In response to Yami Ray's review, "Where's the rest??"...
Here it is! Well not all of it... I'm planning for this story to have five chapters, meaning this one's nearly done. I also have an alternate chapter I might post as a bonus. It's a rewrite for the first chapter that I decided not to use. So yeah, you have two more chapters of material coming.
Disclaimer: While I can't say I'm the first to post a story like this, I can say it was my idea. And no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Warnings: Religion, but it's only there to give purpose to the story. Yaoi, but no mindless slash.
And Yami Ray... your review. I guess that means you like the story? ^^
Now on with the fan fiction.
*~*~*
Nightmare Incarnated
Chapter 4
Reunion
*~*~*
If Seto had actually cared, he would've controlled himself. He would've picked himself up off of the smaller boy. He would've comforted him. But he didn't do any of these things. Ryou was just his slut... Why should he care?
Ryou's eyes opened slowly, and he found himself in Seto's bed. Looking across the room he spotted some dirty manga on Seto's desk. That would explain the horny mood Seto had been in last night... Ryou wondered... If Seto hadn't been reading the comic before he came, would he have stopped Ryou before he was pulled onto the bed and asked what was wrong?
Something told Ryou, "No." Seto hadn't even worried himself about staying home until Ryou woke up, and Ryou was sure it never occurred to Seto to wake him up if he was in such a hurry to leave.
But Ryou shouldn't complain, should he? He was the one who had come and asked Seto to sleep with him... It was his fault he was here...
Ryou's gaze fell from the desk and onto the floor, to the spot where his jeans had ended up. Ryou was sickened to find money poking out of the back pocket, money that hadn't been there before last night.
"I said you didn't have to pay me." Ryou muttered. Tears welled up in his eyes, but they didn't fall. Instead Ryou got out of bed, ignoring the soreness in his legs, and got dressed. He pulled the money out of his pocket, and made to put it on the desk- to leave it. But he knew Seto would force him to take it... Ryou sniffed and put the dollar bill back in his pocket. All well... He could use some of it for breakfast out, and have plenty left over. He had to admit... this dirty business did have advantage... along with too many disadvantages.
Ryou sighed, or sobbed rather, and walked out of Seto's room, making his way back down the staircase. When he reached the bottom of the flight of steps, a golden retriever jumped on Ryou, causing him to fall backward and hit his back on the steps.
"Jonouchi! No!" Mokuba's voice called from somewhere out of Ryou's sight range. Ryou gasped as the weight of the large dog was pulled off of him. He looked up and saw Mokuba pushing on the dog's back, pleading, "Sit!"
"Sit, boy." Ryou said. The dog stopped jumping all over Mokuba and sat.
"Thanks." Mokuba said. "And sorry..." Mokuba turned away from his dog and pulled Ryou onto his feet. "I guess this is the reason Seto wouldn't let me have a dog before."
"You just need to learn to handle Jonouchi better." Ryou smiled slightly, he was still amused that the dog was named after his friend...
"You leaned to handle him the first time you saw him." Mokuba pouted, he was obviously jealous. Ryou had to smile at the expression on the boy's face. No wonder he was the only person Seto really cared about.
"Don't worry, Mokuba." Ryou tried not to look too tired and show he was thinking about Seto. "You'll learn. Well I've got to go." Ryou reached out and ruffled Mokuba's hair, something he'd always felt comfortable doing. Ryou then patted Jonouchi, the dog, on the head and made his way to the front door.
"Hey wait!" Mokuba called as Ryou reached the giant door. "You... Want to go with me to Kaiba Land? It's Saturday and I have nothing to do... so..." Mokuba was actually a little embarrassed about asking. Ryou was in high school and probably had better things to do. But to the boy's delight Ryou smiled.
"Sure, Mokuba. Go grab your Duel Monsters deck. I'll be waiting in my car." Ryou said, and Mokuba ran quickly up the steps to grab his cards. Ryou sighed, but not the way he had up in the bedroom. It was a more relaxed sigh. Ryou loved Mokuba; and the idea of spending a day with him wasn't a bad one.
*~*~*
"You shouldn't leave your car door open," Mokuba said as he got into the passenger's side of Ryou's Mustang.
"I was in a hurry to see your brother." Ryou put simply. Ryou closed the door behind Mokuba and made his way around, getting into the car and strapping on his seat belt. Mokuba fidgeted in his seat as he remembered last night. Ryou had been crying...
"Ahm..." Mokuba voiced aloud, causing Ryou to look at him.
"What is it?" Ryou asked. But Ryou already sort of knew. Mokuba was probably going to ask what Ryou had been doing last night with Seto. It sure wasn't math homework, as Seto and Ryou had been telling the young boy for the past three weeks.
Mokuba stiffened a bit, and finally said, "I hope we have fun today!" He threw on a giant smile that almost made Ryou laugh, even though it was a fake smile.
"I hope so, too." Ryou smiled. "Now... What was it you really wanted to talk about?" Ryou wondered what he was doing, pushing the subject he had wanted to avoid. Maybe he just needed to talk about it... Younger kids were best for this sort of thing, after all.
"Um..." Mokuba was surprised by the question. "I... ahm... You were crying..." Mokuba finished in a voice hardly above a whisper.
"Ah. That." Ryou said as he started his car and moved it out of the giant driveway. "Well... There was a lot of stuff on my mind. I was feeling really stressed. And that's why I needed to see your brother."
"To talk to him." Mokuba finished for him.
Ryou stared at Mokuba for a bit, while trying to keep his eyes on the road at the same time. "Yeah... Let's go with that."
Mokuba turned and gave Ryou a strange look. What was that supposed to mean? Great... Something else to nag at him. But what Mokuba was really curious about was...
