Tsuki: Final chapter! I feel so accomplished. ^_^
Bakura: I feel so relieved
Tsuki: Hush, anyway, this entire chapter is in Bakura's POV, even the flashbacks and well we flashback a lot. It also refers to the two previous stories of Telling Dad, and Feel What He Feels. Get some snacks and a big drink.
*^*^*^*^= Flashback
^^^^^^^^= A time difference within the same flashback or flashback time period
This= Bakura's thought on the flashback
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Bakura's POV
I sat in the darkness, knees pulled up to my chest. I sigh, staring into the shadows. Damn shadows. Ryou had long ago died, so had Yugi and the others. Hell I even miss the damn Pharaoh. I'd been sealed back into the Millennium Ring, into this cold. How long has it been now? I stopped counting after the first sixty-seven years. There was no point in keeping track anymore. I long to see the sun, to talk with another person, to see Ryou smile. I close my eyes, trying to recall that smile.
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"I don't hate you. Gomen nasai.... for hurting you hikari, I was only....scared."
"Of me?"
"Hai of you."
"Why?"
"I was afraid you'd hurt me. You know the way I hurt you."
"I would never hurt you though."
"I know."
"So what happened to you....back in Egypt to make you afraid of me?"
"Gomen Ryou but I'm not ready to tell you that just yet. Besides you still have a decision to make."
Ryou slipped the ring over his head, letting it fall comfortably onto his chest.
"It's okay, I won't push the subject."
"So you've decided to keep me?"
Ryou laughed, smiling at me.
"Light needs darkness. 'Sides I figure we can train you."
"Well Ryou looks like I'll have to keep you happy from now on."
"Why?"
"I like it when you smile at me. When you're not scared of me."
We sat there for a minute, silence filling the room, taking in all that had just passed between us.
"What are you feeling Bakura?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Ring doesn't feel so cold anymore." I smiled to myself.
" I'm just happy that you can look at me without being afraid."
"Bakura?"
"Hai?"
"Are things really gonna be different? You promise that you won't hurt me anymore?"
"I promise hikari."
Ryou sighed, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Does this mean we can be like Yugi and Yami now?"
I smiled, reaching over and gently ruffling Ryou's hair.
" If that's the way you want it....my aibou."
My aibou....
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That was the first time. Ryou never smiled at me before then. Before then it was nothing but pain and torture, mental and physical abuse. He was merely my anger vent, a place to cast my fear upon.
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// Poor baby, what's wrong now? Scared of what daddy might think? //
/Stop it! /
//You think I'd listen to you weakling? //
/ Can't you just leave me be right now? /
// Are you challenging my authority over you Ryou? //
Ryou stopped the conversation as he received a mental slap from me. I was angry enough as it was, Ryou obviously didn't want to provoke me into coming out.
/ I'm, I'm sorry/
//There that's a good slave. //
Degrading him.
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"Because you have two bruises on your face, your arm is bleeding, and you probably have even more injuries that aren't visible to me."
//He's good. //
/Shut up Yami. //
//What was that brat!?//
Ryou stiffened as I growled at him and saw a mental flash of my knife in the back of his mind.
/ N-nothing Yami, I'm sorry for getting out of line. /
// You better be. //
Fear.
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I turned around walking out the house, slamming the door behind me.
/ How could you do that?! Let me out of here! My dad's hurt! /
//Hmmm, just for that little outburst of yours I think I'll have to teach you a lesson later on tonight. //
/No please not again. I can't take anymore. Haven't you beaten me enough for today? /
// No. And I'll do it if I like. You want to know why? Because brat I have power over you and anything else I'll ever want. //
Continually breaking his spirit.
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I was so blind to the fact of exactly how much I was hurting him, I wasn't even realizing I was hurting myself too. I had always wanted acceptance. Craved it. Yet I kept him away, instilled fear into him, made him regret even slightly challenging me. It finally too Yami, a spell, and a suicide attempt to get me to see the truth.
