Bridled Deception
Yuugi softly pushed open the wooden door to the spare bedroom, careful not to make too many obtrusive noises. The strange youth that he had found the night before was still unconscious on the bed, carefully wrapped in a sea of blankets and pillows. The rain continued to beat down upon the window.
Setting down the tray of food that he had brought up, Yuugi gave a stifled sigh. It had been a long night. A -very- long night. His poor grandfather had worked endlessly on that arm, and didn't seem to be able to get the blood to stop flowing from the punctures and lacerations for nearly half an hour. As it was, the bandages needed to be changed every two.
The exauhsted teen took off the damp cloth from the stranger's forehead and replaced it with a fresh one, nice and cold to keep the blood vessels from swelling in the stranger's head. Those bright crimson eyes slowly fluttered open, the same look of depression as apparent as before. Very slowly did they come to focus, finally noticing the body next to him, who looked starkly similar to his own face. Funny just how much more angelic this duplicate looked. Was he supposed to represent the innocence he never had? Or maybe he did have it at one time, but could no longer remember it.
"Am I dead?" His voice felt raspy and tired. At least he wasn't in pain anymore.
Yuugi chuckled dryly. "No, not yet anyway. And we intend to keep it that way. Grandpa had some spare Codeine for the pain. With how much of it you would have been in when you woke up, it was probably worth taking the chance of you being allergic to it or anything."
He stared in bewilderment. Had this child brought him home? And cared for him? He wouldn't have, if he knew what it was that he was now harboring.
"May I ask your name?" Yuugi ventured. "My name's Yuugi. I brought some food up for you. You'll be needing it to get your strength back."
The stranger didn't answer. Why should he? The child would probably hate his name anyway. As for food, well, he didn't require _that_ kind of nourishment.
But that didn't matter. Not anymore. He shouldn't even be here. He should be dead right now. He should be. He WANTED to be. That's what he deserved, after all.
"Leave me alone," he choked.
Yuugi looked puzzled. "What?"
"Go," he breathed. Yuugi could see streams of silent tears pouring down the stranger's cheeks.
"You're crying," the teen stated. Concerned, he began to wipe away the salty vapors, offering a comforting hug.
But the one lying on the bed knew that the child was doing it from blind compassion. If he truly knew what he was holding, he'd scream. Or run. Or both.
He was a monster. He was one that reveled in the smell and the taste of blood, the feel of a blood-curdling scream rattling his bones, a useless cry for mercy. And currently, he was completely helpless. What good was a useless monster?
"Leave me alone! Go away!" He cried, and shoved Yuugi to the floor.
But that had been a mistake. A sudden movement like that caused every nerve to alight in agony anew. Flames poured through him and scorched the remains of his tattered, mangled body.
He screamed.
"Grandpa, grandpa come quick!" Yuugi called from the door.
The stranger on the bed was writhing in pain, holding desperately to his left arm and the blood flowed again.
Mr. Moto ran in and began trying to suppress the youth on the bed from moving, lest he do even more damage.
"Hold still, young one. We'll get this to stop."
But the youth in pain didn't hear him. He couldn't even see through the red haze of agony.
* * * *
Yuugi sighed outside of the door, resting against the wall. A few stifled whimpers still leaked through to their ears.
"Yuugi, what happened?" Solomon asked, huffing in exhaustion. Kids were getting stronger and stronger these days.
"I brought up the tray of food, and he woke up when I replaced the damp cloth. All I did was ask him his name, and tell him that he should probably eat something. Then he started crying. When I asked him what was wrong, I don't know. Maybe I was leaning in too closely. I told me to leave him alone, and he shoved me away. Oh, it's all my fault."
Yuugi looked dejected, but his grandfather looked contemplative. "No, Yuugi. It's not your fault. Not wanting to eat, isolation, retaliation to compassion, I don't know. I think he may have some very troubling emotional issues to work through."
"Well, I guess that would explain it."
"Sounds like his spirit was broken somehow. Did he tell you his name?"
"No."
* * *
Even after a whole week had passed, the stranger, who they had currently dubbed 'Oscar' due to his gloomy moods and fiery outbursts, had not shown any signs of mental or physical recovery. Mr. Moto was ready to hand him over to some professional who might be able to deal with such a troubled youth, but Yuugi was unsure.
'Just think about it, Grandpa. He feels terrible about himself. If we send him somewhere else, he may never recover.'
It made sense, but why Yuugi was so concerned about a total stranger was still beyond the aged man.
Yuugi dropped his book bag down on the tile with a groan. It had been a VERY long day.
"How was school, Yuugi?" Solomon asked, curious.
"Well, I had a chemistry test, a geography test, an English test, and I had to run the mile. It has been exhausting, too say the least."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Oh, could you check on Oscar for me, I need to do some bookwork for the shop."
"Sure, Grandpa."
Removing his shoes, Yuugi proceeded to the living to the living quarters of their home.
