Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Okay, seriously, you don't want ice cream? A pity really, because that's what you get today too. See, there was a big amount of it left from the previous chapter, where only two people, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart, actually reviewed. So there. Ice cream left overs are all you'll get today. :P
THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M FOR EXTENSIVE DESCRIPTION OF VIOLENCE!
The moment seemed to last centuries instead of mere seconds. I stood there, tightly hugging Bakura and praying that he wouldn't lash out too hard on Ryou. Maybe that was all he needed. A big, friendly hug.
But of course, he didn't.
I felt a familiar surge of dark energy and I was pushed off of Bakura, crushing hard on the wall behind me. The pain spread through me and I slipped slowly down, too dizzy to stay on my feet. I tried to shake it off, but before I could, I was grabbed by my throat and raised so high that my feet didn't touch the ground. He crushed me on the wall a second time and then brought me to eye level.
Sheer terror washed over me at the look in his eyes and I felt quite happy for the fact that I was already dead. He tightened his grip on my neck almost unbearably, but of course, pain aside, it could hardly affect me. Breathing was nothing but a habit to me, the way some people bite their nails or play with their hair. There was no point in trying to choke me and he knew it. He continued though, despite the fact that it caused me nothing but a minor inconvenience because of the uncomfortable position he had me in and of course the fact that his fingers -not to mention nails- were digging rather deep in my throat.
"Tell me girl. Are you afraid of the darkness?" he asked suddenly, not bothering to hide the malice in his voice.
"No, but I sometimes like to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight." I retorted, rolling my eyes. Laughing in his face was probably less smart than trying to hug him to submission, but at this point I could hardly control what came out of my mouth. I was terrified. For the briefest of moments my eyes strayed towards Ryou's direction, but of course Bakura saw it. He chuckled and another shiver shot down my spine. That was not a happy chuckle. Not a happy chuckle at all.
"Don't worry my dear; my host will be kept safe, for tonight at least. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow after all- something that could have been avoided had you not interfered with my plans. Should I add "yet again" or not dear?"
"I really don't understand what you are talking about. And I would really appreciate it if you removed your nails from my throat as well. It's rather annoying." I said, trying to sound defiant.
"As you wish." he answered and threw me across the room like a doll.
I was shocked by the force he must have used to achieve something like that, but this time I was fast to recover. Willing myself to pass through the wall, I ended up falling on my butt in the hall. Taking a moment to let the pain subside, I stood up and sprinted down the hall, trying to sense the spirit of the Puzzle. He would take care of Bakura faster than you can say "bugger", I was sure of it.
However, my plan was short-lived. I hadn't even reached the end of the hallway, when suddenly I froze. I tried in vain to run, or scream or lift my finger, but it was impossible. Bakura had managed to immobilize me and that was about as good as being a steak in a cage full of lions.
"I have to say I'm impressed. I didn't expect your foolishness to have increased so much during my absence." I heard Bakura chuckling behind me. "You really thought I would let you escape?" I couldn't say anything, but for a moment I was thankful for the fact that I couldn't bat an eyelash. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to stand. "I will release you as soon as I get back into the room. You'll come inside at once. If you don't, I'm afraid that my host will have to pay the price of your disobedience."
I heard footsteps and a door opening and closing. Right after that, whatever magic was holding me still dissipated and I let a sigh of relief. Though I had a feeling the worst was yet to come, the absolute helplessness of my previous position was terrifying on its own. Not that I had any delusions regarding my ability to defend myself from the likes of the spirit of the Ring mind you; it simply was far less terrifying to be able to at least try.
Bakura was leaning on the wall opposite the door with his arms crossed in front of his chest. I stood almost with my back on the door trying, but not succeeding, to not let my knees tremble too much. He gave me another look from head to toe, making me wish that I would be able to become one with the door. He motioned for me to go closer.
My eyes widened and I shook my head violently. I was barely able to keep myself from collapsing from fear and I sure as bugger wasn't about to get near him on my own accord. He smirked and I wanted to gut him where he stood.
"Don't make me repeat myself. It will only get worse for my host if you keep this up girl. Don't you want to be over with it as soon as possible?"
At that I narrowed my eyes. "You said you'd keep Ryou out of this." I stated firmly, all fear for myself forgotten. "You promised me Bakura. You need him so you won't touch Ryou."
"You shouldn't trust me so easily. I am a thief after all. Lying is just part of the job." he responded, his smirk turning into a grin.
My fists clenched. "Now come here." he ordered again. It was blatant that I had no other choice so with shaky, slow steps I walked towards him. I was unable to turn my eyes away from his, anger mixed with fear, hating how I was forced to submit. My head was swimming from the terror I felt and shortly before I reached him, my knees buckled.
