Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, it belongs to a genius named Kazuki Takahashi. Worship him!
Warnings: This fic involves shonen ai, yaoi, and swearing. Lotsa that~
A Moment in Time: Chapter Three
By Rian
Kawaii_Nekochan21@yahoo.com
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Ryou didn't care where he was running. To him, it didn't matter. What mattered, anymore? What the hell was going on? How could Malik and Bakura treat him like some kind of prize, a prize just for winning? Everything had been a sham, all of it. They didn't really care about him, they were just competing, trying to see who could bed him first.
*And I was stupid and lonely enough to give the last shred of myself, my innocence, my virginity, to such a contest. I feel so... so dirty.*
As he ran around a corner, not looking, he ran face-first into someone and went flying into the cement, scraping his hands and face. He heard the other person grunt, though he knew they hadn't fallen, and groaned to himself.
"Dammit," he heard the person grumble, "stupid punks. Don't they know who --" there was a pause, then the person sucked in a surprised breath. "Ryou?!"
Ryou lifed his head weakly, smiling slighlty. "Hey, K-Kaiba," he murmured, his eyes slowly glazing over. The pain was... rather extreme... what the hell...? Why was Kaiba...
Then his head fell, as his conciousness surrendered to the sweet, sweet darkness.
-------------------------------------------
"Damn you, Ishtar!" Bakura snarled, finally over his shock at his light running away. "What the fuck possessed you to--"
"Shut up, Bakura," Malik replied wearily, sinking to the ground. "I don't know, and frankly, I don't give a shit."
Mariku was silent a moment, then spoke. "Why don't you two tell me what the hell is going on here, and then we'll see what we can do, alright?"
They both turned their glares on him, and he backpedaled, putting his hands up in an impromptu block. "Hey, I'm just tryin' to help you! Don't give me that look!"
They blinked, then nodded, eyeing one another with disdain in their faces, then Malik began.
"Well, it all started about a month ago..."
----------------------------------------------
Ryou's head hurt. His hands hurt. His back hurt. Everything hurt. And he couldn't remember what had happened.
"Did I just faint in front of Kaiba...?" he muttered to himself, struggling to sit up. Then he noticed he was in a bed. "A bed?"
"Yes, a bed," a familiar voice mimicked him, not unkindly, followed by a figure Ryou knew well.
"Kaiba."
"Give the man a prize," Kaiba replied quietly, sitting on the bed next to him. "Now, do you want to tell me why you were running like you had a murderer after you, or do you want to sleep again? It's your choice."
Ryou was silent a moment. Wasn't Kaiba supposed to be the cold-hearted bastard? He had heard that Kaiba was kind only to his brother, Mokuba. What the hell was going on?
"Do you want to go to sleep?" Kaiba repeated softly, still looking at him intently.
Ryou sighed. "No... no, I suppose I can tell you." Kaiba nodded and motioned with his hands for Ryou to continue, and Ryou smiled wanly. "Um, can I have something to eat, first, please?" he asked sweetly, trying to be cheerful.
Kaiba shook his head. "Mokuba's bringing something up."
Ryou's smile froze in place. He had tried Mokuba's food before, and frankly, even Bakura's cooking was better. And Bakura's cooking tasted like sewer.
Just remembering Bakura trying to cook, trying to make him breakfast in bed on his birthday, just remembering the very act, brought back the pain of his betrayal. The betrayal of friendship finally found, friendship... and something else. Ryou had loved his yami, loved him in a romantic way, though he knew it could never happen, and the pain of knowing such a thing had brought on the previous night with Malik.
Kaiba seemed to understand that he was on shaky ground and grinned. "It'll be good," he coaxed.
Ryou shuddered and Kaiba had to laugh at the expression on Ryou's face. "He didn't cook it," he chuckled. "I did. He's just bringing it up."
Ryou looked at the older boy in astonishment. He had heard Seto Kaiba laugh before, of course, but those laughs were different. He had heard Kaiba laugh, half drunk with power. He had heard Kaiba's self-defeated laughter. He had heard Kaiba's derisive laughter. But he had never, ever heard Seto Kaiba laugh like this. This laughter was the kind of laughter you actually enjoyed, laughter and genuine amusement.
