Losing Grip:
Authoress: Aisling Kaiba
Aisling: I'm back with part 3 of this! Yay!! People are gonna kill me.
Ryou: *Reads said chapter and looks like he's gonna cry* Aisling, how could you do that to me? I thought you loved me? Now you try to---
Aisling: *Claps a hand over his mouth* Shh! You're going to spoil it! Besides, this is only temporary anyway, it's gonna have a really happy ending. And yes, I do still love you, Ryou. *Realizes she's said too much* Crud. Anyway, can someone please do the disclaimer for me? *Looks around and spots Rishid trying to sneak past her unnoticed* Oh, Rishi!!!! Can you come here and do me a favor? Pretty please?
Rishid: *Sighs* Of course. Lady Aisling does not own YGO, nor does she own the song "There You Are", Martina McBride does, but anything original is hers.
Aisling: Thanks mucho! Now, on with the fic! Merry Christmas, minna-san! *Walks away with Ryou, muttering about how people are going to kill her when they read this part*
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*Chapter three*
Seto shook his head to banish the memories and sat down on the window ledge next to Aisling. She flinched at his closeneess, but said nothing about it. Instead, she picked up a small, white stuffed dog with a red and gold bow around its neck and held it close to her. (A/N: I actually have one like that. My sweetie gave it to me on Valentine's Day two years ago. *Glomps him* )
Seto recognized it as the one that Ryou had won for her at the summer festival just before the Battle City tournament and reached over to lay his hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, as if she wanted to shrug off the gesture, but it occurred to her that she didn't have the strength left in her to do it, so she settled for letting him try to comfort her as she continued with her heartbroken tale.
"I haven't ever told you what Marik did to me. Seto, he...he raped me," she whispered, her dark blue eyes downcast and haunted now.
Seto stared at her in shock, then he reached over and hugged her. He held her close to him, swaying back and forth slightly as Aisling buried her face in his chest, crying harder now. (A/N: Again, people, there's the gutter, get your mind out of it.)
"Shh, shh. It's all right. Let it out, I'm here. You're safe now. I won't let that sick bastard near you again," Seto murmured.
"He wants your Egyptian God card, Seto. He threatened to hurt you, Mokuba and Ryou if I didn't cooperate with him. If Malik hadn't gotten me out of there when he did, I'd probably have been dead by now. I could have lost you, big brother. Now I'm probably going to lose Ryou," she said through her tears, finally looking up at her brother. "I'm scared, Seto. Why is this happening to us?"
Seto shook his head sadly, not really knowing what to say to that. He wiped away her tears, then he stood up, gently pulling her up with him. Aisling stared up at him, confused.
"Big brother?" she asked.
"Mokuba and I are going down to the hospital to see Ryou. I thought maybe you'd want to go with us," Seto replied.
She nodded. "I was there earlier, but...I ran away. It tore me apart to see him like that," Aisling said softly.
Seto nodded understandingly. "But it's hurting you even more to be away from him," he finished her sentence. It was more of a statement than a question, really.
Aisling nodded. "Hai. I can't lose him, Seto. I can't. I love him too much to let him go," she said, the tremble in her voice giving light to her pain and desperation.
"Maybe you can help by just being there with him. I have a feeling that he'll pull through. Just watch, it'll all be all right. You'll see," Seto reassured her.
Just then, the door opened again and Mokuba poked his head into the room. He glanced over at Aisling, his head tilted slightly to one side, his gray eyes shimmering with concern as he regarded her in silence for a long moment.
"Are you okay, Aisling?" Mokuba asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, little brother," she answered, giving him a small, half-hearted smile.
"You're going with us, right? Ryou needs you," Mokuba said.
Aisling nodded. "I know. We'll be right there. Go wait for us downstairs, okay, kiddo?" Aisling said quietly.
"Okay," Mokuba said.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving the door open. Aisling watched her little brother leave, then looked down sadly at the stuffed animal in her arms. She stepped back from Seto and moved over to her bed, idly noticing that their gray and white cat, Kitty, was curled up on her pillows, fast asleep.
She lay the stuffed animal in her arms down on the pillow next to Kitty, stroking her fur lovingly. The cat purred contentedly once in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Aisling shook her head at the feline's antic, somehow managing a sad little smile. Then she walked back over to Seto, and they left the room together, leaving the door open just in case Kitty wanted to go out.
