Prison of Darkness: Loosing Reality
Author's notes: And we're back ^_^ Welcome to chapter two of Prison of Darkness, now for the usual boring notes
Warnings: Yaoi, swearing, and at this point, who knows what else ^_^;
Pairings: Malik/Ryou, Bakura/Ryou, (later) Bakura/Malik/Ryou, (implied) Yami/Yugi.
Disclaimer: I don't own it… do you think I'd have to write fanfics if I did?
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Malik stood outside of Ryou's house, a dark scowl on his face. He had been there for about five minutes, knocking and ringing the doorbell. Finally frustrated beyond his control, he gave the door a sharp kick. It swung open with surprising ease.
Malik's violet eyes widened as he stepped into the too still house. He kicked off his shoes and stepped into the kitchen. A small teapot was whistling merrily on the stove, a pot of boiling, near evaporated water beside it. On the kitchen table rested Ryou's homework, stacked in a neat pile. Malik turned off the stove and pulled the teapot off the burner, glancing around. There was an unusually cold draft flowing in from the living room.
"Why would Ryou have the window open?" he wondered aloud. "It's freezing outside." Malik walked stealthily into the living room. A window on the far side had blown open, obviously the cause of the freezing draft. The blond walked towards it to close it, but tripped over something soft. He landed with an 'umph', rubbing his sore rear. He glanced around, looking for whatever he had tripped over, his eyes coming to rest on a slumped form. A dim light from the street filtered through the window, glinting off of silvery hair.
"Ryou?" Malik whispered quietly. When the boy didn't respond he began to grow a little worried. He shook the pale boy slightly, then harder, a frantic light glowing in his eyes. "Ryou! Wake up!" he shouted.
Malik leaned his ear down towards the boy's mouth. There was a slight breath, but it was shallow, forced, and fading fast. Malik bit his lip, trying to calm himself, and lifted the boy from the ground, marveling as he had many times before at how light Ryou was. He could almost feel the boy fading as he pushed the door open and carried Ryou to his motorcycle.
"Ryou, don't die on me," he hissed as they sped off down the street.
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Yugi arrived at the hospital as soon as was humanly possible. Malik had called him about twenty minutes ago, telling him that something had happened to Ryou. While Yugi was wary of the blond Egyptian for various reasons, he was grateful that Malik had called him.
Yugi walked up tot the desk, which was nearly over his spiky head.
"Excuse me?" he asked. A nurse poked her head over the desk and smiled at him.
"Can I help you?" she asked. Yugi nodded.
"I'm here to see Bakura Ryou, can you tell me where to go?" he asked. The nurse smiled again and turned to her computer, quickly typing something.
"Here it is, Bakura Ryou: floor 2, room 187," she said with a smile.
"Thank you," Yugi replied and wandered off down the hall.
Are you sure this is a good idea? Yami asked in the boy's mind. Yugi shrugged mentally.
If Ryou's in trouble we have to help. Plus, it's not like Malik would call us to a hospital to try and kill us, that would be pointless, he chuckled, outwardly focusing on the directional signs marked all over the halls. Yugi could feel Yami's frustration and just smiled. Just be nice ok, we're here. Yami just growled back at him playfully.
Fine. the ex-pharaoh stated as Yugi cracked the door open and poked his head in. He was not at all surprised to find Malik seated beside Ryou's bed, watching the white haired boy with quiet concern and holding Ryou's hand in his, though he could tell Yami was.
"Malik?" Yugi asked quietly. The Egyptian looked up, a hint of sadness in his brilliant violet eyes. "What happened?" Malik frowned, looking back at Ryou. Yugi sighed as he felt Yami manifest himself beside him.
"Malik?" the ex-pharaoh asked. Malik sighed.
"I don't know what happened. He was unconscious when I found him. They say he's gone into a comma," he murmured, not taking his eyes off Ryou. Yami walked up to the bed, followed by Yugi, earning a protective glare from the blond Egyptian. Malik watched warily as Yami gently examined Ryou. The crimson-eyed spirit stopped suddenly.
"Malik, did you remove the Sennen Ring?" Yami asked. Malik's eyes widened.
"No, I didn't look for it," he replied. Yami's crimson eyes narrowed.
"Are you sure?" Malik gave the spirit an incredulous look.
"I don't have a death wish alright, I wouldn't touch the Ring, especially since it's Ryou's," he snapped. Yami glanced back at Ryou.
"Was it missing when you found him?" he asked. Malik nodded.
"I didn't see it, it must have been. I think he was attacked, why?" the blond asked. Yami's eyes narrowed further.
"Whoever attacked him must have stolen the Sennen Ring, but that doesn't explain why Ryou is unconscious unless…" Crimson eyes widened. Yugi gave Yami a worried look.
"What happened to him Yami?" the smaller boy asked. Yami's eyes creased with worry.
"It sounds impossible, but Ryou's spirit must have been cut off from his body, which means…" The former pharaoh gave Malik a concerned look. The Egyptian's violet eyes widened.
"You don't think…"
"This is going to sound impossible, but I think Ryou has been sealed in the Sennen Ring along with his yami."
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Ryou felt lost. He could barely see in the suffocating darkness of the Ring. Darkness pressed in around him as if trying to crush him. The few times he had tried to sleep, Ryou had found himself plagued by vicious nightmares that he had woken from screaming and shaking.
Bakura himself was doing little better. He had paced his soul room repeatedly, watching his hikari carefully as the boy's nightmares shook him. As much as he hated to admit it, Bakura was worried. Who had taken hold of the Ring? Just who was that freak that attacked them? What would happen to Ryou if he were trapped in the Ring for too long? At best chance the boy would die and just pass on, but worse, if he remained to long in the Ring, be might become bound to it forever as a second spirit of the Ring.
