Offerings for the Moon
"Malik… Malik you really need medicine!" He lay on the bed, his hair matted, and pasted to his face by sweat. He'd been like this for two days, and it was starting to really scare me. His breaths were ragged and he hissed in pain as he exhaled… and the worst part? I didn't have the slightest idea how to get him better.
"Not… like that, Ry'…" he murmured, pain evident in his face as he spoke. "Told'ja… I don' want any o' that… 's why you're here… 'member?"
My fists clenched at my sides. It wasn't that I wanted to whore myself off. Malik had kept me so clean from all of that, but how else could I get him medicine? These last few years, he'd taken such good care of me. He'd protected me, and fed me, and clothed me… doing just what I was suggesting to keep me safe and comfortable.
And it was sweet! But ever so frustrating at the same time. I didn't want to be useless while he'd been so kind. And if he died from this… this sickness… wouldn't I end up in the same position anyway? Permanently?
"Please, Malik! I've tried every other way! What'll I do if you die on me, huh? I don't want you to be gone, then I'd be alone again! Would I be any better off?" I protested. "Where would I end up?"
Malik, however, was too sick to listen to reason – I wasn't sure he wasn't using his illness as an excuse to ignore my very valid points. But I wasn't going to deface him that way. What I wanted… was Malik to get better. Maybe if I'd just taken that kind man's jacket, and given it to Malik… maybe then he'd never be in this mess.
Malik began to speak, but I was too distracted to register any more than that. The stranger… oh he'd been attractive. Very much so. Was it peculiar of me to have seen him, and immediately thought to kiss him? … Was it desperate of me that I'd hoped he'd followed me to take advantage? … It was, wasn't it? Malik had been very annoyed to hear so.
He'd nearly thrown a right fit, telling me I oughtn't run off like that. What was I supposed to do? It was raining, and we could hardly afford to feed ourselves, never mind afford a jacket, or anything like that.
And now he was upset again. Sickness impeded his speech, and thought processes, but it was still pretty obvious that he was far from pleased.
"It'll just be once," I stated, in the moment Malik paused to descend into a fit of coughs. "It'll just be once, so I can get you medicine!"
There was silence between us, uncomfortable silence. Malik would never agree to this, I knew that. But he also knew I wasn't ready to concede. We were at a standstill, and we knew, if it came down to it, I'd do what I needed. And we both knew what was needed.
"I don't know… that I could stand the thought of fat old merchants and lords putting their grubby hands all over 'ya…" Malik muttered, and I smiled slightly, reaching to place a cool cloth on his forehead.
"Just once, Malik. Just once, so you can get better."
He closed his eyes, his face red with fever, and he nodded. Mutually agreed, my fate was set. "I'll be gone tonight, then. Hopefully I can get you medicine, and warm clothing, okay? So you'll get better, and we can keep from getting sick anymore."
The blonde gave a shudder, then curled up to cough again. I winced. Whatever Malik had, I wished it gone as soon as possible. His body was covered in a cold sweat, he sounded like he was coughing up his innards. He was obviously in pain, and what could I do? Nothing. I couldn't do anything yet.
I stood, getting him a glass of tea, then slipped my shoes on. "I'll go, now, and find somewhere to… somewhere that'll take me."
"'Doubt that'll be hard." The compliment was sweet, in a way. I knew it wasn't meant in a flirting sense - whatever relationship we'd had… over the years it had changed. We were friends. Best friends. He would do what he could to earn money, and I would do my best to make the most of it. I cooked, I cleaned, I did the menial tasks. And now, when he was sick… I'd do what it took to get him well again.
With a short smile to him, I headed out. I went exactly where I didn't want to go – I went to the worst district in town. The cobblestone road was littered with buildings, adorned with large signs proclaiming the odd names of 'foreign beauties' and 'exotic women'. I was well aware that their names were completely made up, but I had to wonder – where the heck had they come up with something like 'Sapphire Rose'? … Roses weren't blue. Not in the least. What kind of name was 'Sapphire Rose'?
I wondered, as I wandered the desolate midday street, if I ought to make something up for himself, as well. Not that I wanted to attempt it – Malik's little pet name was already enough to make me laugh. "Jupiter Lips". What? I couldn't help but giggle just thinking of it.
I tried to think of something for myself. Somehow I couldn't come up with anything vaguely appropriate but something like… oh… "Quincy Pierce". At least it sounded like a name. As I passed another building, the name "Mark Throb" caught my eye, and I snorted. Well, at least I knew I was headed into the right area of the district.
