Tada! I'm back! Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I suck at responding,
but I assure you that I read them over and over again and they always make
me smile! ^.^
Wow, I really have nothing to say this time, don't I?
Heero: It's about time you learn to shut up.
Bat: Tisk tisk, Heero. This fic is PG 13. I wont tolerate swearing.
Heero: ...
Bat: Ok, ok. I just made that rule up. But I'm the almighty author! I can do whatever the hell I want to! (laughs)
Heero: (death glare)
Chapter 9- Liberi Fatali
Ryou gently used a towel to dry Bakura's now clean hair.
Yugi was now sleeping on Ryou's bed upstairs. The smaller boy had been helping Ryou with Bakura all afternoon and was obviously exhausted.
Yugi had been slightly shaken up by the sight of Bakura in that alley, but he had soon understood that Ryou knew about H.E.L.L., and told him about his own situation with Yami.
Ryou could tell by the look in his eyes that Yugi was terrified that Yami would end up like Bakura, alone and mindless in an alley. Ryou had been too numb at the time to quiet his friend's unspoken fear, and he now regretted his silence. He regretted a lot of things.
Like giving Bakura that damned address.
Ryou sighed and shifted to get better access to Bakura's hair.
A loud snore brought Ryou out of his reverie. Ryou chuckled at the sound. He had never gotten used to his father's snoring, and he supposed it was almost a good thing that he was away so often, otherwise Ryou would probably never get any sleep.
The aforementioned father had been asleep in the master bedroom when Ryou and Yugi came home with the filthy Bakura. Ryou guessed that his father had gotten home sometime in the afternoon. Being overworked as he was, it wasn't rare for his father to come home and sleep for two days strait before heading off to work again.
His nearly comatose father hadn't woken up when Ryou and Yugi had struggled to wash the unresponsive Bakura. Ryou guessed that it was just as well.
He had no idea how he would explain Bakura's presence.
For the past few hours, as he had been absentmindedly taking care of Bakura, Ryou thought of how he could break it to his father that he had a robot copy. No matter how he formulated the statement, it still sounded ridiculous, even to his own ears. And to think, breaking that news to his father was the least of his problems.
There was something horribly wrong with Bakura.
Physically, Bakura looked fine. More then fine, actually. He looked perfect. Skin that had once been marred by machinery was now as soft and flawless as porcelain.
'He's beautiful.' Ryou thought, putting down the towel. He picked up a brush and gently started to pull it through Bakura's hair. Bakura didn't even blink.
And that was the problem.
Before, even though Bakura had LOOKED like a cyborg, he had acted perfectly human.
'Ok, he was slightly sadistic, but he had feelings and acted human nonetheless. But now... its like he's a doll.'
Seated comfortably in front of Ryou, Bakura hadn't moved a muscle since they had sat down an hour ago. He hadn't even flinched as Ryou absentmindedly rubbed his hair with a towel for a good hour. Lost in his thoughts, Ryou hadn't noticed the time go by.
Bakura's dull eyes simply stared ahead.
He had been like that since they found him. In the alley, Ryou had flung his arms around Bakura's neck and had sobbed for joy. Instead of tossing him off and yelling at him like Ryou expected him to, Bakura had been motionless. No yelling, no swearing. Bakura hadn't even flinched. He had simply stood still and had gotten to his feet when Ryou placated him to, and had followed him mindlessly when Ryou grasped his dirty hand.
"A doll." Ryou murmured.
He had phoned the number corresponding to the address he had found for Bakura. The voice on the other end had simply laughed at his frantic pleas.
"My beloved partner only got an upgrade!" The voice had said, "Don't you like it? He's much better looking now."
Ryou had yelled at him angrily that he could shove the upgrade up somewhere. The voice had laughed at his frustration.
"I like him much better now. He's not as loud and annoying."
"What did you do to him?!" Ryou had cried out.
"Oh... We just cleaned the mess that was between his ears."