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//Well look who's awake. //
/What are you doing? /
//That's none of your concern//
/ But it's my body! /
//Hmmm. Someone needs an attitude adjustment. //
Next thing Ryou knew he found himself standing in front of me and holding his cheek from where I had swiftly smacked him across the face.
I was the one who needed the attitude adjustment.
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" Well my yami is out and on the -" Ryou was cut of mid-sentence as I roughly shoved him aside and Yugi found himself under my icy glare.
"Well if it isn't the Pharaoh's little light. Come on in."
" You knew he was coming didn't you brat?"
" W-well I-"
" Spit it out brat!"
"I-I"
Yugi tensed as he saw my hand ball up into a fist at my side.
"Now brat what did I tell you about lying to me? Especially when you know what I'd do."
"......"
Yugi stepped in front of Ryou, taking the punch that I had intended for Ryou.
"Well how brave of you Yugi, but a mistake you'll regret!" Yugi closed his eyes as I grabbed him by his collar.
"Bakura don't!" I glared over at Ryou and swiftly grabbed him by his hair.
"Don't do what brat! This?" Yugi cried out in pain as I roughly threw him to the floor and kicked him in the stomach.
"Yugi!"
"Like you could stop me Ryou."
Even his friends were at my mercy, and he was willing to stand up to me to help Yugi.
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"Very well then." Yami closed his eyes, his Sennen eye glowing on his forehead. "We'll have to do it this way."
I put a hand up to my cheek as I felt a burning sensation. I threw Ryou to the floor, realizing it was one of the exact places I'd hit Ryou in earlier. "What are you doing to me!?"
"This what he feels, and you're the one who causes it. Of course this is only the pain he feels on your 'good' days."
A curse to me then, a blessing now that I look back at it.
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I locked the front door as the Ring glowed and Ryou materialized behind me. I sighed and turned, backhanding Ryou across the face, feeling the sting of pain in my own cheek but dismissing it.
"That was for running off with that damn Pharaoh. You always disobey me, thus why I punish you. Why are you always making me be the bad guy Ryou? Why do you always make me punish you?"
"......."
"Answer me brat!"
Ryou closed his eyes, summoning up the last bit of courage and resistance he had.
"Because I hate you! I've always hated you! All you ever do is beat on me and tell me how weak I am!" Ryou opened his eyes, seeing the look on my face and immediately regretting what he'd just said.
" So that's it. You hate me. Good I hate you too!" I grabbed Ryou by his collar, slamming his head into the nearby wall. I quickly released him, my hand flying to the back of my own, feeling the blood there. I looked on the wall, seeing the blood from my hikari's smeared there.
"Blood. You dare draw blood from me?"
"But I didn't!"
"Silence!" I raised his fist, smashing it into his face, and sending the young teen to the floor, as well as myself.
"What the fuck is going on! What did you do to me brat! Spill it or I spill your blood!"
"I didn't do anything, I swear it!"
"Don't lie to me brat!"
"Please! I didn't do anything! I don't know what happened to you when Yami took me away!"
"Yami....."
I stood up, quickly disappearing back into my soul room.
And I blamed him for that, though I now know that it was me.
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I stepped inside the house, immediately sensing that something was wrong. I looked around the dark house, seeing nothing out of place. I suddenly felt like he had been hit by a truck as a wave of pain and grief rushed over him. I shook his head clearing his vision and looked up towards the stairs.
"Ryou.....Ryou where are you? //Ryou what's going on? //
/...../
//Ryou? //
/...../
I started to walk towards the stairs, an image of glass and blood finding its way to my mind as I touched the railing.
"Oh no. Ryou!" I bolted up the stairs, taking them two by twos, trying to get to my hikari as fast as possible. I reached Ryou's room and kicked open the door, stopping dead in my tracks at the site before me. There on the bed lay his Ryou, his wrists and hands bleeding heavily, his millennium Ring in a pool of blood on the floor.
"Ryou!" I ran over to the bed, kneeling down next to my hikari
"What have you done? What have I done?" I grabbed a pillow, ripping off its case and ripped the case into strips, tying them around his wrists. I scooped my hikari up into my arms, running from the room and out the house to the only place I could think of.