"Hey Ryou..." Mokuba started suddenly, causing Ryou and the car to jolt. "Sorry... Um... Seto."
"What about him?" Ryou asked gently, of course he could strangle Mokuba. He hated being interrupted suddenly when driving. He had killed too many cats that way...
"It's just..." Mokuba looked for the right words. "Seto hasn't been the same since you two started hanging around together more. He seems more stressed now. I don't want to make it sound like I'm accusing you of making things hard on my brother!" Mokuba assured Ryou. "It's just that... What have you two really been doing together?"
Ryou was silent for a while. Actually for a little too long. Mokuba pouted slightly and said, "I know what sex is."
Now that caused Ryou to nearly crash into the car in the next lane. Ryou composed himself and drove, fast, into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant where he nearly ran over a cat. He then turned around and stared at Mokuba.
"Now where did you get the idea that I was having sex with Seto? On second thought... How do you know what sex is?" Ryou's face was extremely red, and Mokuba would've smiled if the situation had been less serious.
"I steal Seto's manga." Mokuba said, blushing.
"Shame on you." Ryou said, but was more interested in what Mokuba's answer to his first question would be.
"And... Seto talks sometimes to his friends about his tramp." Mokuba said, hoping he hadn't insulted or hurt Ryou too badly. He was just telling the truth.
Ryou's eyes widened as he gasped. His breathing became more strained.
"TRAMP?" Ryou suddenly shouted.
"That's what he said, Ryou." A voice inside Ryou's head said, but Ryou didn't listen, or notice. He was too concerned with what Mokuba had to say.
"I'm sorry, Ryou." Mokuba looked away, using his hair to hide his eyes. Something that reminded Ryou of himself. "I just thought you should know."
They sat there in silence for a while. Ryou finally broke the silence when he asked, "What about your brother being stressed?"
"He feels like he needs to impress his friends." Mokuba stated. "Or bug you and your friends more. I don't know which. It's still wrong. Seto shouldn't lie and say that you sleep with him for money."
That last sentence nearly made Ryou cry. But he didn't. Not in front of Mokuba anyway. His mind was screaming, and Dark Bakura wished he could make it stop. He wanted to comfort Ryou, like he had said last night. He didn't want anyone hurting Ryou.
Ryou looked at Mokuba with sad eyes. Mokuba was so innocent, even if he did look at Seto's perverted comics. The boy would never guess that what Seto told his friends wasn't a lie.
"All this... Hasn't been pulling you and Seto apart has it?" Ryou asked, concerned. He didn't want to make things bad for Mokuba. He knew how special his and Seto's bond was.
"Oh! No!" Mokuba looked surprised. "I know my brother's not perfect. But I'll always care about him." Mokuba smiled, and said, "I think you need to talk to him."
"Yeah." Ryou smiled. Now knowing that Mokuba was all right he paid attention to his own problems. "Thanks, Mokuba."
They sat in the parking lot for a while, just watching the restaurant door as people walked in and out. Finally they pulled out and headed for Kaiba Land.
*~*~*
"You're nearly as good as your brother, Mokuba." Ryou smiled as Mokuba knocked Ryou's life points down by another 400.
"That means I'm good enough to whip your ass!" Mokuba laughed.
"You're a pervert and you swear?" Ryou asked in disbelief.
"Don't tell Seto!" Mokuba smiled, knowing Ryou wouldn't.
"I won't." Ryou smiled. Ryou and his friends were like Mokuba at his age, and it was easy to excuse Mokuba's rudeness.
"Mokuba! Bakura!" Both boys whipped around as their names were called. They looked to the left side of the dueling arena to see Seto Kaiba standing there.
Ryou suddenly changed his posture, showing he had gotten nervous. Ryou bit his lip. Seto wouldn't even use his first name...
Mokuba noticed the change in Ryou, and decided he'd be the first to talk to his older brother. "Seto!" Mokuba ran to Seto's side and looked up into his blue eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I heard there was a problem with the computers here, so I had to come." Seto answered, then turned to look at Ryou. "And what are you doing with my brother, Bakura?"
"I asked him to come here with me." Mokuba said. "And..."
Both Ryou and Seto looked at Mokuba, waiting for him to finish.
"I think Ryou wants to talk to you about something." Mokuba mumbled, turning his head. He hoped Ryou wouldn't be mad at him.
"That's right." Mokuba heard Ryou say. "Can we talk privately, Seto?"
Seto looked at the white-haired boy. Seto then realized it must be about last night. 'Damn it!' Seto thought. What did he care if Ryou was having problems?
Ryou was walking away from his place in the dueling arena, and walked out of the giant room, grabbing Seto's arm and dragging him along. Mokuba hoped nothing bad would happen, and ran to Ryou's side of the arena. He looked at Ryou's deck to see what cards would be drawn next, so he'd have an advantage when the duel was taken up again.
'I can't help but think this is cheating...' Mokuba thought to himself.
*~*~*
"I guess I have to thank you for being nice to my brother. He got into an argument with one of his friends and hasn't been doing much of anything for a bit." Seto said as he and Ryou stepped into a deserted hallway, the one in front of the bathrooms on the third floor- the ones no one used.
"It's no problem." Ryou said. He would've dwelled on Mokuba's problems a bit more, but what he needed to tell Seto was really important.
The two stood in the hallway and stayed silent for a while. It was Seto who broke the silence.
"I'm busy with work, Ryou." Seto said somewhat coldly. "I'd like for you to hurry up and say what you have to say."
"I'm tired," Ryou said, shrugging.
