Midnight, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Author's Notes: Wow… it's a Ryou-centered fic! I don't think I've ever written one like that before… ^^"

Of course, he picked a bad time to get starred in one of my fics… I am quite depressed. Do you want to know why? Of course not. Nobody does. Just… read the story.

Shattered Dreams

The screams were dying now, at roughly a quarter to midnight. The painful, throaty cries were now barely audible outside the house.

To Ryou's ears, though, they were all too loud. His voice was hoarse and scratchy, his throat was constricting painfully, yet he couldn't stop.

As the next blow landed on his chest, he felt the air get sucked out of him. Gasp. Gasp. Gasp. Breathe. Ryou could feel himself suffocating right there, as he tried to make his lungs function. A sliver of air slipped in before he felt something cold, deadly on his arm.

Then, there was white-hot pain. It tore through his arm, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see something crimson... dripping…

'Blood!' One part of his mind screamed. The other part, the dominant part, ignored the blood. The blood was ordinary. Commonplace. What was the fuss?

Nearby, the clock ticked the seconds away.

Something warm trickled down his back. A draft blew by, and the blood's path changed. Bakura had cut through the back of the hikari's sweater, digging deep into the flesh. For a moment, Ryou's mind registered nothing.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his senses started to react. It was like setting off a bomb. His cry of pain was loud, fresh, like his first cry that night, ignoring the protests of his raw throat.

The neighbors shuddered and drew their shutters closed. The screams were horrifying, yes, but the police squadron that had been investigating the house hadn't come back out. Neither had the fire department, nor the FBI… nobody dared cross the evil spirits that reportedly haunted the house.

If only they knew.

Another shriek, this time not so loud. It was a punch, but it hadn't broken through the skin. Bakura frowned. "Not painful enough for you, wimp?" Bakura's merciless face loomed for a second, filling Ryou's entire vision. A fist connected with his nose, and judging from the crack… well, Ryou would have a lot to explain to the hospital this time. Bakura didn't seem satisfied with the howl. Before Ryou could register anything, he was on his stomach, breath gone once more. A weight suddenly pressed down on Ryou's back, directly over the opened wound. The yelp was abruptly cut off when Bakura put his other foot on Ryou's back. A cracking sound notified both of a rib, or two, breaking.

Nearby, the clock ticked each second away. There was a louder click as another minute passed.

Ryou was having troubles breathing, to say the least. He managed to wheeze out a whimper as the heavy mist settled in his vision. 'I'm dying… I'm dying… After surviving all this, I'm going to suffocate to death…' The blood pounded in the back of him head… or maybe it was Bakura.

It took Ryou a few minutes to figure out that a foot was colliding with his side repeatedly. It was as if his nerves had numbed. Or maybe they had. It was like standing in a shower so icy that it burned. 'Yes,' he thought to himself, 'that's it. So cold it's hot. So painful that it's…'

An icy hand connected with his cheek. "Get up!" Bakura roared. "You dare defy me?" Cracked lips parted as Ryou tried to explain that he hadn't heard. He was surprised to find that he could breathe. A foot connected with his already broken nose. "UP!"

Click! Yet another minute passed.

Ryou lifted his head. As he gingerly shifted his chest, he screamed again. The wound on his back, just beginning to heal, split once more. Bakura stood by, his satisfied smirk a bit too wide for his face. "Well? Are you going to get up, or do I have to make you?"

Ryou struggled up, choking back his yelling when his back protested. He finally managed to get into a kneeling position. A white fog seemed to fill the room. Ryou ignored it, knowing very well the signs of blood loss. The sweat dripped from his forehead, like the tears he would have once cried. 'I'm beyond crying.' He told himself, gasping. 'I haven't cried in front of _him_ for so long… don't ruin it now.'

When Ryou stopped straining to follow Bakura's orders, the Yami growled. He brought his hand up to slap Ryou in the face…

DONG! DONG! DONG! The clock rang out. DONG! DONG! DONG! Ryou squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the strike. DONG! DONG! DONG! Bakura swiftly brought his hand towards Ryou's face. DONG! DONG! DONG! (That was twelve, ne?)

Instead of feeling the slap, Ryou felt a soft caress on his face. He nearly fell from the shock. Mind reeling, Ryou didn't dare do anything but kneel there.

The seconds passed slowly, each accented by a tick.

Tick.

"Shh…" A voice whispered. It took Ryou a while to realize that it was his Yami's. Without the usual rage, Bakura's voice was mellifluous, soothing, strangely… seducing…

Tick.

"I'm sorry, Hikari. For everything I've done to you… could you ever forgive me?" Ryou managed to gasp. Could his Yami really have been saying those things? Ryou didn't dare open his eyes for fear that it would disappear.

Tick.

It was like holding a sliver of moon in his hands. It was part of his fantasies, the ones that he let himself have when he was alone… the ones in which he let the tears come. It was also like trying to hold water… he couldn't move for fear that the glorious moment would slip away…

Tick.

'Please don't let this be a dream…' Ryou nearly died of shock when he felt something on his neck… Light kisses fluttered over his neck and spread to his face.

Tick.

'…' Ryou couldn't get coherent thought to run through his brain.

Tick.

The sound of the clock was unnaturally loud, counting…

Tick.

Ryou kept his eyes firmly shut. Even if it was a dream…it was a beautiful dream, one to cherish, to keep…

Tick.

Finally, a thought… free-floating through his mind, over and over… 'Is that my Yami? Is that my YAMI? IS THAT MY YAMI??'

Tick.

And the seconds ticked away.

Tick.

Bakura captured Ryou's mouth with his own, pressing, pressing, pressing… Ryou thought he'd faint.

Tick.

Bakura came up for air, allowing Ryou to get some for himself. "Ryou?" That couldn't have been Bakura. The voice was so friendly, so nice… "Hikari, I…" Nobody would call him "Hikari"… Nobody, except the unimaginable…

Tick.

"I…" The voice stopped momentarily.

Tick.

The hesitation was killing Ryou, almost as much as the slaps of before.

Tick.

"I… l…"

Tick.

"Could you ever forgive me for what I've done to you? No…" The voice turned mournful. "But I'm so sorry…"

Tick.

"…And…"

Tick.

"…I love you."

Tick.

'What had he said?'

Tick.

"I know you don't believe me, my light, how could you…? But… really… I love you."

Tick.

Ryou couldn't stand it. 'Could it be true?' he thought hopefully, as his eyes snapped open.

Tick.

Click!

Tick.

Bakura drew his hand back into a fist. Something about the way Ryou hadn't screamed for the past minute unnerved him. "You'll pay for that, weakling!"

The fist connected with a thud.

Ryou almost cried. 'So painful it's… So painful it's pleasant…' Ryou finished his previous thought with a groan. 'I was… dreaming…?' Another fist connected with his skull. The disappointment, on top of his injuries, was too much for his body to handle. The world began to blur.

'He really is beautiful.' Ryou managed to think, before sinking into oblivion.

End notes: Hmm… was that too angsty? Eh. I almost feel bad for Ryou. Except that I've put Yugi through (almost) worse, and many, many times.
By the way, a big thanks goes to my beta-er, Lizzy (who will get an account some day)! You rock!