Okey dokey! Here is my first alternate ending! If you jump down to the line "~Just wait a minute well it kinda fell apart, things get so crazy, crazy~" you'll get to the new stuff faster. Everything before that is exactly the same. Hence this new part being called "alternate ending." Just the end is different. Okay? Okay!
Disclaimer: I own all! Everything belongs to me! You cannot have my Matchbox 20 or my Yu-Gi-Oh! Especially not the Yamis! You just can't have them!
Real Disclaimer: Okay, okay. You caught me. I really don't own Matchbox 20. I really don't own their songs. I really don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the beautiful Yamis, but that won't stop me from using the characters from Yu-Gi-Oh and the songs from Matchbox 20 to write my own story! Oh yeah! I don't own English Literature classes and I don't own any of the information that Ryou receives in class. I went on a college view weekend tour thingy and that's what they were teaching. I found it interesting, so I put it in the fic. Go read the good stuff now!
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Ryou's POV
The bell rings, signaling it's time to go to class. English Literature is first. My first class is my elective of the day. I've always been somewhat fascinated by it, therefore I wanted to learn more about it. I snatch up my books and start running. I get into class just in time, right before the second bell rings. Putting my stuff on my desk in the back of the class room, I sit down and wait for Mr. Horner, the teacher, to officially start class.
Before he does, he must have noticed the mess I am. He comes over to me and speaks softly, "Ryou, what happened?"
Staring at my hands I say, "I fell, sir." I'm too ashamed to tell him that I was shoved on purpose. "It was just a clumsy little mistake."
He studied me for a minute (A/N: Stop thinking like that! You sick minded people! He's just concerned for the well being of his student! Sheesh!) before replying, "I see... Why don't you go to the restroom and clean up?"
I nod in agreement and stand up, somewhat uncomprehendingly. I go around the back and sides of the class room and exit through the only door. My feet are taking my to the restroom, while my mind has no idea what is going on. When I reach the restroom, I look in a mirror and see what a mess I am.
'No wonder he drove off.' I think miserably. I pull some paper towels out of the dispenser and wet them down. I wipe my face down thoroughly, then splash water on my face to rinse it. I look down at my shirt and try to think of a way to clean that up. There is none so I just leave it be. I run my fingers through my hair, which doesn't look too bad, and make my way back to class.
We're talking about the Four Humors, and they apparently determine your moods. It's somewhat interesting. The theory is that if someone has an over abundance of blood, they are angered easily and called choleric. If a person has an over abundance of phlegm, they are phlegmatic and emotionless. If a person has an over abundance of yellow bile, they are sanguine and energetic or hyper. Lastly, if there is a profusion of black bile, the person is called melancholic and is quiet, philosophical, and sad.
Melancholic is represented by the color black, choleric is red, phlegmatic is green, and sanguine is yellow. A mix between choleric and melancholic makes the person dry. Sanguine and choleric make the person hot, while sanguine and phlegmatic makes them moist. A mix between phlegmatic and melancholic makes the person cold.
My thoughts drift as Mr. Horner changes topics. 'Bakura... He is definitely phlegmatic and choleric. What color would that make him? Red-green? What "climate" type thing would that make him? I don't know.' Absentmindedly I hear the bell ring. I gather up my notes and books and carry head to my next class. Algebra.
Again, I sit in the back of the class. Our teacher is an old lady named Mrs. Hikoshi (A/N: I'm bad with names, work with me here!). She's nice enough, but she's not in very good control of her classes. Her voice is also very monotonous.
I try to stay awake, but I'm so exhausted. My head slowly drifts down to my desk and my eyelids close.
//RYOU!//
I nearly jump out of my seat.
/Ya-yami?!/ No response. Something in his voice frightens me and I feel like something has been pinched off between me and Bakura. I have to find him. He isn't replying. With no time to properly excuse myself, I dart out of my desk, through the door, and out of the school. I use all of my will to look search for my dark. Finally, I find a faint pulse of something in the spirit room. I grab onto it and try to find where I'm supposed to go.
'Oh Ra, what's happening?'
~Oh but don't bowl me over~
Ambulances and police cars speed to the accident. Though his truck is totaled, the other driver is fine, coming out with only a few shallow scratches and minor bruises. The white haired boy in the next car though...
The truck had hit the little car with such an impact that it was thrown completely across the intersection and into a telephone pole. The teen was bleeding profusely. Taking every measure of caution they could, the paramedics got the unconscious boy out of the destroyed car and into the ambulance. The police were left to clean up the mess and direct the traffic around the wreck.
In the ambulance, the paramedics received a spark of hope. The boy's eyes flittered open halfway.
'Ryou...' he asks for inside himself. Then his eyes close again and the comforting arms of dark unconsciousness surround him.
Ryou's POV
Holding onto the flicker of hope in my spirit room, I race towards where I sense it coming from. Then, something changes.
'Shit!' I swear. 'He's moving! Where?!' I continue to run forward blindly, knowing full well that that is my only option of finding Bakura. I run, farther... farther... chasing my only strand of hope. Suddenly, the light stops.