"Well if you hadn't visited last night you would've gotten more sleep." Seto said.
"No! I didn't mean physically." Ryou somewhat hated Seto's attitude. Would it kill him to be kind to someone other than Mokuba for once? "I meant about us... Sleeping together. I'm tired of that."
Seto just stared at Ryou, waiting for him to continue. When Ryou saw he didn't want to talk he went on.
"I talked to Mo- some people, and I heard you've been more stressed than usual," Ryou didn't want Seto to know he had talked to Mokuba about this. "The same with me, Seto. Let's just... end this relationship. Please?"
"I'm tired, but not because of you. Why do you think I have you? I just need an escape every once in a while." Seto said casually, causing Ryou to look at him. "And I don't exactly want to call off this... relationship."
Ryou gaped in disbelief. "But Seto. I said this was hard on me-"
"You're getting paid aren't you?" Seto cut Ryou off. "Don't make me sound bad! You were up to this before as well."
"But not anymore!" Ryou yelled. "I... I don't want to disrespect myself anymore. And speaking of disrespect..." He glared at Seto. "You didn't have to tell your friends about us. I didn't tell any of mine."
"You should've said you didn't want anyone to know."
"I was hoping you were smart enough to realize that!"
"Look, Bakura! I didn't ask you to do this. As I recall you were the one that came on to me. It was your decision to do this, so you can put up with the shit yourself!"
"Seto!" Ryou bit his lip and cast his eyes downward. He had never needed to respond to one of Seto's outbursts...
Seto just stared down at the boy. "You stink."
"What?" Ryou looked up.
"I said you stink." Seto wrinkled his nose. "You didn't even bother to shower when you got up."
"Well I didn't want you to yell at me for using your shampoo, like you did last time." Ryou muttered.
"Well if you were going somewhere with Mokuba you could've at least rinsed yourself off!" Seto was starting to get pissed.
"Speaking of Mokuba..." Ryou started.
"What about him?" Seto growled.
"This is a bad influence on him." Ryou decided he'd have to tell Seto about his and Mokuba's conversation if he wanted to get out of this. "He knows what we've been doing, and I think it's pressuring him."
"You told him, you idiot?" Seto practically roared. "God damn it, Ryou!"
"He was suspecting it all along." Ryou said. "You should be careful about where you leave your manga."
Seto sputtered, something completely out of character for him. He then clenched his teeth and started walking away. "I'll call you later," he shouted over his shoulder.
Ryou stood looking after him, hoping he had convinced Seto. He didn't want to do this anymore... He really didn't.
Ryou started walking back towards the dueling arena and back to Mokuba.
*~*~*
Ryou walked into his bedroom and stretching his arms, turned and fell back. He cursed when his back hit the floor instead of his bed, and his head hit the canister of lubrication. Ryou picked it up and bit his lip, wondering if he'd ever need it again. Well... Wondering if he'd ever need to use it with Seto again. You know he had forgotten in yesterday? His ass was still sore.
A phone ringing startled Ryou, causing him to yelp. He calmed down and heard the ringing again, coming from the living room. Ryou opened his bedroom door and went to answer it. He checked the caller ID and saw it was Seto... Ryou took a deep breath and answered.
"Hi Seto." Ryou said so quietly he wasn't sure Seto heard. He was about to repeat himself when Seto started talking.
"Yeah, hi," he said, somewhat rushed. "Listen..."
"I'm listening." Ryou gripped the phone tighter.
"I want you to come over tonight." Seto said casually.
"WHAT?" Ryou screamed.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding..." Seto laughed.
"Bastard... You're not funny." Ryou wasn't at all amused. But... "So... You don't want me coming over tonight... What about every night after this one?"
"When you told me about Mokuba..." Seto started. "You're right, Ryou. This was stupid."
Ryou was a bit surprised when Seto used his first name... It made him feel... more cheerful.
"Anyway... Let's call this relationship off." Seto said.
A large smile graced Ryou's face, and he was silent for a while.
"Ryou? Did you hear me? I said-"
"I heard you, Seto." Ryou almost whispered. "And thank you."
"You're welcome." Seto said just as quietly. But Ryou didn't want to end the conversation there.
"I missed out on the mile run in gym class today." Ryou said quickly before Seto could hang up. "Want to help me make it up tomorrow?"
"Ahm... Sure. If you trust me enough to let me out on the track with you alone."
"I do." Ryou chuckled. "And thanks. Bye." Ryou was putting down the phone when he heard Seto say, "You know it's hard to believe I was humping you last night?" Ryou blushed as the phone clicked.
"Ryou?" a voice said. Ryou picked up the phone and said, "What is it, Seto?"
"Dumb ass." Dark Bakura mumbled.
"Oh... It's you." Ryou blushed a little more and hung up the phone again. "What is it?"
"I'm proud of you, dumb ass." Dark Bakura smiled, although Ryou couldn't see. "Go to sleep. I want to see you."
Ryou thought to himself, and made his way back to his room. He settled himself on the bed instead of falling back, because he knew he'd miss again. But before he tried forcing himself to sleep he rolled over and picked the lubrication off the ground and chucked it into the wastebasket next to his desk. He then lay flat on his back, and forced himself to go to sleep, a useful talent.
He appeared in the long brick hallway, where Dark Bakura was. The spirit smiled lightly and pulled Ryou into his arms, gently. And this time, Ryou didn't hesitate to relax into the warm body.
"You are... stronger than you think." Dark Bakura nuzzled his light counterpart's hair.
Ryou smiled, and closed his eyes, content with just leaning against Dark Bakura.
Things had gone from bad to so much better.
*~*~*
Ryou had redeemed himself. He didn't deserve this.