That terrible night, the image of him like that was to be carved into my memory forever. I never wanted to see him like that again.
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There was so much blood. I remember it being everywhere. Blood. I know it well, an old friend throughout my life. Ryou once asked me how I thought about blood without cringing from all that I knew about it. I don't know why he did. I told him that it was something that I wasn't really able to speak aloud, it just wouldn't come out. So he told me to write it down, and surprising even myself, I had. I remember how I wrote it, every word, it went something like:
A candy treat to the senses
Red, thick, metallic substance
Salty, sweet, sour salvation
Liquid fire, melted moonlight
Crimson river, life giving stream
Extremes in pleasure and pain
A splash of cold water
A breath of warm air
Flowing soft silk
Falling savory drops
Exotic spice, homeland comfort
Soft whisper, chilling scream
Shimmering crystal, shattered mirror
Scent that revolts, yet entices
Angel's betrayal, demon's loyalty
I had to stop there. I found it even too disturbing for myself to handle. I never showed Ryou, I had crumbled it up and threw it away. I think it would have upset him if I did. Still I never knew why he was so fascinated about my opinion of blood. Anyway, speaking of Ryou, he had been so forgiving about everything I'd done to him.
I laugh, thinking about how much I've changed. A total three sixty as the others often described. What dumb luck I have, maybe I changed too much, I had forgotten Ryou was a mortal. Only a mortal. I had let myself get attached, and I knew that he would eventually die, knew that I would be in this damn prison again. I push aside my thoughts of self-pity and search through my memories, laughing to myself as I find one. Busch Gardens or whatever the hell that place was called. A day full of lessons.
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" Lesson number one Bakura, when you're out with mortals you have to act like one, lesson number two, good things come to those who wait."
The first one, I hated, the second, actually made sense.
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" Ice cream, ice cream, ice...not good...cold..."
"Hush Yami you're having some too." Yugi looked over his shoulder at me. "And don't think you can get away without any either."
"Okay then, what and how much do I have to steal so we can get this over with?" Ryou sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Lesson number three aibou, no stealing."
"But-"
"Absolutely no stealing, got it? You have to use money."
I blinked, clearly confused and looked over to Yami, who only blinked back, confused also. Ryou sighed as Yugi chuckled.
"Never mind, just don't steal anything okay."
"Why?"
"Cause if you get caught, you'll probably hit someone and end up in jail."
"Jail huh."
"Think my dark dank dungeons Tomb Raider."
"I know what jail is Pharaoh."
"Bedsides, Grandpa gave us more than enough money. What flavor you want Yami?"
"It comes in flavors?"
"Hai Yami, it comes in flavors."
"I'll just get what you're getting."
Ryou turned to me. "What do you want?"
"What the Pharaoh said."
So after spending more time in line we finally got their ice cream. Chocolate for Yugi and Yami, vanilla for Ryou and I, strawberry for Tristan, and for some strange reason they had Joey's favorite, pineapple. We all sat down with our food, four teenagers sat silently, spooning ice cream into their mouths. Yami and me on the other hand, sat staring at ours.
"It's cold."
"It's sticky."
"It comes in flavors."
"It requires utensil usage."
We looked at each other clearly not liking the idea of ice cream.
"Would you two just eat it?"
"It's cold." They said in unison, instantly followed by a death glare between them.
"Ha! Bet ya they're scared."
Death glares were instantly turned on the blonde. Tristan scooted away from him, just waiting for the inevitable fight.
"Uh, Joey, I don't think that's a good idea."
"What it's true. They can't handle a little ice cream."
Just to prove ourselves, Yami and I picked up our spoons, each shoving a huge spoonful into our mouths. Unfortunately no one told us that ice cream is better when not chewed.
"Holy fucking Ra! Shit, fuck, damn that's fucking cold!"
"Damn, damn, damn, shit , shit , shit, cold, evil, damn it to the underworld!"
"Bakura! Yami! Don't cuss so loud! You'll get us in trouble with security!"
