*dodges rotten tomatoes* Erm . . . hi? I'm back?
*runs from angry mob*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"There was a boy . . .
A very strange, ~enchanted~ boy.
They say he wandered very far,
--very far--
over land and sea . . .
A little shy, and sad of eye
but very wise, was he.
And then one day,
one magic day, he passed my way.
While we spoke of many things,
fools and kings,
this he said to me:
'The greatest thing you'll ever learn
is just to love . . . and be loved in return'"
- Massive Attack & David Bowie, "Nature Boy"
~*~*~*~
The sturdy brick archway stood triumphant against the contrast of gloom. It's unforgiving posture suggested great wisdom gained by age, and a cold unfeeling as if it was built like all the rest, with no fond love from it's mason. A bit of thinly-set light highlighted the gray mortar, which was only just beginning to slowly crumble around the edges.
He had to admit of being startled by the shape that suddenly intercepted his view of the door; as dark as chaos, and as distantly mulling as something that would naturally be avoided. Rippling still in the non- existent breeze, he found the curiously inviting man an enigma, and profoundly interesting. Not holding that he had little choice in the matter of following him . . .
But even the unnatural mental enticement could not compare with the tug he felt due to his own unsatisfied curiosity.
And it was interest in the unexplained that led him to that particular door. Curiosity acting as a drive to understand the shady possibilities, and also acting as a drive to ignore the blood-curdling shrieks that echoed through his head, with nothing but the barest traces of a tremble.
He smiled pleasantly; startling the man with the gesture, for it was far from forced.
The spirit inside of him was obviously frightened beyond all senses of rational thought, and wasn't making much sense anymore. Ryou quieted him by pushing his presence gently away as the man studied him with foreboding in his vacant expression.
/Besides, what is there left to fear?/
"Hmm, such a strange child." Muttered the dark man, before opening the door with an ominous creak on it's hinges.
Ryou shrugged, blinking mellow and slowly; still smiling.
Smiling gave him an ignorable confidence, a useful manner in which to portray indifference to his surroundings. Such expressions had been originally used predominantly as an invitation of joy, however he had learned long, long ago that such expectations were obsolete in such times. Smiles had been perverted into lies over the years.
Oddly enough, it was only recently that he figured out the gestures as the ultimate falsehoods. Ignorance drifting wildly between organized lines of everyday souls made it possible to even fool most with such simple gestures. Few paid any worthy attention to eyes, only familiar and uncomplicated things such as frowns and smiles.
A slight fluxuation in the air's temperament alerted him to the completeness of the inside, though it was more open than what he remembered. Homes and houses sported cozy, comforting interiors to be taken full advantage of after a weary day away.
He was enormously reminded of a solemn chapel, with gaping, gothic-style roofs as a joke to emulate the heavens. The spontaneously appearing man, from what Ryou could gather for himself, probably did not intend that particular effect on his visitors. Of course, from his tense stance, he did not look primarily accustomed to visitors; invited or otherwise.
This ponderous revelation sobered him slightly. He had no intention of making his supposedly 'gracious' host any more eager of unwarranted suspicion than he already was. Such rash thinking had a tendency to lead to rash actions, of whose nature Ryou had attempted his best throughout his life to avoid.
He also found it rather wise to break the tense silence that clung to the cool air like a skittish insect.
"You have a very lovely home," white hair sprinkled over his shoulders in an instinctively irritated gesture, slowing and waving to and fro calmly to the draftiness of the open loft-apartment. Turning, his gaze softened at the dark-haired man, who carefully tucked his facial expression to one reminiscent of the emotion of a stone. The dark one stared into Ryou's eyes in response, without shame or troublesome care.
He didn't blink.
Bakura had quieted, though not without fuss and the self-assured certainty that his opinion had been heard. Echoing suggestions of the vilest Egyptian language imaginable vibrated in the back of his mind, but the Hikari had the self-restraint to ignore what he intended.
That stare was making him feel extraordinarily uncomforted.
"My name is Ryou . . . " he began, somewhat uncertainly, and wondering wildly ~why~ he had come into the lair of this devious stranger. Then he recalled the abnormal compulsion out on the street--which happened to be wearing down rapidly to that moment.
