Kitty: Ohayo minna-san, a new chapter for all to enjoy. I put a lot of nice comic relief in this chappie to take a bit of the angst away because... well truthfully I just wanted to write something funny and didn't want to start another story because that would be author suicide... writer's block comes a lot faster when you have more than one ficlet going on... oh yes...

Ryou: You're mad.

Kitty: You're fat.

Ryou: *bursts into tears and runs away*

Kitty: ...He'll get over it...honest...eh heh heh...

Bakura: Grrr...

Kitty: Now honestly, Bakura, do you really think that that muzzle is going to come off any quicker if you keep growling at me and sporting that murderous "Battosai Death Glare"? Remember that you're being punished for putting that scorpion in my donut... that was just mean... *sniff*

Bakura: ...

Kitty: Good boy...man...thingy...

*Disclaimer* I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or anything else in the story except for my own musings of the sick and twisted soap opera we have learned to call and love as ...*Yami-ish voice* Yu-Gi-Oh!

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A Story By:

~Shrine Maiden Kitty~

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Bonded

Chapter 3~ Guilt and Madness

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Yuugi's POV

I stared at the paper. I shuffled it around. I stared at the ceiling. I swung my feet. I tapped my pencil against the desk. I blew my bangs from my eyes. Repeat.

"Troubles, Aibou?"

I leaned backwards in my chair dangerously and smiled as I gazed upside- down into the amused eyes of my yami.

"You know, Yami, that from upside-down... you sorta look like Chubaka..."

"Nani? From Star Wars?"

"Yes the wookie."

"The...wookie...yes..."

"Yami, you do know what a wookie is, right?" I sat up straight again and swiveled my chair so that I could see my yami properly. He looked rather deep in thought, and it was an adorable look for him. His tongue hung out slightly to the side cutely... his lips...I just...

I snapped back to it when I heard my Yami reply.

"Of course, he's that creepy gremlin looking thing!"

"Yami... THAT'S AN EWOK!"

Cue my yami falling over...anime style...oh yeah...

"So, what's really the matter, Aibou?" my yami's voice brought me back to the present situation. What was the matter exactly? Oh yes, I remember... Ryou. He was... he was wrong. Not like wrong as in he had given me some sort of incorrect information, but like... he was different, off-center, lost, incomplete, something's missing... yes I am trying to find synonyms, so shoot me. No... actually... don't. That would be bad, y'know?

"It's Ryou, he acted strangely towards me today," I finally confessed, still a bit caught up in my current ponderings.

"I see, yes, he seemed a bit... distracted today."

"You spoke with him?"

"...No."

Cue me falling over anime style...woo hoo...sarcasm...yeah...

"Then why would you say that?" I glared menacingly...okay, comically in the eyes of anyone else, and pulled myself from the ground because damn... that hurt.

"I was only adding another synonym to your list..."

I eyed him suspiciously, my eye was twitching... oh yes, I call this one the "Battosai Death Glare". It's very effective... very menacing... very critical... I think he's laughing at me...

Forgetting my annoyance I hopped over to the door, a bit more chipper than necessary and threw over my shoulder, "Come, Yami. We are going to visit our dearest, Ryou."

"You didn't get into the caffeine again, didja, Yuugi?"

My eye twitched and I smiled as I skipped out the door.

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Ryou's POV

Have you ever been so mercilessly neglected, and cast aside? Each and every dream you ever had beaten out of you for dreaming it?

Some people like to cover up their fear and pain with laughter.

When I was younger I never understood why Father would sit alone and laugh when he looked at Amane's picture. I suppose I was only 8 years old at the time and spent most of my days, at the time, crying and cursing the Lord's name in vein. My sister was dead. Mother was comatose in the hospital. Father was mad with sorrow. I thought I would never be whole again.

