Kry: Okay my loyal readers here is the tenth chapter, so let me know what you guys think and please review. Give me any criticism you want to dish my way.
THERE IS A WARNING OF SEXUAL CONDUCT IN THIS CHAPTER THAT IS SEMI-UNCONSENTUAL.
This might be the last Chapter I can update before Christmas. But I should be back on the wagon by the 27th or so. Thank you for the patience and Merry Christmas Guys!
Yami's POV
I looked at the clock that hung on the wall just to the right of the tv. I had been here long enough now that the sun was just beginning to peak itself over the horizon through the large windows. I rubbed my eyes to try and remove the sleep crusts from the corners. This had been a long and lonely night waiting for news about Kyrri. Without Yugi to talk to I was miserable. Thinking of him made my heart squeeze, he was Unreachable to me right now. Locked away deep in the darkest places of the puzzle and completely lost to me. I had spent hours through the night trying to find him and convince him that this was foolish, that this was his life and his body and only he deserved to live through it. But at the same time, it touched my heart that he cared so much he would give up his own life to give me a chance at a second one. That was one of the traits that made me love him so strongly. He was so generous and people hardly were in this age.
I stretched out my muscles sore from sitting for so long in the same possition.
"Yugi please talk to me." I pleaded for probably the thousand time through our mind-link only to receive only silence. What was killing me the most was that I could feel him, I could always feel him. He was suffering so much all alone with his sorrow. All I wanted to do was pull him into my arms and wipe his tears away but I couldn't even do that. Just when exactly had I fallen for him? When had he fallen in love with ?me and why were we stuck in this painful situation.
/"If you would just talk to me. We can work something out I don't know how but we have to at least try... Yugi please I need you..." I tried one more time I knew he could hear me because I could feel the sobs that wreaked through his body. I felt as he cried his broken heart out and I felt my own heart beat faster as I panicked. I needed to soothe his pain but he wouldn't let me and it was torture.
I tried to distract myself and think about something pleasant. But the only other thing I could think about was a cold-hearted doctor cutting into my sister's brain while she laid motionless on one of those surgery tables you see on the emergency television shows that Jii-chan liked to watch. I shook my head and gripped the sides of it. Take me back to Egypt and I'll rule as pharaoh any day over this mess.
"Excuse me, you're Yami Mouto right?" A deep and tired voice asked from behind me. I looked up Into the eyes of an older man. He was wrinkled around the eyes and looked like he had spent a long time frowning in his life. I nodded looking hopeful and stood up.
" Kyrri made it through the surgery just fine and she just came out of recovery. We have had her in her own room now and you can visit her." He said and gestured for me to follow him. Inside I was jumping for joy, thankful that she was okay. That she was alive.
" We have her under a medically induced coma to allow her brain time to heal. Her brain is functioning just as it should though and she can hear you if you talk to her or feel if you were to touch her hand. This type of sensory stimulation will help with the healing." He said without really looking at me. When he was done we had reached her door. He opened it for me and I took a big breath and walked inside.
There she was laying fearfully still on the hospital bed. She had more machines hooked up to her than Seto had, this worried me because other than the bandages on her head she looked to be in better shape that seto at first glance. That is until I got closer to her and I could see that her arms were wrapped in gauze and she had bandages on her chest. I turned back to the doctor surprised.
" I thought she only hit her head?" I asked already panicking. He frowned.
" Yes, I was actually hoping you could give us more insight on that. Miss Rutherford came to us with a few injuries that were unrelated to her accident. She had a broken rib that we had to re-break and set back into place because it was healing wrong, and several contusions across her chest. Also when we were giving her an IV we found that she is a self-mutilator and some of the cuts on her wrists were actually quite fresh. I would speculate that this is what caused her to become dizzy and fall from the roof." While he spoke he showed me where the injuries were and I remembered seeing the ugly bruises on her stomach while she had dangled from Bakura's arms. But I had no idea about her wrists. I felt a few tears fall against my will and I wiped them off with the sleeve of my shirt.
