Bound With Darkness and Light: Chapter 2: Ember

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Bakura supposed he looked rather odd to the mortals sharing the sidewalk with him—it wasn't every day a teenage boy jogged down the street holding up a part of mini golden shackles. The shackles tugged at his fingers, encouraging him west as they'd been doing for the last hour, previously sending him in the proper direction with insistent jerking movements since he'd recited the activation spell gleaned from the scroll-copy 7 or so hours ago. Gotta be close now. Soon, soon I shall have my new hikari. One worthy of me instead of that pitiful rabbit I'm stuck with now. Bakura thought happily, barely noticing the pedestrians thinning and the streets darkening around him until the night spurred the streetlamps to flicker alive.

Funny that Ryou's own father would bring about his darling, neglected son's death—when Bakura'd made his new hikari, the yami would torture the frail teen to death. He looked forward to it. The very shackles in his hands held link-magic not only to find a person with hikari-potential but also to force-bind them to a yami. To HIM. Or so the copied hieroglyphs said; and so it seemed. Now that it was activated, Bakura could sense powerful magic stirring within the manacles, coiling and eager to find his new hikari, to free him from that weak fool Ryou. Find me someone strong, someone who doesn't cringe at pain, someone tough. the yami mentally crooned to the gold in his hands, which seemed to listen as it pulled more fervently at his fingers.

True night had fallen while Bakura searched, scattering the clear sky with crystal stars and a brilliantly full moon. Suddenly, the shackles tugged hard to the right, leading Bakura into a park. A warm breeze sweet with night-blooming flowers and fresh-cut grass teased the yami's nose as he followed one of the bike paths into a thick copse of trees near the center of the park. There the shackles abruptly fell limp in his hand; Bakura looked up to see a surprised young woman standing a few feet away, a faint frown creasing her forehead. "So, you are to be my new hikari." Bakura purred, an eager light in his expresso-dark eyes. All in all Bakura was pleased with his first impressions of his new light. Clearly feminine her form was, but he also saw the strength and grace of a warrior in her movements. Bakura could sense a certain steel-hard core within her, one that couldn't be bent or broken. Ra! Look at her now, not a touch of fear showed even though he could see wariness in her bright aqua eyes. "Perfect." The yami murmured, then advanced on his soon-to-be hikari.

Ember Davis couldn't help but frown at the white-haired teen in front of her.Hikari? Light? What the Hell is he talking about? she wondered, eyeing the boy. For all his pale skin and moon-colored hair there was a certain ruthless darkness about him that his handsome features couldn't hide. Like a demented angel or maybe one forever fallen beyond redemption. Ember watched the boy pocket the gold things he'd been holding and stalk towards her, a manic gleam in his eyes. "Stay away from me kid, I'm warning you. You do NOT want to mess with me." The young woman growled, unconsciously slipping into a modified horse stance.

His answering chuckle sounded less than sane. "Oh, but I do, my hikari,"he husked just before her leapt at her. Slipping out of his path, Ember let him rush past her, delivering a solid roundhouse into his buttocks before he got out of range. The boy snarled as the kick threw him into the concrete sidewalk. "That was just a love-tap. I told you kid: LEAVE ME ALONE." The young woman ground out. C'mon kid, just go away. I don't want to hurt you. Lurching to his feet and wiping blood from a gash on his chin, the boy narrowed his eyes at her. The look in them stopped her cold. Th-those eyes, he isn't a normal teenager. "What ARE you?" Ember asked, a thrill of fear kickstarting her heart into high gear. Again that not-quite-sane laughter. "I'm Bakura, your yami." Then he leapt at her again, this time a blur of motion. Ember sidestepped, but not fast enough, moonlight flashed off a metal blade and a burning line raced down her forearm.

Fuck! Was all she managed to think before Bakura slashed again, aiming for her abdomen. Pain flared rawly as she blocked the cut with her wounded forearm, knocking his knife-arm wide, but not dislodging the weapon from his hand. Bakura danced out of range, expression one of great satisfaction. The young woman forced her own expression to remain impassive when the obviously psychotic teen lifted the crimson-stained blade to his mouth and began to slowly lick it clean. "Delicious, your blood is very sweet, my hikari. I must make you bleed often." He purred, flicking a wet, pink tongue-tip over his lips seductively. Ember refused to notice the thrill of cold horror brought on by that comment. Woman and spirit circled one another, he with the unnatural fluidity of oil on glass, she with the proud grace of a stalking cheetah. When next they clashed Bakura left another slash on her forearm, but Ember caught him with a roundhouse to his abdomen, several wet snaps announcing she broke more than one rib.