I'm sitting here right now, thinking these most bizarre memories. I remember a time when I was 6, and Amane was pushing me on a swing at the park. I remember the breeze, the sun beating down comfortably on my bare shoulders, and the endless blue sky soaring so high above me. I was on top of the world, flying through a kaleidoscope of colors and feelings of happiness and joy. I remember looking back at Amane and her smiling sweetly at me. But I could see the hurt in her eyes. She knew I was different, I think she knew I couldn't care for myself, I think she knew that she and Mother were going to die.

I snap back to reality as the pain is consuming my every conscious thought. I cannot move from this spot that my yami had designated so conveniently for me. Suddenly I find it the most hilarious occurrence ever to bestow me in my entire pitiful existence. I throw my head back as I begin to giggle madly, tears streaming down my face leaving me numb.

I have been thrown into madness; mercilessly neglected and cast aside.

But... I don't feel... saddened by this. Just completely vacant is all. It's as if every living fiber has been separated cruelly from my beating heart and living soul. My yami stood for everything that was unjust and cruel. I was this puppet being controlled by this maniacal master puppeteer; sick and twisted his ideals. And I've lost the fancy to care. Ryou Bakura no longer exists in mind and spirit, just in body and physical appearance, and I fear there's not much time left for that either.

I finally discover that I can move again. The pain is excruciating, but I don't care. I rise shakily and mind myself not to slip back into the bleeding water. I mechanically step out of the tub and grab onto the ledge of the sink so I don't slip; that would do more harm than good at a moment like this.

For some reason I decide to look at my exposed arms with a deep fascination. I see all of my cuts, ugly and purple in hue, laughing up at me. I realize my skin has taken on a slightly blue-ish colour, and I shrug upon realizing just how cold I am. I'll probably catch sickness.

My indifference suddenly develops into rage as I eye myself critically in the mirror. I look disgusting; I can't even bear to describe my image. "Are you happy now, Yami?!" I scream desperately into oblivion, mostly into my own reflection. Tears are streaming freely down my face as I examine how pathetic I really am. Poor little Ryou Bakura, can't take care of himself, can't protect anything worth value. He just lets himself be used over and over again.

"He's going to rape you next time," I sigh placidly into the mirror, "and then everything will be gone." Finally turning away from the mirror in disgust, I take it upon myself to tend to my wounds and change my clothes. None of it really matters anymore, but just because I was the victim doesn't mean I am not responsible for my own well being.

I sit down on my bed, dry, cleaned up, and clothed in a pair of blue jeans and a blue hooded sweatshirt. Sleep envelopes me almost immediately as soon as my head reaches my worn-out pillow.

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Yuugi's POV

Yami and I walked to Ryou's house in silence. There wasn't much to say and my previous sugar-high had obviously dissipated. I was almost having second thoughts about going and pestering Ryou. Maybe he was just having a bad week. No. I shook my head trying to gain back the confidence I had gained from the induced sugar-high.

//Aibou?//

/Yes, Yami?/

//Something feels amiss... Do you sense that?//

/Sense what?/

//I'm not sure...//

Shrugging, I turned the corner and spotted Ryou's small suburban home. He had a nice house. It was painted white with two stories and was in a nice neighborhood. It had a nice covered front porch with a porch swing also. Yes, Ryou's father picked a nice little house in a nice little neighborhood, away from the hustle and bustle of the busy inner-city of Domino (where most everyone else lived), when he decided to bring Ryou to live here in Japan. A faint smile crossed my face just thinking about the pleasantness of it all. I never once thought about what actually happened in side of the house—just that from the outside it looked so very quaint and inviting.

"Here we are, Yami," I said aloud, not really directing any clarification of the inevitable, just voicing my thoughts mostly. The street was very quiet, as was the house I was following the sidewalk to.

"Be careful, Yuugi," my yami said quietly as I climbed the stairs up to the porch. I glanced back at him in question, but when he made no movement I turned back to the door and gingerly prodded the doorbell. A pleasant chime sounded from the inside, but I heard no sound of footsteps coming towards the door. I tried the doorbell again, but after waiting a few minutes, I decided no one was coming to answer the door. "Funny," I muttered aloud, "I wonder where he could have gone. I seriously doubt he would be out loafing about the city on his own. There's nothing out to do."