"Get off of him!" Tomb Robber jumped on the bed in the center of room that had replaced his desert hell. He made to strangle the man in bed with Ryou, but found himself confused. There were two of them... Tomb Robber gasped when the second Ryou was, in fact, a copy of himself, a copy of what he had looked like when living in Ryou's body.
"Damn shape shifter!" Tomb Robber's head felt like it would burst, but he calmed the pain down a bit by punching the imposter across the face, causing the young boy next to them to cry out.
"Ryou." Tomb Robber was distracted, and looked at the boy. His eyes widened.
Ryou had changed so much in appearance. The boy had always been scrawny, but more so now... The hair looked dead and limp. The eyes... The eyes made Tomb Robber want to cry. Ryou's eyes, if you could see them through the dark, purple circles, looked lifeless.
"Ryou!" Tomb Robber sobbed, not noticing the man he punched disappear into nothing. "Ryou!" Tomb Robber grabbed Ryou around the shoulders, pulling him close the way he had so long ago. Oh, the boy's body felt so good, despite the obvious changes. Familiar warmth dazzled his senses.
"Ryou." Tomb Robber said, yet again.
A whimpered cry escaped Ryou's mouth, causing Tomb Robber to look down at the boy in his arms. He heaved a strained breath when he saw fear immediately flow into those brown orbs.
Another whimper, and then, "Get away!" Ryou squirmed to free himself, but he was hardly strong enough work himself out of Tomb Robber's grip.
"Ryou!" Tomb Robber embraced Ryou tightly, bringing his hand up and running it through Ryou's oily hair. "It's okay, Ryou. It's me... Koe..."
"Koe." Ryou sobbed.
"That's right. Koe..." Tomb Robber rested his forehead on Ryou's shoulders. "It's okay. He's not going to hurt you anymore."
"Lucifer?" Ryou said into Tomb Robber's hair. "Gone?"
Tomb Robber forced himself to smile at the weak, defenseless boy. "Yes... Gone."
"Not true!" Ryou sobbed, struggling, and this time pulling himself free of Tomb Robber's grasp. He fell off the bed and scrambled toward the wall where he curled up into a ball. Tomb Robber jumped after him and grabbed Ryou again. He forced Ryou to look at him.
"Even if he isn't gone. I'll protect you." Tomb Robber stared fiercely into Ryou's eyes, wanting him to hear everything. "I'll get you out of here."
"Out of here?" Ryou sputtered. "No way out." Big tears spilled out of Ryou's eyes. Ryou sobbed, and started to cry uncontrollably.
Tomb Robber looked around the room. It was so small and cramped. Ryou had less freedom here than he had in his desert... At least where he was, Tomb Robber could run around, even if the effort to escape was vain.
But he had to find a way to escape this room. He held Ryou closer, and glanced around, searching for any sign of an exit.
"How do I know... that you're really Koe?" Tomb Robber heard Ryou say, very quietly. "How do I know? Maybe you're him... Just breaking me down more." The boy started sobbing again. "Just rape me now! Don't hurt me anymore! Don't drag out the pain!"
Ryou started sobbing again, so very loudly.
"Would it be proof if I said I love you? That I'm proud of the person you are?" Tomb Robber shouted, not in a harsh voice but so Ryou could hear him.
Ryou's hysterical screaming stopped abruptly... Ryou hadn't heard the words 'love'... 'Proud'... in so long. Maybe... maybe... No. It wasn't possible.
Ryou broke out in shouts again, making Tomb Robber want to cry just as loudly.
"What happened to the strong Ryou?" Tomb Robber yelled. "Where'd he go? The boy I love?"
"You destroyed him!" Ryou shrieked.
"Ryou! I-"but Tomb Robber stopped when he heard something creak. It sounded like... hinges on a door, a door swinging open. Tomb Robber whipped around to look, and found a door... Hanging wide open. Damn... It looked too much like the fgghin' mouth of a crocodile! But... It was an escape from the room. From the room at least! That was a start! And probably a trap... But he was Tomb Robber. He'd get Ryou out of here...
"Door!" Ryou's eyes, still blurry from crying, looked in shock and amazement at the new door. But then the look faltered. "Trick." Ryou cast his eyes downward. "Stop now." Ryou pleaded, looking at Tomb Robber.
"I didn't do that! And it may be a trick..." Tomb Robber looked at Ryou. "But I swear it wasn't me, and I'm not... Lucifer." Tomb Robber had never called him 'Lucifer'...
"Tell you what?" Tomb Robber spoke gently. "I can help you survive beyond that door." He kissed Ryou's forehead slightly, making the boy shiver. "But you have to believe in me... Do you trust me, Ryou?"
Ryou looked with those sad, sad eyes from his Koe to the door and back again. After many moments of silent debate...
"Okay..." Ryou mumbled. 'I'll go along with this,' Ryou thought to himself. 'Just hurry and make it quick.'
"Good." Tomb Robber threw on a large smile, not being able to read Ryou's mind, and embraced Ryou. "Good choice." He then stood up and pulled a stunned, and probably overwhelmed, Ryou to his feeble feet.
"Let's go."
The two faced the open door, and wondered what lie what beyond it. Tomb Robber took a deep breath and, strongly grasping Ryou's arm, walked through the door.
Into the mouth of the crocodile.
*~*~*
To be continued...
*~*~*
Notes:
Long chapter... Writing it took a while anyway.
About Ryou being in his soul room when he's sleeping... I saw that in the anime and thought it was a good idea. Better than spacing out in math class to talk to your crazy yami anyway!
Lucifer... Was 'Lucy' taken from that name? Because that's ironic... I mean... A lot of Lucy's are such gentle people...
