A/N: Author's notes have been removed due to ff.net's notice about chat dialogue being used in this.. x.x oy.. gomen-nasai!




Of Angels and Demons
Chapter 7: As Distress Creeps Upon One's Mind
By: Nadako-Mika

...Total darkness was what greeted the frail hikari, as he came towards the solid ground. But as his mind floated into a state of unconciousnes, he thought he heard a frustrated cry from someone other than himself.

"Oh Ra...RYOU!"

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The phone ran loudly at the Ishtar residence. Malik nearly dropped his coffee cup at the sudden sound. He placed the shaking drink back onto the kitchen table and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

His yami's voice greeted him, "Hikari?"

"Mariku?"

"Yes. Er.. listen," Mariku started, "I'm going to be a little late tonight."

Malik frowned. "Why?" he asked.

"I'm at the hospital right now-"

"What?! Why are you at the hospital?!" Malik asked, hoping nothing had happened to his yami.

"It's Ryou, you know...the Tomb Robber's hikari? I found the guy half splattered on the sidewalk. Actually.. I saw him fall from his window, don't know why he did that.. but he hit the ground pretty hard."

Malik was taking a sip of his drink when he heard what his yami said. The contents was immediately sprayed from his mouth. "Ryou?! Is he alright?!" he practically screamed.

There was a slight pause on the other end. "I don't know," Mariku answered, "He's in the emergency room right now, no visitors permitted. Do you have any idea as to where that Tomb Robber may be?"

"Yes, I do.. Bakura's here right now- he just walked into the room."

"What's he doing there?" suspicion filled the yami's voice.

"That's one thing I'd like to find out," Malik answered. He motioned the white-haried teen to sit down at the table. "He just arrived at the door and asked if he could stay for a bit."

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(( Bakura's P.O.V ))

Who is that boy talking to? And why are they conversing about me? Did I do something wrong?

"...He just arrived at the door and asked if he could stay for a bit...............Should I bring him with me? .........Uh-huh.... He's out of the emergency room now? We'll be down there right away. Sure.. Bye."

The Egyptian in front of me hung up the phone and turned to face me. He gave a heavy sigh and said, "Ryou's at the hospital."

I just stared at him, blinking ever so often. By the look on his face, I'd say he wasn't expecting my response to be so.. blunt. I shifted in my seat as the awkward silence continued. What? Was he expecting me to say- 'Oh my Ra! What happened' ? I didn't move after that.. just stared, but not at him. I was looking through him, trying to avert his gaze. There was something about those psychotic eyes of his. He always seemed to be able to force something out of you, just by staring. I frowned slightly as Malik continued to stare. How much longer was he going to keep this up?

"Did you hear what I said?" his voice made me jump out of my trance.

I blinked at him again.

Malik shook his head and stared at me again. This time, he managed to catch my gaze. "Ryou.. is at...the hospital," he repeated, speaking as if I didn't understand the language he spoke.

'I know what you said, dumbass. I just don't feel like talking, is all.' I said quietly to myself. I tried to pry my eyes away from his, but found it quite impossible.

"I heard," was my reply.

His brows furrowed in confusion, and continued his gaze. He's obviously trying to get something out of me. "Aren't you worried about him?"

Curses! What kind of a question is that?! I should answer 'no'... He knows me as the heartless tomb robber who cares not for his hikari. But I can't lie right now; those acursed lavender eyes are going to pry the truth out of me. What am I to do.. I can't let him see that I've changed, that I'm actually WORRIED about Ryou's health.

"Bakura?" his voice brought me back from my inner debate.

"Hn?"

"Are you even listening to me?" he asked.

"No," I said quite bluntly. No use lying there. Anyone -even Motou- could have seen that I wasn't paying attention.

Another sigh - this time full of frustration - seeped through Malik's lips. The teen stood up quietly and proceeded out the kitchen room. "Come on," he said quietly, "We're going to the Hospital."

'Curses!' I screamed at myself. How can I go see Ryou when all I'll do is kill him?! I frown and follow Malik out the door.

I felt his gaze follow my movements, as we walked. Was he suspecting something of me? I suddenly felt a peculiar jab at my mind. What was he trying to do? I shifted my eyes to the side and caught a glimpse of his Sennen Rod glowing. I then focused my eyes back to the street.

He does suspect something... He's trying to pry information from my mind. It's not going to work. You're not going to get anything from me, Ishtar.

My eyes glaze over as I focus on my Soul Room door. I can feel Malik trying to unlock the bounds around it. I concentrated the magic from the Ring on the door, doubling the defenses. A smirk crept up on me, 'Let's see you try to get past that, Malik.'

I knew the teen had given up when the peculiar feeling faded away. I turned to my side and stared at Malik, my eyes piercing him. He looks.. unnerved by my actions. I gave him a glance, one that clearly read 'I know what you're up to.' The trip was silent, there after.

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He lay motionless, eyes closed, unable to move a single muscle. He wasn't in a deep slumber, but fully awake. His hearing had been enhanced by the silence around him. A sudden sniffle startled him, making his heart stop beating for a second. The light sniffle was replaced by a full sob. Whoever it was had broken down and was now crying near him. He frowned mentally, what happened? Who was out there?

"They're losing him," the person sobbed. By the tone of the voice, he could make out that it belonged to a female. He recognized it... it was his mother's.

"Oka-san[1]?" the voice of a child asked quietly, "What happened to onii-san[2]?"