Kaiba stopped at Ryou's expression. "What is it?" he asked, a vague flicker of unrest flashing in his light blue eyes.
Ryou shook his head furiously, his face bright red at being caught staring. "Nothing," he murmured softly, embarrassment flooding his whole body.
Kaiba chuckled again. "Is it because you've never heard me laugh before?" he asked.
Ryou shook his head, the blush receding somewhat. "Er, no, not that," he said slowly, looking thoughtful. "It's just... I've never heard you laugh like that before. It was... it was a happy laugh." the blush appeared on his pale cheeks again. "It... it was nice. To hear, I mean." he paused, his face becoming even redder. "I mean --"
Kaiba laughed, leaning over to put his face in his hands. Ryou looked mortified. "I... I didn't mean --" he began again, but was interrupted by Mokuba cracking the door open, looking at them critically.
"Is everything alright?" Mokuba asked, a suspicious expression on his face.
Kaiba finally calmed himself down. "Yeah, Mokuba. Everything's fine." he shrugged, then looked over at the humiliated boy in the bed, his smile slipping away. "I'm sorry, Ryou," he said softly, reaching his hand out to touch the pale-hair...
...only to have his hand flung away as Ryou backed up, a terrified expression on his glazed face. Then Ryou's eyes cleared. "Oh, gods, Kaiba!" he exclaimed, face his face burning up once more. "I'm so sorry! I... I thought you were..." he trailed off, his face bright red.
Kaiba's expression grew hard. "I thought there was a reason why you were running," he finally said, his eyes cold. "Now I know what it is." he leaned forward, his expression intense. "What did Bakura do to you?"
Ryou's face was answer enough, and Kaiba got off the bed, a frighteningly cold aura radiating off him in waves. "Stay with Ryou, Mokuba," he said softly, a core of iron in his voice. "Let no one in unless it is me. I'm going out for a while."
"What? Where --" Mokuba stopped as the door slammed shut, Kaiba's heavy tread slowly getting softer. He turned with a sigh to Ryou, his large eyes looking up at the white-haired boy. "What's going on?" he asked.
Ryou sighed as well, slowly standing up and stretching. "I wish I knew," was his soft reply as he walked to the window, looking out and wishing, with all his heart, that everything would turn out for the best.
----------------------------------------------
"You're kidding me!" Mariku fell over, laughing.
Both Bakura and his light glared at him, crossing their arms simultaneously. "I don't see what the fuck is so damn funny," Bakura ground out, his dark brown eyes shooting daggers at the tall egyptian.
Mariku continued to laugh, oblivious to his danger. "It's just... you two... for so long..." he broke up laughing again, cluthing his stomach with one bronze hand. "That's just too funny! It's like one of Isis' damn soap operas!"
Malik snarled at his darkness. "I don't find it amusing at all! Now Ryou likely hates me, and it's all your fault!" He swung his finger of accusation at Bakura, now, and Bakura moved his glare to Malik.
"My fault?" he repeated slowly, standing up, an absolute coldness in his eyes. "How... the fuck... is it my fault?"
Malik stood up as well. "If it weren't for you, I would be able to tell Ryou how much he means to me!"
Bakura took one step forward menacingly, clenching his fists. "He's not yours, no matter how much you may wish it, so fuck off! He's mine!"
Malik sneered back, his violet eyes nearly black with fury. "He's not mine, admittedly--yet--but he's not yours, either! Besides, look at it this way! He was willing to fuck with me, not you!" Malik lowered his voice, triumph spilling from every word. "Because I wasn't scared, like you."
Bakura was one step away from sending the slender egyptian to the Shadow Realm when Mariku intervened; meaning, he hit both upside the head and glared at them. "Calm down and shut the hell up," he growled at both, crossing his tan arms across his chest. "I have had it with your stupid, petty obsessions. If you both want him, you should either 'A': Work together to get him back, 'B': Play some stupid game--like the pharaoh, to decide who gets him, or 'C': Since you both want him, and I think you both want each other, too, to some degree, to both take him." his lavender eyes, also nearly black, narrowed. "Unless you'd rather *I* take him?"