"Yuugi, I'm telling you, something isn't right here. I cannot feel the Ring's presence. That means the Spirit is not home. But there is still something inside, though the feeling is weak. I think Ryou is in there, but I feel as if something is terribly wrong. I'm growing worried Yuugi."

"Then let's try the door," I suggested and to my surprise, the door was open. It creaked spookily as Yami and I cautiously entered. "Ryou?" I called softly as I quietly shut the door behind me. Yami and I removed our shoes before venturing farther into the dead silent house. I may have failed to mention that aside from being dangerously quiet, the house was also very dark. All of the lights were turned out, and the curtains drawn tightly shut. If I hadn't have had so much faith in Yami's senses, I would very much believe that there was actually not a soul in the house.

The worst of it though was that I had never actually been inside Ryou's house before. So everything was foreign to me as I stumbled about searching for a light switch, Yami close behind me, monitoring my every move, in the strange surroundings. I never quite knew why Ryou never had guests over his house. He always said he was uncomfortable with having others in his home for some reason. I could never figure out why because from the outside of his house it always looked so nice.

I finally located a light switch and the room lit up, revealing a small living room in front of me, a cozy kitchen area to my right, and straight ahead a stairway. Everything seemed to be in place. It was very clean, furnished nicely; I nodded my head in approval before venturing towards the stairs.

I rubbed my hand up and down the shining wooden banister a few times, seemingly testing its strength foolishly, before mounting the stairs and starting the short ascend to the top. I never realized I was holding my breath until I had reached the top of stairs, without making even a creak, and let out my breath quickly in quiet gasps. Maybe I was making too big a deal out of all this. I'm sure Ryou was fine. Possibly out at the arcade having a good time by himself. Maybe I was just worrying about nothing at all. At least... that's what I was hoping.

"Now what?" I heard Yami ask as he, too, reached the top of the stairs, and we stood there awkwardly for a few moments as I decided which way to go. All of the doors were closed and looked exactly the same on the second floor. Squinting, I saw a label on the door at the end of the hall that spelled 'RYOU'S ROOM' neatly. I pointed towards the door and said to Yami, "I believe that's a lead."

Grinning in a lighter mood, I pulled Yami towards the door and stopped short in front of the door as Yami tapped me on the shoulder. "What is it, Yami?" I questioned, turning toward the direction he was looking. He seemed to be examining some interesting cracks on the wall that trailed to the ceiling. "There's seems to have been some sort of impact on the wall here... I don't like this Yuugi," Yami said quietly, then turned back towards the door. "We may as well check it out, there's no turning back now."

I nodded and knocked lightly on Ryou's door before opening it quietly. The first thing I noticed when I opened the door was the change of atmosphere. It was stuffy suddenly, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I also immediately noticed the bloodstains on the carpet and the gashes in the walls. I looked to the bed in the far left corner of the blank, uncomfortably room. Yami squeezed my shoulders, and I could feel his tense emotions almost radiating off of him. There was someone on the bed.

"Ryou?" my voice shook as silence overwhelmed me, and I was suddenly very afraid for my friend.

To Be Continued...

* * * Kitty: Wow! Where did this sudden burst of inspiration come from?!

Bakura: PMS?

Kitty: *twitching* Do you ever can it? HONESTLY!? One of these days I am going to hurt you and you won't like it!

Bakura: But you know you love me.

Kitty: I love Billy Joel too, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't hurt him if he pissed me off, isn't that right, Ryou?

Ryou: *nods head quickly*

Bakura: Yes, but you'll never even be in the same state as Billy Joel probably in your life.

Kitty: *Twitch*

Ryou: *meekly* Uhh... Please read and review! Kitty-chan would like at least 5 reviews before a new chapter. Arigatou, Minna!

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