It was quite depressing, trying to crack the barrier that the strange youth had established. But Yuugi was determined, he would make it through. He would help. Why he wanted to, not even Yuugi was entirely sure why. All he knew was that he had to make it through, somehow.
Pushing open the door, Yuugi stuck his head inside. Just as he expected, Oscar was still asleep on the bed.
Yuugi hated using that name, but the youth still refused to tell who he was. And it worried Yuugi that after a week no signs of recovery were evident. It seemed the bleeding was only capped from dried blood, and no more.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, the noise woke up the sleeping invalid.
"How are you feeling, any better yet?"
No response. Why wouldn't he at least answer?! Yuugi persisted.
"Is there anything I can get for you."
"Leave me alone."
"I won't."
"Go away, just leave me alone! Please!" More tears. Oh, how Yuugi wished he could make them go away.
"I want to help you."
"No!" Now furious, the strange male sat up, pushing Yuugi away.
Yuugi was pushed to the floor, and Oscar managed to stand to try and make him leave, then collapsed where he stood.
Too weak to stand, too weak to fight. Crying where he fell, Yuugi wrapped him up in a warm embrace. The poor being on the floor was too weak to fend him off, now.
"Why the fuck do you keep caring?!"
This time, it was Yuugi's turn not to answer. One reason, he didn't know himself. Another, it didn't really matter. He cared. That's all that counted.
"Come one, let's get you back on the bed. You obviously still need more rest." Oscar didn't even feel like protesting, just allowing the teenager to put him back where he was.
With a hug and a gentle caress on the cheek, Yuugi whispered his goodbye. "I'll be back later, to see if you're okay. Rest easy."
And still, the stranger cried. Even after Yuugi had gone.
He really wanted to accept the boy's love and compassion that he was offering, he really did. But how could he, knowing the nightmare that he was? Yuugi would never accept him for what he was, and still want to set eyes upon him.
Gods, it was hopeless. He was still doomed. Why wouldn't the fates just let him die? Why, damn it!?
He was a useless, empty shell of a dark void that nothing could fill. Nothing. Not even the brilliant light of that boy, though he still tried, not knowing what he touched everyday.
If only he knew.
He'd find out, soon enough. There was no doubt about that. And when Yuugi did, the stranger in his bed would be alone yet again.
Maybe those hunting him would finish the job the next time.
Dear gods, if only Yuugi knew.
* * *
S'all for now, please R&R, tell me what you think. I wasn't really going to do much with this one, but so many people reviewed on this one. I just couldn't leave it. Hope you liked, much more explaining will come in the next chapter.
Yuugi softly pushed open the wooden door to the spare bedroom, careful not to make too many obtrusive noises. The strange youth that he had found the night before was still unconscious on the bed, carefully wrapped in a sea of blankets and pillows. The rain continued to beat down upon the window.
Setting down the tray of food that he had brought up, Yuugi gave a stifled sigh. It had been a long night. A -very- long night. His poor grandfather had worked endlessly on that arm, and didn't seem to be able to get the blood to stop flowing from the punctures and lacerations for nearly half an hour. As it was, the bandages needed to be changed every two.
The exauhsted teen took off the damp cloth from the stranger's forehead and replaced it with a fresh one, nice and cold to keep the blood vessels from swelling in the stranger's head. Those bright crimson eyes slowly fluttered open, the same look of depression as apparent as before. Very slowly did they come to focus, finally noticing the body next to him, who looked starkly similar to his own face. Funny just how much more angelic this duplicate looked. Was he supposed to represent the innocence he never had? Or maybe he did have it at one time, but could no longer remember it.
"Am I dead?" His voice felt raspy and tired. At least he wasn't in pain anymore.
Yuugi chuckled dryly. "No, not yet anyway. And we intend to keep it that way. Grandpa had some spare Codeine for the pain. With how much of it you would have been in when you woke up, it was probably worth taking the chance of you being allergic to it or anything."
He stared in bewilderment. Had this child brought him home? And cared for him? He wouldn't have, if he knew what it was that he was now harboring.
"May I ask your name?" Yuugi ventured. "My name's Yuugi. I brought some food up for you. You'll be needing it to get your strength back."
The stranger didn't answer. Why should he? The child would probably hate his name anyway. As for food, well, he didn't require _that_ kind of nourishment.
But that didn't matter. Not anymore. He shouldn't even be here. He should be dead right now. He should be. He WANTED to be. That's what he deserved, after all.
"Leave me alone," he choked.
Yuugi looked puzzled. "What?"
"Go," he breathed. Yuugi could see streams of silent tears pouring down the stranger's cheeks.
"You're crying," the teen stated. Concerned, he began to wipe away the salty vapors, offering a comforting hug.
But the one lying on the bed knew that the child was doing it from blind compassion. If he truly knew what he was holding, he'd scream. Or run. Or both.
He was a monster. He was one that reveled in the smell and the taste of blood, the feel of a blood-curdling scream rattling his bones, a useless cry for mercy. And currently, he was completely helpless. What good was a useless monster?