By this time Yami was pulling on his bangs, trying to get his brain freeze to stop while I had my head on the table, banging it every now and then, trying to relieve mine. Yugi looked at Ryou, the two instantly bursting out in laughter, soon joined by Joey and Tristan. I lifted his head and sat up leaning back in my chair.
"This is exactly why I don't eat. This. Right here."
"Gomen aibou, I should have told you that you're not supposed to chew it."
"You think you could have told us before we chewed it and I screwed up my hair!"
"Down Pharaoh."
"Shut up Tomb Raider!"
"Calm down Yami! Geez, I thought it was going to be Bakura that we had to worry about."
"Speaking of which, are you all right Bakura?"
"Ryou why must you continue torturing me?"
"I'm not trying to torture you Bakura, I'm just trying to show you some of the world. You have to take the good and the bad. Now calm down, onegai try not to make this a bad thing."
Okay, ice cream is off the list, and lesson three wasn't too appealing either.
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Yami and I slid across the car's floor, our combined weight hitting the door and causing it to pop open, and us to go sliding out.
Our hikari's jumped up, instantly grabbing us and yanked us back up into the car. As soon as we had our feet back up we latched onto the pole.
"I'm going to fucking kill you!....when we get on the ground.....I suggest you run...fast...very very fast...."
"I'm going to help!"
"Uhhh gomen?"
"Joey that was one of the stupidest things you have done in your life!"
"And you've done some pretty stupid things!"
"I thought you two were the nice ones."
"Not when you mess with our aibous!"
"You're all moving too fucking much!"
"As Pharaoh and Game King I command you all to sit down and be still and quiet until this thing reaches the ground!"
They all quickly sat down, my string of Egyptian and Yami's Sennen eye signaling to them it was best to do as they were told. When we did reach our destination we practically jumped out and had to be restrained from killing Joey. After about five minutes we finally calmed down.
"Aibou are you going to be okay?"
"Hai, hai I'll be fine. I just need to sit down."
Ryou waved his hand in font of me, I was staring straight ahead, not moving at all.
"Ummm Bakura? Aibou? Are you okay?" My eye twitched and everyone took a step back.
"Right, why don't we all just sit down, and let Yami gain back his composure while Bakura clams himself down."
Now that was a frightening experience, I will never leave the ground again. Then again, I guess I'll never be out of here again.
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Ryou walked up to the house but I remained on the sidewalk.
"Aibou? Aren't you coming?"
"Gomen nasai Ryou. I didn't mean to ruin your day."
"Bakura it's not your fault."
"Don't tell me that. If I hadn't of pulled my knife the-" I stopped, taking my knife from my belt loops and shoved it in between the cracks of the sidewalk. I took my foot and kicked it hard, breaking the blade from its hilt. I picked up the pieces, walking over to Ryou and handing him the two parts.
"There aibou, now I can't hurt or even attempt to hurt anyone with this anymore. Forgive me?"
"I always have."
I believe that was the final straw, I was tired of hurting people, so I got rid of that knife, others didn't know how hard that had been for me.
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That day was...interesting. Acting mortal is hard, glad I'm not one anymore, too much work. I sigh, shifting my weight to keep my leg from falling asleep. My mood is darkened as I remember one of our bad times. I had promised him, and I had broken that promise.
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I jolted up in bed, my eyes still closed, my mind still telling me that I was asleep, my body saying I wasn't. I could still feel that iron grip on my shoulders. I clenched my hand into a fist, throwing a punch out to my right. I froze as I heard the sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh, my mind finally awakening from it. I opened my eyes, and there in front of me sat Ryou, holding his right cheek with tears in his eyes that were threatening to fall.
I hit him. No I promised him! This can't be happening!
I backed away from him, getting up from the bed.
"Y-you you hit m-me."
"Ryou I-I didn't mean to! I didn't know it was you!"
"B-but you p-promised you'd n-never-"
Hot tears had started to roll down his face, and it was because of me that he was crying. I took a step closer, reaching out for him. He only flinched away, giving me that look of pure fear. The look he used to give me when I would beat on him. I closed my eyes not able to stand that look any longer.