"The... the hospital?!" I gasp out. Yes. That is where the light has stopped. I can feel his faint presence in it. This strengthens my resolve, and I push harder to reach my destination.
There it is. I approach the doors and run into the emergency room, panic etched in every line of my face. I run up to the girl at the counter.
Gasping, I ask her with terror, "Miss! Just a few minutes ago someone who looks just like me came in here! Have you seen him?! Where is he?! I must find him!"
"Young man, calm down." she replies to me. "He's here-"
"Where?" I cut her off. "Can I see him?"
"He's in intensive care right now," she calmly tells me "and, no, you may not see him."
(A/N: Just as I have no knowledge about cars, I have no knowledge about hospitals and how they work. This seems like something they would say, so just work with me here.)
"But I have to!" I plead. "I have to know he's okay! I have to see him!"
"When we know more about his condition, you may see him."
'How can she remain so calm?' I wonder. 'But then, she deals with this every day. She doesn't even know Bakura, either, so how could she care?'
I sink dejectedly into a chair in the waiting room. To pass the time I read magazines, play with the child's toys, pace the lobby, and watch the silent television that has closed-captioning on.
I had been there for about three hours when I look up from one of the magazines I had already read and the television captures my eye. The screen showed a two car wreck on the side of a busy intersection. One of the cars looked suspiciously like the one of his father's that Bakura always used.
Reality struck me. 'Oh Ra, no.' I beg. 'No! That can't be his car! Please! Not that!'
As two paramedics carried a boy on a stretcher to the ambulance, the caption reads:
"Traffic is backed up for several blocks, due to a two-car accident Eye-witnesses said the teen must have been going more than sixty-five miles an hour over the speed limit when he ran a red light, causing a large truck to slam into him. The driver of the truck, Jonathan Kim, is fine, while the unidentified teen boy is carted off to the nearest hospital to receive emergency care. If you have any information on who this white-haired, brown-eyed boy is, please call the police."
'No...' I look around frantically, unsure of what to do. I spot the woman at the counter and decide to do something. "Miss! I have been here for three hours already and have received no word on my dark's condition! I just saw what happened on the television. Tell me where he is now!"
"Oh yes," she answers. "He's still in critical condition, but you may see him. He's resting in the fifth room on the left down that hallway." She informs me.
"Thank you." I remember to hiss out before I race down the hallway and into his room.
Bakura's POV
I hear you enter my room. I don't know how I know it's you, I just do. You hesitate, not knowing if I would permit you to come closer if I were awake. I can't do anything but lay there and listen to your footsteps, while hoping that you come closer. You do come closer. I hear you move a chair next to my bed and sit. Something brushes my hand softly, and my heart jumps enough to appear on the heart monitor. I can sense you jerk back.
'Don't pull away.' I want to soothe you. But I can't. My body won't respond to my commands. No matter what I try, I just lay there, fragile, helpless, and defenseless.
Ryou's POV
Entering your room I see you lying on the bed in front of me. I pause in the doorway. You look so frail. So vulnerable. I swallow hard and come closer, pulling up a chair next to the bed. I want to hold your hand. But what if you wake up? What if I risk showing how I feel about you, only to have you wake up and hate me even more?
I make up my mind to try. If you wake up, then so be it. I can't bear to see you like this and not do something. I cautiously reach out. My hand brushes your hand. Your heart monitor indicates that your heart skipped a beat, and I draw back, frightened of what that means. I sit there in silence for a while, just watching you sleep so peacefully.
My hand reaches out on its own, and grabs yours. I just sit there, holding your hand, pleading with Ra for you to wake up.
~Just wait a minute well it kinda fell apart, things get so crazy, crazy~
Ryou fell asleep in the chair while holding Bakura's hand. They both slept through the night. Ryou slept fitfully, having nightmares about what could happen to Bakura, while Bakura just... slept. He was too drained to dream.
Ryou's POV
I stood in Bakura's room, holding his hand. His life had left his body a long time ago. I didn't want to call anyone. They would take him. It would mean he's really gone. The long and steady beep of his heart monitor proved that he was gone, but I refused to acknowledge it. He can't be gone. He just can't... The doctors came in and checked his breathing. Then they noted his time of death. They tried to take him away from me, but I wouldn't let go of his hand. If Ra wanted him, he would have to take me too.
My body jerks as if I am falling, and I'm awake. I was still sitting next to Bakura in the hospital room. My hand still clasped my dark's hand in an affectionate hold. You are already awake. How long you have been awake, I do not know, but sleep remains fresh in your eyes.
"Ryou..." you whisper. I can tell it takes a lot of effort. "Ryou... I..." You gasp, from pain I assume, and open our mind link.
//How bad is it?//
Drawing in a shaky breath I reply. /Last night the doctors weren't sure. You lost a lot of blood, broke your right arm and leg, fractured some ribs, and.../ I trail off. I couldn't tell him the rest. I didn't even want to tell it to myself, though I had heard it a million times.
//"and"?// He questions. I think he knows. My emotions are written on my face like words on a page.
