Summary: Return. Seto and his brother return to the mountains, where Seto
had his accident, for a vacation. Bakura leads Seto to Ryou, who has been
slowly loosing his grip on reality. Seto reluctantly offers his help to the
young psychic, who's being overwhelmed by spirits.
Just a warning: Seto will be acting a –bit- OOC. Don't worry, though. He'll be the arrogant, cocky, and stoic again soon enough.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to YGO nor do I claim to.
Bakura = Ryou
Yami Bakura = Bakura
This story will eventually contain Shonen Ai, don't like? DON'T READ!
-Blah- Emphasized words
"Blah" Speaking
'Blah' Thoughts
*~*~~*~* Scene Change
*~*Flashback or Dream*~*
~*~ Character Focus Switch ~*~ (You'll get it.)
/Mind Speaking/
//Reply Mind Speaking//
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
Amber Skies
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
Seto Kaiba watched idly as the car that his brother was driving drove past many trees, and lonely houses. It was late summer and was the year of Mokuba's twenty-first birthday. Being true to his promise, Seto had allowed Mokuba to pick their vacation spot. His choice had been the worst place that Seto could imagine: the mountains. He had been avoiding the mountains since his car accident, as it brought back some rather odd memories.
Seto watched as they passed the house of the young man who had taken him in for five days after his crash, and had tended to his wounds. The boy had needed a teacher at the time. Seto wondered if he had ever found one. Shrugging it off, he turned to his brother, who was humming to an up beat pop song on the radio.
"Why in the world did you want to come -here-, Mokuba? You could have asked to go anywhere in the world."
Mokuba turned down the radio and glanced at Seto out of the corner of his eye. "I've always liked the mountains, big brother. You know that."
Seto sighed. He did, indeed, know that Mokuba loved the mountains. 'Something about how they sparkled all year round' was the excuse given. Seto slouched down in his seat and decided to take a nap, for it was at least another half -hour before they arrived at the lodge.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Bakura ~*~
Bakura entered his brother's bedroom cautiously, lest the boy in question decide to try and banish him again. Ryou had been progressively getting worse about controlling his psychic powers, and Bakura had to stop him several times from blowing up the house. The two had discovered that Ryou could control fire, read minds, see spirits, and move things without touching them.
Ryou was sitting on the bed, facing the window. Bakura knew what the younger boy was staring at without even questioning him. Ryou had dreamed of the man they had taken in, Seto Kaiba, coming up to the mountains on a vacation. Ever since dreaming it, Ryou had been obsessed with watching the window, just to see who would pass by and if it was he. It was the only thing that had been anchoring Ryou to reality, which he often was rid of. The amount of spirits Ryou had been seeing had been slowly increasing and, every time a new one showed up, Ryou would try and keep it away, for most of them meant no good for Bakura and he. Ryou had been quite exhausted mind wise in the past months, and spent most of his time staring out the window or sleeping.
Bakura felt the familiar soul awareness in a person that passed by the house in a small black car, and immediately he knew it was that man, Seto Kaiba. He wouldn't tell Ryou just yet though. The poor boy had enough on his mind already, and Bakura didn't want to burden him with the hopes of getting a teacher without certainty. He slipped out of the room quietly, and followed the spirit of Kaiba, who he would force to teach his brother at least a -few- things to help him get by.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Ryou ~*~
The water was freezing as it spilled over the rocks and onto his body. Here, beneath the small waterfall deep in the woods, was the only place where he could escape the constant distraction of the ghosts haunting the house and grounds. His hair clung in an icy mass to the back of his neck, but he welcomed the numb. To be numb meant not feeling, and not feeling meant no pain. Pain was his daily companion, for his very soul hurt with the effort of keeping enough focus to live a somewhat decent life.
Ryou vaguely wondered where Bakura had gone. His brother's ghost had left two days before, and usually Bakura checked in on him every few hours to see if everything was all right. It was ok that Bakura wasn't there, though. After all, Ryou could take care of himself for more than a few hours at a time. He wasn't a child anymore, although Bakura thought him to be most of the time.