Though feeling as though his stomach had caved in unpleasantly, he made a silent pledge to himself to make the most out of the situation. And he was absolutely certain he had guided himself out of worse situations.
*Memories of cold. Memories of dark. Memories of the steel-shade rolling seas mirroring the empty sky . . . *
He shook himself out of the unwanted recollection, and coincidentally, from that peculiar stare as well.
/Absolutely certain./
The man's eyes narrowed to the teen, his voice startlingly dark and deep "I know."
Ryou winced, trying to manage a weak laugh. "Well, isn't that a coincidence!"
He made a sound of disgust, turning away and finally flipping on the lights, which took the white one by surprise. He was just growing accustomed to the semi-darkness.
The ceiling was even more vast than he had previously suspected. It was conceived of a sort of warm wood, oak perhaps, lain with careful precision and obvious skill. Though the furniture was sparse, the Hikari found himself proven dreadfully wrong from his previous suspicion that the neighborhood was a crime-infested ramshackle land [1].
Not even allowing the boy to examine his unexpected surroundings, the host strode to the circular table in the center of the room. It looked as if it were placed to act as a variety of stereotypical interrogation situation.
His snatch was quick, his glare precision for poisonous effects. Ryou stood, unbothered--until he glanced at the article the man was holding.
His own face, so much younger than he remembered, reflected with a clammy and frightened quality on the newspaper page. And it was ~moving~.
"RYOU BAKURA ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN"
"Oh," he swallowed, suddenly feeling rather numb and taken with trembling "oh . . . oh my . . . "
"You should be proud of yourself, Mr. Bakura," the man commented sarcastically "you are the single most valuable bounty in the Wizarding World at this very moment."
Ryou turned slowly.
"What? 'Wizarding World'? What are you ~talking~ about!" he exploded.
This was too much of a coincidence, too pat for conspiracy. Vague ruminants of this assumed society in which he had never even ~heard~ of had been mentioned so often in his life that he knew it was a large part of the ruling of his life. He felt very hot, bothered and angry, now.
He needed answers.
//Hikari!//
"What is this?! What is everyone speaking of!"
//Calm yourself Hikari!//
"I am ~so~ tired of sitting in the background, oblivious to things that were not meant to be noticed, but necessary to be understood!"
//RYOU!!!//
"Silence, fool." The man said softly.
Something struck him, some force greater than that of nerves or physical action. It was enough for him to still himself, and falter momentarily in the face of the other man.
"Such an impudent child." He said drolly, absurdly in pity of himself. "Do you have any idea what I am, ~who~ I am?"
"I'm afraid you haven't told me who you are." Ryou responded tartly, sounding a great deal more reassured than the feeling in his stomach reflected.
He snorted, glaring suspiciously. The glare was readily returned; Ryou was by no means having a jolly-good time either.
A silence lengthened, as the two parties felt their suspicions rise and tighten like whipchords. The dark man finally shrugged off his blood red coat to the recluse of a nearby chair, making him appear all the more apocryphal in maneuverable black leather and a sour expression.
His face was so pale--more so than even Ryou's own.
"My name . . . " he hesitated "is Alucard."
The Hikari didn't need a paranoid resident in the back of his brain, or even a magic eye to deem that answer as unsatisfactory and incomplete. Dogged misgiving trailed wildly about his brain until it was all he could think of. His Yami said nothing.
"I'm not looking for a name." he said quietly.
The man's eyes narrowed.
"Names have little influence on the character one possesses. I am certain." He continued "Names are meaningless besides simple characterizations for sorting and filing."
He stared at him for a moment, somewhat caught off guard by the seemingly out-of-place inquiry. The boy was proving to be considerably troublesome, and yet, proving to possess more depth than one would suspect.
He was an intriguing, and perhaps, a bit tragic in a way that made little sense to the age-old Alucard: lord of death and reveling in it. From the pale, semi-concious face in the ads, he had suspected this infamous 'Ryou Bakura' to be some sort of low-level vampire--because true vampires in any service for the dark lord ~didn't~ get caught.
The boy was destined to a life of innocence, of which he was sorely denied by meddling hands in their fanatical tirade against a single personification of everything they despised in their imperfect world.