"Gomen nasai my aibou. I didn't mean to!"
I back out of the room, bolting down the stairs and out the door.
I broke my promise.......
I was devastated by that, I thought I had lost his trust forever.
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But he forgave me again. Why? I don't know, he amazed me sometimes. It's hard to talk about him in past tense. But anyway, like I was saying, he was such a forgiving person. Maybe it was because he knew of my past, knew why I used to beat on him.
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But if you did what you were told, that gave him no reason to hit you anymore."
"I know, I suppose it became a sort of game for him."
"You mean, he just beat on you for no reason?"
"No reason at all. Just like me."
"Don't say that."
I let my gaze wander up, staring at the stars blankly.
"Do you know hwy I used to beat on you Ryou?"
"Huh? Well, not exactly."
"Because I saw myself in you, the image of an innocent child. You made me angry when I looked at you, reminded me of everything about myself that I learned and been taught to hate."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it was never your fault. When I beat on you, it was like I was beating on myself. Trying to rid that child of any weakness, any chance to feel pain and be afraid of it. I thought I could make you strong like I wasn't. I never realized that I was doing exactly what Zaran used to do to me."
Finally I had given him a reason for my actions.
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"I waited for that day for three thousand years, vowing to take out my pent up anger and rage on the first living thing I saw. I never thought what the consequence to that action may be. I didn't care at that point. That's why I regret so much what I did to you. I almost couldn't believe it when I saw that you looked just like I did as a child. I didn't want history to repeat itself. I never intended to do that to you Ryou, I just got so scared, and I wasn't afraid only for myself but for you also. That's exactly why I am the way I am, and I hate myself for it."
"I understand. Don't hate yourself, it was never truly your fault for being this way, well that's how I see it. I forgive you for hitting my earlier. It was mostly my fault."
"Arigato aibou, I don't know how you keep forgiving me but you do."
So understanding, so forgiving, how he did it, I'll never know.
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Things seemed better, but they became worse. Ryou's father was added into the equation, only complicating things.
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"Uhhh hey dad, this is uhhh Yami Bakura."
"Y-you mean it's true? All the cuts, the bruises, it's all true?" He locked eyes with me, staring pure hate at me.
"Dad listen he do-"
"So what he's said is true, you are real and you're the one who tortures him and beats on him."
"But dad' it's not like that any-"
"Get your hands off of my son!"
I let go of Ryou and step back from him. I'm a bit shaken by his verbal assault, I know what I did was wrong, why does everyone have to rub it in? I stand there, unsure of how to respond. This man means business, and his business is with me. He clenches his fist and takes a step toward me. Next thing I know I'm on the floor, holding my cheek with Ryou kneeled down next to me. Being hit was a shock to me. I'd hadn't been hit in over three thousand years. I stood up, him watching my every move.
That man hated me with a passion. I know that hate, I've felt it many times before.
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How does he do that? Just great, not only was I caught, he thought I was Ryou. Well I don't want to bring up the subject of me yet so I decided to play along. Fortunately I could mimic Ryou's ' I just woke up and I'm still half asleep' voice. "Morning dad, I forgot you were home."
"Want something to eat?"
I don't eat... "Iie, iie I should really go change."
"You feeling okay son? I mean you slept in your clothes and everything."
I look down, noticing I'm already fully dressed. Well this just keeps getting better and better. " I-I was just tired that's all."
"Oh."
I turn, wanting to get out before Ryou comes down.
"Ryou, I know you're mad at me about this whole Yami Bakura thing, but I want you to get rid of that Millennium Ring for your own good. People who were abusive only stay abusive, they don't change."
I spun around quickly, my anger quickly getting the better of me. "Is that the only kind of person you can see me as?!"
"Yami Bakura?"
"You're not going to make this any easier for him are you!"
"What do you mean?"
"It's not about me! It's about Ryou!"
"Hell, of course it is, if you hadn't of hurt him in the first place then this wouldn't be about him! It would only be about you and you I can deal with!"