"Very good, hikari." Bakura panted from a safe distance away, hunched slightly in pain. "But I think it's time to end this." The psycho's hand flicked near his night-colored jeans. Silver moonlight bowed before glowing golden light emanating from the handcuff-like things he threw at her. She tried to dodge, feeling a deep unease, only to find her muscles locked into position by some unknown force. Shit! She screamed mentally, seeing the manacles miraculously grow larger and clip themselves over wrists she was powerless to stop moving into the perfect position to facilitate her binding. A fierce electric tingle rushed over her skin from the ends of her toes to the top of her head, the sheer force of it making her stagger. What happened next dropped her to her knees.

Ember cried out as whatever power held her tore away the mental and emotional shields guarding both mind and soul, laying her innermost being raw to the world. For several seconds that seemed like centuries, Ember was assaulted with the thoughts and feelings of the entire city, waves of it crushing her mind, driving her to the edge of insanity. Her salvation came in the form of gentle hands cupping her cheeks and the mind of another shrouding hers with his own mental shields, the raw emotional input cutting off as abruptly as if a steel trap snapped closed over her mind. Ember came back to herself cradled in Bakura's arms, shaking like a maple seedling in a hurricane. :Shhhh, shhhh, the worst is over now.: His mental words soothed as he cuddled her close. Through exhaustion-blurred vision she saw his tender expression, felt how gently he held her. It frankly terrified her. :Sleep now, we will finish the spell later.: Bakura crooned, caressing her cheek lovingly. Ember tried to fight the heavy drowsiness now filling her body, but in the end she drifted into unconsciousness despite her best efforts.

Bakura sighed in complete content as Ember's body went limp in his arms, sleeping deeply. It was worth getting roughed up a bit to make sure of her—why else would he have left off using the shackles until they'd gone a few rounds? His masochistic tendencies? Not this time, not with so much at stake. He couldn't have been more pleased—she fought with as much skill and courage as he could want in a partner. No weak tears or pitiful whimpers for her either, she took her defeat with silent strength. Bakura rose to his feet with Ember securely held in his arms—he needed to find a pay phone to call a cab. Bakura rose to his feet with Ember securely held in his arms—he needed to find a pay phone to call a cab. Gotta get my new hikari home and get rid of my old one. He thought as he walked off into the night.

"Wake up Ryou—now!" Bakura's demanding voice tore him from one of the best sleeps he'd had in weeks. Ryou bolted up from under his nest of covers, instantly wide awake. Bright light struck his eyes like a blow, Bakura must have hit the switch by the door. It took a moment for his smarting eyes to adjust, but when they did the scene in front of them made him gasp. Bakura, looking a little worse for wear, stood just inside the room with an unconscious woman cradled in his arms. Ryou blinked a few times, wondering what he ate last night that gave him such weird dreams. :You're awake, idiot, now move over so I can put her down.: grunted Bakura impatiently, obviously following his light's thoughts.

Until his yami set her on the bed next to the teen, he hadn't noticed the golden shackles circling her wrists and the dried blood on her forearms. Fuck, it was too damned early for Bakura and his socially unacceptable pastimes. Thank Ra she's still breathing! The boy thought, relief brushing aside the sick confusion cramping his stomach. "Bakura, who is this?" he asked with great trepidation, hoping the answer had nothing to do with knives, rape, or blood. Ryou looked up when Bakura didn't answer right away, surprised to see the self-satisfied grin on his yami's face. Gradually, as the smaller teen watched, the grin evolved into a malicious smile. "This, my FORMER hikari, is Ember; your replacement," the larger boy announced happily. "WHAT!" Ryou gasped, gaze flicking wildly between the young woman and his yami. "You heard me, Ryou. I'm sick of your whining so I decided to find someone who wasn't a useless weakling." The yami gestured grandly at his hard-won prize. "She's it."

"But 'Kura, it just isn't possible for you to change hikaris." Ryou pointed out logically.

He seemed to be forgetting that since Bakura became a part of his life, logic and Ryou no longer had even a nodding acquaintance. Maybe Bakura cracked his skull a few too many times for such knowledge to be slipping his mind so easily. Bakura brandished a thick envelope, waved it temptingly under Ryou's nose. "Oh, yes it is, and you can thank your dear father for that." His umber eyes hardened in one of his mercurial mood-shifts. "I'm locking you two in--care for her until I return and you damned well better do a good job of it!" Bakura barked before sweeping out the door, the hard click of the lock being turned seeming to echo ominously through the room.