Ryou closed his eyes after a moment and let the entirety of his body be numbed by the frigid waters pouring from the rocky slope of the fall.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Seto ~*~
Seto growled as he trundled through the thick brush and trees of a forest that was behind this 'Ryou's' house. The ghost of his brother, Bakura if he remembered properly, had located him at the lodge and convinced him to come down and see Ryou for a few minutes. Being arrogant, it was his first nature to refuse to help anyone, but Bakura had explained what Ryou had been going through. Seto didn't like what he heard. This Ryou was having the same troubles he had had when he first noticed his powers.
When they reached a clearing, the apparent rumble of a small waterfall met his ears. He looked around, but saw nothing. Seto raised an eyebrow, and turned to Bakura, who was pointing to a small gap between two trees. Seto squeezed his way through, and was met with the sight of the ghost's brother standing beneath the waterfall, shaking. He stepped forward to pull the boy out, but stopped when he got close enough to really see the boy's body.
Well muscled and lean, the boy's body was that of a working man without bulky muscles. Pale skin, turned slightly blue from cold, ran down the expanse of his exposed back and down into the black material of his pants. Dark gray hair, darkened from the water, clung to his shoulders and back as he tilted his head up. The effeminate features were still there, though they looked worn and tired, as if the he hadn't gotten a good night's rest in months.
Seto reached out into the icy falls and gently grabbed Ryou's arm. Ryou's eyes snapped open on him and focused quickly. Surprise was evident in the amber orbs as Seto led Ryou to the bank of the small river. Bakura made himself visible to Ryou, who was looking around for him, as the twin often did in moments of confusion. Seto removed his jacket and placed it around Ryou's shoulders in a rare act of kindness. Ryou looked at Seto with even more confusion and opened his mouth to speak. Instead, a ring of coughs made their way past his lips. Seto placed one arm beneath Ryou's knees and the other behind his back as he lifted the smaller man up.
Seto followed Bakura up to the house, all the while looking at Ryou, who had been staring at Seto with wide eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you, Ryou."
/I know. Why are you here again?/
Seto raised an eyebrow. //Where did you learn to do that?//
Ryou looked over at Bakura to answer the question. Seto nodded and kept his eyes on the direction they were headed in. It would be extremely easy to get lost in these woods.
*~*~~*~*
Ryou looked at Bakura, who was talking with Seto, with blurry eyes. He had a fever, which was the only result you can get after standing in an icy waterfall for over an hour. Seto would occasionally glance over at Ryou, who was wondering why the two were being so civil when the last time they met they had been anything -but- civil. Ryou gave up on pondering such a question with a stuffy head and stared at Seto to see if there had been any changes in the man's face. The only ones that were noticeable were the way his hair was being worn, loose instead of gelled in place, and his dress attire. When Ryou had first brought Seto into his home, he had been wearing a long black trench coat and a black turtleneck over a pair of khaki pants. Now, the businessman was wearing a long sleeved blue shirt over a pair of black jeans.
Ryou winced as a few shimmering forms entered the room, without Bakura or Seto's notice. The number slowly began to increase, and Ryou couldn't escape the muffling feel of their presence. Ryou knew why they were there; they wanted to talk to him, give him messages for their loved ones that they had left behind, although most of them didn't know that their loved ones were long gone and on the other side. They would -always- come in his most vulnerable moments. Ryou must have let out a noise of discomfort because he heard Bakura curse and Seto mutter a reply. A few seconds later, the ghosts were gone, and Ryou cracked open a tightly shut- eye to see why. Seto stood at the foot of his bed, with Bakura staring at him in something akin to amazement.
"I've never seen that many forced out at once. Ryou can only send maybe one or two at a time."
Seto looked at Bakura with an arrogant smirk. "That's because Ryou hasn't been trained properly."
Bakura looked at his brother critically. Ryou stared back through his hazy vision. "Will you be the one to teach him then?"
Seto looked at Ryou as well and sighed. "I guess I have to now. Although the first time he slacks, I'm gone. I don't appreciate free- loaders."
Ryou shut his eyes in relief and let himself drift into the bliss of sleep. He finally had a teacher and, if he worked hard enough, possibly a friend.