"Can't you just get past that already! If you want me to admit it then fine! I was wrong for hurting Ryou! You're the one who can't seem to accept the fact that I don't do that anymore! I would never hurt him again! Besides you're the one who didn't believe him when he told you I was hurting him! What kind of father are you?! You could have stopped me!"
"You son of a bitch!"
I wonder if I was ever this difficult to deal with at times when Yami was trying to get it through my head that I shouldn't of been hurting Ryou, probably so.
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Finally we found common ground though, we both cared for Ryou. But he was angry at his father for hurting me and I had to explain a few things to my aibou. Like why not to be angry with his father, why not to take my side. It was hard for me, yet so easy at the same time.
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"You should be glad that he cares for you my hikari."
"Why do you say that?"
"My father never cared about me."
"I though you didn't know your father."
"I knew who he was, but I didn't know him. In fact...I killed my own father."
Ryou looked at him in disbelief and I had to cover my mouth from letting out an audible gasp.
"Why?!"
"He used to come around sometimes, he would hit my mother, he would hit me, and I guess one day I just had too much, so I killed him. I slight his throat. How old was I? I don't know, maybe about six. That's why I say you're lucky. Your father cares for you, he loves you. You shouldn't fight with him because he's angry with me, or take my side because you feel obligated to."
"I-I don't feel obligated to. I care for you just as much as I care about dad. He just happens to be the wrong one this time."
"He's not wrong. I can understand why he has trouble understanding why you care. I mean look at the type of person was. Don't push this issue with him my hikari, and don't push him away either."
"But why? Why are you defending him? He beat the shit out of you and you're defending him, I don't understand."
Of course he didn't understand. I didn't understand myself. Maybe I just didn't want to make his life worse by ruining the relationship he had with is father. After all, I'd done enough damage.
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"Uh, Yami Bakura first off, I'd like to know...why didn't you fight back?"
I reached out for Ryou, ruffling my aibou's hair gently. "Ryou doesn't want me hurting anyone, and I'll do whatever he asks if it keeps him happy."
Ryou's father smiled slightly and extend my hand to me. "Second, I'd like to apologize for what I did to you, forgive me?"
I took his hand, giving him a slight smile. "If there's anything I've learned from Ryou, it's forgiving people for the bad they've done."
"Arigato."
A break through for me. I still stand by that lesson, I only wish I had told Ryou exactly how much he helped me, but now I can't, can I?
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I believe that whole thing made me more tolerant of people, and for Ryou's sake, I let the world in beyond the walls I had so painstakingly erected. I went places with him and his friends. Called them by their first names even. Pharaoh's hikari became Yugi, Pharaoh became Yami, from Idiot One and Two to Joey and Tristan. I even joined in with their fun. Ryou was happier than ever. I believe I was too. A smile graced my features so often back then. Ryou was the little brother I never had. He even nicknamed me like family members often do. I went from Yami Bakura, to Bakura, to just simply Kura.
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"Why am I coming with you again? They're your friends, not mine."
He sighed, shaking his head. "Why don't you like them?"
"Because they don't like me."
"That's a stupid excuse, and they do like you."
I shoved my hands in my pockets, an annoyed expression on my face as we walked.
Right, so I wasn't too ecstatic about the idea, but I grew to accept them.
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"Iie, it's all right, I understand Kura."
I stopped, looking at him strangely. "What did you just call me?"
"I called you Bakura, it's either that or aibou. What else would I call you?"
I reached out and put my hand on my shoulder, stopping him. "Iie, you called me Kura."
He bit his bottom lip slightly, his hands fidgeting with the Ring. "I-is it wrong that I called you that?"
I smiled at him, then put my hands in my pockets and continued to walk. He continued after me, noticing my somewhat spaced out expression.
"A-aibou? Daijobu ka?"
"Daijobu hikari. I was just...remembering."
"About?"
I smiled a little. "Back in Egypt, when I was really little, maybe about three years old, my mother and my friends called me Kura. I even referred to myself as Kura."