The conversation hadn't yielded more information then that. The jerk on the other line seemed to be taking an immense amount of pleasure in Ryou's frustration. The angrier Ryou got, the more the other person had laughed, until Ryou couldn't stand it anymore and had hung up. Yugi had stared at him in shock, surprised that the normally soft-spoken Ryou was capable of such aggression.
'I've changed since I met Bakura.' Ryou thought. 'Even if it was for a short amount of time, I wasn't lonely anymore. I never want to be alone again.'
Ryou leaned his head against Bakura's back and allowed his body to shudder with sobs.
"What did they do to you?"
Bakura turned to face Ryou, and for a moment Ryou thought that he was back to normal, that he would snarl at him for being weak.
No. His eyes were still dead, his face still expressionless.
But he had moved without being asked to. What did that mean?
Ryou's lip trembled. He leaned his head against Bakura's chest and listened to his artificial heartbeat.
"I thought for sure that I had found my soul mate when I met you. Please...love me, hate me, I don't care. But don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me alone!"
Tears wouldn't come anymore, but Ryou leaned into Bakura's warmth. The cyborg then wrapped his arms around the boy. Whether it was reflex or not, Ryou didn't know, but it made him feel immensely better. Somewhere, behind those dead eyes, there was Bakura.
Maybe one day, things would be back to the way they were. Until then, Ryou would make the most of what he had.
Ryou reluctantly left Bakura's arms.
"I'm going to put that towel back. Lie down, you're sleeping on the couch tonight." Ryou managed to put on a shaky smile.
He headed soundlessly upstairs and hung the towel back on the rack. He then opened the door to his room and checked up on Yugi. The light from the hallway made Yugi groan and turn over in his sleep. Ryou smiled gently and closed the door.
He turned around and jumped a bit when he saw Bakura standing there.
"I didn't hear you following me. Go back downstairs, I'm just going to get some blankets for you from my father's room." Ryou whispered.
Bakura didn't move. He simply stared at Ryou blankly.
Ryou sighed. "You can come with me if you want, but be quiet. My father is dead tired."
There was no point in telling Bakura this. Bakura moved without a sound in the dark, his socks not even shuffling the wooden floor as Ryou's were.
Ryou gently opened the door to his father's room and was greeted by a loud snore. He walked over to the closet, Bakura following closely behind.
There was a sudden glint of metal and Ryou cried out.
Bakura had just caught a knife that was thrown with the intention of killing him.
Near the window and his father's bed was a dark shadow that looked like...
"YAMI!" Yugi cried out as he ran towards the figure, which growled and flung Yugi back.
Sure enough, Yami was standing there, dressed from head to toe in black. The former pharaoh was holding a sword, and his blood-red eyes glinted in the darkness.
Yugi's cry had woken up Ryou's father, who flung himself off the bed and away from Yami with a startled cry.
Yami repressed a groan. He had thought that tonight's assassination would be simple.
"All present must be eliminated..." He murmured to himself and jump effortlessly over the bed, sword raised to strike Ryou's father down.
Ryou realised what Yami was trying to do and pushed his father out of the way...
However, this placed Ryou in the path of Yami's sword, and Yami had no intention of letting Ryou live. Everyone here had to be killed. If the boy wanted to go first, so be it.
Ryou closed his eyes, expecting the blade to pierce through his skin, but the fatal blow never came.
He heard Yami take a sharp intake of breath. Ryou's eyes snapped open, and what he saw shocked him.
Bakura was in front of Ryou and had blocked the blow with his arm.
Wires sparked where the sword was embedded in the arm. Bakura took advantage of Yami's momentary stupor and slammed his fist into the Pharaoh's face.
There was a sickening cracking sound and Yami was flung back against a wall. He slumped to the floor with a thud.
'Bakura protected me.' Ryou thought with wonder. Bakura's face was as expressionless as ever, but he had taken the blow for him. Ryou wanted to cry.
"What's going on?" Ryou murmured.
His father was watching the scene develop in horror, and Yugi was in tears, clutching his wounded stomach.
"Yami..." Yugi crawled over to the fallen assassin. "Yami."
