbor called... and she gave the most wondrous idea for your punishment.'

Ryou shook his head, sinking further into the chair. "Please, no."

Bakura twirled the knife in his fingers, ignoring Ryou's plea. 'What is your worst memory, Hikari?'

Ryou looked up at him, brown eyes widened in confusion and fear. Slowly, he shook his head.

Bakura frowned. 'Do not test me, anymore, Hikari. Tell me what I ask.'

"No..." Ryou whispered. "No!" He stared fearfully at Bakura, moisture welling in his eyes. "I don't know why you want to know, but you mean evil by it! I don't deserve this, Bakura! I did nothing wrong." He bowed his head, again. "Please... please, let me go."

An eyebrow raised, Bakura gazed upon his quivering hikari. Ryou was terrified and had submitted to his fate, yet desperately clung to a non-existent string of hope in denial. Bakura smirked, again. Well, then, he'd just have to snuff out his traitorous hikari's light.

Shaking his head, Bakura chuckled. 'You never learn, do you yadonushi? Oh well, more fun for me.' As he took a step forward, Ryou's head snapped up, eyes doubled in terror. 'I'll just have to find out a different way, one which I actually prefer because it is more fun for me and much more painful for you.'

"Please... please, Bakura, don't-"

'We're just about ready.' It took much of Bakura's self-restraint not to slap the boy senseless for all his pointless begging. 'But first...' The grin spread across his face as he lifted his other hand, the object of his earlier rummaging displayed clearly for Ryou's horror-stricken eyes. The silver tape glinted in the thin ribbons of moonlight.

"No!" Ryou's screamed, his voice verging on a hysterical pitch. "No, Bakura! Please... please, stop! I haven't done anything wrong!"

'The jury was out long ago, Hikari.' Bakura drawled as he unwound a line of the thick tape. 'You have been found guilty of your crime, and, therefore, proper punishment much be applied.' He looked up at his hikari, disgusted by the waves crashing at the walls of his eyes, the lids serving as insufficient breakers. Another smirk twisted his lips. 'You are always pushing for justice, Hikari. Now you shall have it.'

"This isn't justice! You're just appeasing your sadistic desires!"

Bakura chuckled, then cut a piece of tape from the rest with his knife. He tossed the roll onto the bed. 'Call it what you like, yadonushi. It doesn't change the situation.'

Bakura advanced steadily, crossing the few paces between them before Ryou could fully register his actions. Ryou gasped when Bakura gripped his chin.

'Unfortunately, I won't have the pleasure of hearing your lovely screams echo through the house. Wouldn't want the neighbors crashing in on us.' He grinned, causing Ryou to shiver. 'Shall we?'

He lifted the tape to Ryou lips, but the boy jerked away. "No!" Ryou struggled frantically with the cuffs binding him to the chair, but only earned himself chaffed wrists.

'Hikari...' Bakura growled.

Panic-stricken, Ryou looked down, shaking his head widely so Bakura couldn't grip his chin, again.

With a low snarl, Bakura grabbed a handful of Ryou flailing hair and jerked it back. Ryou gave a strangled cry, and a few tears finally broke free, running down his cheeks.

'You are becoming increasingly irritating, yadonushi. Did we not already review what happens when I'm irritated?'

Ryou whimpered, pressing his eyes shut. "Please... please-"

Bakura took the opportunity and slapped the tape over Ryou's mouth. The boy's eyes shot wide, and Bakura pulled back when he began to shake his head furiously, again, frightened squeals muffled by the gag. After a minute of the futile squirming, Ryou looked back up at Bakura, his eyes glistening with terrified tears. The sight returned Bakura's grin to his face. He leaned forward, causing Ryou to recoil.

'Let's begin.'

Bakura plunged into Ryou's mind, delving into the depths of his subconscious. A distant scream registered, but he paid it no heed. He dove deeper, weaving in and out of the various areas of his hikari's mind until he reached his goal.

Memory.

The dark expanse swirled with color, shapes and hues dancing until they settled, assuming a tactile appearance. Bakura surveyed the long hallway. Countless doors lined the walls on either side, stretching on past sight. Doors of memory. Walking forward, Bakura eyed the closed wooden doors, wondering which held what he sought.

Sensing a familiar presence behind him, Bakura paused. He looked over his shoulder to see Ryou standing wide-eyed in the middle of the hallway. The boy stared at the vestibule of his mind with a mixture of awe, shock, and fear. Bakura grinned, then continued down the corridor, knowing Ryou would follow out of ignorant curiosity. His naive mind would not be able to resist.

As he walked slowly down the hall, Bakura ran his hand along the wall. As his hand brushed along the first door, he felt a faint twinge of sorrow. The next door emanated with loneliness. A small smirk played at Bakura lips. The third door was smooth and soaked with a feeling of joy and contentment. Face contorted in disgust, Bakura nearly ripped his hand away, and quickly moved on.

