Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-gi-oh
AN: This is a story I wrote a long time ago, its weird and probably wont make a whole lot of sense to you. There are about two more chapters that I'll load on soon –the story is finished, I just have to load it all on, its morning and I've got to get going to school soon so I may or may not get the next chapter up.
Chapter two
Ryou pushed open the door to his home. Dust floated up from the ground and the late summer breeze blew in some of the already falling leaves. His father had bought the house as a way of getting closer to the sea, saying something about how the sea air fills the mind. After buying the house he left to go across the ocean on a dig, leaving Ryou to unpack everything. He had cleaned up a small area for him to sleep at since the place seemed to have been dumped with dust and spider webs. Being busy with school he hadn't really taken the time to look around his new home.
Walking around the musty house he felt a dark emotion hang over him. He couldn't explain the feeling; it just felt as if he felt sad. He started up the stairs but stopped at reaching the splitting where the stairs broke into two ways.
A large mirror hung on the wall. It's faded paint still left a beautiful age to the mirror. Around the mirror its self was pure silver. Ryou touched the mirror to remove some of the dust. Instead of seeing himself inside the old mirror, crimson eyes stared back at him.
Ryou took a step back in shock. "What the..."
The dust upon the mirror blew off some how and an Egyptian clothed man stood before Ryou. The gold crown he wore had an eye engraved in it. His wrists were covered in gold bracelets, along with his neck and ankles. The left side of his lips curled into a smirk.
"I have a waited the day someone would come to find me again." His deep voice echoed through out the house.
"Who are you?" Ryou managed to breath out. The shadow bowed his head.
"I am Atemu, you may call me your shadow for I will never leave you if you want me." His voice was strong and sent a shiver down Ryou's spine, "May I ask the name of the one who stands before me?"
"Ryou..." He whispered.
The shadows eyes looked over Ryou and seemed pleased with what they saw. But then they fell upon the cut on Ryou's wrist and turned rather cold.
"How did you hurt yourself like that?"
Ryou quickly covered his wrist with his other hand. "I didn't... Some kids at school... They don't like me much."
The shadow raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
Ryou nodded. He thought about how Bakura and Marik, the bullies who liked to beat him up, would be waiting in the morning for him.
"Then Iwill protect you."
"How can you do that? Your inside the mirror..." Ryou asked.
"If you let me." The shadow said simply.
Ryou felt a relief blow over him. He somehow knew the shadow would keep his promise even though he had just met him.
He fell asleep against the mirror a few hours after talking with the shadow. The shadow watched over him as he slept, kneeling down so that he was closer to the boy. He closed his eyes and pressed his hand against the mirror.
In Ryous sleep he was with the shadow...
"Shadow-sama..."
"Yes koi?"
"I give you my heart... please keep hold of it and never let it be hurt..."
The shadow pushed some of Ryous silver bangs out of the way and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I promise to you again that I shall never let the outside world take you away from me. You shall forever be safe at my side."
The shadow took Ryou into his arms and held him tightly. "No longer shall you feel the deep ach in your heart koi. With your help I can help you even more..."
"I'll do whatever it takes shadow-sama, for you to be with me." Ryou whispered as he buried his face in his shadows chest.
With a jump, Ryou awoke alone. The morning sun was coming dimly in through the dirt covered windows. He glanced at his watch and realized he was going to be late for school.
He got up and stared at the mirror for a moment. When the shadow didn't come he guessed he had just been dreaming and ran out the door, heartbroken.
Ryou slowly moved to school now. He hated the place and didn't know why he had gotten in such a rush to get there. It was in such a daily routine. Get beat up, go to class - sometimes late, zone out, get made fun of, eat lunch, get made fun of, go back to class, zone out, get made fun of, walk home, get beat up, go to bed, wake up and repeat.
It had been like that for a week now.
He dropped his bag behind an garbage can and walked a bit farther when his shoulder was grabbed. Before he knew it he was on the ground with a nose bleed and a swollen cheek.
