8.1.12

One-shot/Drabble #2: Spatter

Beware, squeamish readers, for there is 'Change of Heart Ryou'-torture ahead.

"It's even more fitting to call you my 'little Landlord' now, isn't it?" Bakura laughed as he sneered down at the Duel Monster version of his host.

Ryou had his eyes fixated on the wall of his bedroom, eyebrows drawn together and mouth a thin, tense line. His arms, lower torso, and legs were completely caught in the other's grip. Ryou could feel the now enormous bones of Bakura's fingers squeezing his insides, forcing them to compress together. It was either very lucky or very unlucky that he hadn't crushed any of Ryou's skeleton yet. The angelic and demonic wings, respectively, hung limply at his sides, much like his bowed head.

Bakura himself was sprawled in a relaxed position on the bed, one hand absently caressing the Millennium Ring while the other held Ryou in a possessive way similar to how a child might hold their favorite toy.

Change of Heart lay face up on the nightstand, the solemn smile still plastered onto the girl's face. The other cards from Ryou's deck were scattered randomly across the floor to the left side of the bed. Oddly enough, Destiny Board and quite a few of the Spirit Message cards were among the ones that lay face up…

Ryou became rigid as Bakura's free hand reached over and stroked his downy white hair with his pointer finger, and then slipped it under his chin in order to push his face up. He continued to stare at the wall. He saw Bakura frown out of his peripheral vision, quickly followed by his body being clutched with even more force. Ryou gasped as the air was squeezed out of his lungs.

"Look at me."

Gritting his teeth and hating himself for submitting, Ryou let his eyes travel to Bakura. He fixed his gaze on the jutting collar bone first, then gradually traced up his throat. As he glanced at the spirit's face, a smile spilt the angular face in half and his eyes narrowed. The irises looked like rings of drying blood against the bone-white hair and skin.

"See, now was that so hard?" his pointer finger began to pet Ryou's head again.

"Let me go, Bakura," Ryou said in a hoarse whisper, hating the sensation of the calloused fingertip stroking him so gently, "You're crushing me."

Bakura's grin swelled. "That's the idea."

Ryou could swear he felt something crack when Bakura tightened his hold. He couldn't help but let out another gasp of pain.

"I can feel your heartbeat, little Landlord." Bakura was whispering, he could tell, but while Ryou was in that state it still sounded so loud. "It's like a bird's, quick and fluttering and so very sure that it's going to die at any minute. Your cute little wings make it even more convincing."

The fingers petting his head left in favor of tugging on the feathered wing. Pain shot like liquid fire down Ryou's left shoulder blade. He bit down on his lower lip and shut his eyes tightly. It didn't help. He could feel the heavy red gaze and the grip squeezing the life out of him. Suddenly he felt breath enveloping his face, warm and lingering.

After a moment he opened his eyes and found himself face-to-face with parted lips. A mouthful of teeth made slick and shiny with saliva and his tongue were partially exposed. Ryou barely restrained himself from letting out a cry as he felt his head being pinched between Bakura's thumb and forefinger.

"I can imagine myself twisting your head and snapping it off your neck as casually as if you were just a little animal or bird," Bakura hissed and turned Ryou's head slightly to the side, "after all, no one misses Duel Monsters when they're defeated in duels. And, essentially, that's what you are right now, isn't it? I could break you in half and no one would care. It would be so easy..."

The red eyes were alight with insanity and the sharp teeth were completely exposed. The close proximity as well as the feeling of Bakura's breath became too much for Ryou.

"Just do it, then!" he shrieked.

Bakura started, grin melting in a second and confusion quickly overtaking his expression.

Ryou glared up at him when he faltered. "So you are just all empty threats, aren't you? Why not kill me? You'll be free of me, and more importantly, I'll be free ofyou. Do it!"

There was a long moment of silence, and then Bakura seemed to regain his previous attitude.

"Host, as much as I would love to fulfill your death wish," he said, eyes half-lidded now, "I've had a… change of heart. Or, rather, I've changed my mind."

Bakura released his grip on Ryou's head. Ryou was perplexed up until the moment that Bakura grasped part of the feathered wing. His lips parted in realization.

"I'm not going to kill you," Bakura said with a small, careless shake of his head and the smirk slipping back into place, "This will do just fine."

Snap.

Ryou screamed. The pain he had felt before when Bakura had pulled on his wing was nothing compared to this. Bakura had broken the bone as though it had been nothing more than a twig, but Ryou could feel the throbbing aftereffect that went through the now lifeless part of the limb.

"It's a good thing I didn't decide to tear the whole wing off in one go. Then I couldn't do this."

Crunch.

Another of the delicate bones that made up the wing's membrane broke, only this time it wasn't neatly in half like the first one, but crushed into shards. Ryou writhed as the spirit watched with both his smile and his eyes growing wider and wider at screams that elicited from his host.

The rest of the bones in the pure white wing followed, the sounds of them breaking accentuated by Ryou's cries. Whatever thoughts of salvaging his pride quickly vanished in light of the torture. Ultimately the wing hung limply from his shoulder when Bakura finally broke the humerus.