This continued for several minutes, each door emanating a different emotion and level of intensity. However, none of them piqued Bakura's interest. He was looking for something specific.

When Bakura's patience began to wane, his palm hovered over the gnarled wood of an isolated door. A grin slowly spread across his face as he reveled in the concentrated grief and pain the flowed through the barrier. He looked over his shoulder at his hikari, who was staring at the door with a mix of horror and remembrance. Shaking his head slowly, eyes pinned on the dark door, Ryou backed away.

'Oh no, you don't.'

Bakura spun around, gripping Ryou's wrist tightly. The boy wriggled, but Bakura quickly thrust open the door and shoved him in, following a moment later. The Bearer and Spirit of the Ring fell through a vortex of light, colors and sounds whipping around their ethereal bodies.

Bakura suddenly found himself standing in the midst of a dense crowd bustling through the heart of Domino. He surveyed the swarm with mild interest. A small, amused smirk etched into his face, he turned to his hikari, who stared into the mass, teeth impaling his lower lip. Bakura followed the boy's gaze, smirking widening as his eyes rested on three people.

A younger version of Ryou, his sister, and their mother filed off a city bus, the little Ryou bouncing with excitement as his mouth moved without pause. Amane held her mother's hand, smiling and giggling at her hyperactive brother.

Without warning, Ryou bolted forward, chasing the trio as they wove through the crowds to the closest intersection. Bakura followed at a distance, waiting to see his hikari's reaction. As he remembered the intense agony radiating through the door to this memory, Bakura would not suppress a shiver of excitement. What would the next minutes unfold?

The specters of Ryou's family halted at the crosswalk, Ryou only a few strides behind. Panting, Ryou stopped by the younger version of himself that jabbed the cross-light button. Eyes fixed on his mother, Ryou reached out to caress her cheek. However, his hand passed through his skin.

"What…?" Ryou breathed, clutching his hand to his chest.

Bakura laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. 'Foolish hikari, this is a memory. You cannot interfere with the events of the past.'

Ryou bowed his head. "No, no… not, again. I don't want to see this."

Bakura scoffed at the tears beginning to well in the boy's eyes. 'Shut up, yadonushi. The best part has yet to come.'

Ryou whipped around, brow knitted in an enraged scowl. "How can you find pleasure in such horrific things?" He clenched his fists at his sides. "You're sick! I won't watch this. I don't enjoy watching people die! Especially my family!"

Both he had a chance to regret his outburst, Bakura brutishly twisted one arm behind his back. Ryou cried out.

'Your impertinence has become trite, yadonushi.' Bakura hissed into Ryou's ear. 'You have no choice in the matter. You will watch the death of your family members just as I witnessed mine.' He steadily forced the boy's limb upward, causing him to scream in agony. 'And if you object once more, I swear I will rip your arm from its socket.'

Ryou gritted his teeth, sucking in pained breathes.

The pedestrian light flashed green, and Bakura's grip loosened. They watched as Ryou's mother took little Amane's hand, again, and they started to cross the street. Little Ryou skipped gaily backwards, chattering to his mother and sister.

As a biker pedaled down the center of the crosswalk, Ryou's mother called out to him. He spun around and fell to the side as the biker swerved out of the way. The child hit the ground with a small cry. He whimpered, pointing to his ankle when his mother asked what was wrong.

Bakura scoffed. 'Such a weakling, even as a child.'

Ryou made not answer, his eyes focused on his mother carrying the younger version of himself to a bench on the opposite sidewalk. Bakura frowned. Why hadn't anything happened?

The breeze picked up, shifting the leaves on the tree… swirling the chestnut locks around young Amane's face. The scarf wrapped loosely around the girl's neck flew from her shoulders, the wind carrying it back towards where Ryou and Bakura looked on unnoticed. She spun around and raced back into the street. Ryou's mother let out a terrified cry and rushed after her daughter. Ryou called out to her. As she stepped into the asphalt, the streetlight switched and a few cars entered intersection. Ryou's mother reached Amane, who had stopped to pick up her scarf, and wrapped her arms around her. There was a screech of tires as the driver of the oncoming car slammed on the brakes. But it was too late. A second later the air echoed with a sickening slam of two bodies against the vehicle.

Ryou screamed their names, leaping out of the bench only to crumple on his injured foot.

Bakura watched the chaos of terrified pedestrians and halting cars a moment longer before the scene evaporated. He released Ryou's arm, and the boy sunk to his knees, sobbing. Bakura watched impassively as his weeping hikari muttered incoherently, the words "Okasan", "Amane", and "why" leaking through his sobs.

Turning away from the boy, Bakura continued down the hall, proceeding further into the years of Ryou's life. His hand stopped over a gnarled door of the not so distant past. A grin splitting his face, he walked back to his hikari and yanked him to his feet. He slapped him back into attention, then dragged him down the hall. Ryou jerked free, but Bakura caught him, slamming him against the wall angrily before thrusting him through the doorway.