It amazed him on the impudence of humans, who assumed purposes in the darkest shade of dark, or the brightest shade of light. They, parasites that they were, did not understand the common concept of grayness and blurry ideals. Yet this boy, even from this brief conversation he had proven ~he knew~ such sore wisdom and necessary concepts for truth.
His wide eyes and his bleached hair only just graced the complexity and oddity of the boy. And there were many secrets that could not be pried out of his mind by any means.
Pity he had to kill him.
Alucard chuckled darkly.
"So it is then. However, how could you be a worthy study in my true character when it is much too corrupted for you to understand."
"I understand corruption." Ryou commented quietly.
"Not the finer parts." He hummed. "Nothing of what has made me the way I am."
"I don't pretend to."
"Silly, silly child."
"What do you want from me?!" the boy yelled.
"Nothing particular or extraordinarily difficult to understand. Just your life, little Mr. Bakura."
Ryou's breath caught in his throat, cursing himself for his shortsightedness to such obvious manners. He was a bounty now; and ultimately incapable of defending himself in this situation that he didn't understand.
Why was he frightened, anyway? His mind raced. Wouldn't death be better than having to spend the rest of his life looking for strangers driven by hate--for him?
Wouldn't a complete absence of life save him from hurting ever again?
/What is there left for me . . . /
//Ryou! Damn you, you fool, you idiot boy and your tragic mind!//
/Death is the only escape left for me./
Alucard noticed the boy's eyes turn disturbingly blank as they focused on nothing in particular. His hands were limp, his throat tied.
The bounty hunter made a sound of disgust.
//NO! Death is wretched, Ryou, DEATH is shadow and MADNESS!//
Something shimmered next to the boy.
Quite randomly, another appeared, as identical as a twin, yet the manner in which this fairy-Ryou held himself was--
--Absolutely murderous. Insanity-driven even. This was peculiar.
"You worthless Hikari!" the twin screamed with a burning rage as he shook the other with a violent motion "DON'T YOU DARE LOSE YOURSELF OR YOU'LL SEND THE BOTH OF US TO THE SHADOW REALM FOR ALL ETERNITY!!!"
Finally, the boy blinked with agonizing effort, finding his jaw gaping in horror. The bounty hunter was ignored, much to his spited indignation, as the boy simply collapsed muttering "nonononono . . . "
It was pathetic.
After an uncertain hesitation, but painful softening of his gaze, the dark twin lowered himself to Ryou's side, offering nothing but a hug. The two of them were a sight never to be imagined by the dark one.
The dark one was absolutely astounded by the showing of the two boys. The tenderness and certain love was too complex to recall, and his memories too bitter to have ever been remembered.
But this was too much, too much love, and the tears were real.
So, apparently, was this apparition, as well, and it confused him in the meantime as he tried to suppress unwanted sentimentality.
Once the boy's sobs quieted into precarious little sniffles, he spoke again, eyes flashing dangerously.
"Explain."
"Why do we need to explain ourselves to you?" the evil reflection grumbled with wicked eyes.
"Oh, I'm rightfully curious."
"Then your curiosity will have to remain unsatisfied."
Alucard narrowed his eyes.
With a smooth, efficient motion through his voluminous red coat, the boy had no time to react before the long silver pistol was poised at his too- thin neck without trouble. The long barrel shined unnaturally, shimmering with intricate motifs depicting beautiful, calming things. Unreal things.
He seemed to get his point across without much fuss or tension on his part. The boy glared venomously down the silver barrel, to eyes much deranged by morbid amusement.
"Bastard." He choked, his adam's apple confined with the pressure applied from the weapon.
"Ah, but a ~curious~ bastard all the same."
"You can't kill me." He sneered.
"I suspected as much," he admitted "that is why," his head gestured ever-so- slightly to the side "I made sure at least one of my targets was a certain hit."
Ryou peered down the barrel of the other gun, disturbed and shocked into silence. His face was still blotchy patches of red over paleness.
Yami Bakura gave a very animalistic growl toward their assaulter.
Alucard grinned contemptuously, suddenly exposing unnaturally lengthened canines and very white, very sharp teeth.