Ryou stared in stunned silence at the firmly shut door. 'Kura just what are you up to? Ryou wondered, not worried or frightened so much as tiredly resigned. Sad to say he'd become inured to a life of constant terror and emotional upheaval. No matter what you say there just ISN'T a way to separate us. Tears slid unnoticed down the alabaster curve of his cheek to darken the already saturated hues of the twilight-colored comforter. I know, I've tried. Unbidden and unwanted the memories of his Bond-breaking attempts swept through his mind--the time he tried to break the Ring (a blow torch on full blast didn't even warm the metal), when he got that priest to do an exorcism on him (Bakura laughed for WEEKS after finding out—Hell he still chuckled about it every now and again), simply gathering his mental powers and attacking their Bond (he didn't so much as budge it), and finally begging Yami to help him (Yugi's dark tried, but nothing came of it except that Bakura nearly beat Ryou to death for that one—it took a full month before he was fully healed).

Giving himself a shake to break off the stream of memories, Ryou crawled to the woman—Ember's—side. She's lovely. he couldn't help but think after checking her for more serious wounds than those on her forearm. Overall, he guessed her to be in her early twenties, maybe even a touch younger but certainly older than himself. The navy colored tank top and black shorts she wore showed off a fit, nicely muscled figure with medium-sized breasts; trim but not horridly thin as seemed to be the ideal these days. Her face, peaceful in the depths of sleep, held large eyes and high cheekbones in a heart-shaped structure—not a face to grace the cover of Vogue but pretty all the same. The woman's most startling feature, though, was her hair.

Ryou watched the light play over the shining fall of her waist-length hair as he pulled it free of its confining pony tail. Such an unusual shade, even more so than mine. Indeed, the faintly wavy locks were a stunning light copper in color, each strand washed and highlighted by soft gold. Every time it shifted it reminded him of pastel flames twisting in a gentle wind. "Well, staring at her won't dress her wounds, so I'd best retrieve the first aid kit," he told himself, slipping out of bed and padding to the bathroom connected to his bedroom. Ryou tried very hard not to think WHY he had such a well-stocked first aid kit; he lugged the over-sized, heavy case onto the bed with a soft oomphf.

To the silver-haired hikari's relief, Ember's wounds consisted of only a few shallow cuts on her forearm, easily cleaned and quickly dressed. I've gotten very good at dressing wounds. . . . Ryou refused to let his thoughts continue down that path, it would only depress him. A sudden, drawn-out yawn reminded him of his interrupted sleep. I only got a couple hours before 'Kura came home. He looked at his strange bedmate. And it doesn't look like Ember will wake soon. . . . Shrugging philosophically, he pulled off Ember's black Nikes and socks (leaving her fully clothed otherwise) then arranged both her and himself comfortably under the covers. He left the lights on in case she woke before the sun rose. Ryou knew from cold, hard experience waking in darkness after a traumatic event was almost as bad as the original trauma itself.

Ember woke with a start, finding herself in a soft bed with someone snuggling against her back. The young woman jerked around to see a white-haired teenage boy spooning her, a boy she thought her attacker until she got a good look and a good Psi feel of him. The memory events just before she fell unconscious hit her, and it took several minutes of deep, slow breaths to calm her wildly racing heart. Ember mentally shivered away from the sense of pure. . . .violation filling her. When she felt all those minds. . . .No, I won't think about that. I have to concentrate on getting OUT of here before Bakura comes back. She told herself, hissing in displeasure at seeing those damned shackles still on her wrists.

A quick scan revealed no catch or even locking mechanism anywhere she could see, though Ember supposed it must be hidden somewhere on the damned things. A few experimental tugs told her the chain between the shackles might look like gold but it had steel's strength. Damn, well getting out of here is my top priority. I'll worry about ridding myself of these darling bondage accessories later. thought the young woman sourly, carefully easing away from the boy's embrace and on her feet, the room's deep grey carpeting soft beneath her bare soles. A glance back showed the white-haired snuggler sleeping peacefully despite her absence. Nodding to herself Ember methodically checked both the door (locked of course and very solidly built) and the three windows (all locked and shrouded with decorative wrought iron easily the equivalent of a set of bars).

Turning back to the bed she ran critical eyes over the sleeping teenager. Maybe he has some answers? That other guy, Bakura, must be his twin or something since they look alike. Ember decided, walking to his side of the bed and nudged the boy's shoulder with a forefinger. Silly as it sounds, Ember almost regretted waking him; there was a cuteness to him that reminded her of a sleeping kitten. Ember adored kittens. Somewhat dazed chocolate eyes blinked open and Ember knew for sure HE couldn't have attacked her. The sweet compassion in the shadowed brown depths reached out to her, creating a strange warmth in her chest. The blearily confused expression of the barely-awakened made him even more adorable. "Oh! Ah, hullo. . . My name is Ryou. I---you have questions, I'm sure." He stammered, a light British accent adding a nice lilt to his words.