When they got downstairs, they found Mokuba sitting on the couch. The television was on, a rerun episode of InuYasha (A/N: I don't own that either.) blaring softly. Aisling noted that it was the one where Kikyo was resurrected, and the sudden idle urge to reach through the screen and whack the raven-haired priestess over the head with her Flying Frying Pan of Doom popped into her mind. She never really had liked her, believing that Kikyo was standing in the way of Kagome and InuYasha ever possibly getting together. (A/N: Sorry, Kikyo fans, but I don't like that woman.) Aisling shook her head, pushing that train of thought out of her mind before it went any farther. She had more important things to worry about right now.
"Come on, Mokuba," Seto said quietly.
"Okay, big brother," Mokuba replied.
He stood up and turned off the television before following his older siblings out the front door. They got into Seto's car, which was a dark midnight-blue Cadillac. (A/N: Don't own that either. *Pout*) Seto waited until the other two were in the car--Aisling in the front passenger's side, and Mokuba in the back--before he pulled out of the driveway.
The drive to the hospital was spent in silence. Aisling stared out the window absently, lost deep in her own thoughts. Seto kept his attention on the road, but he occasionally glanced over at the girl, wishing that he could do something, anything at all, to help.
When they got to the hospital, Seto let Aisling out at the main entrance before going to park the car. Aisling stepped through the glass doors as they opened, ignoring the looks that she got from the people who were sitting there, anxiously awaiting news of their own loved ones.
Aisling managed to hold back her tears until she stepped into a--thankfully--empty elevator. As the doors closed and the elevator began to rise, she buried her face in her hands and started to cry again.
The elevator finally stopped on the fourth floor and the doors opened. She stepped out into the fairly deserted cooridor, making her way towards Ryou's room.
As she passed by the Nurse's station in the I.C.U. ward, an older woman with slightly graying hair and cold brown eyes stood up, as if to stop Aisling from going any farther. But the young doctor behind her put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head almost imperceptibly. He recognized the girl from before, and had noticed the tears that shimmered in Aisling's sapphire eyes as she walked by. The older woman saw that she was crying, too, and sat back down, casting a pitying glance at Aisling.
But the girl took no notice of this, though, as she was completely immersed in her own thoughts. She was only vaguely aware of her surroundings as the door to Ryou's room slid open automatically when she stopped in front of the aforementioned door, granting her entrance.
She slipped silently into the room, very nearly crying out when she saw Ryou, who was still unconscious and paler than normal, looking for all the world like a ghostly angel. Her angel. The eerie, monotonous beeping of a heart monitor broke through the silence, reassuring her that he was still holding on.
She sat down on a chair next to the bed, taking Ryou's hand gently into her own. She reached over with her other hand and lightly brushed away a few stray strands of his snowy-white hair from his eyes. Absently, she noticed Iris and Malik across the room, both asleep, but at the moment, she was paying them no mind.
"Ryou? Ryou, can you hear me? Please, wake up, love. Please, just hold on. We've been through so much lately. It can't end this way, it just can't. You've beaten worse odds than this. I know you can beat the odds again. You're going to be all right, just believe. Please, don't leave me. I love you too much to let you go," Aisling whispered softly through her tears.
But her desperate pleas got no response. Ryou remained motionless and unconscious. Aisling rested her forehead lightly against her koi's, as if she thought that this gesture alone could wake him up and bring him back to her.
Suddenly, the door opened again, startling Aisling. Her whole body tensed like a coiled spring as she sat up quickly and glanced towards the door, ready to defend her fallen love should anyone seek to harm him further. But she relaxed a few moments later when she realized that it was only Seto and Mokuba.
"Easy, little sister. It's just us," Seto replied.
Seto pulled a chair over and sat down next to Aisling, laying a hand on her arm in a gesture of comfort. The gesture was slightly awkward, even for him, but Aisling knew that he meant well.
Mokuba perched himself on the window ledge across the room, watching his older siblings curiously. He had the sudden feeling that there was something more going on here than what he had been told. He didn't ask, though. It most likely wasn't any of his business, anyway. That, and the fact that he did not want to upset Aisling anymore than she obviously already was.
Aisling gave them both a sad little smile before she turned her attention back to Ryou. She rested her forehead against Ryou's again and started to sing quietly, her melodious voice seeming to have a calming effect on the others in the room as she remembered the song that she and Ryou had slow-danced to at the summer festival, in the hopes that it might bring out even the slightest spark of life in him.