Here it is! Well not all of it... I'm planning for this story to have five chapters, meaning this one's nearly done. I also have an alternate chapter I might post as a bonus. It's a rewrite for the first chapter that I decided not to use. So yeah, you have two more chapters of material coming.
Disclaimer: While I can't say I'm the first to post a story like this, I can say it was my idea. And no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Warnings: Religion, but it's only there to give purpose to the story. Yaoi, but no mindless slash.
And Yami Ray... your review. I guess that means you like the story? ^^
Now on with the fan fiction.
*~*~*
Nightmare Incarnated
Chapter 4
Reunion
*~*~*
If Seto had actually cared, he would've controlled himself. He would've picked himself up off of the smaller boy. He would've comforted him. But he didn't do any of these things. Ryou was just his slut... Why should he care?
Ryou's eyes opened slowly, and he found himself in Seto's bed. Looking across the room he spotted some dirty manga on Seto's desk. That would explain the horny mood Seto had been in last night... Ryou wondered... If Seto hadn't been reading the comic before he came, would he have stopped Ryou before he was pulled onto the bed and asked what was wrong?
Something told Ryou, "No." Seto hadn't even worried himself about staying home until Ryou woke up, and Ryou was sure it never occurred to Seto to wake him up if he was in such a hurry to leave.
But Ryou shouldn't complain, should he? He was the one who had come and asked Seto to sleep with him... It was his fault he was here...
Ryou's gaze fell from the desk and onto the floor, to the spot where his jeans had ended up. Ryou was sickened to find money poking out of the back pocket, money that hadn't been there before last night.
"I said you didn't have to pay me." Ryou muttered. Tears welled up in his eyes, but they didn't fall. Instead Ryou got out of bed, ignoring the soreness in his legs, and got dressed. He pulled the money out of his pocket, and made to put it on the desk- to leave it. But he knew Seto would force him to take it... Ryou sniffed and put the dollar bill back in his pocket. All well... He could use some of it for breakfast out, and have plenty left over. He had to admit... this dirty business did have advantage... along with too many disadvantages.
Ryou sighed, or sobbed rather, and walked out of Seto's room, making his way back down the staircase. When he reached the bottom of the flight of steps, a golden retriever jumped on Ryou, causing him to fall backward and hit his back on the steps.
"Jonouchi! No!" Mokuba's voice called from somewhere out of Ryou's sight range. Ryou gasped as the weight of the large dog was pulled off of him. He looked up and saw Mokuba pushing on the dog's back, pleading, "Sit!"
"Sit, boy." Ryou said. The dog stopped jumping all over Mokuba and sat.
"Thanks." Mokuba said. "And sorry..." Mokuba turned away from his dog and pulled Ryou onto his feet. "I guess this is the reason Seto wouldn't let me have a dog before."
"You just need to learn to handle Jonouchi better." Ryou smiled slightly, he was still amused that the dog was named after his friend...
"You leaned to handle him the first time you saw him." Mokuba pouted, he was obviously jealous. Ryou had to smile at the expression on the boy's face. No wonder he was the only person Seto really cared about.
"Don't worry, Mokuba." Ryou tried not to look too tired and show he was thinking about Seto. "You'll learn. Well I've got to go." Ryou reached out and ruffled Mokuba's hair, something he'd always felt comfortable doing. Ryou then patted Jonouchi, the dog, on the head and made his way to the front door.
"Hey wait!" Mokuba called as Ryou reached the giant door. "You... Want to go with me to Kaiba Land? It's Saturday and I have nothing to do... so..." Mokuba was actually a little embarrassed about asking. Ryou was in high school and probably had better things to do. But to the boy's delight Ryou smiled.
"Sure, Mokuba. Go grab your Duel Monsters deck. I'll be waiting in my car." Ryou said, and Mokuba ran quickly up the steps to grab his cards. Ryou sighed, but not the way he had up in the bedroom. It was a more relaxed sigh. Ryou loved Mokuba; and the idea of spending a day with him wasn't a bad one.
*~*~*
"You shouldn't leave your car door open," Mokuba said as he got into the passenger's side of Ryou's Mustang.
"I was in a hurry to see your brother." Ryou put simply. Ryou closed the door behind Mokuba and made his way around, getting into the car and strapping on his seat belt. Mokuba fidgeted in his seat as he remembered last night. Ryou had been crying...
"Ahm..." Mokuba voiced aloud, causing Ryou to look at him.
"What is it?" Ryou asked. But Ryou already sort of knew. Mokuba was probably going to ask what Ryou had been doing last night with Seto. It sure wasn't math homework, as Seto and Ryou had been telling the young boy for the past three weeks.
Mokuba stiffened a bit, and finally said, "I hope we have fun today!" He threw on a giant smile that almost made Ryou laugh, even though it was a fake smile.
"I hope so, too." Ryou smiled. "Now... What was it you really wanted to talk about?" Ryou wondered what he was doing, pushing the subject he had wanted to avoid. Maybe he just needed to talk about it... Younger kids were best for this sort of thing, after all.
"Um..." Mokuba was surprised by the question. "I... ahm... You were crying..." Mokuba finished in a voice hardly above a whisper.
"Ah. That." Ryou said as he started his car and moved it out of the giant driveway. "Well... There was a lot of stuff on my mind. I was feeling really stressed. And that's why I needed to see your brother."
"To talk to him." Mokuba finished for him.
Ryou stared at Mokuba for a bit, while trying to keep his eyes on the road at the same time. "Yeah... Let's go with that."
Mokuba turned and gave Ryou a strange look. What was that supposed to mean? Great... Something else to nag at him. But what Mokuba was really curious about was...