"Y-you're a… monster…" Ryou whimpered weakly.

Bakura barked a laugh and snatched up Change of Heart from where it lay dejected on the nightstand before waving it in front of Ryou's face. "I'm not the monster here."

Ryou narrowed his eyes and looked away, trying to force the tears that had accumulated during the intense torture back. He tried to concentrate on the ground, only to avert his gaze again when his eyes found Dark Necrofear staring back at him.

Ryou jolted in surprise and pain when Bakura flicked the side of his face.

"Don't go and get all quiet on me again, Landlord. It's so very boring when you do that."

"You really think that I'll go along with everything and anything you say?" Ryou snapped before he could stop himself.

Cringing inwardly, he glanced at Bakura out of the corner of his eye. The red eyes were blazing in the beginning stages of anger.

"In a matter of speaking, yes," Bakura replied succinctly.

Ryou stared him down despite the fear that was beginning to gnaw at his stomach. Abruptly the anger ebbed, but the sinister glow that replaced the fire in Bakura's eyes wasn't much better.

Ryou felt skeletal fingers latch onto the wing again—but it was pointless, all the bones were broken so why—?

The digits gripped the base of the wing and the blood drained from Ryou's face.

Oh, no.

"I didn't want to have to do this, Landlord, but—no wait, that's a lie. I reallywant to do this."

He wouldn't. Even someone as horrible as Bakura wouldn't—

[Oh, yes, I would, my dear host, and you know it.]

Riiiiiip.

Ryou's lips parted in a scream and the tears escaped the captivity of his eyes to leak down his face.

A spurt of red and a grisly tearing sound later, the scent of blood permeated the air. Bakura was examining the small dead thing in his hand with something akin to interest. Ryou gave a shuddering gasp as he found himself staring, horrified but transfixed, at the inhuman limb that up until ten seconds ago had been attached to his body. Blood tinted the base where it had been torn off.

To Ryou's disgust Bakura lifted the wing to his mouth and his tongue slithered out to give the bloodied part a lick.

"Don't do that!" he yelled in an octave he hadn't been aware his voice could reach.

Bakura shifted his attention to him before letting out a low chuckle. "You're right. The feathers would probably get stuck in my throat."

He tossed the wing carelessly onto the nightstand before he abruptly changed his grip on his captive. Ryou squirmed, despite the pain that blazed in his back, thinking that it was his chance to escape, but Bakura kept a tight hold. Bakura turned his captive so that his back and wing were facing his face.

"W-what are you doing?" Ryou yelped.

"Don't worry," Bakura said, tracing around the base of the demonic wing, "I'm leaving this one alone, Landlord. I rather like it. The only reason I want to hold you this way is… this."

Ryou shrieked when he felt the enormous, salivating tongue dive into the torn flesh on his back.

The feeling stopped for a moment when he heard an audible smacking of lips and Bakura hissing in a mock-reassuring tone, "Come on, Landlord, quit struggling. Think of it as me just… cleaning the wound for you."

As opposed to Bakura satisfying his blood crave. He licked at Ryou's shoulder blade again, tracing the hot, wet muscle over the wound. Ryou continued to twist and writhe desperately.

Evidently Bakura became fed up with his struggling after a while, because Ryou thought he felt something was piercing the skin anew, something like… teeth?

"No, no, please no..!"

Despite his pleas, the blood spurted again.

The wound was much more deeply than before…

Ryou sat up with a jolt as soon as he hit the ground sideways and the Ring made a metallic tang.

Where..?

He looked around, cold sweat on every inch of his tense body. In his room, but… reverted back to his normal form. Slowly he relaxed. Had it been… a dream? Yes… a dream… that was the only explanation. For an absurd moment he almost reached back to feel the extent of the damage on his shoulder blade. Ridiculous. But it really did feel as though he possessed a wounded area on his back—

That's my imagination. He assured himself. As was the ungodly taste of blood on his tongue.

He had to reassure himself again a moment later when he thought he heard Bakura laughing in the back of his mind.

"Just a dream. Thank god, it was just a…" he trailed off as he realized that there were Duel Monsters cards next to his face.

Ryou's insides felt as though they had been replaced with ice. He sat up and scrabbled around on his nightstand in the dark. At one point he thought that he had touched something with feathers.

Just my imagination, just my imagination. He repeated frantically to himself.

Finally Ryou's fingertips touched the thick paper that Duel Monsters cards were printed on. He reached out for the lamp and clicked it on. Change of Heart still had the same solemn smile on her face, but the angelic wing was completely blotted out with a spatter of dried blood.

He knew for sure that Bakura's laughter wasn't just his imagination when he heard it the second time.

Receiving the card 'Change of Heart' in the mail yesterday + reading Yu-gi-oh! manga in which Bakura has an apparent blood fetish + insomnia = this story.

You reading + you reviewing = happiness. :D

~Albino Shadowz