Before Yugi could touch him, Yami's eyes shot open. In a fluid movement, Yami was on his feet and he jumped away from Yugi.
His eyes jumped around the room.
He could see it, he could see his sword! All he had to do was grab it and complete his mission.
But there was the cyborg standing between Yami and his sword. His arms were hanging limply by his side, sparks jumping from the cut Yami had inflicted. His eyes were dull, lifeless. There should be nothing to worry about. The cyborg's memory had been wiped out. He should simply grab his sword and kill them all.
But the more Yami thought about it, the more uncertain he became.
The white haired cyborg looked harmless, like a doll, but that wasn't true. When Yami had tried to attack the boy, the cyborg had protected him.
And there was something about the small boy who was looking at him with tear-filled eyes...
"This wasn't supposed to happen." Yami muttered.
Before Ryou could blink, Yami was out the window. Yugi gasped and rushed towards the window. He watched his shadow disappear into the night, moulding into the darkness.
Unable to retain the tears, Yugi slumped down to the ground and began to cry.
* * * * * *
(Rubs eyes) Its 2:00 am. I really wanted to post a chapter this week.
Sorry if there are a bunch of typos, or sentences that are messed up. I tried to reread it, but the screen is starting to blur, so I think its time for me to go to bed.
If someone would be so kind as to point out my errors in an email, I'll be happy to fix them. I'm thinking of rewriting this chapter anyways. It's supposed to be the coolest one yet, but I don't think my muddled mind was able to accomplish that. (sigh)
Don't ask me why Yami has a sword. I don't know yet. I just like swords. Plus it fits in with the Battousai theme. ^.^
Oh, and incase you guys are wondering, yes, Ryou gave Bakura a bath. Let your imagination take you where it will.
I just realised that I ended this chapter with a cliff-hanger... Opps. ^^; Didn't mean to. Sorry. But you know, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to write!
The title will be familiar to Final Fantasy VIII fans. I'm too tired to think of something on my own. ^^ Liberi Fatali means 'Fated Children.' It's a kick-ass song. Download it if you can.
Thanks for reading. Review!
Wow, I really have nothing to say this time, don't I?
Heero: It's about time you learn to shut up.
Bat: Tisk tisk, Heero. This fic is PG 13. I wont tolerate swearing.
Heero: ...
Bat: Ok, ok. I just made that rule up. But I'm the almighty author! I can do whatever the hell I want to! (laughs)
Heero: (death glare)
Chapter 9- Liberi Fatali
Ryou gently used a towel to dry Bakura's now clean hair.
Yugi was now sleeping on Ryou's bed upstairs. The smaller boy had been helping Ryou with Bakura all afternoon and was obviously exhausted.
Yugi had been slightly shaken up by the sight of Bakura in that alley, but he had soon understood that Ryou knew about H.E.L.L., and told him about his own situation with Yami.
Ryou could tell by the look in his eyes that Yugi was terrified that Yami would end up like Bakura, alone and mindless in an alley. Ryou had been too numb at the time to quiet his friend's unspoken fear, and he now regretted his silence. He regretted a lot of things.
Like giving Bakura that damned address.
Ryou sighed and shifted to get better access to Bakura's hair.
A loud snore brought Ryou out of his reverie. Ryou chuckled at the sound. He had never gotten used to his father's snoring, and he supposed it was almost a good thing that he was away so often, otherwise Ryou would probably never get any sleep.
The aforementioned father had been asleep in the master bedroom when Ryou and Yugi came home with the filthy Bakura. Ryou guessed that his father had gotten home sometime in the afternoon. Being overworked as he was, it wasn't rare for his father to come home and sleep for two days strait before heading off to work again.
His nearly comatose father hadn't woken up when Ryou and Yugi had struggled to wash the unresponsive Bakura. Ryou guessed that it was just as well.
He had no idea how he would explain Bakura's presence.
For the past few hours, as he had been absentmindedly taking care of Bakura, Ryou thought of how he could break it to his father that he had a robot copy. No matter how he formulated the statement, it still sounded ridiculous, even to his own ears. And to think, breaking that news to his father was the least of his problems.