"Hey Ryou..." Mokuba started suddenly, causing Ryou and the car to jolt. "Sorry... Um... Seto."
"What about him?" Ryou asked gently, of course he could strangle Mokuba. He hated being interrupted suddenly when driving. He had killed too many cats that way...
"It's just..." Mokuba looked for the right words. "Seto hasn't been the same since you two started hanging around together more. He seems more stressed now. I don't want to make it sound like I'm accusing you of making things hard on my brother!" Mokuba assured Ryou. "It's just that... What have you two really been doing together?"
Ryou was silent for a while. Actually for a little too long. Mokuba pouted slightly and said, "I know what sex is."
Now that caused Ryou to nearly crash into the car in the next lane. Ryou composed himself and drove, fast, into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant where he nearly ran over a cat. He then turned around and stared at Mokuba.
"Now where did you get the idea that I was having sex with Seto? On second thought... How do you know what sex is?" Ryou's face was extremely red, and Mokuba would've smiled if the situation had been less serious.
"I steal Seto's manga." Mokuba said, blushing.
"Shame on you." Ryou said, but was more interested in what Mokuba's answer to his first question would be.
"And... Seto talks sometimes to his friends about his tramp." Mokuba said, hoping he hadn't insulted or hurt Ryou too badly. He was just telling the truth.
Ryou's eyes widened as he gasped. His breathing became more strained.
"TRAMP?" Ryou suddenly shouted.
"That's what he said, Ryou." A voice inside Ryou's head said, but Ryou didn't listen, or notice. He was too concerned with what Mokuba had to say.
"I'm sorry, Ryou." Mokuba looked away, using his hair to hide his eyes. Something that reminded Ryou of himself. "I just thought you should know."
They sat there in silence for a while. Ryou finally broke the silence when he asked, "What about your brother being stressed?"
"He feels like he needs to impress his friends." Mokuba stated. "Or bug you and your friends more. I don't know which. It's still wrong. Seto shouldn't lie and say that you sleep with him for money."
That last sentence nearly made Ryou cry. But he didn't. Not in front of Mokuba anyway. His mind was screaming, and Dark Bakura wished he could make it stop. He wanted to comfort Ryou, like he had said last night. He didn't want anyone hurting Ryou.
Ryou looked at Mokuba with sad eyes. Mokuba was so innocent, even if he did look at Seto's perverted comics. The boy would never guess that what Seto told his friends wasn't a lie.
"All this... Hasn't been pulling you and Seto apart has it?" Ryou asked, concerned. He didn't want to make things bad for Mokuba. He knew how special his and Seto's bond was.
"Oh! No!" Mokuba looked surprised. "I know my brother's not perfect. But I'll always care about him." Mokuba smiled, and said, "I think you need to talk to him."
"Yeah." Ryou smiled. Now knowing that Mokuba was all right he paid attention to his own problems. "Thanks, Mokuba."
They sat in the parking lot for a while, just watching the restaurant door as people walked in and out. Finally they pulled out and headed for Kaiba Land.
*~*~*
"You're nearly as good as your brother, Mokuba." Ryou smiled as Mokuba knocked Ryou's life points down by another 400.
"That means I'm good enough to whip your ass!" Mokuba laughed.
"You're a pervert and you swear?" Ryou asked in disbelief.
"Don't tell Seto!" Mokuba smiled, knowing Ryou wouldn't.
"I won't." Ryou smiled. Ryou and his friends were like Mokuba at his age, and it was easy to excuse Mokuba's rudeness.
"Mokuba! Bakura!" Both boys whipped around as their names were called. They looked to the left side of the dueling arena to see Seto Kaiba standing there.
Ryou suddenly changed his posture, showing he had gotten nervous. Ryou bit his lip. Seto wouldn't even use his first name...
Mokuba noticed the change in Ryou, and decided he'd be the first to talk to his older brother. "Seto!" Mokuba ran to Seto's side and looked up into his blue eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I heard there was a problem with the computers here, so I had to come." Seto answered, then turned to look at Ryou. "And what are you doing with my brother, Bakura?"
"I asked him to come here with me." Mokuba said. "And..."
Both Ryou and Seto looked at Mokuba, waiting for him to finish.
"I think Ryou wants to talk to you about something." Mokuba mumbled, turning his head. He hoped Ryou wouldn't be mad at him.
"That's right." Mokuba heard Ryou say. "Can we talk privately, Seto?"
Seto looked at the white-haired boy. Seto then realized it must be about last night. 'Damn it!' Seto thought. What did he care if Ryou was having problems?
Ryou was walking away from his place in the dueling arena, and walked out of the giant room, grabbing Seto's arm and dragging him along. Mokuba hoped nothing bad would happen, and ran to Ryou's side of the arena. He looked at Ryou's deck to see what cards would be drawn next, so he'd have an advantage when the duel was taken up again.
'I can't help but think this is cheating...' Mokuba thought to himself.
*~*~*
"I guess I have to thank you for being nice to my brother. He got into an argument with one of his friends and hasn't been doing much of anything for a bit." Seto said as he and Ryou stepped into a deserted hallway, the one in front of the bathrooms on the third floor- the ones no one used.
"It's no problem." Ryou said. He would've dwelled on Mokuba's problems a bit more, but what he needed to tell Seto was really important.
The two stood in the hallway and stayed silent for a while. It was Seto who broke the silence.
"I'm busy with work, Ryou." Seto said somewhat coldly. "I'd like for you to hurry up and say what you have to say."
"I'm tired," Ryou said, shrugging.
"Well if you hadn't visited last night you would've gotten more sleep." Seto said.