Doing a bit of background calculation in his head, Ryou discovered the inevitable; if by some chance they were to both break free from the man's immediate line of fire, there was probably no way they could both survive this--this--dare he even ~think~ such childish things, ~*vampire*~.
Therefore (he recalled vague practices during geometry class in the paragraph proof [2] from a life before time) there was really no chance of escape.
Damnable doom and it's predictability.
But there was a chance, he remembered.
"It's a . . . long story." He said cautiously, in that peacefully melodic voice.
The other two beings gazed upon him in surprise
"And I have all the time in the world." The bounty hunter assured.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
[1] yay for Beck!!! Woo!!!
[2] geometry *shivers* I hate math *chants and runs away*
Reviewsies:
crystal-chan - No problem, I'm just happy you read it ^^ I'm a total sucker: I'll be your slave if you read my writing ^^;;;
Sarah - WOO!!! Got your e-mail ~_^ *blushies* wow . . . I'm flabbergasted that people like you actually like it ^_^ I hope this chappie wasn't dreadfully disappointing, due to my troublesome schedule and consequent slowness. Bleh. School is a wretched, wretched EVIL thing. It must be stopped!!! =P
Ouvalyrin - I looked through your 'favorite stories' list soooooo many times! ^^ You have a good sense of good and bad--which makes me all the more astounded that someone like you would waste your time with my stuff ^^ meep! I'll try to continue!!!
onlyHAUNTED - Waiiii, 'Kura is sort of a ditzy homicidal maniac at times, isn't he? Why else would he be spited all those times by the heros and stuff ^^;;; we love him dearly, though!
Ice Blue X - Yay! *huggles Icee* You probably haven't stuck around with this, buuuuut I found your comment very ego-boosting and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and--thank you!!! ^^
Elle-FaTe2x1 - lol so true . . . well, I'm glad you stumbled upon it, however briefly ^^ geez, this chapter is bound to be a disappointment cuz . . . nothing really happens ^^;;; BAH to my verbosity and boring-ness!!! *stabs boring-ness*
Yami-Krissy - *snorts* Well of course I'm evil! *looks around* woah, did I just say that out loud o.O Woo! Can't wait for Kaideen . . . WAIIIIII!!!! ^_________^ so excited.
Psychopathic Sixth Grader - Aww *huggles* thankyouthankyouthankyou! Do tell me if I am cutting off your air with my uber-sized huggles though ^^;;; I have a tendency to do that . . .
Angel Rosz - Yay for Rosz!!! You're always there for positive feedback T.T it makes me feel so loved ^^
Silver Queen - ^^ Well, if you're still wondering, read 'Alucard' backwards and you'll see what I mean ~_^ yay for Hellsing!
R Amythest - *points* Methinks I responded, though I have recently misplaced my mind. Have you seen it anywhere lately? @.@ I'll probably be needing it for my trig final. ACK! Stupid brain--always running away from me! *cries*
Windswift - Heehee, I'll continue ^^ I'm glad you liked it!
Wintersong - *peers around* Umm, yeah . . . sorry about the wait . . . MEEP! *bows to the ground* I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT!!! I'LL DO BETTER NEXT TIME!!! *sniffles*
RBMIfan - *smiles* thank you dearly--but if this has any shounen-ai elements . . . will you hate me forever? T.T I love it so much . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Weeeeeeeell, hopefully by next chapter, or at least the one after it, Ryou will be off to Hogwarts with a smile and a basket of chocolate frogs . . . or will he?
*DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN*
We'll see ^^ I'm not entirely sure myself--yet, anywho.
But uh, what you're all wondering about, umm . . .
giggle's reasons for not updating (because 'excuses' is such an unfitting word *coughcough*:
- Crazy English teacher and his creepy smiles
- Crazy Math teacher and the quadratics I never knew--until my first week of that class
- Crazy nuns
- Damn Catholics (I'm not condemning a religion, just those that are particularly convinced that the entire world should share their every ideal- -of which, any religion poses as an annoyance when perceived in that way)
- Stupid prep school
Soooo, yeah. That's a pretty good list of what has been nagging at me all this time . . . anywho T.T please don't give up on me!!!
And if anyone's still there . . . would you please review? I have my math final tomorrow . . . and I'll be lucky if I pass. SO serious on this one.