Both Bakura and Malik opened their mouths to protest, but Mariku beat them to it. "Look, this petulant tantrum you're both setting off disgusts me." he eyed both of them, and for the first time, they saw disdain in his expression. "If you want him, go ahead. If you don't, or can't, deal with it. Don't complain to me. And, if you take too long..." he trailed off, and showed his teeth in a predatory smile. "I'll be quite willing to accept him."
-----------------------------------------------
Ryou stared out the window, his mind a jumbled mass of confusion. He knew he had to think about what had happened, and... he knew his reaction was too extreme. *They weren't playing some stupid game. I'm an idiot. The hurt... the pain in Bakura's eyes was real, as was the pain in Malik's. How could I have thought it was a game?*
He sighed and rested his face on one pale arm, chocolate-brown eyes half closed. *So. Bakura loves me. After all this time, all this surety that he didn't, he wouldn't, love me, no matter how much I loved him, and he loves me. Great, what a waste of time.* He snorted to himself, unaware of Mokuba's presence. *So now what? I love Bakura, he loves me... then what? Where would that leave Malik?*
Ryou sighed, looking up into the afternoon sky. "How do I feel about Malik...?" he murmured to himself, his eyes slowly glazing off. "Do I... love him? Like I do Bakura?"
Ryou knew that both Bakura and Malik loved him. He also knew he had always loved Bakura. But Malik? He had never thought of Malik... not that way. In fact, he had never really thought of Malik at all.
Now he imagined Malik in his mind: his shoulder-length golden-blond hair, his pure violet eyes, his tan skin, his muscular build, his gentle hands, his soft voice, his tight wardrobe...
Ryou flushed as he remember the night before, with Malik...
*"Ryou, relax, love,"*
...and stopped, his eyes wide. He called me love. Love. But... if I let him do that to me... was it just because I was lonely, because Bakura wouldn't love me? Or was there a different reason?
Is it possible to love two separate people?
----------------------------------------------
By Rian
Oh, hohohhohohoh! Did you like the third chapter? I know, it was kinda weak... I'm tryin', though, I really am!
Oh, for all who weren't aware of it, Malik is the light, and Mariku is his yami, his darkness. Same for Ryou--the light--and Bakura, the darkness. ^_^
Okies! Tell me how you liked it, no? Ja, ne, Rian~
Warnings: This fic involves shonen ai, yaoi, and swearing. Lotsa that~
A Moment in Time: Chapter Three
By Rian
Kawaii_Nekochan21@yahoo.com
----------------------------------------------
Ryou didn't care where he was running. To him, it didn't matter. What mattered, anymore? What the hell was going on? How could Malik and Bakura treat him like some kind of prize, a prize just for winning? Everything had been a sham, all of it. They didn't really care about him, they were just competing, trying to see who could bed him first.
*And I was stupid and lonely enough to give the last shred of myself, my innocence, my virginity, to such a contest. I feel so... so dirty.*
As he ran around a corner, not looking, he ran face-first into someone and went flying into the cement, scraping his hands and face. He heard the other person grunt, though he knew they hadn't fallen, and groaned to himself.
"Dammit," he heard the person grumble, "stupid punks. Don't they know who --" there was a pause, then the person sucked in a surprised breath. "Ryou?!"
Ryou lifed his head weakly, smiling slighlty. "Hey, K-Kaiba," he murmured, his eyes slowly glazing over. The pain was... rather extreme... what the hell...? Why was Kaiba...
Then his head fell, as his conciousness surrendered to the sweet, sweet darkness.
-------------------------------------------
"Damn you, Ishtar!" Bakura snarled, finally over his shock at his light running away. "What the fuck possessed you to--"
"Shut up, Bakura," Malik replied wearily, sinking to the ground. "I don't know, and frankly, I don't give a shit."
Mariku was silent a moment, then spoke. "Why don't you two tell me what the hell is going on here, and then we'll see what we can do, alright?"
They both turned their glares on him, and he backpedaled, putting his hands up in an impromptu block. "Hey, I'm just tryin' to help you! Don't give me that look!"
They blinked, then nodded, eyeing one another with disdain in their faces, then Malik began.
"Well, it all started about a month ago..."
----------------------------------------------
Ryou's head hurt. His hands hurt. His back hurt. Everything hurt. And he couldn't remember what had happened.
"Did I just faint in front of Kaiba...?" he muttered to himself, struggling to sit up. Then he noticed he was in a bed. "A bed?"