This time, the living room of Ryou's old house materialized around them. A younger version of Ryou and his father stood in the center of the room, the former holding his hands out imploringly. Ryou closed his eyes and turned away. Bakura narrowed his eyes and pulled the boy in front of him by his hair, wrapping his other arm around his torso to hold him in place.

"Please, Bakura!" Ryou sobbed, wriggling against the grip that pinned his arms to his sides. "Please, stop. I understand; I've learned my lesson!"

'If you had truly learned your lesson, Hikari, you would not still be resisting.'

Bakura's attention was diverted when he heard the younger Ryou speak out.

"Please, Otousan. Please don't go."

Ryou father sighed. "Ryou, you know why I must. My team made a huge breakthrough. I have to go." He grabbed the suitcase resting against the couch and walked toward the door. "I'll be gone for a while." Bakura knew this meant very likely several months.

"I'm sorry, Ryou, but this is how it is."

The younger Ryou raced after him, latching onto his arm.

"Please!" He begged. "Don't leave me alone, again!"

A horn honked, a small car waiting outside visible through the front window.

"I have to go now, Ryou." Ryou's father unlocked the door. "Be good."

"Please, Otosan!" Tears glistened in the young boy's wide eyes. "Don't leave me! Don't leave me like they did. Don't you love me?"

The man suddenly whipped around and smacked his son across the cheek. The boy fell to the ground. Touching his reddening cheek lightly, he stared up at his father in horror.

Ryou's father stared down at the younger version of his son, face nearly expressionless. Finally he looked away. "You look too much like her."

Without another word, he rushed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. The younger Ryou stared distantly at the door. Voices could be heard outside, but he didn't move. Half a minute later, the engine started and the car disappeared down the road, taking with it the last member of Ryou's family... the last person he held close.

One tear slipped down the younger Ryou's cheek. He whispered, "He hates me..."

He bit his lip as his shoulders racked with sobs and curled up in a weeping ball on the ground.

Ryou became lax in Bakura's arms, and Bakura released Ryou's hair. His head bowed, the boy whispered in a defeated voice, "Please... no more..."

A bright light filled the memory room. Once it faded, yami and hikari had returned to the present in Ryou's bedroom. Ryou wept, his sobs muffled by the gag. Bakura observed silently as his hikari grieved. Then, a satisfied sneer split his face.

Leaning forward, his whispered, 'He never came back after that, did he?'

Ryou shifted, and Bakura pulled back to see his hikari looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.

Bakura chuckled. 'He betrayed you. They betrayed you.'

Ryou shook his head.

'Stop denying it, Hikari! Your father left you because he didn't deem you worthy enough to be his son. He failed as a father, betraying your loyalty and trust.' Ryou trembled with violent sobs. 'And you know what? It's your fault. You looked too much like them... the ones he loved the most. You were an inadequate son once the ones he really loved were gone.'

His bound hikari shook his head feebly as tears streamed down his cheeks. There was no fire left. The flame had been extinguished; all that was left was to break the candle.

Bakura's warm breath brushed the inside of Ryou's ear. 'They betrayed you... all three of them. They left you. You trusted them to be around forever, and they broke their promise. You were worthless to them, so they left.'

Tears poured from Ryou's eyes. He no longer had the strength to shake his head. His verbal protests were reduced to low mumbles behind the tape.

Bakura grinned. 'Yes, Hikari. You know I'm right. You can't even argue back, and it's because you know I speak truth. They betrayed you as you betrayed me. But since they are not here to take their punishment, you must take their place.'

This brought forth a new wave of tears. Two more incoherent mumbles escaped the gag before Ryou fell silent. He had lost the battle... and he knew it. Ryou no longer denied Bakura's words.

A triumphant sneer settling on Bakura lips, he circled his broken hikari, chuckling softly. Halting behind the boy, he ran his finger up Ryou's neck, savoring the unrestrained shiver. As his hand danced up Ryou's face, Bakura remembered the countless doors, the abundant memories laced with pain and suffering, all ripe for the picking. All perfect punishment for his disobedient hikari.

His fingers lingered on the moist skin of Ryou's forehead. The terror radiated off the boy, but he made no move to resist.

He knew he had lost. Ryou wouldn't fight.

Basking in victory, Bakura grinned, his other hand wrapping around the base of Ryou's neck. He leaned forward, his cold breath brushing the boy's ear.

'We're going to have fun tonight.'

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Author's Notes: Horray! I finally posted this. And guess what? This marks my 25th fic! *dances* I'm so happy~ Twenty-five fics, the majority of them angsty. ^^" Just like this one, ne? Well I hope you enjoyed the abundance of Bakura's sadistic mind twisting.

Spare a moment to review? Please? ;p