"No! I didn't mean physically." Ryou somewhat hated Seto's attitude. Would it kill him to be kind to someone other than Mokuba for once? "I meant about us... Sleeping together. I'm tired of that."
Seto just stared at Ryou, waiting for him to continue. When Ryou saw he didn't want to talk he went on.
"I talked to Mo- some people, and I heard you've been more stressed than usual," Ryou didn't want Seto to know he had talked to Mokuba about this. "The same with me, Seto. Let's just... end this relationship. Please?"
"I'm tired, but not because of you. Why do you think I have you? I just need an escape every once in a while." Seto said casually, causing Ryou to look at him. "And I don't exactly want to call off this... relationship."
Ryou gaped in disbelief. "But Seto. I said this was hard on me-"
"You're getting paid aren't you?" Seto cut Ryou off. "Don't make me sound bad! You were up to this before as well."
"But not anymore!" Ryou yelled. "I... I don't want to disrespect myself anymore. And speaking of disrespect..." He glared at Seto. "You didn't have to tell your friends about us. I didn't tell any of mine."
"You should've said you didn't want anyone to know."
"I was hoping you were smart enough to realize that!"
"Look, Bakura! I didn't ask you to do this. As I recall you were the one that came on to me. It was your decision to do this, so you can put up with the shit yourself!"
"Seto!" Ryou bit his lip and cast his eyes downward. He had never needed to respond to one of Seto's outbursts...
Seto just stared down at the boy. "You stink."
"What?" Ryou looked up.
"I said you stink." Seto wrinkled his nose. "You didn't even bother to shower when you got up."
"Well I didn't want you to yell at me for using your shampoo, like you did last time." Ryou muttered.
"Well if you were going somewhere with Mokuba you could've at least rinsed yourself off!" Seto was starting to get pissed.
"Speaking of Mokuba..." Ryou started.
"What about him?" Seto growled.
"This is a bad influence on him." Ryou decided he'd have to tell Seto about his and Mokuba's conversation if he wanted to get out of this. "He knows what we've been doing, and I think it's pressuring him."
"You told him, you idiot?" Seto practically roared. "God damn it, Ryou!"
"He was suspecting it all along." Ryou said. "You should be careful about where you leave your manga."
Seto sputtered, something completely out of character for him. He then clenched his teeth and started walking away. "I'll call you later," he shouted over his shoulder.
Ryou stood looking after him, hoping he had convinced Seto. He didn't want to do this anymore... He really didn't.
Ryou started walking back towards the dueling arena and back to Mokuba.
*~*~*
Ryou walked into his bedroom and stretching his arms, turned and fell back. He cursed when his back hit the floor instead of his bed, and his head hit the canister of lubrication. Ryou picked it up and bit his lip, wondering if he'd ever need it again. Well... Wondering if he'd ever need to use it with Seto again. You know he had forgotten in yesterday? His ass was still sore.
A phone ringing startled Ryou, causing him to yelp. He calmed down and heard the ringing again, coming from the living room. Ryou opened his bedroom door and went to answer it. He checked the caller ID and saw it was Seto... Ryou took a deep breath and answered.
"Hi Seto." Ryou said so quietly he wasn't sure Seto heard. He was about to repeat himself when Seto started talking.
"Yeah, hi," he said, somewhat rushed. "Listen..."
"I'm listening." Ryou gripped the phone tighter.
"I want you to come over tonight." Seto said casually.
"WHAT?" Ryou screamed.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding..." Seto laughed.
"Bastard... You're not funny." Ryou wasn't at all amused. But... "So... You don't want me coming over tonight... What about every night after this one?"
"When you told me about Mokuba..." Seto started. "You're right, Ryou. This was stupid."
Ryou was a bit surprised when Seto used his first name... It made him feel... more cheerful.
"Anyway... Let's call this relationship off." Seto said.
A large smile graced Ryou's face, and he was silent for a while.
"Ryou? Did you hear me? I said-"
"I heard you, Seto." Ryou almost whispered. "And thank you."
"You're welcome." Seto said just as quietly. But Ryou didn't want to end the conversation there.
"I missed out on the mile run in gym class today." Ryou said quickly before Seto could hang up. "Want to help me make it up tomorrow?"
"Ahm... Sure. If you trust me enough to let me out on the track with you alone."
"I do." Ryou chuckled. "And thanks. Bye." Ryou was putting down the phone when he heard Seto say, "You know it's hard to believe I was humping you last night?" Ryou blushed as the phone clicked.
"Ryou?" a voice said. Ryou picked up the phone and said, "What is it, Seto?"
"Dumb ass." Dark Bakura mumbled.
"Oh... It's you." Ryou blushed a little more and hung up the phone again. "What is it?"
"I'm proud of you, dumb ass." Dark Bakura smiled, although Ryou couldn't see. "Go to sleep. I want to see you."
Ryou thought to himself, and made his way back to his room. He settled himself on the bed instead of falling back, because he knew he'd miss again. But before he tried forcing himself to sleep he rolled over and picked the lubrication off the ground and chucked it into the wastebasket next to his desk. He then lay flat on his back, and forced himself to go to sleep, a useful talent.
He appeared in the long brick hallway, where Dark Bakura was. The spirit smiled lightly and pulled Ryou into his arms, gently. And this time, Ryou didn't hesitate to relax into the warm body.
"You are... stronger than you think." Dark Bakura nuzzled his light counterpart's hair.
Ryou smiled, and closed his eyes, content with just leaning against Dark Bakura.
Things had gone from bad to so much better.
*~*~*
Ryou had redeemed himself. He didn't deserve this.