There was something horribly wrong with Bakura.
Physically, Bakura looked fine. More then fine, actually. He looked perfect. Skin that had once been marred by machinery was now as soft and flawless as porcelain.
'He's beautiful.' Ryou thought, putting down the towel. He picked up a brush and gently started to pull it through Bakura's hair. Bakura didn't even blink.
And that was the problem.
Before, even though Bakura had LOOKED like a cyborg, he had acted perfectly human.
'Ok, he was slightly sadistic, but he had feelings and acted human nonetheless. But now... its like he's a doll.'
Seated comfortably in front of Ryou, Bakura hadn't moved a muscle since they had sat down an hour ago. He hadn't even flinched as Ryou absentmindedly rubbed his hair with a towel for a good hour. Lost in his thoughts, Ryou hadn't noticed the time go by.
Bakura's dull eyes simply stared ahead.
He had been like that since they found him. In the alley, Ryou had flung his arms around Bakura's neck and had sobbed for joy. Instead of tossing him off and yelling at him like Ryou expected him to, Bakura had been motionless. No yelling, no swearing. Bakura hadn't even flinched. He had simply stood still and had gotten to his feet when Ryou placated him to, and had followed him mindlessly when Ryou grasped his dirty hand.
"A doll." Ryou murmured.
He had phoned the number corresponding to the address he had found for Bakura. The voice on the other end had simply laughed at his frantic pleas.
"My beloved partner only got an upgrade!" The voice had said, "Don't you like it? He's much better looking now."
Ryou had yelled at him angrily that he could shove the upgrade up somewhere. The voice had laughed at his frustration.
"I like him much better now. He's not as loud and annoying."
"What did you do to him?!" Ryou had cried out.
"Oh... We just cleaned the mess that was between his ears."
The conversation hadn't yielded more information then that. The jerk on the other line seemed to be taking an immense amount of pleasure in Ryou's frustration. The angrier Ryou got, the more the other person had laughed, until Ryou couldn't stand it anymore and had hung up. Yugi had stared at him in shock, surprised that the normally soft-spoken Ryou was capable of such aggression.
'I've changed since I met Bakura.' Ryou thought. 'Even if it was for a short amount of time, I wasn't lonely anymore. I never want to be alone again.'
Ryou leaned his head against Bakura's back and allowed his body to shudder with sobs.
"What did they do to you?"
Bakura turned to face Ryou, and for a moment Ryou thought that he was back to normal, that he would snarl at him for being weak.
No. His eyes were still dead, his face still expressionless.
But he had moved without being asked to. What did that mean?
Ryou's lip trembled. He leaned his head against Bakura's chest and listened to his artificial heartbeat.
"I thought for sure that I had found my soul mate when I met you. Please...love me, hate me, I don't care. But don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me alone!"
Tears wouldn't come anymore, but Ryou leaned into Bakura's warmth. The cyborg then wrapped his arms around the boy. Whether it was reflex or not, Ryou didn't know, but it made him feel immensely better. Somewhere, behind those dead eyes, there was Bakura.
Maybe one day, things would be back to the way they were. Until then, Ryou would make the most of what he had.
Ryou reluctantly left Bakura's arms.
"I'm going to put that towel back. Lie down, you're sleeping on the couch tonight." Ryou managed to put on a shaky smile.
He headed soundlessly upstairs and hung the towel back on the rack. He then opened the door to his room and checked up on Yugi. The light from the hallway made Yugi groan and turn over in his sleep. Ryou smiled gently and closed the door.
He turned around and jumped a bit when he saw Bakura standing there.
"I didn't hear you following me. Go back downstairs, I'm just going to get some blankets for you from my father's room." Ryou whispered.
Bakura didn't move. He simply stared at Ryou blankly.
Ryou sighed. "You can come with me if you want, but be quiet. My father is dead tired."
There was no point in telling Bakura this. Bakura moved without a sound in the dark, his socks not even shuffling the wooden floor as Ryou's were.
