Bakura opened the door to his apartment, eyes shadowed by his hair as he near listlessly removed his shoes, letting his briefcase like bookbag drop to the floor. Sliding his feet into his slippers, he shuffled down the hall, undoing the buttons to his uniform jacket. He paused, looking over at the hall mirror, almost dulled brown eyes lowering slightly to look at the gold pendent that rested innocently on the chest of his reflection.
His fists clenched as still unfamiliar emotions boiled up from inside him. Hate. Anger. Rage. Resentment. His nails dug into his palms harshly as his eyes narrowed. With a scream he smashed his fist into the glass, shattering his reflection and sending shards of glass flying at him.
He pulled back, cradling his now bleeding hand and gave a delusional laugh that broke into a sob. Slowly, he fell to his knees, not caring if the glass bit into him. "I hate you..." he whispered fiercely as he rocked back and forth slightly. "Get out-- get out from inside me!"
He tensed again as the words triggered a duel memory of when he had both spoke and heard those words spoken to him at the same moment. Grabbing hold of the Ring he ripped it off of the cord and flung it across the room.
It wasn't fair. After everything that had happened, after everything he had gone though, the memory loss, the unexplained wound in his arm that had left him hospitalized, the whispering in the back of his mind that he had tried so hard to ignore, the feeling of being nothing more then a puppet on strings-- He had held on, convincing himself that once it got what it wanted, once Yuugi and his other half got what they wanted, that it would all be over and life would return to normal... No more cards, no more items, no more duels, no more nightmares...
He gave a bitter laugh. For everyone else, it had been the perfect ending. The 'evil' was defeated, the energy in the items fading away as the Door closed once more, Yuugi's other, having regained his memory, fading into Yuugi as well...
No one noticed, while they stared at Yuugi as became one with his other. No one noticed what had happened to him.
He had once heard Yuugi comment how his other was everything he wasn't, strong, confident, courageous, good under pressure, everything Yuugi had wished to be, and had become when he merged with his other. The smaller boy had said it was like half of his soul was returning, the most wonderful feeling of being complete.
To Bakura, it had felt more like rape.
The festering hate of his other, the urge to cause pain and destruction, the delight in blood, the deep bitterness, the desire to have everything that had once been denied him, and sadistic glee that came with manipulating others, strong emotions the pale haired boy had never felt before pushed their way into his soul, twisting and polluting it as the spirit of his other, the other half of his soul, merged into his own.
His 'friends' had thought that when he had collapsed, it had been because he had 'returned' from his other's control. When Yuugi's concerned face had appeared before him, it had taken all of his self control to keep himself from wrapping his hands around the boy's collared neck, screaming at him that it was all his fault as he squeezed the life out of him.
Almost drunkenly, the pale haired boy lurched to his feet, heading down the hall, almost absentmindedly picking up the Ring from were it had fallen and tieing a fresh knot in the cord. There were already several from previous times it had broken or been torn. He would have to get a new cord, he thought idly as he entered the game room. He gave a small fond smile at the game table, pausing to tracing the spires of the castle towers of the game that was still set up. His smile shifted slightly as he ran his fingers over a slightly red stained tower, lifting his left hand to look at the pale faded scar on his palm. Maybe he shouldn't have fought his other in that game. Then Yuugi and everyone would still be with him...
He turned, looking over at the cabinet, where near a hundred small figures were displaced. His smile darkening further, he opened it and pulled out a piece with long dark blue hair. "It's not just Yuugi-kun's fault," he said softly to the figure, brushing off a small speck of dust. "It's your fault too, Tousan... His eyes blazed with anger. "Mo, Tousan no sei yo!" he shouted, grabbing hold of the figures head. There was a loud snap as it broke off and Bakura's eye went wide in horror. "Tou--- Tousan..." his voice trembled, soft once more. His hand tensed around the headless figure as he brought it to his chest, head lowering as his eye began to water.
His fists clenched as still unfamiliar emotions boiled up from inside him. Hate. Anger. Rage. Resentment. His nails dug into his palms harshly as his eyes narrowed. With a scream he smashed his fist into the glass, shattering his reflection and sending shards of glass flying at him.
He pulled back, cradling his now bleeding hand and gave a delusional laugh that broke into a sob. Slowly, he fell to his knees, not caring if the glass bit into him. "I hate you..." he whispered fiercely as he rocked back and forth slightly. "Get out-- get out from inside me!"
He tensed again as the words triggered a duel memory of when he had both spoke and heard those words spoken to him at the same moment. Grabbing hold of the Ring he ripped it off of the cord and flung it across the room.
It wasn't fair. After everything that had happened, after everything he had gone though, the memory loss, the unexplained wound in his arm that had left him hospitalized, the whispering in the back of his mind that he had tried so hard to ignore, the feeling of being nothing more then a puppet on strings-- He had held on, convincing himself that once it got what it wanted, once Yuugi and his other half got what they wanted, that it would all be over and life would return to normal... No more cards, no more items, no more duels, no more nightmares...
He gave a bitter laugh. For everyone else, it had been the perfect ending. The 'evil' was defeated, the energy in the items fading away as the Door closed once more, Yuugi's other, having regained his memory, fading into Yuugi as well...
No one noticed, while they stared at Yuugi as became one with his other. No one noticed what had happened to him.
He had once heard Yuugi comment how his other was everything he wasn't, strong, confident, courageous, good under pressure, everything Yuugi had wished to be, and had become when he merged with his other. The smaller boy had said it was like half of his soul was returning, the most wonderful feeling of being complete.
To Bakura, it had felt more like rape.
The festering hate of his other, the urge to cause pain and destruction, the delight in blood, the deep bitterness, the desire to have everything that had once been denied him, and sadistic glee that came with manipulating others, strong emotions the pale haired boy had never felt before pushed their way into his soul, twisting and polluting it as the spirit of his other, the other half of his soul, merged into his own.
His 'friends' had thought that when he had collapsed, it had been because he had 'returned' from his other's control. When Yuugi's concerned face had appeared before him, it had taken all of his self control to keep himself from wrapping his hands around the boy's collared neck, screaming at him that it was all his fault as he squeezed the life out of him.
Almost drunkenly, the pale haired boy lurched to his feet, heading down the hall, almost absentmindedly picking up the Ring from were it had fallen and tieing a fresh knot in the cord. There were already several from previous times it had broken or been torn. He would have to get a new cord, he thought idly as he entered the game room. He gave a small fond smile at the game table, pausing to tracing the spires of the castle towers of the game that was still set up. His smile shifted slightly as he ran his fingers over a slightly red stained tower, lifting his left hand to look at the pale faded scar on his palm. Maybe he shouldn't have fought his other in that game. Then Yuugi and everyone would still be with him...
He turned, looking over at the cabinet, where near a hundred small figures were displaced. His smile darkening further, he opened it and pulled out a piece with long dark blue hair. "It's not just Yuugi-kun's fault," he said softly to the figure, brushing off a small speck of dust. "It's your fault too, Tousan... His eyes blazed with anger. "Mo, Tousan no sei yo!" he shouted, grabbing hold of the figures head. There was a loud snap as it broke off and Bakura's eye went wide in horror. "Tou--- Tousan..." his voice trembled, soft once more. His hand tensed around the headless figure as he brought it to his chest, head lowering as his eye began to water.