" I had no idea," I admitted feeling like I had failed her in some way by not being here for her sooner. Was she so alone in this life that she needed to hurt herself? It didn't make sense to me, I had never considered such a thing in all my years. What kind of pain makes you want to be in pain? I touched her hand and began to really cry, unashamed that this man was watching.
He must have given me my privacy because I heard the door click and I forcefully wiped my face again. I pulled a chair up next to her and held her hand.
" I swear to you under all the gods old and new that I'll never leave your side again. We were born together and we will always be together." I promised her as I sat in silence and watched as she slept. She made no move or gave no sign that she had heard me but I kept on anyways. I told her about herself as a child an how she was always there for me.
"Do you remember our Mother? She was amazing, I wish that you could see her in your mind like I do. Dressed in white and gold with her eyes full of love and her kindness that all of Egypt adored. It would break her heart to see you like this. She would tell me ' Yami you should have protected her.'" I sniffled and wiped my face again. I should have been here, why had she been born again and I had merely been trapped In The puzzle. Why could I not get the chance to grow up with her again so she didn't have to face this world alone?
" Then there was how we used to drive father mad running through the palace. Remember when he actually got up from his throne and chased me down the hall because I had stuck my tongue out at him. He was so angry, I sure got Into a lot of Trouble but it was worth it. " I spoke softly not wanting to be too loud. And I just stayed like that with her. Holding her hand and talking to her about our past together. Little things I remembered.
" You were so beautiful, as a girl no one could tell you no. Even though you were actually quite shy, you were sharp and clever. You learned to read before me and write. But I was always better with a blade. You did learn to wield though, you insisted that if I got to do it that you should too because you were a few moments older than myself." I smiled and squeezed Her hand gently.
" Remember when Seto first came to live at the palace with us. He began his priest training and the two of you were betrothed. Though father never told you himself. I was so happy when the two of you really fell in love. My best frown and my sister, I was surrounded by the people I trusted the most. Seth was the best thing that ever happen to you." When I said his name her hand twitched and I looked up surprised. But she remained motionless once more. This has me an idea though and I pulled Yugi's cell phone out and checked the time. It was about Seven Forty-Five. That was a decent the I suppose. Is todo up an crushed a stray hair out of her face noticing that they did have to shave a patch of her hair? Though I think it would stay hidden under her long locks.
I leaned down and kissed her head softly and promised I would return. Then I left the room and tried to figure out where I was in the hospital so I could navigate myself back to Kaiba's room. I ended up hopelessly lost but ended up finding the cafeteria and realized that I was actually really hungry.
" Can I get a bagel and two coffees. One black and one with two sugars and a dash of cream." I asked a perky lady behind the counter. She smiled and rang me out for fourteen thousand Yen. After I paid she handed me my drinks and food and I set out again to try and find Kaiba's room. I ended up having to ask a nurse at the nurse's station who gladly guided me.
When I walked into the room without knocking I found him giving Mokuba a hug and was glad to see that they had made up for their fight. Mokuba got up when he saw me and nodded as he was leaving the room.
"Later Seto I'll come back after school." He waved. Shit! I forgot about school. Oh well, surely they know that I am here after yesterday's events. Seto eyed me skeptically as I handed him his coffee. He lifted the lid and smiled.
" You know how I like my coffee?" He asked with a laugh and took a long drink.
" Kyrri mentioned it on her first day as your assistant," I said her and he nodded.
"How is she?" He asked after taking a long and satisfying drink from his cup. I could tell that he had spent more time over night worrying rather than resting like he should have been.
" That's why I came, she made it through the surgery just fine. They said that she is in a medical coma to give her brain time to heal. But..." I stopped an tried to decide how to break this news to Seto?
" She had a lot of pre-existing injuries," I said and glared at my half-eaten bagel. He narrowed his eyes at me and sat in a straighter possition.