"Come on now, there's no need to cry. We'll be finished in a few minutes." Marik said in a taunting voice, "Then you can go run to school where the teachers will protect you."
Marik started to move his foot so that he would kick Ryou in the stomach when Ryou's brown eyes flew open. He grabbed Mariks foot and pushed him back. At the force of the push Marik fell to the ground with a loud thud. Bakura froze as Ryou's eyes confronted his own. At a closer look, they were no longer the weak brown eyes Ryou had... they were crimson and filled with hate.
"I am the one who will protect Ryou, these teachers of yours are worthless and do not care for him as I do."
----
Ryou slightly opened his eyes. "mm.. what?" He looked around. He was no longer in the alley but at school... His backpack was at his side, did he completely zone out after Bakura and Mariks beating?
"Hey."
Ryou looked up as Malik slipped into the seat next to him.
"You okay? I saw you walking to school but you didn't answer me." He said taking out his books and things.
"I.. I didn't?" Ryou looked down at his desk. "Oh, sorry, I was ... thinking..." He couldn't help but smile.
Malik raised an eyebrow curiously. "Thinking? By the look on your face you've got something big on your mind."
Ryou pushed his hair behind his ear. "Well... I met someone yesterday... He's wonderful and cares for me a lot... at least I hope he does... but why else would he say he'd protect me?"
Malik stared at Ryou. His milky skin turned a light pink.
"He said he'd protect me and care for me..." Ryou somewhat tried to explain. Malik nodded as if he understood and the bell rang. The school day began like normal life had picked up where it had left off. Ryou thought about his shadow... was it his shadow that brought him safely to school? He hoped that he was right. He didn't want the shadow to be just a dream...
"Shadow-sama... are you there?" Ryou asked into the mirror. It was now evening and he had just gotten home from school. He gave a sigh and sat down on the stairs. "Could you have really been just a dream?"
The dust swirled into the air around him. He didn't notice but his brown eyes turned crimson for a moment then back to normal. The pair of crimson eyes appeared in the mirror behind him.
"Koi, please don't give up hope on me so likely."
Ryou jumped and turned his head. "You... You're..."
His shadow smiled at him. Ryou stood up and put his hands on the mirror.
"Please don't leave me like that again..."
The shadows smile turned into a frown. "I didn't leave you my koi, I have been with you all day."
Ryous eyes fluttered. "What do you mean shadow-sama?"
The shadow aligned his hands with Ryous. "As long as you love me, I shall be with you. You love me don't you?"
Ryou nodded, "More than anything."
The shadow closed his eyes. "Will you help me?"
Ryou outlined the shadows hand with his finger. "Help you with what?"
"Break free from my prison." The shadow said, his voice filled with sarrow. He drew his hands back.
"Of course I'll help you. If you were to be free from the mirror, even for a moment, I wouldn't care if the rest of the world was being destroyed."
The shadow smiled a bit sadly. "Thank you koi... but please, lets not think of it right now... I want to give you something."
His eyes opened and looked into Ryous. "Think of it as a token of love."
Ryou felt something drop against his chest. He looked down and saw a gold ring hanging around his neck. He touched its smooth surface with his hand and looked back at his shadow. "I won't ever take it off."
The next day...
Ryou walked to school, like normal, but as he passed his normal spot of being beaten to death, things weren't normal. He held his golden ring around his neck tightly, expecting to be grabbed any minute.
"Hey."
Ryou stopped and looked at the blond haired boy and the brown haired boy. They were in his class... Joey and Honda.. was that their names?
"You might think you're so cool and all but you're not." Joey said.
"Living in that house only makes you an idiot and a fool." Honda said.
Ryou stood there; couldn't he ever just walk to school normally?
"What, you to good ta' talk to us?" Joey glared at him.
"No wonder Bakura and Marik beat you up, smartass."
They started to walk away.
"Shut it Honda, Ryou's not a smartass, but then again, he's smarter than you'll ever be."