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~* End Chapter Six. Hope you enjoyed!
Please review and don't flame.
Just a warning: Seto will be acting a –bit- OOC. Don't worry, though. He'll be the arrogant, cocky, and stoic again soon enough.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to YGO nor do I claim to.
Bakura = Ryou
Yami Bakura = Bakura
This story will eventually contain Shonen Ai, don't like? DON'T READ!
-Blah- Emphasized words
"Blah" Speaking
'Blah' Thoughts
*~*~~*~* Scene Change
*~*Flashback or Dream*~*
~*~ Character Focus Switch ~*~ (You'll get it.)
/Mind Speaking/
//Reply Mind Speaking//
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
Amber Skies
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
Seto Kaiba watched idly as the car that his brother was driving drove past many trees, and lonely houses. It was late summer and was the year of Mokuba's twenty-first birthday. Being true to his promise, Seto had allowed Mokuba to pick their vacation spot. His choice had been the worst place that Seto could imagine: the mountains. He had been avoiding the mountains since his car accident, as it brought back some rather odd memories.
Seto watched as they passed the house of the young man who had taken him in for five days after his crash, and had tended to his wounds. The boy had needed a teacher at the time. Seto wondered if he had ever found one. Shrugging it off, he turned to his brother, who was humming to an up beat pop song on the radio.
"Why in the world did you want to come -here-, Mokuba? You could have asked to go anywhere in the world."
Mokuba turned down the radio and glanced at Seto out of the corner of his eye. "I've always liked the mountains, big brother. You know that."
Seto sighed. He did, indeed, know that Mokuba loved the mountains. 'Something about how they sparkled all year round' was the excuse given. Seto slouched down in his seat and decided to take a nap, for it was at least another half -hour before they arrived at the lodge.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Bakura ~*~
Bakura entered his brother's bedroom cautiously, lest the boy in question decide to try and banish him again. Ryou had been progressively getting worse about controlling his psychic powers, and Bakura had to stop him several times from blowing up the house. The two had discovered that Ryou could control fire, read minds, see spirits, and move things without touching them.
Ryou was sitting on the bed, facing the window. Bakura knew what the younger boy was staring at without even questioning him. Ryou had dreamed of the man they had taken in, Seto Kaiba, coming up to the mountains on a vacation. Ever since dreaming it, Ryou had been obsessed with watching the window, just to see who would pass by and if it was he. It was the only thing that had been anchoring Ryou to reality, which he often was rid of. The amount of spirits Ryou had been seeing had been slowly increasing and, every time a new one showed up, Ryou would try and keep it away, for most of them meant no good for Bakura and he. Ryou had been quite exhausted mind wise in the past months, and spent most of his time staring out the window or sleeping.
Bakura felt the familiar soul awareness in a person that passed by the house in a small black car, and immediately he knew it was that man, Seto Kaiba. He wouldn't tell Ryou just yet though. The poor boy had enough on his mind already, and Bakura didn't want to burden him with the hopes of getting a teacher without certainty. He slipped out of the room quietly, and followed the spirit of Kaiba, who he would force to teach his brother at least a -few- things to help him get by.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Ryou ~*~
The water was freezing as it spilled over the rocks and onto his body. Here, beneath the small waterfall deep in the woods, was the only place where he could escape the constant distraction of the ghosts haunting the house and grounds. His hair clung in an icy mass to the back of his neck, but he welcomed the numb. To be numb meant not feeling, and not feeling meant no pain. Pain was his daily companion, for his very soul hurt with the effort of keeping enough focus to live a somewhat decent life.
Ryou vaguely wondered where Bakura had gone. His brother's ghost had left two days before, and usually Bakura checked in on him every few hours to see if everything was all right. It was ok that Bakura wasn't there, though. After all, Ryou could take care of himself for more than a few hours at a time. He wasn't a child anymore, although Bakura thought him to be most of the time.