" What do you mean?" He demanded sounding Like the businessman I had come to know. This was the side of Kaiba that I appreciated most of the time. Straight to the point.
" She had a broken rib that the doctors had to re-break and re-set." I started with what I considered to be the worst injury besides her head." His eyes widened and he gripped the blankets tightly.
" How the hell did she break her rib? For how long?" He pleaded not with me but just in general. I understood how he felt I wanted answers too.
" And she was covered with what the doctor said were contusions which I am guessing means bruises on her chest stomach and her arms and her also..." I stopped again, not because I did t want to tell him but because my guilt at not being there for her was crippling.
" What? Who the hell would do something like that to her I swear to God I will kill them." He growled and I could hear his teeth grinding together as he fumed. I worried how he would handle what else I had to say.
"There is more..." I spoke softly sounding nervous even to myself. He looked up and into my eyes with his buisness face as he tried to keep himself composed.
"She also cuts herself. I didn't see them but her arms were all wrapped up." I whispered wanting to punch myself for her having to suffer.
Seto was obviously distraught over this fact but his reaction to pain was different than mine he shouted and punched his bead rail. I watched as he bent his head down and took a series of deep breaths to calm himself down. He was always quick to anger this was something I was used to after growing up with him in the past. But after only a few seconds the anger gave way to the pain and I watched as three... Five... Six teardrops fell me to the white of his sheets and his shoulders started to shake.
"How do I protect her from herself?" He moaned and wiped his face dry. I frowned, I didn't have an answer for him.
"How do we protect her when she doesn't even remember who we are?" He asked sounding tired and defeated.
" I don't know. I wouldn't risk you trying to do to her what you did to me. You barely have your powers under control and you refuse to wield your millennium rod. I don't think I could without Yugi. Our energy is very tightly woven together and without his cooperation, I don't think I can tap me to my full abilities." I sighed Again and lowered my face.
" Whoever the hell laid their hands on her will pay. I will personally make sure of that." He spat and his eyes turned icy and vicious again like I had come so used to seeing. I nodded in agreement.
" I was talking to her and I said your name and she reacted she squeezed my hand for a second and then it was like nothing ever happened," I said to try and distract him enough to calm him Down.
" I mean Seth not Seto." I clarified. His eyes widened and a small almost unnoticeable smile graced his lips before the stress replaced it once more.
"I have got to get out of this hospital bed. " he sighed in frustration and downed the last of the coffee that I brought him.
" When will you get to leave?" I asked finishing off my breakfast.
" They won't tell me but I called my family doctor and he is supposed to come and sign over my care to him since he is a home doctor and I do have a company to run after all." I nodded at him, that made sense for him to work from home. I looked at his leg and felt a wave of guilt.
" I'm so sorry Kaiba," I said as I touched a hand lightly to his cast. He didn't seem bothered by the gesture and shrugged.
" I would gladly trade my life for hers or yours, you know that so let's not worry about such things." He spoke deliberately soft and I knew it was true. I decided I liked this Seto, though he was more like the Seth I had grown up with than the anyway CEO that I had come to know, now he was a nice mix of the two people and I think I was realizing how well it blended into so simply him.
I was glad that Kyrri would have him if she was to ever remember her past. He had truly loved her, He still loves her more than his own life. She would have that special person to help her be happy. I though about Yugi, and I wanted to cry again. Though I kept my composure I must have made a face because I got the attention of my companion.
" What's eating you?" He asked with his usual snide attitude that I was coming to learn was his own awkward way of communicating.
I shook my head not wanting to share something so personal. But he was having none of that as he grunted to shift positions and tap me in the arm.
" No, tell me. I'm not good at this anymore, talking that is... But I am your... friend and I do want to help... even as I have lost the social skills it takes to carry on a normal conversation." He sounded angry and his face was Neutral but I knew he was putting in a lot of effort to try and actually be my friend like we had once been and I had to give him credit for that.
"It's Yugi," I admitted sounding even more like a kicked dog than I felt. He frowned and leaned back, but otherwise waited for me to go on.