It was only a few brief moments before an arm caught mine, and a well-dressed man gave me an unsettling smile. "You don't seem to be in the right place, kid."
I shifted to my other foot. "Actually, I don't believe I am."
The man's eyebrow quirked, and he released my arm. I hugged myself lightly, watching him. He gave me the creeps – oh he looked cleaned up enough, and plenty friendly, but there was something about him that just set alarms off in my head.
"What're you looking for in this area of town, hm?"
"Back off, ya perv," a voice came from behind me, and I spun to look. To my absolute bewilderment, that strange man from before was right there. Far from pleased.
When the other man grabbed me around the waist and pulled me in, I was so taken aback I nearly fell – in fact, I probably would have had the man not kept me upright. "He's not yours to tell me to back off of."
The stranger shot me a look, and I must have looked about as shocked as I felt, because he marched right over, to stare the man down – and what shocked me was just how capable of it he was. He must've been over six feet tall!
"He's my brother. I damn well have every right to tell ya to piss off. If ya don't, it'll be my fist in your face."
The man scoffed, and it took only a brief moment for him to release me when the stranger connected his fist with his nose. The man stumbled away, holding his nose and cursing a bit, before growling something barely intelligible, and taking off down the road.
"You're bein' pretty stupid hanging around these parts," the stranger's husky voice muttered at me. He was annoyed, and it was damned obvious. I wasn't even sure he was trying to conceal it.
"I-it's not… I couldn't…" Gods, why couldn't I find my voice? He was standing just as strangely close as before, and that same feeling in me as before arrived – I wanted him to take advantage. What was wrong with me?
His dark eyes pinned me in place, like a stuttering fool. For some reason, he looked disappointed. "You're a whore, huh?"
"N-no!" I could feel the heat rising to my face. He thought I was a prostitute now! How was I supposed to correct that mistake? "I…" I bite my lip. Perhaps honesty was best? "… My best friend… my provider he's… he's really sick! W-we don't really make money if he's incapacitated… a-and I need to get him medicine…" Somehow, that handsome face remained completely blank through the whole thing.
"… So, you're gonna whore yourself off to freaks like that to earn money to help your… friend?" was it just me, or did he nearly sneer the last word? Didn't he have friends? I lowered my gaze to the cobbles beneath my feet.
"I don't have… a choice. If he dies… if he dies it might become permanent!" I looked up again, the memory of why I was doing this giving me strength. "Just once… to keep from having to do it forever… just once to keep my best friend alive and well. Isn't that worth it?"
A small smirk lit the stranger's lips. A devastatingly beautiful smirk. My whole body ached to touch this unfamiliar and dangerous, yet disarmingly attractive man. It figured my body would choose now to decide it had hormones.
"And have you done it before?" he asked, a little amused.
"W-well no! I… I'm with Malik so that I wouldn't end up here!"
Something malicious lit in those reddish-brown eyes. Something dangerous, and my brain screamed at me to run, but my body pinned me in one place. He stepped forward, so close that I could feel the warmth from his body through out clothes. His head moved down, and we were suddenly eye-to-eye. Still, I didn't move.
Wordlessly, his arms wrapped around my waist, forcing my body against his own – not that I was in any mood to protest. His warm lips pressed against mine and one of his hands rested against my rear, causing me to squeak softly. Of their own accord, my eyes closed, my body relaxed into him, and there was a moment. A moment of astounding peace.
My mind convinced itself, finally, that he meant to take advantage; that he finally meant to do what my body had desired of him. However, he soon pulled away starting to leave. "Keep outta this area of town, Ryou. I don't wanna see you hurt."
I stared after him a moment, before my body finally began to function properly. "W-wait!" I called, breathlessly, relieved when he paused. "C-can you… tell me your name?"
"I can." He affirmed, that dark voice causing a small tremble to course through my body. "Perhaps… next time." And with that, he disappeared down the road, leaving me staring after him, my hand lightly coming to press fingertips against my lips. I could still feel his lips pressed against my own. I could still feel his body heat warming me, and his strong arm around my waist.
I could still hear him as I headed home, though he was long gone by that time. Malik's medicine was bought with money I seemed to have rather randomly acquired – I had a very suspicious feeling, though, that it was the stranger who'd placed it there.
A/N: … Huh. Well that wasn't what I'd intended for this chapter, but somehow it just came out and ate my brain. So I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Stay tuned for next chapter! We'll figure out what on earth made greedy little Bakura lend a helping hand. Are we seeing a good streak from the strange thief? Who knows?