"He's asleep, Amane[3]... just asleep."

"No he's not," the little girl replied, "Can't you feel it? He's still awake."

The woman's sobs grew louder. "I don't know what's wrong, Amane."

"Is he joining us?" the girl asked timidly, "Is onii-san going to-"

A man's voice spoke up, "Don't speak like that Amane! He's going to live. He's strong, he'll find a way to get through."

'That voice.. so familiar. I know Oka-san is there.' Ryou stayed still, listening to the conversation. 'Amane? Imoto-chan[4]... What is she doing here... More so, what am I doing here? And where's HERE?'

Ryou's mother spoke, her sobs cutting of a few words, "Why- did you leave- him?"

"I didn't plan on it," the man said, "It just.. happened."

Ryou felt soft, small hands brush against his smooth skin. "What's onii-san going to do once he finds out otou-san[5] is gone?" Amane asked. She turned her attention to her older brother and sighed. "Onii-san.. please stay strong.."

'Stay strong? Why?...How?.......OTOU-SAN?!'

The loud, constant beeping of a machine filled Ryou's ears. Drowning out the sound of his mother's sobs...

Large chocolate brown eyes blinked open, surveying the room slightly. It hurt to move. The slightest movement of his head caused a surge of pain to flood through his neck. Apparently, he was in a room... more so, a hospital room. It seemed that no one was in the room as of now, only himself. Ryou tried to sit up, to get a better look at his surroundings, only to be brought down by an immense flow of pain. He felt paralyzed- unable to move a single limb- but with the added pain.

Mariku had just walked into the room when he saw the boy fall and utter a faint cry. He quickly ran to his side.

"Ryou! Don't try to move," he said as he helped Ryou back down onto the bed.

The white haired teen bit his lip. Why did it hurt so much? What happened? "M-Mariku?" he asked, pain filled his voice.

The Egyptian blond looked up. "Hn?"

"Where am I?" Ryou asked, "What happened?"

"You're in the hospital. You took a pretty bad fall," Mariku frowned, "What happened then? Why did you fall out of your window?"

Ryou's eyes snapped open. He.. fell? Since when did he fall? All he remembered was feeling a quick breeze flow by... someone shouting...then a world of black. He turned to look at Mariku. "I..fell?"

"Yeah. You're lucky you're not dead. Three stories is awfully high," Mariku winced as he remembered just how Ryou looked when he had found him. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sight...

The door was suddenly opened as two figures walked in. Malik, upon seeing the frail teen, immediately ran full force towards the bed. Only to be stopped by his yami.

"Huh?" Malik looked up at his yami. Mariku only shook his head. He sighed and looked at Ryou. "What? No casts?" Malik asked.

It was true. For some odd reason, Ryou didn't have a single cast on him, despite the fact that he had just been in an accident involving a three story high building and solid ground. The boy only had painful scratches and cuts.

"Oh.. uh..." Ryou couldn't say anything. He hadn't noticed that little detail. His eyes shifted around the room, trying to ignore Malik's staring. Instead, his eyes fell upon a silent figure a dark corner of the room. Bakura sat there, eyes trained on a spot on the wall, oblivious to the fact that his hikari was staring.

Eventually, Bakura shifted his eyes to someplace other than the wall. As his eyes moved from their fixed spot, they locked on with bright chocolate ones. A slight pang hit his heart when he saw Ryou gazing at him. He felt bad for running out on hiim like that, but it was for the better...right? He shook his head slightly and tore away, trying to hide the emotions that surfaced in his eyes.

Ryou looked down at his hands, which were fumbling with the sheets. 'Why is Bakura here? I doubt he wanted to come here by choice. Maybe Malik-san forced him to come...' the boy frowned and lowered his eyes.

The door opened once again, but Ryou and Bakura took no notice. A nurse walked in, carrying a frown on her face. She stopped short of the four teens and said, "Excuse me, but may I please talk to Bakura-san[6] alone?"

Mariku nodded at his hikari, and the pair headed towards the door. "We'll be outside if you need us," one of the Ishtars said to Ryou before walking out. Bakura proceeded to follow, but was stopped short.

"Family members may stay," the woman said, assuming Bakura was Ryou's brother, "You might want to hear this..."

The tomb robber only shrugged before sitting down again. He looked straight at the nurse, trying to avoid Ryou's futile attempts to catch his eye.

The nurse gave a soft sigh before looking at Ryou, her eyes full of pity. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news... but..."

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"What?... You mean he's...gone?"

Malik and Mariku had their ears firmly pressed against the patient's door. Both eager to hear what the lady had to say to their friends. They both frowned when they here Ryou's voice. He sounded so hurt and weak, stuttering ever so often on words. The tragic news that sprung up on him probably didn't help the situation.

Malik turned to his yami, tears brimming his eyes. "Poor Ryou..."

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Notes/Definitions::

[1] Oka-san -::- Means 'Mother' in japanese.. at least.. I think...@.@ my memory is a bit foggy..
[2] Onii-san -::- I'm pretty sure it means Older Brother. Not sure of the spelling though.. Horrible am I not?
[3] Amane -::- Ryou's deceased little sister. Died a while ago... not sure exactly when.
[4] Imoto-chan -::- Little sister
[5] Otou-san -::- Father
[6] The nurse was refering to Ryou...not Bakura... she just used his last name.

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A/N: Author's notes have been removed due to ff.net's notice about chat dialogue being used in this.. x.x oy.. gomen-nasai!