His reaction was immediate and fast like an attacking snake. As I fell, he slapped me hard, throwing me half-way across the room. I stared up holding my stinging cheek only to see his open palm as he grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled me forcefully on my feet. I could not stand on my own however, as my mind was still reverberating by the force of his blow. He didn't seem to mind terribly though and instead punched my stomach with enough force as to send me flying once more, something he actually seemed to have grown rather fond of. I managed to scramble on my hands and knees and I retched, without having anything to actually come out of my stomach. Gagging for a few more moments and producing only acidity in my mouth, my logical brain began to function slightly again. But it wasn't until a few more moments had flitted by that I realized that my actual situation might be far worse than a simple beat-down.
Bakura stood ready to continue his punishment, his brown eyes gleaming with a look of pure, unsaturated madness. His lips were drawn, forming a snarl as he looked down on me. And for a second, I tried to convince myself that that look in his eyes was indeed directed at the wall behind me. I turned my head to look towads where Ryou was sleeping peacefully and I felt the same anger I had in the cave rear its ugly head inside me. For a moment everything went blank as the only thing going on in my mind was that it should be him, him and not me, not again. But as soon as the familiar fog began covering my mind, the still-rational part of me took action. With speed that I would never conside myself capable of, I gathered as much energy as I could in my right fist and punched myself in the face.
For a second, everything went blank. Then, as my vision cleared and my brain began functioning properly again, I shook my head and stared up at Bakura. His expression had not changed a bit and while I believed I knew madness, at that moment I realised that I was a clot to think that. There was not a single ounce of humanity in the person wearing my brother's face.
I tried to fight against him, I really did, but there was no comparison.
Such a beating could break a human. The blows he landed upon me I could endure, but there was something terrifying as he would let me regain some semplance of composure and then beat me down like an animal, relishing in my powerlessness. The worst part was that he wouldn't scream in his anger, he wouldn't curse at me, his breathing hadn't even become ragged. He was calm and methodical and every hit was more painful, more terrifying than the previous one. Along with fear there was also anger. I was so overwhelmingly enraged at him, at the way he would cut me down time and again without allowing me a chance to fight back. Not for lack of trying on my part, at least for a while, but it was not only ineffective in every possible way, my attempts to fight appeared to excite him further. He enjoyed the feel of my fists on his skin, or my nails as they raked against him, in the way I could not touch a single hair. I had experienced excruciating pain in the Shadow Realm, but I despised him more, for I could understand the Shadows. It was their nature, inhumane and nightmarish as it was. But Bakura, I couldn't decipher him. I couldn't understand how such violence could be generated by one soul.
One final blow upon my face and I was knocked on my hands and knees. He kicked my ribs while I was down and as I rolled on the floor and then hit the wall, I lay on my back bruised, bloodied and broken and couldn't stand up again. I could hear the rabid beating of my heart against my ears. I could hear him coming closer. Then I felt a soft hand upon my face, smoothing my hair away. I whimpered in pain, as my face had become terribly sensitive and slightly swollen from the hits. I couldn't exactly tell how much time had gone by while he was beating the everloving bloody crap outta me, but it sure had felt like a lot.
I opened my eyes to see him kneeling next to me. And in the haze of my pain I was unable to tell the difference between his face and my brother's. I tried to lift my hand to touch his face, but that was beyond my abilities. Instead, my hand reached just above my stomach before falling down again, only instead of the hard floor it landed inside another hand, as soft as the one stroking my hair with such tenderness. I put al of my strength into clutching it tightly in mine and I looked up in his eyes.
"Ryou." I whispered, my throat raw as if it had gone a few rounds with a particularly mean piece of sand-paper. "Ryou. I am so sorry."
For a moment he said nothing, simply continued to stroke my hair. Then he gently lifted my upper body off the ground and held it in his chest before placing a soft kiss upon my forehead and nearing his head to my ear.
"No my dear. You are not sorry yet." he whispered, shameless glee in his voice. For a moment I was unable to comprehend his words, concetrated only in his voice. I frowned and he offered me a wide grin before twisting my hand that was still in his own.
I heard the snapping sound before the pain registered.
I threw my head back and screamed with newfound strength, my head clearing from the intense burning sensation in my wrist. The image of my wrecked thumbs, flesh torn apart and bone showing flashed before me and I screamed even more.
My back crushed hard on the floor as he let go of me and amidst the screaming I could hear him laughing hard, savouring every scream. I curled into a fetal position, cruddling my broken hand close to my chest. He landed another kick on my spine and my body unfolded violently.
This went on for a while.
The thing about ghosts is, we heal. We are not materialised human beings with physical bodies and so, while I was experiencing an unprecedented amount of pain in this state, it would be all gone in a matter of hours at worst. Bakura knew that as well as I did.
And apparently firmly opposed the idea.
I was sitting crouched against the wall, mostly trying to control the trembling of my body and return my breathing to a regular rythm. It was a strange experience feeling the muscle and bones reconstruct themselves, but it was decidedly far more pleasant than the damaging process. Bakura was sitting on the end of the bed where Ryou was sleeping, staring boredly at the night sky through the window. He had seemed remarkably uninterested in my pathetic whimpers as my body put itself back together considering the pleasure he had taken from inflicting the wounds that caused me the afforementioned pain and I was grateful for that much at least. After a point on my mind just kept switching between clarity and numbness, making it very difficult for me to have an accurate grasp of how long it had been from the moment I set foot in this room, or even recall fully what had transpired for a big part of the night. I felt unsettled by that as well as being still in the same room with him at all.