I think I'm going to go off and cry now
giggle
*runs from angry mob*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"There was a boy . . .
A very strange, ~enchanted~ boy.
They say he wandered very far,
--very far--
over land and sea . . .
A little shy, and sad of eye
but very wise, was he.
And then one day,
one magic day, he passed my way.
While we spoke of many things,
fools and kings,
this he said to me:
'The greatest thing you'll ever learn
is just to love . . . and be loved in return'"
- Massive Attack & David Bowie, "Nature Boy"
~*~*~*~
The sturdy brick archway stood triumphant against the contrast of gloom. It's unforgiving posture suggested great wisdom gained by age, and a cold unfeeling as if it was built like all the rest, with no fond love from it's mason. A bit of thinly-set light highlighted the gray mortar, which was only just beginning to slowly crumble around the edges.
He had to admit of being startled by the shape that suddenly intercepted his view of the door; as dark as chaos, and as distantly mulling as something that would naturally be avoided. Rippling still in the non- existent breeze, he found the curiously inviting man an enigma, and profoundly interesting. Not holding that he had little choice in the matter of following him . . .
But even the unnatural mental enticement could not compare with the tug he felt due to his own unsatisfied curiosity.
And it was interest in the unexplained that led him to that particular door. Curiosity acting as a drive to understand the shady possibilities, and also acting as a drive to ignore the blood-curdling shrieks that echoed through his head, with nothing but the barest traces of a tremble.
He smiled pleasantly; startling the man with the gesture, for it was far from forced.
The spirit inside of him was obviously frightened beyond all senses of rational thought, and wasn't making much sense anymore. Ryou quieted him by pushing his presence gently away as the man studied him with foreboding in his vacant expression.
/Besides, what is there left to fear?/
"Hmm, such a strange child." Muttered the dark man, before opening the door with an ominous creak on it's hinges.
Ryou shrugged, blinking mellow and slowly; still smiling.
Smiling gave him an ignorable confidence, a useful manner in which to portray indifference to his surroundings. Such expressions had been originally used predominantly as an invitation of joy, however he had learned long, long ago that such expectations were obsolete in such times. Smiles had been perverted into lies over the years.
Oddly enough, it was only recently that he figured out the gestures as the ultimate falsehoods. Ignorance drifting wildly between organized lines of everyday souls made it possible to even fool most with such simple gestures. Few paid any worthy attention to eyes, only familiar and uncomplicated things such as frowns and smiles.
A slight fluxuation in the air's temperament alerted him to the completeness of the inside, though it was more open than what he remembered. Homes and houses sported cozy, comforting interiors to be taken full advantage of after a weary day away.
He was enormously reminded of a solemn chapel, with gaping, gothic-style roofs as a joke to emulate the heavens. The spontaneously appearing man, from what Ryou could gather for himself, probably did not intend that particular effect on his visitors. Of course, from his tense stance, he did not look primarily accustomed to visitors; invited or otherwise.
This ponderous revelation sobered him slightly. He had no intention of making his supposedly 'gracious' host any more eager of unwarranted suspicion than he already was. Such rash thinking had a tendency to lead to rash actions, of whose nature Ryou had attempted his best throughout his life to avoid.
He also found it rather wise to break the tense silence that clung to the cool air like a skittish insect.
"You have a very lovely home," white hair sprinkled over his shoulders in an instinctively irritated gesture, slowing and waving to and fro calmly to the draftiness of the open loft-apartment. Turning, his gaze softened at the dark-haired man, who carefully tucked his facial expression to one reminiscent of the emotion of a stone. The dark one stared into Ryou's eyes in response, without shame or troublesome care.
He didn't blink.
Bakura had quieted, though not without fuss and the self-assured certainty that his opinion had been heard. Echoing suggestions of the vilest Egyptian language imaginable vibrated in the back of his mind, but the Hikari had the self-restraint to ignore what he intended.
That stare was making him feel extraordinarily uncomforted.
"My name is Ryou . . . " he began, somewhat uncertainly, and wondering wildly ~why~ he had come into the lair of this devious stranger. Then he recalled the abnormal compulsion out on the street--which happened to be wearing down rapidly to that moment.