Ember nodded, face and voice impassive. "Yeah, you could say that." Ryou scooted up against the headboard, letting the comforter slip off him, revealing he only slept in boxers—boxers with little chibi turtles all over them in fact. Despite the situation, Ember had to grit her teeth around a sudden laugh at the sight of the roly-poly terrapins. Ryou peered up timidly at her from beneath sleep-tousled bangs like a rabbit expecting jaws to close on him any second. "Well, um, to be honest I don't exactly know what's going on myself. Bakura didn't give me much of an explanation either." He seemed intent on studying the elegant hands in his lap. "I'm so sorry about all of this. Bakura's never done anything like this before. . . .If I even guessed he might consider it. . . ." The boy trailed off with an aggrieved sigh. "Never mind, it can't be helped now anyway." Ember told him, resisting the urge to pet his long, soft-looking hair.

Even if I did blame him he's too damned kawaii to stay mad at for long. How Bakura can beat the poor kid. . . . Her eyes widened as the thought faded out. How. . . .how can I know that? I've never seen this kid before in my life! Incipient panic tried to overwhelm her as the implications of what existed between herself and Bakura burned into the fore of her mind. I—there's only one way I could know Bakura beats Ryou-- Something she'd been unconsciously denying since awakening. No no NO! Panic later, I need to think now! Unfortunately thinking meant she'd have to accept the fledgling Bond between herself and Mr. Psycho. A Bond no doubt forged by some messed-up magic in the damned shackles adorning her wrists, as impossible as that seemed.

Lost in her thoughts, Ember started as pale arms pulled her into a gentle hug, tensing instinctively but relaxing quickly into the offered comfort. After a time, Ryou pulled away, gaze shy and cheeks flushed in a faint blush. "I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds, Ember, but you just looked so much like you needed a hug." Great, now SHE was blushing; fine and dandy on HIM, he was a teenager, but for a twenty-two-year old like her it was ludicrous. "That's okay, I DID need a hug." Ember replied. Although with anyone else I would have had a fit. Just what IS it about you, Ryou? Shoving the thought aside to consider later, Ember gently pushed Ryou back down on the bed and sat next to him. "How about you start from the beginning and tell me about you and Bakura? Maybe that'll help us figure things out."

Nodding agreement, Ryou began. "It all started when my father sent me a present from Egypt. . . ."

". . . .that's how things have been going up until this point." Ryou finished quietly, hours later. Tears streamed down the boy's face and no wonder—he'd just finished telling her about Bakura's daily beatings. Who would ever voluntarily re-live memories like that? Something niggled at the back of Ember's mind, a question concerning something Ryou told her. "Ryou, why did you stop trying to break the Bond between you and Bakura?"

The teenager scrubbed away his tears with a forearm before looking up at her quizzically. "Oh. . . .um, I., that is—" He couldn't seem to order his jangled thoughts enough to form a complete sentence. "You love Bakura, don't you?" A bit direct, maybe rude even considering she only met the lad a few hours ago, but Ember needed to know. She just had a hunch it'd be important later. Besides, she was here through no fault of her own—if Ryou didn't like her questions he could settle the blame on Bakura's shoulders. "Yes, I love Bakura." Ryou said, voice barely above a whisper, head bowed in shame. "I know it's foolish considering all he's done, but I can't help myself."

Ember draped a comforting arm around Ryou's bare shoulders. "From what you've told me it's only to be expected—Bakura is the other half of your soul, it's natural to love him."

Nodding, Ryou leaned into her embrace, hiding his face in the curve of her collarbone. "Then why doesn't he love me back?" the boy whimpered, such raw hurt in his voice she wanted to kill Bakura for wounding sweet Ryou so deeply. Ember rubbed his back gently (below the mostly-healed cartouche cuts) for several minutes before replying. "I don't know, Ryou. I haven't known either of you long enough to really know, but I have a few theories." Taking a deep breath Ember went on. "Bakura seems so cold and cruel, but I wonder if some of that's just his emotional armor. He pushes everyone away so they won't hurt him and the person whom he feels the most for would be the one he pushes away the hardest. Make no mistake—I think he's a sadistic bastard who needs to be taught some serious lessons, but I think that explains his behavior a little anyway." If Ryou had a reply he never got a chance to voice it. The heavy clink of the lock turning in the door filled the room, the door's hinges yelped in protest as it crashed open, knocking a chunk of plaster from the wall. "Well, well, what have we here? My former hikari and my new hikari getting acquainted? Pity it will be such a short friendship." Bakura mocked as he strode into the room.