"Yes, a bed," a familiar voice mimicked him, not unkindly, followed by a figure Ryou knew well.
"Kaiba."
"Give the man a prize," Kaiba replied quietly, sitting on the bed next to him. "Now, do you want to tell me why you were running like you had a murderer after you, or do you want to sleep again? It's your choice."
Ryou was silent a moment. Wasn't Kaiba supposed to be the cold-hearted bastard? He had heard that Kaiba was kind only to his brother, Mokuba. What the hell was going on?
"Do you want to go to sleep?" Kaiba repeated softly, still looking at him intently.
Ryou sighed. "No... no, I suppose I can tell you." Kaiba nodded and motioned with his hands for Ryou to continue, and Ryou smiled wanly. "Um, can I have something to eat, first, please?" he asked sweetly, trying to be cheerful.
Kaiba shook his head. "Mokuba's bringing something up."
Ryou's smile froze in place. He had tried Mokuba's food before, and frankly, even Bakura's cooking was better. And Bakura's cooking tasted like sewer.
Just remembering Bakura trying to cook, trying to make him breakfast in bed on his birthday, just remembering the very act, brought back the pain of his betrayal. The betrayal of friendship finally found, friendship... and something else. Ryou had loved his yami, loved him in a romantic way, though he knew it could never happen, and the pain of knowing such a thing had brought on the previous night with Malik.
Kaiba seemed to understand that he was on shaky ground and grinned. "It'll be good," he coaxed.
Ryou shuddered and Kaiba had to laugh at the expression on Ryou's face. "He didn't cook it," he chuckled. "I did. He's just bringing it up."
Ryou looked at the older boy in astonishment. He had heard Seto Kaiba laugh before, of course, but those laughs were different. He had heard Kaiba laugh, half drunk with power. He had heard Kaiba's self-defeated laughter. He had heard Kaiba's derisive laughter. But he had never, ever heard Seto Kaiba laugh like this. This laughter was the kind of laughter you actually enjoyed, laughter and genuine amusement.
Kaiba stopped at Ryou's expression. "What is it?" he asked, a vague flicker of unrest flashing in his light blue eyes.
Ryou shook his head furiously, his face bright red at being caught staring. "Nothing," he murmured softly, embarrassment flooding his whole body.
Kaiba chuckled again. "Is it because you've never heard me laugh before?" he asked.
Ryou shook his head, the blush receding somewhat. "Er, no, not that," he said slowly, looking thoughtful. "It's just... I've never heard you laugh like that before. It was... it was a happy laugh." the blush appeared on his pale cheeks again. "It... it was nice. To hear, I mean." he paused, his face becoming even redder. "I mean --"
Kaiba laughed, leaning over to put his face in his hands. Ryou looked mortified. "I... I didn't mean --" he began again, but was interrupted by Mokuba cracking the door open, looking at them critically.
"Is everything alright?" Mokuba asked, a suspicious expression on his face.
Kaiba finally calmed himself down. "Yeah, Mokuba. Everything's fine." he shrugged, then looked over at the humiliated boy in the bed, his smile slipping away. "I'm sorry, Ryou," he said softly, reaching his hand out to touch the pale-hair...
...only to have his hand flung away as Ryou backed up, a terrified expression on his glazed face. Then Ryou's eyes cleared. "Oh, gods, Kaiba!" he exclaimed, face his face burning up once more. "I'm so sorry! I... I thought you were..." he trailed off, his face bright red.
Kaiba's expression grew hard. "I thought there was a reason why you were running," he finally said, his eyes cold. "Now I know what it is." he leaned forward, his expression intense. "What did Bakura do to you?"
Ryou's face was answer enough, and Kaiba got off the bed, a frighteningly cold aura radiating off him in waves. "Stay with Ryou, Mokuba," he said softly, a core of iron in his voice. "Let no one in unless it is me. I'm going out for a while."
"What? Where --" Mokuba stopped as the door slammed shut, Kaiba's heavy tread slowly getting softer. He turned with a sigh to Ryou, his large eyes looking up at the white-haired boy. "What's going on?" he asked.
Ryou sighed as well, slowly standing up and stretching. "I wish I knew," was his soft reply as he walked to the window, looking out and wishing, with all his heart, that everything would turn out for the best.