Malik was now standing next to Ryou. Honda and Joey stopped walking.
"What was that Ishtar?"
"You heard me, what are you going to do about it?" Malik raised an eyebrow.
Honda swung his fist at him. Malik ducked out of the way and tackled him. "Why don't you people ever leave Ryou alone?" He muttered as he struggled to pin Honda. Joey grabbed Malik and punched him in the face. Malik fell into the street.
Joey turned and slammed Ryou against the wall. Ryou's hand let go of the ring and it fell against his chest. Joey looked down at it. "Huh?"
Before Ryou could say anything, Joey tore it off his neck. "NO!" Ryou tried to reach for it but Joey held it out of his reach.
"Since when was a guy so protective of necklace?" Joey teased him as he held Ryou back and looked at the ring.
"It's special! Give it back to me!" Ryou struggled to get the ring back. Whatever his shadow would give him, he'd treasure it deeply.
Joey tossed it into the street. The chain rattled as it fell into the drain. Ryou's eyes burned with tears. "I'll kill you!" he screamed and pushed Joey down. He ran into the street as Malik was getting onto his feet. "Ryou, it's okay."
Ryou ignored him. Malik sighed and looked at Joey and Honda. "Fuck off, or you'll be hurting."
The two muttered things as they got up and left. Malik sat down on the curb and watched Ryou franticly reach into the drain.
"Ryou, it's okay, seriously."
"No, it's not! I need that ring back! I promised him I'd never take it off." Ryou yelled as he shoved his hand in deeper.
"Ryou, look at me!" Malik yelled back at him. Ryous head turned sharply, he was about to yell but stopped. Hanging from Maliks fingers was his ring.
"I grabbed it before it fell." Malik said. Ryou snatched the ring back and put it on. "Thank you so much..."
Malik rubbed his sore lower lip. "Hey, tell me something Ryou... Where'd you get the ring from?"
Ryou held it tightly in his hands. "My shadow-sama..." He whispered. His attention went back to Malik. "Oh, who'd I get it from?... well remember that guy I told you about the other day?"
Malik nodded.
"Well... he gave it to me..."
Malik looked at the ring. "...That guy .. exactly who is he?"
Ryou ran in finger along the smooth surface of the ring. "A friend.."
"No, I mean...like what's his name?"
Ryou felt as if Malik had taken to quick of an interest of his ring. His hand covered the stone completely. "We're going to be late for school."
Malik grabbed his book bag off the ground. "Oh ...Right... lets go."
"So you think you're better than us?" Marik pushed Ryou into the brick wall. It was after school now. Malik had stayed back do to a detention he had from Joey and Honda telling a teacher that he had threatened them.
Bakura pushed his shoulder into the brick. "You'll pay for the other day."
Ryou noticed Bakura's cheek was a bit purple, Mariks also. "I didn't do anything!"
The two ignored his pleas. "What comes around goes around." Bakura said. He threw a punch at Ryou. The small boy ducked out of the way and started to crawl away from the two bullies. He scrambled to his feet.
"Don't let him get away Bakura."
They started to fallow him. Ryou turned sharply at the corner, he would be safe at his home...
Ryou ran inside the old house and didn't stop until he was at the top of the stairs, where he tripped and dropped to his knees in front of the mirror.
"You must protect our love." The shadow said, "There is no telling how badly they could hurt you again."
"What is it you want me to do?" Ryou asked the faint shadow in the mirror.
"Kill him."
Ryou opened his mouth to reply but paused. Kill? He stared at the shadow. "But... I've never killed someone... I-I don't think I can do it."
"But yes you can, and you know you can. I can feel the anger you hold, koi, use it against them. Set your anger free and feel the darkness. You'll love it."
"I just..."
"Do you doubt my word my dear koi? I came to you in your darkest hour, did I not? I wish to be with you but that is not possible unless you do this!"