There you are
In the early light of day
There you are
In the quiet words I pray
I've been blessed
By the simple happiness
Of the perfect love we've made
Every time I turn around
When I'm lost and when I'm found
Like an angel standing guard
There you are
Every time I take a breath
And when I forget to breathe
You're watching over me
There you are
When I'm looking for the light
In the middle of the night
Searching for the brightest star
There you are
There you are
Standing in a crowded room
There you are
The earth and I'm the moon
My desire
Is to stand by the fire
That burns inside of you
Every time I turn around
When I'm lost and when I'm found
Like an angel standing guard
There you are
Every time I take a breath
And when I forget to breathe
You're watching over me
There you are
When I'm looking for the light
In the middle of the night
Searching for the brightest star
There you are
She paused for a brief moment, lifting her head long enough to kiss Ryou softly, her lips barely brushing against his. Then she lay her forehead against his again and continued her haunting song.
When I'm looking for the light
In the middle of the night
Searching for the brightest star
There you are
There you are
There you are.
As she ended her song, she had to blink back icy tears. She had been hoping desperately to get some kind of response from Ryou, but there was to be no such luck. He remained unconscious.
"Ryou," she whispered.
"Big brother, what's going on?" Mokuba asked from his spot across the room.
Before Seto could speak, though, a shrill, screeching sound filled the room. Iris and Malik both jolted awake, looking around in confusion. Aisling gasped and risked a glance up at the heart monitor above Ryou's bed, and a horrified, mournful cry escaped her when she saw that it had flat-lined. Her beloved had left her.
Ryou Bakura was dead.
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To Be Continued...*ducks sharp, pointy objects thrown at her* Okay, please do *not* flame me for this, I promise, it's not permanent. I don't have the heart to do that. Please don't kill me? I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say an unexpected visitor shows up next chapter, and you'll never guess who it is. Anyone who does gets pocky and Ryou and Bakura plushies, or any other character plushie you want. And don't worry, Ryou's not going to stay gone, I promise. *Apologizes to said bishie profusely, glomping him* He's too sweet and adorable to stay gone. I know, I put him through too much, but it's gonna work out. *Realizes I'm on the verge of saying too much* Anywho, I know it's been forever since I've updated this, and I apologize. I've been busy and I was banned from the comp for 2 weeks b/c my stupid environmental tech teacher stuck her pointy nose in where it didn't belong. *Gives her my demon glare* GRRR!!!! I can't *stand* that woman! Okay, sorry, I needed to get that out of my system. I actually scared the crap out of someone once with that look. *Cackles evilly* Served her right, though. Anyways, merry Christmas, *and yes, I realize it'll be past Christmas by the time this comes up on my thing* and happy new year!! Ja ne, minna-san!
Authoress: Aisling Kaiba
Aisling: I'm back with part 3 of this! Yay!! People are gonna kill me.
Ryou: *Reads said chapter and looks like he's gonna cry* Aisling, how could you do that to me? I thought you loved me? Now you try to---
Aisling: *Claps a hand over his mouth* Shh! You're going to spoil it! Besides, this is only temporary anyway, it's gonna have a really happy ending. And yes, I do still love you, Ryou. *Realizes she's said too much* Crud. Anyway, can someone please do the disclaimer for me? *Looks around and spots Rishid trying to sneak past her unnoticed* Oh, Rishi!!!! Can you come here and do me a favor? Pretty please?
Rishid: *Sighs* Of course. Lady Aisling does not own YGO, nor does she own the song "There You Are", Martina McBride does, but anything original is hers.
Aisling: Thanks mucho! Now, on with the fic! Merry Christmas, minna-san! *Walks away with Ryou, muttering about how people are going to kill her when they read this part*
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*Chapter three*
Seto shook his head to banish the memories and sat down on the window ledge next to Aisling. She flinched at his closeneess, but said nothing about it. Instead, she picked up a small, white stuffed dog with a red and gold bow around its neck and held it close to her. (A/N: I actually have one like that. My sweetie gave it to me on Valentine's Day two years ago. *Glomps him* )
Seto recognized it as the one that Ryou had won for her at the summer festival just before the Battle City tournament and reached over to lay his hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, as if she wanted to shrug off the gesture, but it occurred to her that she didn't have the strength left in her to do it, so she settled for letting him try to comfort her as she continued with her heartbroken tale.
"I haven't ever told you what Marik did to me. Seto, he...he raped me," she whispered, her dark blue eyes downcast and haunted now.
Seto stared at her in shock, then he reached over and hugged her. He held her close to him, swaying back and forth slightly as Aisling buried her face in his chest, crying harder now. (A/N: Again, people, there's the gutter, get your mind out of it.)
"Shh, shh. It's all right. Let it out, I'm here. You're safe now. I won't let that sick bastard near you again," Seto murmured.
"He wants your Egyptian God card, Seto. He threatened to hurt you, Mokuba and Ryou if I didn't cooperate with him. If Malik hadn't gotten me out of there when he did, I'd probably have been dead by now. I could have lost you, big brother. Now I'm probably going to lose Ryou," she said through her tears, finally looking up at her brother. "I'm scared, Seto. Why is this happening to us?"
