Lee: Rightyho. Reviewers, this is all what you've been reviewing for! Lee's Shoutout! #applause# is it just me or do I take things a little too far? Hehe.
Bakura240- Wow girl you don't half keep up with your reviews! You're first on my list because you have reviewed ALL of my work and they are very detailed, helpful reviews. Thankyou and please carry on your superb reviewing, for my stories and everyone else's!
LornaShadows- Hehe you'll just have to wait and see about Ryou. You've reviewed twice, lovely, so thankyou!
LadyPoison- Ryou's reactions- I hope- will please you! I love your reviews but also I love your story 'Angels Wearing Masks.' (Anyone reading this might enjoy it) I think it's great!
Lady-Nikki- Thankyou for your review, hehe I think the word 'alluring' is wonderful. I'm updating as soon as possible, looking forward to your review for this chapter!
PsychoticTiger- I do wonder where you discovered your name, I think it's so cool! Thankyou for your review, chick.
Bluemoon4Sphinx-Thankyou for the review, I received it when I was feeling fed up and it really helped! Thankyou!
Disclaimer: Don't sue, I don't own anything… apart from my game Animal Crossing: Wild World!!!!!!!!
………………………………...
The Era of Adversity
Chapter 4: Inveigling Abduction
The flat Yugi, Anzu, Ryou and Honda shared was small, but secure. The four friends wouldn't have it any other way… apart from perhaps Ryou. The other three had tried to convince him to block up the large window in his room, but he had refused time and time again. Now it remained always locked- or so Ryou's friends thought. He had, however, a habit of opening it up at bedtime when sleep was beyond obtainable. He liked sitting there with a glass of Cherryshake- Ryou's favourite drink, flat lemonade shaken with extra sugar and a hint of cherry sauce- and look outside, pondering what it would feel like to really be a part of it. The ever-so tempting awareness of the Wicked gave Ryou a desire for the outside to enter. His spirit rested within the dark, he knew it. Something out there called to him, but his outlook was indefinite.
But that was ludicrous, Yugi had said so!
Nevertheless, Ryou was- once again- looking out of the big, open window late at night, the hostile wind hitting his face like a veil of ice. Sat upon the hefty windowsill in his pyjamas, he was listening to the typical darkness' whispers and noises. Screams in the distance, whispers a little closer. Ryou didn't know which were genuine and which were parts of his insanity-seizing mind.
"Ryou?"
Ryou hastily closed his window, but hadn't enough time to hop off the windowsill and make for his bed before Yugi entered his room. He looked as virtuous as ever, his big crimson eyes a little sleepy.
"Oh, is everything okay, Yugi?" Ryou asked a little distractedly. The wind from outside caused havoc with the tree branches, deterring his concentration. The faster Yugi was out of his room, the better. Yugi hoisted himself up onto the shelf beside Ryou, rubbing his eyes. He smiled, "Yes… what about you?"
"I'm fine, I'm just… I just couldn't sleep."
"I understand. It's hard on us all Ryou, but don't you worry. We'll all be fine. We'll make it through these dark days together…"
Ryou found it bizarre the way all his friend's voices cracked with tears, or whimpers, or just from full-blown emotion itself. Ryou had no problem with talking about creatures and the shadows, and by no means needed reassuring about his welfare.
"Yes, Yugi."
"Ryou, I… I've been meaning to tell you something… w-with all this confusion going on, I don't know if it's the right time, b-but there might not be another… another t-time."
"What is it?" Ryou immediately regretted asking as Yugi began to edge closer to him. He was stuck between the window and Yugi's face, no escape. No escape from the spiky hair, no escape from the hidden crimson eyes, no escape from the puckering lips heading his way. Ryou squeaked, his eyes swelling to double their usual size. How could Yugi put him in this position? He didn't want to strike lips with this boy! "A- Y-Yugi!" came his shabby protest.
SMASH!
Glass hurtled through towards the boys, dangerous shards of it missing their faces by centimetres. This sent them both flying to the floor, Ryou curling up into a tiny ball and Yugi crawling away. Noises from outside filled the room once again, bouncing off the walls and shadows; screams and cries and crushing and crashing reverberated around the small room. The outside was truly in.
"I don't think he wants to kiss you," came a firm, male voice Ryou had never heard before. He risked a glance back at the window from between his fingers; excitement gripped his heart and rattled through his veins. Now stood in the room, by the large now-broken window, were three cloaked figures. The cloaks were long, all the way to the floor, and a hood that covered each figure's identity displayed a golden eye and chain. There was a black cloaked figure, a purple cloaked and a lilac.
"Creatures!" screamed Yugi from where he had crawled beneath Ryou's bed, his eyes wide with terror. The same firm voice spoke again, this time- Ryou realised- it came from the black cloaked figure, "Shut up you insignificant shrimp."
A haughty laugh came from the purple cloak, a deep, gruff voice followed, "I reckon we could roast him,"
"I have no doubt."
Ryou uncurled himself in order to inch backwards, gawking at the cloaked figures' every move. He hit the bed with a crunch from his spine. "No need to be afraid," the black cloak spoke with amusement, stretching out each word as if toying with the dialogue, "So how is everything, Ryou?"
"H-h-how do you know my n-name?" Ryou's voice was barely a whisper, his chest heaving with tension and anticipation. Who were these three? What were they doing here?
"That doesn't matter… well I guess I should have expected this. Although you're very scrawny and much paler than I presumed; you're virtually pure white."
Ryou didn't know how to reply to this but supposed it wasn't a good notion anyway.
"The only reason you're not white," said a familiar voice from the lilac cloak, "is because you dwell in the shadows and commend your heart to the darkness."
There was snickering, then, "What heart? It's been gone so long I can't remember the difference between love and hate and pain and pleasure. I think you should know that, Malik."
Ryou felt like he had just been hit round the face. Severely.
Malik? The mysterious, fetching boy he had met returning from the shop! How could he have mistaken that voice? But was it really the handsome male beneath that furtive cloak? And what was he doing here? How had he found Ryou, if this was not a coincidence? The questions buzzed, but no definite answer filled the gaps in Ryou's tormented brain.
"Ryou," said Malik, revealing his head by slipping off the lilac hood he wore, "You remember me? I told you you will get to know more about me later,"
(Flashback)
"Aah Bakura, you can be as stubborn as you like. I will find you. Go now, but let me assure you- I will see you again-"
"Never!" he yelled, "I will never come back here! You will never find me!" He ran, faster than his legs, his brain or his stamina had ever let him run. He ran through the black, spike-topped gates, away from the smoky citadel. Still the voice enclosed him in a chasm of fear and hate. 'I will find you…I will see you again.'
(End of Flashback)
"Bring him," ordered the black cloak, seeming a little shaken. The purple cloaked figure began approaching Ryou obediently. "Ryou!" shrieked Yugi, "Runaway! Run, Ryou, run!"
Yugi's efforts were in vain. Ryou saw a flash of purple cloak, heard more cries from Yugi, then everything went silent. And then black; everything became black. As black as the sky outside, as black as a Fiend's heart, as black as the world.
………………………………...
Lee: Me thinks me has the plot fixed! Whoop whoop! Let's all hope for the best that my brain can also come up with something miraculous!
Bakura: I doubt it.
Lee: So do I, Bakura, so do I. Writing this story has made me come up with trillions of new one-shot ideas! I'm trying to keep myself from writing those, though, so I can finish this! Otherwise I'll just get carried away.
Marik: What's new?
Malik: Please review! She's trying her best!
Ryou: Opinion-filled reviews are really nice!