Ryou closed his eyes after a moment and let the entirety of his body be numbed by the frigid waters pouring from the rocky slope of the fall.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Seto ~*~
Seto growled as he trundled through the thick brush and trees of a forest that was behind this 'Ryou's' house. The ghost of his brother, Bakura if he remembered properly, had located him at the lodge and convinced him to come down and see Ryou for a few minutes. Being arrogant, it was his first nature to refuse to help anyone, but Bakura had explained what Ryou had been going through. Seto didn't like what he heard. This Ryou was having the same troubles he had had when he first noticed his powers.
When they reached a clearing, the apparent rumble of a small waterfall met his ears. He looked around, but saw nothing. Seto raised an eyebrow, and turned to Bakura, who was pointing to a small gap between two trees. Seto squeezed his way through, and was met with the sight of the ghost's brother standing beneath the waterfall, shaking. He stepped forward to pull the boy out, but stopped when he got close enough to really see the boy's body.
Well muscled and lean, the boy's body was that of a working man without bulky muscles. Pale skin, turned slightly blue from cold, ran down the expanse of his exposed back and down into the black material of his pants. Dark gray hair, darkened from the water, clung to his shoulders and back as he tilted his head up. The effeminate features were still there, though they looked worn and tired, as if the he hadn't gotten a good night's rest in months.
Seto reached out into the icy falls and gently grabbed Ryou's arm. Ryou's eyes snapped open on him and focused quickly. Surprise was evident in the amber orbs as Seto led Ryou to the bank of the small river. Bakura made himself visible to Ryou, who was looking around for him, as the twin often did in moments of confusion. Seto removed his jacket and placed it around Ryou's shoulders in a rare act of kindness. Ryou looked at Seto with even more confusion and opened his mouth to speak. Instead, a ring of coughs made their way past his lips. Seto placed one arm beneath Ryou's knees and the other behind his back as he lifted the smaller man up.
Seto followed Bakura up to the house, all the while looking at Ryou, who had been staring at Seto with wide eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you, Ryou."
/I know. Why are you here again?/
Seto raised an eyebrow. //Where did you learn to do that?//
Ryou looked over at Bakura to answer the question. Seto nodded and kept his eyes on the direction they were headed in. It would be extremely easy to get lost in these woods.
*~*~~*~*
Ryou looked at Bakura, who was talking with Seto, with blurry eyes. He had a fever, which was the only result you can get after standing in an icy waterfall for over an hour. Seto would occasionally glance over at Ryou, who was wondering why the two were being so civil when the last time they met they had been anything -but- civil. Ryou gave up on pondering such a question with a stuffy head and stared at Seto to see if there had been any changes in the man's face. The only ones that were noticeable were the way his hair was being worn, loose instead of gelled in place, and his dress attire. When Ryou had first brought Seto into his home, he had been wearing a long black trench coat and a black turtleneck over a pair of khaki pants. Now, the businessman was wearing a long sleeved blue shirt over a pair of black jeans.
Ryou winced as a few shimmering forms entered the room, without Bakura or Seto's notice. The number slowly began to increase, and Ryou couldn't escape the muffling feel of their presence. Ryou knew why they were there; they wanted to talk to him, give him messages for their loved ones that they had left behind, although most of them didn't know that their loved ones were long gone and on the other side. They would -always- come in his most vulnerable moments. Ryou must have let out a noise of discomfort because he heard Bakura curse and Seto mutter a reply. A few seconds later, the ghosts were gone, and Ryou cracked open a tightly shut- eye to see why. Seto stood at the foot of his bed, with Bakura staring at him in something akin to amazement.
"I've never seen that many forced out at once. Ryou can only send maybe one or two at a time."
Seto looked at Bakura with an arrogant smirk. "That's because Ryou hasn't been trained properly."
Bakura looked at his brother critically. Ryou stared back through his hazy vision. "Will you be the one to teach him then?"
Seto looked at Ryou as well and sighed. "I guess I have to now. Although the first time he slacks, I'm gone. I don't appreciate free- loaders."
Ryou shut his eyes in relief and let himself drift into the bliss of sleep. He finally had a teacher and, if he worked hard enough, possibly a friend.
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~* End Chapter Six. Hope you enjoyed!
Please review and don't flame.