"W-well if it makes you sad, t-then I won't call you that."
"Iie, iie I like being called Kura, I guess it sort of makes me feel secure in a way. If that's what you want to call me, well then go ahead. And onegai don't be nervous about it."
"Nervous? W-ho says I'm n-nervous?"
"You're stuttering, you do that when you get nervous or scared. I guess it's a normal reaction around me by now."
"Iie, it's not. So what were you like as a kid?"
Kura...that's what he started to call me. It comforted me, made me feel safe.
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Things went rather smoothly for the both of us. He felt safe and I felt accepted. Little did I know how much he had in store for me. A whole list of holidays, of things I couldn't understand. Christmas, and New Year's…are foremost in my mind though.
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Oh but I can't resist my aibou...even if it means going back out into the frozen rain of death! Why? Because I can't even win against him. So there we were standing in a place full of trees, staring at them.
"How's this one?"
"It doesn't have strong branches."
I growled to myself. "What about that one?"
"It's not full enough in the back."
"Who looks at the back Ryou?"
"I will."
I crossed my arms as he walked up to yet another Ra forsaken tree. "This one is good."
"It looks exactly like the last three!"
"It has to be perfect Kura."
"Why Ryou?"
"Because dad is here and it's my first Christmas with you."
He looked up at me with his big brown eyes. Now how can I resist that? I put my hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"Okay aibou, if that's the one you want."
Everything had to be perfect for him. And I wanted to make each of his next Christmases perfect too…and I always did from then on.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Presents had long been opened, now Ryou and I were cleaning up the wrapping paper and such. His father had rushed out afterwards, he was called into his Domino stationed office, he said it was important. Ryou was on his hands and knees, crawling around the tree, picking up the scraps that I had missed.
"Hey Kura, look you missed one of your presents." He stood up, handing me the brightly wrapped square.
"Why do I have so many presents again?"
"Don't complain. Open it."
I peeled back the layers of paper, revealing a picture frame. I flipped it over only to smile at the picture that was in the frame. I remember this picture being taken, the one of me Ryou and his father. Hai, a few weeks ago, when his father first came home.
"I guess dad was just in such a hurry that we forgot about that one. Anyway me and dad wanted to give you something special, so we came up with this. It's your family."
"My family..."
"I know we're not your real family but-"
"Hai, you are. Arigato Ryou. By the way."
"Hai?"
"I still have something for you too. I didn't get time to wrap it or anything. Stay here."
I walked back to my room, opening my bedside table drawer and pulled out the thing I had picked out for Ryou. I returned to him, handing it to him.
"Kura, where did you get this?"
"It's straight out of Ancient Egypt."
He held up the golden ankh on it's golden chain, inspecting it.
"From Ancient Egypt?"
"Hai, it used to me mine, my mother gave it to me when I was little...she said it was to protect me."
"Kura...I can't take this, it was from your mother."
"Iie, I want you to have it. You're growing up Ryou, and soon...you won't need me around anymore. So maybe this will protect you when I'm gone too."
"Kura! You're not supposed to make me cry on Christmas!"
"Uh, um gomen aibou?"
"I'm just playing with ya. Arigato Kura.
So I guess with those two things, me and Ryou became truly a part of one another's families, and why not? After all he is…well was the other half of my soul…
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
/Aibou?/
//Hai hikari?//
/Tell me what you're going to call them./
//Huh? Oh no, we're not playing that game.//
/What game?/
//The one where I say something stupid and you laugh.//
/I won't laugh. Come on, tell me./
//Promise you won't.//
/ I won't laugh, that's an aibou promise./
//Burning sky flowers.//
I smile to myself
/Yup, you're right Kura./
//I am?//
/Hai aibou...burning sky flowers. Happy New Years aibou./
Only later did I find out that they were actually called fireworks. Though from the time I called them burning sky flowers, Ryou did too…that's how he even described them to his children when they saw them for the first time.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
It's so hard to talk about him like that. Well I couldn't hold onto him forever. And as people tend to do, Ryou grew up. We stayed close, him often asking me for advice. It was strange at times, and depressing really, him being older physically than me and I younger looking but the elder of us, being over three thousand and all.