Though feeling as though his stomach had caved in unpleasantly, he made a silent pledge to himself to make the most out of the situation. And he was absolutely certain he had guided himself out of worse situations.
*Memories of cold. Memories of dark. Memories of the steel-shade rolling seas mirroring the empty sky . . . *
He shook himself out of the unwanted recollection, and coincidentally, from that peculiar stare as well.
/Absolutely certain./
The man's eyes narrowed to the teen, his voice startlingly dark and deep "I know."
Ryou winced, trying to manage a weak laugh. "Well, isn't that a coincidence!"
He made a sound of disgust, turning away and finally flipping on the lights, which took the white one by surprise. He was just growing accustomed to the semi-darkness.
The ceiling was even more vast than he had previously suspected. It was conceived of a sort of warm wood, oak perhaps, lain with careful precision and obvious skill. Though the furniture was sparse, the Hikari found himself proven dreadfully wrong from his previous suspicion that the neighborhood was a crime-infested ramshackle land [1].
Not even allowing the boy to examine his unexpected surroundings, the host strode to the circular table in the center of the room. It looked as if it were placed to act as a variety of stereotypical interrogation situation.
His snatch was quick, his glare precision for poisonous effects. Ryou stood, unbothered--until he glanced at the article the man was holding.
His own face, so much younger than he remembered, reflected with a clammy and frightened quality on the newspaper page. And it was ~moving~.
"RYOU BAKURA ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN"
"Oh," he swallowed, suddenly feeling rather numb and taken with trembling "oh . . . oh my . . . "
"You should be proud of yourself, Mr. Bakura," the man commented sarcastically "you are the single most valuable bounty in the Wizarding World at this very moment."
Ryou turned slowly.
"What? 'Wizarding World'? What are you ~talking~ about!" he exploded.
This was too much of a coincidence, too pat for conspiracy. Vague ruminants of this assumed society in which he had never even ~heard~ of had been mentioned so often in his life that he knew it was a large part of the ruling of his life. He felt very hot, bothered and angry, now.
He needed answers.
//Hikari!//
"What is this?! What is everyone speaking of!"
//Calm yourself Hikari!//
"I am ~so~ tired of sitting in the background, oblivious to things that were not meant to be noticed, but necessary to be understood!"
//RYOU!!!//
"Silence, fool." The man said softly.
Something struck him, some force greater than that of nerves or physical action. It was enough for him to still himself, and falter momentarily in the face of the other man.
"Such an impudent child." He said drolly, absurdly in pity of himself. "Do you have any idea what I am, ~who~ I am?"
"I'm afraid you haven't told me who you are." Ryou responded tartly, sounding a great deal more reassured than the feeling in his stomach reflected.
He snorted, glaring suspiciously. The glare was readily returned; Ryou was by no means having a jolly-good time either.
A silence lengthened, as the two parties felt their suspicions rise and tighten like whipchords. The dark man finally shrugged off his blood red coat to the recluse of a nearby chair, making him appear all the more apocryphal in maneuverable black leather and a sour expression.
His face was so pale--more so than even Ryou's own.
"My name . . . " he hesitated "is Alucard."
The Hikari didn't need a paranoid resident in the back of his brain, or even a magic eye to deem that answer as unsatisfactory and incomplete. Dogged misgiving trailed wildly about his brain until it was all he could think of. His Yami said nothing.
"I'm not looking for a name." he said quietly.
The man's eyes narrowed.
"Names have little influence on the character one possesses. I am certain." He continued "Names are meaningless besides simple characterizations for sorting and filing."
He stared at him for a moment, somewhat caught off guard by the seemingly out-of-place inquiry. The boy was proving to be considerably troublesome, and yet, proving to possess more depth than one would suspect.
He was an intriguing, and perhaps, a bit tragic in a way that made little sense to the age-old Alucard: lord of death and reveling in it. From the pale, semi-concious face in the ads, he had suspected this infamous 'Ryou Bakura' to be some sort of low-level vampire--because true vampires in any service for the dark lord ~didn't~ get caught.
The boy was destined to a life of innocence, of which he was sorely denied by meddling hands in their fanatical tirade against a single personification of everything they despised in their imperfect world.