"Leave me alone! Go away!" He cried, and shoved Yuugi to the floor.
But that had been a mistake. A sudden movement like that caused every nerve to alight in agony anew. Flames poured through him and scorched the remains of his tattered, mangled body.
He screamed.
"Grandpa, grandpa come quick!" Yuugi called from the door.
The stranger on the bed was writhing in pain, holding desperately to his left arm and the blood flowed again.
Mr. Moto ran in and began trying to suppress the youth on the bed from moving, lest he do even more damage.
"Hold still, young one. We'll get this to stop."
But the youth in pain didn't hear him. He couldn't even see through the red haze of agony.
* * * *
Yuugi sighed outside of the door, resting against the wall. A few stifled whimpers still leaked through to their ears.
"Yuugi, what happened?" Solomon asked, huffing in exhaustion. Kids were getting stronger and stronger these days.
"I brought up the tray of food, and he woke up when I replaced the damp cloth. All I did was ask him his name, and tell him that he should probably eat something. Then he started crying. When I asked him what was wrong, I don't know. Maybe I was leaning in too closely. I told me to leave him alone, and he shoved me away. Oh, it's all my fault."
Yuugi looked dejected, but his grandfather looked contemplative. "No, Yuugi. It's not your fault. Not wanting to eat, isolation, retaliation to compassion, I don't know. I think he may have some very troubling emotional issues to work through."
"Well, I guess that would explain it."
"Sounds like his spirit was broken somehow. Did he tell you his name?"
"No."
* * *
Even after a whole week had passed, the stranger, who they had currently dubbed 'Oscar' due to his gloomy moods and fiery outbursts, had not shown any signs of mental or physical recovery. Mr. Moto was ready to hand him over to some professional who might be able to deal with such a troubled youth, but Yuugi was unsure.
'Just think about it, Grandpa. He feels terrible about himself. If we send him somewhere else, he may never recover.'
It made sense, but why Yuugi was so concerned about a total stranger was still beyond the aged man.
Yuugi dropped his book bag down on the tile with a groan. It had been a VERY long day.
"How was school, Yuugi?" Solomon asked, curious.
"Well, I had a chemistry test, a geography test, an English test, and I had to run the mile. It has been exhausting, too say the least."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Oh, could you check on Oscar for me, I need to do some bookwork for the shop."
"Sure, Grandpa."
Removing his shoes, Yuugi proceeded to the living to the living quarters of their home.
It was quite depressing, trying to crack the barrier that the strange youth had established. But Yuugi was determined, he would make it through. He would help. Why he wanted to, not even Yuugi was entirely sure why. All he knew was that he had to make it through, somehow.
Pushing open the door, Yuugi stuck his head inside. Just as he expected, Oscar was still asleep on the bed.
Yuugi hated using that name, but the youth still refused to tell who he was. And it worried Yuugi that after a week no signs of recovery were evident. It seemed the bleeding was only capped from dried blood, and no more.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, the noise woke up the sleeping invalid.
"How are you feeling, any better yet?"
No response. Why wouldn't he at least answer?! Yuugi persisted.
"Is there anything I can get for you."
"Leave me alone."
"I won't."
"Go away, just leave me alone! Please!" More tears. Oh, how Yuugi wished he could make them go away.
"I want to help you."
"No!" Now furious, the strange male sat up, pushing Yuugi away.
Yuugi was pushed to the floor, and Oscar managed to stand to try and make him leave, then collapsed where he stood.
Too weak to stand, too weak to fight. Crying where he fell, Yuugi wrapped him up in a warm embrace. The poor being on the floor was too weak to fend him off, now.
"Why the fuck do you keep caring?!"
This time, it was Yuugi's turn not to answer. One reason, he didn't know himself. Another, it didn't really matter. He cared. That's all that counted.
"Come one, let's get you back on the bed. You obviously still need more rest." Oscar didn't even feel like protesting, just allowing the teenager to put him back where he was.
With a hug and a gentle caress on the cheek, Yuugi whispered his goodbye. "I'll be back later, to see if you're okay. Rest easy."
And still, the stranger cried. Even after Yuugi had gone.
He really wanted to accept the boy's love and compassion that he was offering, he really did. But how could he, knowing the nightmare that he was? Yuugi would never accept him for what he was, and still want to set eyes upon him.
Gods, it was hopeless. He was still doomed. Why wouldn't the fates just let him die? Why, damn it!?
He was a useless, empty shell of a dark void that nothing could fill. Nothing. Not even the brilliant light of that boy, though he still tried, not knowing what he touched everyday.
If only he knew.
He'd find out, soon enough. There was no doubt about that. And when Yuugi did, the stranger in his bed would be alone yet again.
Maybe those hunting him would finish the job the next time.
Dear gods, if only Yuugi knew.
* * *
S'all for now, please R&R, tell me what you think. I wasn't really going to do much with this one, but so many people reviewed on this one. I just couldn't leave it. Hope you liked, much more explaining will come in the next chapter.