Seto shook his head sadly, not really knowing what to say to that. He wiped away her tears, then he stood up, gently pulling her up with him. Aisling stared up at him, confused.
"Big brother?" she asked.
"Mokuba and I are going down to the hospital to see Ryou. I thought maybe you'd want to go with us," Seto replied.
She nodded. "I was there earlier, but...I ran away. It tore me apart to see him like that," Aisling said softly.
Seto nodded understandingly. "But it's hurting you even more to be away from him," he finished her sentence. It was more of a statement than a question, really.
Aisling nodded. "Hai. I can't lose him, Seto. I can't. I love him too much to let him go," she said, the tremble in her voice giving light to her pain and desperation.
"Maybe you can help by just being there with him. I have a feeling that he'll pull through. Just watch, it'll all be all right. You'll see," Seto reassured her.
Just then, the door opened again and Mokuba poked his head into the room. He glanced over at Aisling, his head tilted slightly to one side, his gray eyes shimmering with concern as he regarded her in silence for a long moment.
"Are you okay, Aisling?" Mokuba asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, little brother," she answered, giving him a small, half-hearted smile.
"You're going with us, right? Ryou needs you," Mokuba said.
Aisling nodded. "I know. We'll be right there. Go wait for us downstairs, okay, kiddo?" Aisling said quietly.
"Okay," Mokuba said.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving the door open. Aisling watched her little brother leave, then looked down sadly at the stuffed animal in her arms. She stepped back from Seto and moved over to her bed, idly noticing that their gray and white cat, Kitty, was curled up on her pillows, fast asleep.
She lay the stuffed animal in her arms down on the pillow next to Kitty, stroking her fur lovingly. The cat purred contentedly once in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Aisling shook her head at the feline's antic, somehow managing a sad little smile. Then she walked back over to Seto, and they left the room together, leaving the door open just in case Kitty wanted to go out.
When they got downstairs, they found Mokuba sitting on the couch. The television was on, a rerun episode of InuYasha (A/N: I don't own that either.) blaring softly. Aisling noted that it was the one where Kikyo was resurrected, and the sudden idle urge to reach through the screen and whack the raven-haired priestess over the head with her Flying Frying Pan of Doom popped into her mind. She never really had liked her, believing that Kikyo was standing in the way of Kagome and InuYasha ever possibly getting together. (A/N: Sorry, Kikyo fans, but I don't like that woman.) Aisling shook her head, pushing that train of thought out of her mind before it went any farther. She had more important things to worry about right now.
"Come on, Mokuba," Seto said quietly.
"Okay, big brother," Mokuba replied.
He stood up and turned off the television before following his older siblings out the front door. They got into Seto's car, which was a dark midnight-blue Cadillac. (A/N: Don't own that either. *Pout*) Seto waited until the other two were in the car--Aisling in the front passenger's side, and Mokuba in the back--before he pulled out of the driveway.
The drive to the hospital was spent in silence. Aisling stared out the window absently, lost deep in her own thoughts. Seto kept his attention on the road, but he occasionally glanced over at the girl, wishing that he could do something, anything at all, to help.
When they got to the hospital, Seto let Aisling out at the main entrance before going to park the car. Aisling stepped through the glass doors as they opened, ignoring the looks that she got from the people who were sitting there, anxiously awaiting news of their own loved ones.
Aisling managed to hold back her tears until she stepped into a--thankfully--empty elevator. As the doors closed and the elevator began to rise, she buried her face in her hands and started to cry again.
The elevator finally stopped on the fourth floor and the doors opened. She stepped out into the fairly deserted cooridor, making her way towards Ryou's room.
As she passed by the Nurse's station in the I.C.U. ward, an older woman with slightly graying hair and cold brown eyes stood up, as if to stop Aisling from going any farther. But the young doctor behind her put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head almost imperceptibly. He recognized the girl from before, and had noticed the tears that shimmered in Aisling's sapphire eyes as she walked by. The older woman saw that she was crying, too, and sat back down, casting a pitying glance at Aisling.
But the girl took no notice of this, though, as she was completely immersed in her own thoughts. She was only vaguely aware of her surroundings as the door to Ryou's room slid open automatically when she stopped in front of the aforementioned door, granting her entrance.
She slipped silently into the room, very nearly crying out when she saw Ryou, who was still unconscious and paler than normal, looking for all the world like a ghostly angel. Her angel. The eerie, monotonous beeping of a heart monitor broke through the silence, reassuring her that he was still holding on.