----------------------------------------------
"You're kidding me!" Mariku fell over, laughing.
Both Bakura and his light glared at him, crossing their arms simultaneously. "I don't see what the fuck is so damn funny," Bakura ground out, his dark brown eyes shooting daggers at the tall egyptian.
Mariku continued to laugh, oblivious to his danger. "It's just... you two... for so long..." he broke up laughing again, cluthing his stomach with one bronze hand. "That's just too funny! It's like one of Isis' damn soap operas!"
Malik snarled at his darkness. "I don't find it amusing at all! Now Ryou likely hates me, and it's all your fault!" He swung his finger of accusation at Bakura, now, and Bakura moved his glare to Malik.
"My fault?" he repeated slowly, standing up, an absolute coldness in his eyes. "How... the fuck... is it my fault?"
Malik stood up as well. "If it weren't for you, I would be able to tell Ryou how much he means to me!"
Bakura took one step forward menacingly, clenching his fists. "He's not yours, no matter how much you may wish it, so fuck off! He's mine!"
Malik sneered back, his violet eyes nearly black with fury. "He's not mine, admittedly--yet--but he's not yours, either! Besides, look at it this way! He was willing to fuck with me, not you!" Malik lowered his voice, triumph spilling from every word. "Because I wasn't scared, like you."
Bakura was one step away from sending the slender egyptian to the Shadow Realm when Mariku intervened; meaning, he hit both upside the head and glared at them. "Calm down and shut the hell up," he growled at both, crossing his tan arms across his chest. "I have had it with your stupid, petty obsessions. If you both want him, you should either 'A': Work together to get him back, 'B': Play some stupid game--like the pharaoh, to decide who gets him, or 'C': Since you both want him, and I think you both want each other, too, to some degree, to both take him." his lavender eyes, also nearly black, narrowed. "Unless you'd rather *I* take him?"
Both Bakura and Malik opened their mouths to protest, but Mariku beat them to it. "Look, this petulant tantrum you're both setting off disgusts me." he eyed both of them, and for the first time, they saw disdain in his expression. "If you want him, go ahead. If you don't, or can't, deal with it. Don't complain to me. And, if you take too long..." he trailed off, and showed his teeth in a predatory smile. "I'll be quite willing to accept him."
-----------------------------------------------
Ryou stared out the window, his mind a jumbled mass of confusion. He knew he had to think about what had happened, and... he knew his reaction was too extreme. *They weren't playing some stupid game. I'm an idiot. The hurt... the pain in Bakura's eyes was real, as was the pain in Malik's. How could I have thought it was a game?*
He sighed and rested his face on one pale arm, chocolate-brown eyes half closed. *So. Bakura loves me. After all this time, all this surety that he didn't, he wouldn't, love me, no matter how much I loved him, and he loves me. Great, what a waste of time.* He snorted to himself, unaware of Mokuba's presence. *So now what? I love Bakura, he loves me... then what? Where would that leave Malik?*
Ryou sighed, looking up into the afternoon sky. "How do I feel about Malik...?" he murmured to himself, his eyes slowly glazing off. "Do I... love him? Like I do Bakura?"
Ryou knew that both Bakura and Malik loved him. He also knew he had always loved Bakura. But Malik? He had never thought of Malik... not that way. In fact, he had never really thought of Malik at all.
Now he imagined Malik in his mind: his shoulder-length golden-blond hair, his pure violet eyes, his tan skin, his muscular build, his gentle hands, his soft voice, his tight wardrobe...
Ryou flushed as he remember the night before, with Malik...
*"Ryou, relax, love,"*
...and stopped, his eyes wide. He called me love. Love. But... if I let him do that to me... was it just because I was lonely, because Bakura wouldn't love me? Or was there a different reason?
Is it possible to love two separate people?
----------------------------------------------
By Rian
Oh, hohohhohohoh! Did you like the third chapter? I know, it was kinda weak... I'm tryin', though, I really am!
Oh, for all who weren't aware of it, Malik is the light, and Mariku is his yami, his darkness. Same for Ryou--the light--and Bakura, the darkness. ^_^
Okies! Tell me how you liked it, no? Ja, ne, Rian~