"Things are complicated and I don't know how to fix them. I don't see a way around this situation without one of us being hurt if not both of us." I said in defeat.
"Well, what's the problem?" He asked with mild interest.
"He has locked himself deep inside of the puzzle where even I can not reach him nor find him because he insists that I deserve a second chance at life." My stomach turned and I regretted having eaten at all.
"No offense, because you do deserve a second chance especially if you're supposed to save the world and shit. But why would he do that for you?" He questioned.
"He told me that he loves me and all I could think to tell him was that I didn't deserve his love evade I could never give him what he deserves" I whispered looking down to hide my reddening face. He laughed and this made me want to punch him but he was already in the hospital and I didn't think that would go over very well. After a moment he calmed his laughter and noticed me sulking even more.
" I'm sorry. It's not funny, it's actually kind of sad. Poor kid. " he apologized.
"What's even sadder is that I love him too and we can never be together. We can never touch each other. I can never give him what he wants." This had Seto quiet as he contemplated my situation but in the end, he had no ideas that could help me.
"Take no offense to this but I didn't know you were gay. Is that why you never took a wife?" He asked with a sly smile I wanted to swat at him but thought better of it with his injuries. He sure was making me want to hit him a lot today. I cursed his broken leg for not being able to take my frustrations out.
" No! I didn't even know back then. I just wasn't interested in romance I had a country to run. I was only sixteen for Ra's sake." I defended hotly and stood up to pace around the room. Was I gay or was it just that Yugi was my other half. I felt like I had waited for him my whole life and even beyond that, Just to be a part of his life. What a life it was turning into now he was planning to spend an eternity locked in the puzzle in my place.
I sat back down and hid my face in my hands.
"If he never comes out of the puzzle and I have to live this life without him I don't know what I will do. If I die he will be trapped in the damn thing forever!" I muttered depressed and flicked the puzzle.
" I'm sorry Yami." He spoke genuinely and patted my hand that was still resting on his leg.
"If I had known that having my memories back would end up like this I would have chosen for things to stay how they were. I don't mean having Kyrri in our lives just like I don't know..." I surrendered and groaned.
" Ignorance is bliss." He agreed and frowned.
" I can't stop thinking about her laying in my arms gurgling up blood as she died, I can't seem to make the nightmares go away." He admitted and began to scratch at his wounded arm idly. I grimaced as my own viewpoint of that awful night came to mind.
" So you and Mokuba made up?" I asked to change the subject from such grim topics. He smiled, that real Kaiba smile that people would be lucky to see and nodded. I was glad that he was opening up to me, it was almost like we were picking our friendship up where we left off so long ago.
" He came early this morning so he could catch me before his first day of high school. Damn kid isn't even fourteen and he's trying to be an adult already." He sighed and leaned back on his pillows clothes. I think that he must have been starting to hurt because he was looking more and more tired as the minutes passed.
" Well, he had a good example of growing up too fast," I commented and stood up to throw away our empty coffee cups and the wrapper from my bagel. He chuckled and then grimaced.
"It's weird now that I accept that I am the reincarnation of an ancient person. I fully remember that life and then I have this life and sometimes I feel like I'm two different people crammed into one. I have people I care about from the past that aren't a part my life now and then I have people now that we're never a part of my life before like Mokuba. I love him to death but it's strange to think that I never had a little brother before." He said as he closed his eyes. I thought about his words for a moment but didn't say anything. It didn't take log before I could tell he had fallen asleep.
I stood up and searched for a pen and paper that were sitting on his bedside table. I wrote on the paper ' Seto, make sure you call me when you get released from your prison. I will let you know about Kyrri if anything happens. Thanks for listening to me. -YM'
I placed the note where I was sure the world see it and smiled a small sad smile and turned off his lights as I left. A nurse passed me on my way out the door and chuckled.