"'ami?" Ryou whimpered weakly. He was curled in a ball on the floor, eyes clenched shut. "Yami?" he asked again. Bakura knelt beside the boy, noticing that he was again asleep. He absently stroked the frail hikari's hair, watching him shake with morbid fascination. "Yami," Ryou whispered again. "Don't leave me." Bakura winced. Was that what the boy dreamt about? That Bakura would just leave him in the darkness? The former thief brushed Ryou's hair from his ear and leaned down, whispering.
"I'm here hikari, I won't leave you."
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"What do you mean sealed in the Ring?" Malik exclaimed. Yami nodded towards Ryou's frail body.
"It's a reasonable explanation. Healthy boys don't just drop into commas. Ryou's soul must have left its body and been locked within the Ring, which means Bakura probably took over at some point, a defiantly possibility if they were attacked. Ryou's body would be dead without this technology you have now," Yami stated bluntly.
"Then what about Ryou?" Yugi asked, worry filling his deep violet eyes.
"It he stays in the ring to long, his body will die even with the modern support it has. He may even become a second Ring spirit if he's trapped for too long," Yami explained. Malik nodded, shuddering slightly.
"Then we have to get the Ring back," the former hikari stated. Yami nodded to him.
"Yes, before Ryou dies."
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Malik sat gazing at Ryou's prone body. He didn't know what to do. Anger filled his mind. Who had dared to do this? Why did they do it? The only consolation he had was that Ryou wasn't alone. Bakura was probably trapped in the Ring as well.
Most would be afraid of leaving such a gentle boy with the psychotic spirit, and with good reason too. If this had happened a few months earlier, Malik would have been more than certain that Ryou would feel the brunt of his yami's anger at being trapped again, but now… Now, it seemed that Bakura no longer took an interest in hurting his lighter half. Maybe the fiendish spirit had even come to accept Ryou. But still, who knew what the ex-tomb robber would do now that he was trapped again.
Malik trusted the Ring spirit. He didn't know why, maybe he was just being naïve. But he wanted to trust that Ryou's faith in his yami wasn't misplaced. Malik's eyes narrowed. He took Ryou's limp, cold hand in his, clutching it tightly.
"I won't let you die Ryou. I'll find the bastard who did this and make him pay."
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Bakura watched his frail hikari carefully, finger's absently playing with the boy's pale hair. Ryou was asleep again, his small figure shaking slightly. Bakura leaned back, gazing into the darkness. How had all of this happened?
It had started with such a stupid, simple problem, but now… who knew if they'd get out of this one. That tiny little hitch had escalated into something the thief had dreaded more than anything. He was trapped again, back in that Ra damned Sennen Ring. And this time he had to watch as his lighter half slowly went mad from the darkness.
*Why do I even care? He'll be stronger if he becomes a spirit won't he?* But he couldn't shake the felling that Ryou's death would do more bad than good. It tugged at his soul, to sense his lighter half's soul becoming shadowed by the darkness of the Ring. For some reason he couldn't help but feel that Ryou's fall would be his as well.
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Ryou gazed into the darkness, watching the fleeting shadows with wide-eyed wonderment. He was back in his house, near the stairs. A soft footstep behind him made him tremble. He turned, eyes downcast, he could feel his dark other's eyes on him.
"Yami…" A loud slap echoed through the otherwise silent house. Ryou collapsed to the floor.
"Worthless brat!" his darker hissed venomously. Ryou cringed, trying to edge away from his enraged yami. Bakura growled under his breath, delivering a sharp kick to Ryou's ribs. Ryou moaned in pain, clutching his side, he was sure a few of his ribs were broken.
"You're nothing boy, you hear? Nothing but my little slave," the white-haired fiend taunted.
"Please stop," Ryou murmured weakly. "Yami stop!" He was suddenly jerked awake.
Ryou blinked, looking up. His eyes were wide as a child's and his breathing was harsh and ragged. Sharp russet eyes stared back at him, slight worry shinning in them. Ryou jumped, backing away from his yami.
"Ryou, what.."
"Stay away," Ryou pleaded. Bakura stood, taking a small step closer. He opened his mouth to speak but Ryou raised a hand. "Please, just stay away from me." Bakura bit his lip, watching the silver-haired boy curl in on himself. Tears were rolling down Ryou's cheeks, his eyes were filled with fear.
"Ryou, I won't hurt you," the white-haired yami told him bluntly. Ryou shook his head.
"You just-" Bakura stepped forward completely on impulse and wrapped his arms around the shaking boy.
"It was a dream Ryou. I will never hurt you, never again," he whispered calmly. Ryou sunk into his yami's arms, eyes still filled with tears.
"I don't know what to believe anymore," he murmured. "Is this real, or is this the dream? I can't tell." He looked up at his fiendish yami, eyes slightly glazed. "I don't know what to trust." Bakura winced, clinging tighter to the boy. Ryou was fading faster than he had hoped.
"Don't give into the Ring Ryou. It'll take control of you," he whispered. Ryou clenched his eyes shut, burying his face in his Yami's shirt.
"But which is the ring, you, or what you called a dream?"
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Author's notes: And as Ryou slowly but surely looses all grip on reality… Bakura? Were you actually being sentimental?
Bakura: It's you imagination again.
Sure…
Ryou: Why am I going insane?
Malik: Yeah, why are you tormenting Ryou again? Didn't you have enough fun in Of Mages and Elves?
Um…. No?
Bakura and Malik: *evil glare*
*sweatdrop* It'll get better, I promise!!! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed ^_^
Bakura: Yeah, yeah… review and maybe she'll free us faster.