"Get off of him!" Tomb Robber jumped on the bed in the center of room that had replaced his desert hell. He made to strangle the man in bed with Ryou, but found himself confused. There were two of them... Tomb Robber gasped when the second Ryou was, in fact, a copy of himself, a copy of what he had looked like when living in Ryou's body.
"Damn shape shifter!" Tomb Robber's head felt like it would burst, but he calmed the pain down a bit by punching the imposter across the face, causing the young boy next to them to cry out.
"Ryou." Tomb Robber was distracted, and looked at the boy. His eyes widened.
Ryou had changed so much in appearance. The boy had always been scrawny, but more so now... The hair looked dead and limp. The eyes... The eyes made Tomb Robber want to cry. Ryou's eyes, if you could see them through the dark, purple circles, looked lifeless.
"Ryou!" Tomb Robber sobbed, not noticing the man he punched disappear into nothing. "Ryou!" Tomb Robber grabbed Ryou around the shoulders, pulling him close the way he had so long ago. Oh, the boy's body felt so good, despite the obvious changes. Familiar warmth dazzled his senses.
"Ryou." Tomb Robber said, yet again.
A whimpered cry escaped Ryou's mouth, causing Tomb Robber to look down at the boy in his arms. He heaved a strained breath when he saw fear immediately flow into those brown orbs.
Another whimper, and then, "Get away!" Ryou squirmed to free himself, but he was hardly strong enough work himself out of Tomb Robber's grip.
"Ryou!" Tomb Robber embraced Ryou tightly, bringing his hand up and running it through Ryou's oily hair. "It's okay, Ryou. It's me... Koe..."
"Koe." Ryou sobbed.
"That's right. Koe..." Tomb Robber rested his forehead on Ryou's shoulders. "It's okay. He's not going to hurt you anymore."
"Lucifer?" Ryou said into Tomb Robber's hair. "Gone?"
Tomb Robber forced himself to smile at the weak, defenseless boy. "Yes... Gone."
"Not true!" Ryou sobbed, struggling, and this time pulling himself free of Tomb Robber's grasp. He fell off the bed and scrambled toward the wall where he curled up into a ball. Tomb Robber jumped after him and grabbed Ryou again. He forced Ryou to look at him.
"Even if he isn't gone. I'll protect you." Tomb Robber stared fiercely into Ryou's eyes, wanting him to hear everything. "I'll get you out of here."
"Out of here?" Ryou sputtered. "No way out." Big tears spilled out of Ryou's eyes. Ryou sobbed, and started to cry uncontrollably.
Tomb Robber looked around the room. It was so small and cramped. Ryou had less freedom here than he had in his desert... At least where he was, Tomb Robber could run around, even if the effort to escape was vain.
But he had to find a way to escape this room. He held Ryou closer, and glanced around, searching for any sign of an exit.
"How do I know... that you're really Koe?" Tomb Robber heard Ryou say, very quietly. "How do I know? Maybe you're him... Just breaking me down more." The boy started sobbing again. "Just rape me now! Don't hurt me anymore! Don't drag out the pain!"
Ryou started sobbing again, so very loudly.
"Would it be proof if I said I love you? That I'm proud of the person you are?" Tomb Robber shouted, not in a harsh voice but so Ryou could hear him.
Ryou's hysterical screaming stopped abruptly... Ryou hadn't heard the words 'love'... 'Proud'... in so long. Maybe... maybe... No. It wasn't possible.
Ryou broke out in shouts again, making Tomb Robber want to cry just as loudly.
"What happened to the strong Ryou?" Tomb Robber yelled. "Where'd he go? The boy I love?"
"You destroyed him!" Ryou shrieked.
"Ryou! I-"but Tomb Robber stopped when he heard something creak. It sounded like... hinges on a door, a door swinging open. Tomb Robber whipped around to look, and found a door... Hanging wide open. Damn... It looked too much like the fgghin' mouth of a crocodile! But... It was an escape from the room. From the room at least! That was a start! And probably a trap... But he was Tomb Robber. He'd get Ryou out of here...
"Door!" Ryou's eyes, still blurry from crying, looked in shock and amazement at the new door. But then the look faltered. "Trick." Ryou cast his eyes downward. "Stop now." Ryou pleaded, looking at Tomb Robber.
"I didn't do that! And it may be a trick..." Tomb Robber looked at Ryou. "But I swear it wasn't me, and I'm not... Lucifer." Tomb Robber had never called him 'Lucifer'...
"Tell you what?" Tomb Robber spoke gently. "I can help you survive beyond that door." He kissed Ryou's forehead slightly, making the boy shiver. "But you have to believe in me... Do you trust me, Ryou?"
Ryou looked with those sad, sad eyes from his Koe to the door and back again. After many moments of silent debate...
"Okay..." Ryou mumbled. 'I'll go along with this,' Ryou thought to himself. 'Just hurry and make it quick.'
"Good." Tomb Robber threw on a large smile, not being able to read Ryou's mind, and embraced Ryou. "Good choice." He then stood up and pulled a stunned, and probably overwhelmed, Ryou to his feeble feet.
"Let's go."
The two faced the open door, and wondered what lie what beyond it. Tomb Robber took a deep breath and, strongly grasping Ryou's arm, walked through the door.
Into the mouth of the crocodile.
*~*~*
To be continued...
*~*~*
Notes:
Long chapter... Writing it took a while anyway.
About Ryou being in his soul room when he's sleeping... I saw that in the anime and thought it was a good idea. Better than spacing out in math class to talk to your crazy yami anyway!
Lucifer... Was 'Lucy' taken from that name? Because that's ironic... I mean... A lot of Lucy's are such gentle people...