It amazed him on the impudence of humans, who assumed purposes in the darkest shade of dark, or the brightest shade of light. They, parasites that they were, did not understand the common concept of grayness and blurry ideals. Yet this boy, even from this brief conversation he had proven ~he knew~ such sore wisdom and necessary concepts for truth.
His wide eyes and his bleached hair only just graced the complexity and oddity of the boy. And there were many secrets that could not be pried out of his mind by any means.
Pity he had to kill him.
Alucard chuckled darkly.
"So it is then. However, how could you be a worthy study in my true character when it is much too corrupted for you to understand."
"I understand corruption." Ryou commented quietly.
"Not the finer parts." He hummed. "Nothing of what has made me the way I am."
"I don't pretend to."
"Silly, silly child."
"What do you want from me?!" the boy yelled.
"Nothing particular or extraordinarily difficult to understand. Just your life, little Mr. Bakura."
Ryou's breath caught in his throat, cursing himself for his shortsightedness to such obvious manners. He was a bounty now; and ultimately incapable of defending himself in this situation that he didn't understand.
Why was he frightened, anyway? His mind raced. Wouldn't death be better than having to spend the rest of his life looking for strangers driven by hate--for him?
Wouldn't a complete absence of life save him from hurting ever again?
/What is there left for me . . . /
//Ryou! Damn you, you fool, you idiot boy and your tragic mind!//
/Death is the only escape left for me./
Alucard noticed the boy's eyes turn disturbingly blank as they focused on nothing in particular. His hands were limp, his throat tied.
The bounty hunter made a sound of disgust.
//NO! Death is wretched, Ryou, DEATH is shadow and MADNESS!//
Something shimmered next to the boy.
Quite randomly, another appeared, as identical as a twin, yet the manner in which this fairy-Ryou held himself was--
--Absolutely murderous. Insanity-driven even. This was peculiar.
"You worthless Hikari!" the twin screamed with a burning rage as he shook the other with a violent motion "DON'T YOU DARE LOSE YOURSELF OR YOU'LL SEND THE BOTH OF US TO THE SHADOW REALM FOR ALL ETERNITY!!!"
Finally, the boy blinked with agonizing effort, finding his jaw gaping in horror. The bounty hunter was ignored, much to his spited indignation, as the boy simply collapsed muttering "nonononono . . . "
It was pathetic.
After an uncertain hesitation, but painful softening of his gaze, the dark twin lowered himself to Ryou's side, offering nothing but a hug. The two of them were a sight never to be imagined by the dark one.
The dark one was absolutely astounded by the showing of the two boys. The tenderness and certain love was too complex to recall, and his memories too bitter to have ever been remembered.
But this was too much, too much love, and the tears were real.
So, apparently, was this apparition, as well, and it confused him in the meantime as he tried to suppress unwanted sentimentality.
Once the boy's sobs quieted into precarious little sniffles, he spoke again, eyes flashing dangerously.
"Explain."
"Why do we need to explain ourselves to you?" the evil reflection grumbled with wicked eyes.
"Oh, I'm rightfully curious."
"Then your curiosity will have to remain unsatisfied."
Alucard narrowed his eyes.
With a smooth, efficient motion through his voluminous red coat, the boy had no time to react before the long silver pistol was poised at his too- thin neck without trouble. The long barrel shined unnaturally, shimmering with intricate motifs depicting beautiful, calming things. Unreal things.
He seemed to get his point across without much fuss or tension on his part. The boy glared venomously down the silver barrel, to eyes much deranged by morbid amusement.
"Bastard." He choked, his adam's apple confined with the pressure applied from the weapon.
"Ah, but a ~curious~ bastard all the same."
"You can't kill me." He sneered.
"I suspected as much," he admitted "that is why," his head gestured ever-so- slightly to the side "I made sure at least one of my targets was a certain hit."
Ryou peered down the barrel of the other gun, disturbed and shocked into silence. His face was still blotchy patches of red over paleness.
Yami Bakura gave a very animalistic growl toward their assaulter.
Alucard grinned contemptuously, suddenly exposing unnaturally lengthened canines and very white, very sharp teeth.
Doing a bit of background calculation in his head, Ryou discovered the inevitable; if by some chance they were to both break free from the man's immediate line of fire, there was probably no way they could both survive this--this--dare he even ~think~ such childish things, ~*vampire*~.
