Hmm... It's the hikari POV to this little ficlet. Need I say more? It's violent, and includes yaoi elements. Still dedicated to Chibizoo, who has done an amazing job in arranging the contest (which I unfortunately didn't have enough time to participate in... *sigh*)

Swirls of Darkness: Ryou

I sighed, looking out of my bedroom window. No moon. And the stars I couldn't see, the streetlights made the world below so bright it dimmed whatever light those distant suns had sent to this direction. I really needed to go to sleep. I had school tomorrow.

But sleep wouldn't come. I had lied here for a few hours, trying to keep all thoughts out of my head so I could drift off to the land of dreams. But no, it wouldn't work, there was so much to think of. It all seemed to attack me when darkness settled over the world. Well, this part of the world. The other side of the Earth was obviously bathed in sunlight, enjoying the sometimes harsh caresses of this solar system's provider of light. Our star. Our very own star. Perhaps it was a bit too bright sometimes, but most of the time I loved it.

Then other times... Other times I would just want to smother that light and hide in the darkness. But that had it's own problems, too. Darkness was soothing, darkness was concealing, but darkness brought the thoughts and, quite simply, the darkness. The darkness of my environment, the darkness of my mind, the darkness of my other.

Yes. The other me. Darkness was his element. Darkness was him. He came with the setting sun more often that not. He came with his thoughts and his desires and his own mind, his will, his overbearing presence. His quick reflexes and his lithe body. His deep crimson eyes. His maniacal cackle resounding from the walls. His unaffectionate nature, his deep voice, his uncaring exterior. His love. His fear. His past.

Didn't we all have different attributes that made us different from all the others? Didn't we all come with a past and our own thoughts?

Oh yes. And he came with 3000 years worth of them. He came and he overwhelmed me so easily. I feared it, feared the way I cast aside nearly everything else when he was around. I feared what I became around him. And I loved the fear, embraced the changes, was willingly seduced by his cruel musings of life.

I couldn't deny these facts, and that frightened me too. And it greatly amused him. He liked to play with me.

He liked to come out of his Soulroom at the most inappropriate moments just to stare at me - if I was lucky. Sometimes I wasn't lucky, and those times would be better forgotten. The things he did... I was very lucky to be sane at this point. At least I thought I was sane, but could I really tell the difference if one of those fun nights of the other me I had passed the border between sanity and insanity? I couldn't really make up my mind on that subject.

But that wasn't very important, was it? I mean, it's not like I needed sanity anyway. I laughed bitterly at this. I had come far from what I had been to think like this.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, nothing."

He gave me a curious look. But I knew he wouldn't push me to revealing it. It wasn't important.

I watched him stalk forward into my room, returning from who knows where. It's not like I wanted to know, it was just that I would feel better knowing what he did on those nightly excursions of his. I wanted to know about him, abut his life. He was an interesting person, not made less so by the fact that he lived in an ancient Egyptian ring. Or that when he had been a normal person, he had been the self-proclaimed Touzoku-ou [1]. I didn't even know how I had managed to get that piece of information out of him, he was usually so secretive.

"Too bad we can't see the stars here"

He sat on the edge of my bed, looking wistfully out of the window. The light from the streetlamps was cast on his face through the window, leaving it partially in the shadows.

"Why?"

"I just wanted you to see them properly"

I couldn't think of an answer to that. He wasn't often so...thoughtful.

"Say, yadonushi [2], do you ever think why we're here?"

"Not really. I don't often think of that kind of questions"

Not a muscle moved on his face, but I could feel his disappointment. Somehow I felt ashamed. He was still looking out of the window, not sparing one glance at me. But he leaned backwards slightly, supporting himself on his hands - which were now on the other side of me than he was. I had long ago learned not to care how close he was. He did what he did and that was that, I had no choice in the matter.

"Too bad."

The following silence was disturbing, at least to me. But I didn't feel like breaking it myself, this somehow...sad mood he was in was most likely fragile, easy to change into something else.

After what seemed like hours, he turned away from his silent vigil of the stars, now looking at me, his face framed by his silvery-white clumps of hair.

"Do you value life, yadonushi?"

"Of course. You should know me well enough to know that"

The question confused me. He confused me. I couldn't remember him acting quite like this before - although there had been several close calls. But this was different.

"No, I mean do you really, truly value life?"

"What do you mean?"

He sighed.

"I shouldn't have expected you to understand. Oh well"

"If you just explain this to me, I'm sure I will!"

"Urusei!" [3]

The low growl made me cringe. That mood really _was_ easy to break. His mouth was twisted into a snarl now, his eyes piercingly staring into mine.

"If you don't understand it now, it is highly unlikely you would no matter how many times I explained it to you. It is something you need to get yourself."

He leaned closer, probably wanting to make sure I understood this piece of wisdom he had graciously given me. He didn't usually bother with that. No explanations for the poor Ryou, oh no, he just had to live with the constantly changing rules.