She sat down on a chair next to the bed, taking Ryou's hand gently into her own. She reached over with her other hand and lightly brushed away a few stray strands of his snowy-white hair from his eyes. Absently, she noticed Iris and Malik across the room, both asleep, but at the moment, she was paying them no mind.
"Ryou? Ryou, can you hear me? Please, wake up, love. Please, just hold on. We've been through so much lately. It can't end this way, it just can't. You've beaten worse odds than this. I know you can beat the odds again. You're going to be all right, just believe. Please, don't leave me. I love you too much to let you go," Aisling whispered softly through her tears.
But her desperate pleas got no response. Ryou remained motionless and unconscious. Aisling rested her forehead lightly against her koi's, as if she thought that this gesture alone could wake him up and bring him back to her.
Suddenly, the door opened again, startling Aisling. Her whole body tensed like a coiled spring as she sat up quickly and glanced towards the door, ready to defend her fallen love should anyone seek to harm him further. But she relaxed a few moments later when she realized that it was only Seto and Mokuba.
"Easy, little sister. It's just us," Seto replied.
Seto pulled a chair over and sat down next to Aisling, laying a hand on her arm in a gesture of comfort. The gesture was slightly awkward, even for him, but Aisling knew that he meant well.
Mokuba perched himself on the window ledge across the room, watching his older siblings curiously. He had the sudden feeling that there was something more going on here than what he had been told. He didn't ask, though. It most likely wasn't any of his business, anyway. That, and the fact that he did not want to upset Aisling anymore than she obviously already was.
Aisling gave them both a sad little smile before she turned her attention back to Ryou. She rested her forehead against Ryou's again and started to sing quietly, her melodious voice seeming to have a calming effect on the others in the room as she remembered the song that she and Ryou had slow-danced to at the summer festival, in the hopes that it might bring out even the slightest spark of life in him.
There you are
In the early light of day
There you are
In the quiet words I pray
I've been blessed
By the simple happiness
Of the perfect love we've made
Every time I turn around
When I'm lost and when I'm found
Like an angel standing guard
There you are
Every time I take a breath
And when I forget to breathe
You're watching over me
There you are
When I'm looking for the light
In the middle of the night
Searching for the brightest star
There you are
There you are
Standing in a crowded room
There you are
The earth and I'm the moon
My desire
Is to stand by the fire
That burns inside of you
Every time I turn around
When I'm lost and when I'm found
Like an angel standing guard
There you are
Every time I take a breath
And when I forget to breathe
You're watching over me
There you are
When I'm looking for the light
In the middle of the night
Searching for the brightest star
There you are
She paused for a brief moment, lifting her head long enough to kiss Ryou softly, her lips barely brushing against his. Then she lay her forehead against his again and continued her haunting song.
When I'm looking for the light
In the middle of the night
Searching for the brightest star
There you are
There you are
There you are.
As she ended her song, she had to blink back icy tears. She had been hoping desperately to get some kind of response from Ryou, but there was to be no such luck. He remained unconscious.
"Ryou," she whispered.
"Big brother, what's going on?" Mokuba asked from his spot across the room.
Before Seto could speak, though, a shrill, screeching sound filled the room. Iris and Malik both jolted awake, looking around in confusion. Aisling gasped and risked a glance up at the heart monitor above Ryou's bed, and a horrified, mournful cry escaped her when she saw that it had flat-lined. Her beloved had left her.
Ryou Bakura was dead.
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To Be Continued...*ducks sharp, pointy objects thrown at her* Okay, please do *not* flame me for this, I promise, it's not permanent. I don't have the heart to do that. Please don't kill me? I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say an unexpected visitor shows up next chapter, and you'll never guess who it is. Anyone who does gets pocky and Ryou and Bakura plushies, or any other character plushie you want. And don't worry, Ryou's not going to stay gone, I promise. *Apologizes to said bishie profusely, glomping him* He's too sweet and adorable to stay gone. I know, I put him through too much, but it's gonna work out. *Realizes I'm on the verge of saying too much* Anywho, I know it's been forever since I've updated this, and I apologize. I've been busy and I was banned from the comp for 2 weeks b/c my stupid environmental tech teacher stuck her pointy nose in where it didn't belong. *Gives her my demon glare* GRRR!!!! I can't *stand* that woman! Okay, sorry, I needed to get that out of my system. I actually scared the crap out of someone once with that look. *Cackles evilly* Served her right, though. Anyways, merry Christmas, *and yes, I realize it'll be past Christmas by the time this comes up on my thing* and happy new year!! Ja ne, minna-san!