Ryou gently opened the door to his father's room and was greeted by a loud snore. He walked over to the closet, Bakura following closely behind.
There was a sudden glint of metal and Ryou cried out.
Bakura had just caught a knife that was thrown with the intention of killing him.
Near the window and his father's bed was a dark shadow that looked like...
"YAMI!" Yugi cried out as he ran towards the figure, which growled and flung Yugi back.
Sure enough, Yami was standing there, dressed from head to toe in black. The former pharaoh was holding a sword, and his blood-red eyes glinted in the darkness.
Yugi's cry had woken up Ryou's father, who flung himself off the bed and away from Yami with a startled cry.
Yami repressed a groan. He had thought that tonight's assassination would be simple.
"All present must be eliminated..." He murmured to himself and jump effortlessly over the bed, sword raised to strike Ryou's father down.
Ryou realised what Yami was trying to do and pushed his father out of the way...
However, this placed Ryou in the path of Yami's sword, and Yami had no intention of letting Ryou live. Everyone here had to be killed. If the boy wanted to go first, so be it.
Ryou closed his eyes, expecting the blade to pierce through his skin, but the fatal blow never came.
He heard Yami take a sharp intake of breath. Ryou's eyes snapped open, and what he saw shocked him.
Bakura was in front of Ryou and had blocked the blow with his arm.
Wires sparked where the sword was embedded in the arm. Bakura took advantage of Yami's momentary stupor and slammed his fist into the Pharaoh's face.
There was a sickening cracking sound and Yami was flung back against a wall. He slumped to the floor with a thud.
'Bakura protected me.' Ryou thought with wonder. Bakura's face was as expressionless as ever, but he had taken the blow for him. Ryou wanted to cry.
"What's going on?" Ryou murmured.
His father was watching the scene develop in horror, and Yugi was in tears, clutching his wounded stomach.
"Yami..." Yugi crawled over to the fallen assassin. "Yami."
Before Yugi could touch him, Yami's eyes shot open. In a fluid movement, Yami was on his feet and he jumped away from Yugi.
His eyes jumped around the room.
He could see it, he could see his sword! All he had to do was grab it and complete his mission.
But there was the cyborg standing between Yami and his sword. His arms were hanging limply by his side, sparks jumping from the cut Yami had inflicted. His eyes were dull, lifeless. There should be nothing to worry about. The cyborg's memory had been wiped out. He should simply grab his sword and kill them all.
But the more Yami thought about it, the more uncertain he became.
The white haired cyborg looked harmless, like a doll, but that wasn't true. When Yami had tried to attack the boy, the cyborg had protected him.
And there was something about the small boy who was looking at him with tear-filled eyes...
"This wasn't supposed to happen." Yami muttered.
Before Ryou could blink, Yami was out the window. Yugi gasped and rushed towards the window. He watched his shadow disappear into the night, moulding into the darkness.
Unable to retain the tears, Yugi slumped down to the ground and began to cry.
* * * * * *
(Rubs eyes) Its 2:00 am. I really wanted to post a chapter this week.
Sorry if there are a bunch of typos, or sentences that are messed up. I tried to reread it, but the screen is starting to blur, so I think its time for me to go to bed.
If someone would be so kind as to point out my errors in an email, I'll be happy to fix them. I'm thinking of rewriting this chapter anyways. It's supposed to be the coolest one yet, but I don't think my muddled mind was able to accomplish that. (sigh)
Don't ask me why Yami has a sword. I don't know yet. I just like swords. Plus it fits in with the Battousai theme. ^.^
Oh, and incase you guys are wondering, yes, Ryou gave Bakura a bath. Let your imagination take you where it will.
I just realised that I ended this chapter with a cliff-hanger... Opps. ^^; Didn't mean to. Sorry. But you know, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to write!
The title will be familiar to Final Fantasy VIII fans. I'm too tired to think of something on my own. ^^ Liberi Fatali means 'Fated Children.' It's a kick-ass song. Download it if you can.
Thanks for reading. Review!