Tears burned at the sides of Ryou's eyes. He didn't want to be alone, he wanted his shadow with him... but how could he kill someone when he couldn't even speak up for himself?
"Shadow-sama?"
"Yes?"
"How?" Ryou asked.
The shadow smiled wickedly. "There is a knife in the drawer of the table." He replyed looking down at the small table beside the mirror. Ryou crawled over to it and pulled the dagger out. The blade was silver and the handle black. There was a knock on the door, Ryou turned his head to see two figures standing behind the glass. He blew out the candle he had lit and let the darkness become a blanket for him as the door opened.
"The twit must of run home." Marik said walking in. Bakura was right behind him.
"Man, you sure this is okay? What about all the rumors of the guy who used to live here?"
"Don't tell me you're wimpling out on me, Bakura." Marik raised an eyebrow. "Some stupid rumor isn't going to stop me from going into a house."
Bakura looked off to the side. "Yeah..." he grumbled at seeming like a chicken.
Marik looked around. "Damn its dark in this place."
Bakura started to walk around. Marik went to the other side of the room and started messing with some books. "This place isn't even as scary as the rumors say it is."
Ryou took a quiet breath and held the dagger close to his heart.
Bakura's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he turned around and saw the figure of Ryou raise his hand to Marik's back. "MARIK!"
But his cry was drowned out by Mariks. He fell to the ground, sobbing. Bakura started to go towards Ryou but something pushed him back. He slid into a room and watched in utter horror of his friend being murdered.
Ryou looked down at what he had just done. The warmth of the blood between his fingers surprisingly made his soul fly. He stabbed again, taking in the deafen cry from Marik. He wanted to see more of the rich color. The more he stabbed, the more the blood came. A smile came to him as he ran his fingers along the cuts to feel the blood. His toy stopped sobbing and lay stiff. That didn't stop him. He started to laugh while digging his fingers into the cuts from the dagger. He closed his eyes and took a breath.
Bakura gagged at the sight he had witnessed. He had to do everything in his will to not make a noise or throw up. Ryou slammed the dagger into Marik once more and slowly got up. His hair was splattered with blood but his hands and cloths were covered in it. Bakura watched Ryou stagger up the stairs to the mirror and drop to his knees.
"I... I did it. Shadow-sama, I did what you said to do. He's dead."
Bakura felt a shiver run down his back, if he was to live, he had to get out of there now. He closed the door and looked around the room. A window... Bakura nearly dived out it as he started to run to the safety of his home. He looked back to see Ryou staring at him from the window..
"Tell anyone and you'll be dead before the sun comes." Ryou whispered watching. He looked at his blood stained hands. He had never felt that kind of rush before. The joy that had over took him, it was beautiful. He ran back to the mirror. "Shadow-sama, did I do what you wanted? Please tell me."
The dark figure appeared in the mirror. It smiled at him. "Yes my koi."
Ryou's heart filled with joy. He was one step closer to being with his shadow, from being alone.
Malik ran up to Ryou the next day. "Hey, you okay?" He asked noticing Ryou looked a bit more pale than usual. Ryou nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, nothing can damp my day today."
Malik smiled back. "Cool. So what did you think of the science homework? I some how got it all figured out ... I think." Malik went on. Ryou drifted in and out of what he was saying. His mind was more on what his shadow had been telling him the night before. He did like the feeling, and that meant he could do it again with no regret. His shadow had told him once he was free Ryou would never be in pain again.
"Ryou... look."
Ryou turned his head to where Malik was pointing. A smile curled onto his lips. "Wonder why." He said trying to hide the joy he had.
Across the street was Bakura walking rather slowly. He continually turned his head in every direction. When he saw Ryou and Malik he let out a small scream and took off running.
"That was odd." Malik said glancing at Ryou.
"Yeah, at least I don't think he'll be bothering us today." Ryou said smiling again and going on his way. His hand ran along the ring he wore. Malik fallowed him. He had never seen Ryou like this. Usually Ryou was quiet and barley smiled... but today...
To be continued…