"Everyone thinks he is such a hard ass, but all I have seen since he got here is a regular boy who has way too much responsibility. It's actually kind of sweet how he keeps asking about your sister." She said and I quirkier an eye brow at her. Normal in reference to Kaiba was a strange thought. She just smiled and went about giving Kaiba some medicine through his IV.
Bakura's POV
I awoke covered in sweat and cold. I quickly grabbed a shirt and threw it on. It was pitch black in Ryou's room, luckily he loved the dark like I did. I searched for him inside his soul room and found that he was sleeping. Good, I didn't want him to know what I was about to do anyways.
With this though I glanced down at my hardened groin. I groaned, this as not something I missed about being in a physical body. The urges running through Ryou's eighteen-year-old body were too much. I needed to rid myself of this nuisance so could go back to the hospital. I tried to remember what I had been dreaming, for the first night in longer than I could remember it wasn't a nightmare. I was actually clear of the darkness through the night and it had given me a lot of time to think things through. When Yugi had bluntly asked me if I loved Kyrri it had made me ask myself. Did I? I had come up with an answer but I didn't like it. Yes, I cared for her very deeply, but I didn't love her like I once had. Or like the priest did. Living in the twenty-first century had taught me things about myself that I hadn't cared about in the past. I realized Kyrri was just an infatuation of my young heart and something that the darkness had used to push me into its evil plans. In the end, she was my best friend but that was her place in my life.
So what had I dreamed of then? I still couldn't remember but it must have been somethig nice. I reached a timid hand into my boxers and gave myself a stroke.
"Allow me to help you./ said a silky smooth voice, it didn't sound like Ryou at all but I lost control of my own arm and was lost in pleasure.
"Ryou?" I questioned in a crazed voice. This was similar to what I had dreamed, I could remember bits and bits of it as I came closer to the edge.
"Would you like that? If you're precious Hikari fell on his knees before you." I realized then what was happening, I tried to jerk away but how do you escape yourself. I heard the hissing in my mind.
"leave him alone!" I tried to sound threatening but it almost through like I was pleading. The pumping was faster and more erratic an even as I felt my stomach turn in disgust I moaned involuntarily yet sickened by this. I wanted to fight, I wanted to force Zork to leave me alone. To leave Ryou out of this even more.
"Ah, but I can't do that. He looks like fun, I bet be could be even more fun than you were./ I could feel breath in my ear and smell the death. I gulped as a hand came to my throat. Wait, a real physical hand was covering my mouth now. I tried to turn and escape and realized my arm was my own now. I looked down and could see a pale hand smaller than my own finished its work and I lost my sight for a moment of unwanted bliss. I yelled out and pushed myself away when I turned I was looking at myself. No, I was looking at Ryou, he was standing beige me in full physical form and he was holding the ring.
"I'm sorry Kura. I couldn't fight this anymore. He was too strong and he was going to use to against your will like before... I couldn't let that happen to you again." tears fell from his chocolate orbs an I watched in horror as the tendrils of darkness wrapped all the way around him.
"No! Damn it no I won't let you have him. Take me, you piece of shit take me!" I screamed and tried to fight my way though the darkness. I could hear him weeping and then I heard him scream bloody murder. I was pushed back by a strong blast of energy and hit Ryou's dresser with a thud.
I watched as Ryou looked at me his eyes conpletely black and smiled a wicked smile showing all his teeth. Then in a puff of purple and black smoke, he disappeared filling my ears with laughter that was so Ryou that it made me sick.
What the hell just happened. I looked down at my soiled boxers and screamed out In Anger again. How could I let this happen, how could I let this monster get him? I thought I had the situation under control but obviously, I was a fool to think I could keep Zork the dark lord captive within myself forever.
I knew I needed help, and the pharaoh was my only option for that. I grabbed clean cloths and fresh boxers and jumped I got in the shower wasting no time cleaning myself and then I threw my clothes on pulled my wild locks into a pong tale to keep them out of my face and left the small apartment locking the door behind me.