I tried to sink through the bed. At least he wouldn't be so close then. I could feel his breath on my face. I could feel the warmth of his body. I tried not to think of it.

"What might possibly go through your pretty little head now, yadonushi? You're blushing"

He grinned ferally and leaned closer still. I was indeed blushing, trying to fight it down. Not a good idea to behave like this with _him_ around. Really. He might just decide I needed to have what he thought I wanted.

I couldn't help it. I felt my face growing hotter. And I saw the mischievous glint in his eyes. This wasn't good. This definitely was not good.

He proved me right by lightly pressing his lips against mine. Somehow he had ended up right on top of me, and I couldn't for the life of me tell how. I took a deep breath, remembering the last time he had grown affectionate. This might sure turn out to be pleasant, but I really didn't want to go through this again. Not like this. Not now. Perhaps never.

"Oh come on now, yadonushi. Don't be so damned shy!"

The purring voice right next to my ear made me shiver. His other hand held me firmly down to the bed. This night of all nights... I had school tomorrow!

"I... Perhaps this isn't such a good idea... Maybe you could postpone it until the weekend?"

Right. It was a big mistake to open my mouth like that. His grip on me hardened, his face becoming angry again. I cringed inwardly. No chance to avoid anything now. I should have known his reaction to that.

"What exactly makes you think you have a choice, yadonushi?"

Suddenly there was a knife on my throat. I didn't know how he always managed to carry so many weapons with him. It's not like it mattered, anyway, he could do well enough with just his hands and his mind. I mean harm someone with them. Not.... something else. Great. Even though the situation was so dangerous I still let my mind drift so much. That was dangerous while having a murderous yami on top of me. Currently busily trying to kiss me senseless. He was doing a pretty good job of it.

I moaned into his mouth, and could feel the knife he was holding at the side of my neck draw a little blood. He enjoyed it, didn't he? The feeling that I was completely at his mercy. That I wouldn't be able to resist, because if I did he'd hurt me in all the ways he could. He really _did_ enjoy it.

He chuckled softly. His crimson eyes seemed to glow in the dim light. His pale face hovered above mine, the knife on my throat eased its pressure. Perhaps I was saved for tonight?

No. This became horribly clear when he took my other hand and slid the knife over the wrist. I could see the dark wetness of blood form after it. He hadn't pressed quite enough for the blood to flow freely, but some of it trickled down my arm. I gasped. Pain. So much pain, so much sadness.

I swallowed, trying to stay calm despite the fact that I was starting to panic and couldn't think clearly. So much pain.

Oh no... Not enough pain. This was merely the beginning.

My yami lowered his head against my wrist, I could feel his soft lips trail the course of the wound, the paths of the trickles of blood. It felt good. It felt painful.

I tried very hard not to make any sound. It would just spur him on... I couldn't help but try to draw my arm away from him when he pressed the knife against my skin again.

"What do you think... Should I kill you?"

A small whimper escaped my throat before I could stop it. I knew he wasn't going to kill me, after all. He couldn't. He'd die himself, too... At least I was pretty sure he would. After all, he came from the Ring, right? He needed a body, a host, to gain access to the real world. And he kind of liked me. We had gained a mutual understanding in this short time we had known each other...

He threw back his head and laughed. I could see droplets of my blood on his lips, looking exceptionally dark against his pale skin. White skin and red blood... and the crimson of his eyes. The sight before me was ethereal, I couldn't believe something could look so utterly evil yet so... innocent. There was no intentional cruelty in him. It was simply the way he was. It was the wonder of his existence, the magical aura surrounding him at all times, the feel of ancient sorrows clinging to him like a second skin.

His laughter faded away, and he looked at me. In silence.

...why wasn't he saying anything? He just stared at me, eyes narrowed a touch, head tilted to one side.

The he slowly raised the hand that held the knife and plunged it just below my shoulder.

The pain was immediate. It was immense. I think I screamed.

Somewhere above me hovered a pale face, twisted in rapture, stained with blood. I couldn't see properly, though, as if some kind of a curtain had fallen before my eyes. Everything was so distant. I couldn't focus on anything except the pain.

More pain. Suddenly my whole body was on fire. Or perhaps coated with ice. All I was sure about was that I didn't like it. At all.

I blacked out.

---

[1] Touzoku-ou (or, in a more familiar way to most of you, touzoku-oh) - the King of Thieves. What Bakura likes to call himself in the ancient Egypt story-arc in the manga

[2] yadonushi - host. What Bakura is so fond of calling Ryou in the Japanese version.

[3] urusei - shut up

AN: So there you go. And I know the ending is abrupt, it's supposed to be. And if you necessarily want to know what the heck happened in between Ryou's fainting and beginning of Bakura's POV, use your imagination. Really. I might later change it so that the Bakura POV will be the second chapter, since that's where it belongs. Umm.... Review, please?