Any thoughts of escaping had been thrown out the window a while ago, most likely around the time he broke my jaw. However, now that a logical thought process was once more within my capabilities, I unwillingly began thinking about whether I had any chance of escaping. Bakura was lost in thought-whatever that bloke could be thinking anyway- and maybe I could slip away through the wall and make it to the safety of Yugi's room before he had a chance to stop me. If I managed to make it just down the hall then I would be safe.
Foolish thoughts, definitely, but I had just received enough abuse to loose my connection to reality. Bloody hell, but I deserved a little daydreaming.
Such were my thoughts when I noticed a pair of snickers in a close proximity. Before I had time to react, one collided with my face, breaking my nose. I screeched -mostly from surprise than anything- and covered my nose with my hands. I looked up at him, reasonably annoyed and with an unreasonable momentary lack of fear.
"That was completely unnecessary you bloody jerk!" I hissed before putting my nose back in place with a loud crack. He sent me a look that made me lower my eyes again.
"I was thinking."
That sounds like a good start, doesn't it?
Shut up voice.
"Since it is very obvious that, while you were a participant in the foiling of my plans, my host was the real instigator, maybe it is unfair for you to be the only one to receive a proper punishment."
I blinked and then pretended to clean my ear with my pinkie. "Pardon me, but I must have blood left in my ear from before. Could you repeat?"
The look he sent me this time around was reminicent of one I would send to a cockroach. Which all things considered, was an improvement I was extremely proud of. I had finally managed to earn some bloody respect here.
"I am not in the mood for your nonsense girl."
I tried to swallow the long string of curses that would do me no favours. "But you promised. You need him. You promised."
"You remain surprisingly trusting of me my dear, despite my multiple warnings for the opposite. I don't know if I should be flattered or amazed by your idiocy."
He is right you know.
Whose side are you on?
Just pointing out the truth.
...
Shut up voice.
"So as I was saying, I think a proper punishment is necessary for both of you. Well, you have already received yours, albeit not to a satisfying degree, but all the same my host should share in it, I believe. If nothing else he should support his little sister, don't you think?"
I could only stare at his chesire grin as I tried to find a proper response- but my tongue was numb in my mouth.
"What's wrong girl, cat got your tongue?"
I opened and closed my mouth a few times trying to speak, ad when that failed I closed my eyes and began counting backwards in my head. I needed to focus. I needed the clarity I would gain from counting in my head. I clleared my head from everything else and began.
Ninety-seven, ninety-four, ninety-one, eighty-eight, eighty-five
A small part of my mind was filled with something akin to feeling secure, but I was still far too early into it, not enough for me to be able to talk again.
Eighty-two, seventy-nine, seventy-six, seventy-three, seventy
"Well?"
The voice had become impatient, but I was still incapable of responding. It was quiet again, but it was the kind when the air was filled with tension and a single mistake would make things go out of control.
Sixty-seven, sixty-four, sixty-one, fifty-eight, fifty-five, fifty-two
An even bigger part of my head had cleared and so I could finally safely open my eyes and stare back, however I was still unable to respond. Bakura looked at me in disgust but other than that he simply waited. I could now understand the response he expected and I knew it was the right response to give but I could feel something in me snapping. I didn't want to give a right response, because I had already given the right response before and all I had gotten ut of it were horrible nightmares that weren't nightmares and voices,so many of them. And cold of course. It was always cold too.
I felt a tight grip on my arms, only to look down to see that my hands had wrapped around me. I tilted my head slightly because I didn't remember doing that.
Forty-nine, forty-six, forty-three, forty, thirty-seven, thirty-four
I had done nothing to deserve anything of what I had gotten. I had been a good sister. I had done what a good sister was supposed to do. So why couldn't Ryou be a good brother just this once?
Thirty, twenty-seven, twenty-four, twenty-one, nineteen, sixteen
I felt my air supply being cut off and stopped feeling the ground beneath my butt. I could see Bakura's furious eyes and could see his lips moving, but sound seemed to be blocked out. I should probably respond quickly then. It would be a wrong response too. I would respond incorrectly and I would enjoy the stupified look he was sure to have. And then I would stand back and watch as the one who was at fault would pay.
Thirteen, ten, seven, four
"Yes. Yes, I think he should be punished." I managed to choke out, his fingers digging painfully into my throat. "I think that he should be punished."
Bakura was staring at me with a confused look on his face before his expression turned to one f absolute glee. He cackled.
"Ah, I can't say I expected this! I didn't expect this at all!" he said excitedly as he let me fall back down. "Well my dear. I aim to please." he bowed mockingly, a grin that split his face in two spreading quickly.
One
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