/I lied./ I tell him, at our entwined hands. I don't know if you won't pull yours away because your too weak, or if you need the comfort. Perhaps you just know that I need it. /Last night the doctors said that things were bad. Really bad./ Tears burn my eyes. /You're bleeding inside, Bakura./
//I... what? What does that mean?// He's confused. A tear streams down my face.
/One of your vital organs was punctured in the crash and it's bleeding inside of you./ I manage to tell him.
He doesn't seem to understand. He just stares at me, tiredly. //The doctors... can't they do anything?//
/They claim they tried. They said they gave it everything they had, but your body just isn't responding./ More tears streak my face.
You are silent for a moment. //I... I'm going to die, then?//
Unable to speak in anyway shape or form, I nod my head slowly.
//Ryou... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything that I've done to you. I was just afraid. At first I hated you, but then when I realized I love you, I couldn't stop pretending to hate you. I'm sorry. So dreadfully sorry.// You look as if you are about to cry.
'Don't cry!' I plead inside. 'I'm not strong enough to handle this! If you can't handle it, then I can't either!'
/I love you too./ I sniff. You don't cry. Your lips turn up in a sad yet happy smile.
//Always and forever, aibou. Always and forever.// Your eyes close. I stand up to get a better look at you, while you sleep. Then I hear the dreadful noise. The long, singular beep of your heart monitor.
~Don't rush this baby, don't rush this baby~
Bakura's POV
Watching you sleep has always been a wonderful experience. You're always so peaceful, so angelic. But not today. You're drenched in a cold sweat and you keep twitching and shaking. Your hand still clasps mine, though you have been sleeping for who knows how long. You jerk suddenly and open your eyes.
You're awake. I decide to break the silence. "Ryou..." I whisper. It hurts badly and I'm straining, but I think I can do it. "Ryou... I..." I gasp. It just hurts too much.
//How bad is it?//
You breathe a few shaky breaths and answer me. /Last night the doctors weren't sure. You lost a lot of blood, broke your right arm and leg, fractured some ribs, and.../ You fade out. Why won't you continue?
//"and"?// I ask. Your emotions are so readable on your angelic face. You're frightened and sad. Just tell me what's wrong!
/I lied./ you tell me, you avert my eyes and stare at our hands. I'm too weak to take my hand from yours. Plus, I don't want to. It's comfortable, and it just feels natural. /Last night the doctors said that things were bad. Really bad. You're bleeding inside, Bakura./
//I... what? What does that mean?// A tear runs down my hikari's cheek.
/One of your vital organs was punctured in the crash and it's bleeding inside of you./ The knew strikes me hard.
I can't believe it. Did the doctors do anything for me? I ask him. //The doctors... can't they do anything?//
/They claim they tried. They said they gave it everything they had, but your body just isn't responding./ more tears streak his lovely face, which is paler than usual.
I think for a moment, running all the information through. If they can't do anything for me, then... //I... I'm going to die, then?//
You nod you gorgeous white head slowly.
//Ryou...// I draw in breath. //I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything that I've done to you. I was just afraid. At first I hated you, but then when I realized I love you, I couldn't stop pretending to hate you. I'm sorry. So dreadfully sorry.//
You sniff and reply with the words that I've been longing to hear all my life, I just never knew it. /I love you too./
//Always and forever, aibou. Always and forever.// my eyes close. I can feel you stand up, but I don't know why you do. Red haze seems to engulf my brain, and my life flows from my body.
Ryou's POV
'No!' I cry inwardly. It was my nightmare all over again. 'You're not gone! If I stay here long enough, and hold your hand long enough, you'll come back to me! Ra, no! You can't take him!'
Doctors rush in. They try to revive you, even as I still hold your hand, but you are unresponsive. Your body just lies there, void of all life. I know I have to let you go now. The doctors tell me I must leave. I can't leave. I stand by you, and they call in the hospital's councilor. I stare blankly into space as she tells me that it's a natural cycle. Life, that is. Just as everyone is born, they will eventually die. Bakura's time just came sooner than it should have.
I leave the hospital only a couple hours after your death. I walk out and shiver, even though the warm spring breeze is blowing steadily, and the bright sun shines down on Domino City, warming all its inhabitants. All but me. For you see, now I am painfully aware that I am completely alone. At least when you were alive you were still here. I still had someone. Now I have no one. No friends, no family, and no strong hold to grasp in times of crisis.
Even after I've thought of all this, I keep hope. Just as I survived when you beat me, I will survive now. I will survive knowing that you loved me, and I will survive knowing that you died knowing I love you. This pain will end someday, this wound will scab over, and I will be able to live again, keeping you always, and forever, in my heart.
~I wanna push you around, I will, I will
I wanna push you down, I will, I will
I wanna take you for granted,
I wanna take you for granted I will~
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Is that a good alternate ending? I don't know which one I like better. I think I prefer him to live, but I'm not sure. Another thing I don't know is whether or not I'll make yet another ending. I probably won't. I'll let the sleeping story lie. It's the easiest.