Therefore (he recalled vague practices during geometry class in the paragraph proof [2] from a life before time) there was really no chance of escape.
Damnable doom and it's predictability.
But there was a chance, he remembered.
"It's a . . . long story." He said cautiously, in that peacefully melodic voice.
The other two beings gazed upon him in surprise
"And I have all the time in the world." The bounty hunter assured.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
[1] yay for Beck!!! Woo!!!
[2] geometry *shivers* I hate math *chants and runs away*
Reviewsies:
crystal-chan - No problem, I'm just happy you read it ^^ I'm a total sucker: I'll be your slave if you read my writing ^^;;;
Sarah - WOO!!! Got your e-mail ~_^ *blushies* wow . . . I'm flabbergasted that people like you actually like it ^_^ I hope this chappie wasn't dreadfully disappointing, due to my troublesome schedule and consequent slowness. Bleh. School is a wretched, wretched EVIL thing. It must be stopped!!! =P
Ouvalyrin - I looked through your 'favorite stories' list soooooo many times! ^^ You have a good sense of good and bad--which makes me all the more astounded that someone like you would waste your time with my stuff ^^ meep! I'll try to continue!!!
onlyHAUNTED - Waiiii, 'Kura is sort of a ditzy homicidal maniac at times, isn't he? Why else would he be spited all those times by the heros and stuff ^^;;; we love him dearly, though!
Ice Blue X - Yay! *huggles Icee* You probably haven't stuck around with this, buuuuut I found your comment very ego-boosting and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and--thank you!!! ^^
Elle-FaTe2x1 - lol so true . . . well, I'm glad you stumbled upon it, however briefly ^^ geez, this chapter is bound to be a disappointment cuz . . . nothing really happens ^^;;; BAH to my verbosity and boring-ness!!! *stabs boring-ness*
Yami-Krissy - *snorts* Well of course I'm evil! *looks around* woah, did I just say that out loud o.O Woo! Can't wait for Kaideen . . . WAIIIIII!!!! ^_________^ so excited.
Psychopathic Sixth Grader - Aww *huggles* thankyouthankyouthankyou! Do tell me if I am cutting off your air with my uber-sized huggles though ^^;;; I have a tendency to do that . . .
Angel Rosz - Yay for Rosz!!! You're always there for positive feedback T.T it makes me feel so loved ^^
Silver Queen - ^^ Well, if you're still wondering, read 'Alucard' backwards and you'll see what I mean ~_^ yay for Hellsing!
R Amythest - *points* Methinks I responded, though I have recently misplaced my mind. Have you seen it anywhere lately? @.@ I'll probably be needing it for my trig final. ACK! Stupid brain--always running away from me! *cries*
Windswift - Heehee, I'll continue ^^ I'm glad you liked it!
Wintersong - *peers around* Umm, yeah . . . sorry about the wait . . . MEEP! *bows to the ground* I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT!!! I'LL DO BETTER NEXT TIME!!! *sniffles*
RBMIfan - *smiles* thank you dearly--but if this has any shounen-ai elements . . . will you hate me forever? T.T I love it so much . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Weeeeeeeell, hopefully by next chapter, or at least the one after it, Ryou will be off to Hogwarts with a smile and a basket of chocolate frogs . . . or will he?
*DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN*
We'll see ^^ I'm not entirely sure myself--yet, anywho.
But uh, what you're all wondering about, umm . . .
giggle's reasons for not updating (because 'excuses' is such an unfitting word *coughcough*:
- Crazy English teacher and his creepy smiles
- Crazy Math teacher and the quadratics I never knew--until my first week of that class
- Crazy nuns
- Damn Catholics (I'm not condemning a religion, just those that are particularly convinced that the entire world should share their every ideal- -of which, any religion poses as an annoyance when perceived in that way)
- Stupid prep school
Soooo, yeah. That's a pretty good list of what has been nagging at me all this time . . . anywho T.T please don't give up on me!!!
And if anyone's still there . . . would you please review? I have my math final tomorrow . . . and I'll be lucky if I pass. SO serious on this one.
I think I'm going to go off and cry now
giggle