I walked to the game shop with a perinate frown. Why had I even let something so disgusting happen? How could I have let that beat bring me pleasure? Sure I had thought it was Ryou but... Wait a minute what would it have changed if it was Ryou? I shouldn't have such perverse thoughts about my Hikari. He was too innocent, so much so that I swore I would save him from this torture.
I reached the shop to find it dark and empty, even though it was already almost noon. I figured that he was still at the hospital but he had to come back eventually. I had to talk to him without being around others.
Maybe another thirty minutes passed and I could see him walking down the sidewalk towards his home. He looked pissed, to be honest, and a sinking feeling hit me, I hadn't even thought about how Kyrri's surgery went. He saw me then and he nodded his greeting at me.
" She is going to be okay. But you could have gone to see her. You earned that right." He said as he pushed past me to unlock his door. He was obviously very irritated and my presence wasn't helping apparently.
" I need your help." I decided to get straight to the point. He eyed me like I was crazy and walked inside. I followed him and watched as he hung up his keys and took off his school coat.
"You know I really don't feel inclined to help you." He stated bluntly and pushed past me again and walked into his living room.
" Don't make me beg you," I muttered glaring at him his attitude was pissing me off but I wasn't below begging right now either if it saved Ryou. He turned then and raised a brow at me.
"Fine, I'll think about it what is it?" He sighed in defeat and I shook my head not sure where to start. I ended up just telling him the truth minus the personal parts. When I was done telling store he sat in muted shock.
" You're telling me that somehow Ryou was able to be split from you in a physical body. As in you both have your own body's?" He questioned as if he didn't believe me. I nodded and tightened my hands around the warm cup of tea he had ended up making me when he made his own tea.
" It's the dark lord Zork. A fragment of his soul survived attached to me in the millennium ring and for all these years I have been trying to keep him sealed away within myself. But with Kyrri's appearance, he stirred and began to grow in power. But when I refused to be a part of that evil I think that my will power was enough to drive him to the next best thing. My poor Hikari..." I said and I wanted to punish myself for letting this happen. Yami frowned and stood up.
"We have to stop him and save Ryou before it's too late." He commanded and I didn't argue.
" So you will help me?" I asked just to be sure. It was our of character for me to ask for help and j was decidedly uncomfortable.
" I might not like you Bakura but you were just as much a pawn to Zork as the rest of us were. The only way for us to stop this is for us to work together. Though I don't know how." I nodded in agreement and looked down into my cup and wished that it was me that Zork was using. I was used to that brand of torture but what would it do to sweet Ryou? How warped would he be when he came back to me?
" I will call Isis later and I will call Yugi's Jii-chan and see if there are any hieroglyphs that he has translated that can give us any information about how to seal Zork for good." He said looking thoughtful. I felt my stomach drop, the last time that anyone attempted to lock him away everyone ended up dead.
"There has to e another way to do it besides what you already tried." I said nervously. He nodded.
"No that was a failure, we will find another way." He promised to look fiercely determined. His confidence gave me little hope anyway but at least it was something.
" Do you think that what happened between you and Ryou could happen with Yugi and me? That we could separate " he asked hopefully. How had I not realized before that he had an alternative notice to help me. I narrowed my eyes.
" I could do it if I had the ring. I'm positive that that's what Zork used but he took it." Yami deflated visibly and nodded to himself.
"Then promise me that when we save Ryou a return your ring that you will help me." He asked in a barely disguised pleading voice.
" Assuming he comes back to me in one piece you have my word," I spoke smirked as he took his empty cup to the sink.
" The word of a thief means little to nothing." He laughed but I could tell he was only being his long snarky self.
I stayed for another ten minutes and then bid my farewell so I could make my way to the hospital to see my friend. Before I went Yami had filled me in on her condition and I acted like I didn't already know about her hurting herself. Now that everyone knew perhaps we could all keep her safe.
Kry: Well there it is. I hope you all liked willpower already working on the next installment of my epic story. So review my lovelies!