Hai, he grew up, got married, had a family. What happened to me? He tried to keep me involved, tried to pass me off as "Uncle" Bakura…but when you don't physically age, that part can only be played for so long. So eventually "Uncle" Bakura had "moved to Okinawa" and he never came back.
Really, I stayed in my soul room more often. If I wanted to be out I stayed up in the attic. Eventually I didn't come out anymore. And if I did, it was because Ryou wanted to talk to me and that was only behind the privacy of closed and locked doors.
I remember the day he died, the exact moment.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
/You'll miss me won't you?/
//Of course I will, how could I forget you?//
/Gomen../
//For what?//
/I know that you'll be sealed into the Ring again…/
//Hey, I've had my second chance at life. I enjoyed it, I'll be fine.//
/I'll miss you too Kura…goodbye./
//Goodbye my aibou.//
And that was it, our link went silent, and darkness surrounded me.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Shadi had come for the Ring then, and it's been in his possession ever since. he's been keeping it safe…And I hate him for it. I have always hoped that the Ring would be destroyed since that day, that I would simply cease to exist. But the damn guardian of the items will never let them be destroyed. He visits every so often, just to torture me with the past., to remind me that I'll be locked in this darkness forever, that he'll never let the Ring be destroyed.
A familiar flash of light in the darkness signals that Shadi's come for another visit. I stand as he approaches and turn my back on him. "I take it you're not pleased to see me thief."
"Have I ever been? Thanks to you I'm stuck here for all of eternity."
"You had your second taste of life, wasn't that enough?"
"If I knew I was going to feel this way...I would have passed up the offer."
"What do you mean?"
"I had forgotten how hard it is to lose everything. All in a matter of minutes, for the second time, I've lost everything I hold dear, except this time I lost my aibou, a part of myself, as well. Tell me Shadi have you been counting the years as well?"
"You're bitter then? How truly sad, I had hoped you'd be satisfied by now so I could leave you in this darkness."
"What are you talking about? On second thought don't tell me, I'm sick of talking to you."
"I'll take me leave then, but before I go, I have a message from your other."
"F-from Ryou?"
"He said, he's waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?"
"One soul split into the properties of light and darkness, good and evil, but one soul none the less. I release you Darkness, you are no longer prisoner of the Ring."
Shadi vanished, as well as the darkness. It melted from around me, leaving me standing in a never ending white nothingness. Footsteps…I can hear footsteps. I turn around, seeing a familiar figure walking towards me.
"A-aibou?"
He merely stopped about three feet from me and smiled. He looked fifteen again, specifically around the time that I made peace with him, that I stopped hurting him.
I took a step back, shaking my head to clear if of this illusion. I've been imprisoned too long, I'm going crazy, this isn't happening. But…he didn't go away like I hoped. And now, I didn't know whether to hug him, or run from him.
"Hello aibou."
"This can't be happening."
He chuckled softly. "Well it is."
"Iie, it can't be, you're dead."
"But it is." He took a few steps towards me and reached out, placing his hand on my shoulder. "See."
"How?"
"By the Ring that binds us my yami, by the Ring that binds us. We're one you and I. It's only right that our soul be returned to whole." He backed up a step. "Come on Kura, you don't have to be alone or in the darkness anymore." He took hold of my hand, leading me off into this vast expanse.
And I won't be alone anymore now, I have my aibou back. He was right. We were what we were. Light and Darkness. Two halves of one soul, bound by the Ring.
~Owari~
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Tsuki: *bows* Arigato.
Neko: I'm impressed aibou, you used big words and evr- Bakura? Are you crying?
Bakura: *wiping at his eyes* Iie, I just have something in them, dirt or something that's all.
Yami: Iie, he's crying.
Bakura: It was sad okay!?
Ryou: *hugs Bakura* Sore okie aibou
Yugi: *hands Bakura a tissue*
Tsuki: Well guys hope you liked it! Review!