Yami's koi: it looks like you gies figured another chapter is needed, so here it is!
Bakura: why do you even bother writing about me when you could be doing something exciting?
Yami's koi: like writing suicide fics? Yay, now Bakura's inspired me to write more... Here's the second chapter of Good Riddance (Time of your Life). I hope this reaches your standards.
Playground school bells ring... again...
Need I any rest, though I am weary? Hell no! I am the almighty Tomb Robber, after all. Nothing yet throughout time has fazed me enough to give rise to the occasion where I shed a single tear, and that is what I call an achievement. After all, many mortals cry freely, in the streets, after something so pathetic, and you know what? I laugh at them. I stand there, and mock them for what they are.
Life like this is always great. Yet I always have to suffer my pitiful excuse for an hikari, who is just there to ruin my pleasure. Fuck, he's so bloody weak, I'd be surprised if he'd even last five minutes against the most fragile of people. It is quite surprising really that we are hikari and yami, light and darkness, when I am so strong and merciless, and he puny and innocent.
But I am not too awful to my light. No, I have repaid him, in many more ways in which you may imagine. Obviously I have been harsh on him, yet I was never treated rightfully when I was a child. Therefore, there is no possible explanation why my host's life is any different.
Though I cannot owe all of my pain to that fatal childhood of mine. No, there were... other influences, which had affected me awfully. Take the dreadful conditions of a peasant's house. Every day I would wake before the sun rose, so that my naïve and pathetic family could give thanks to that twat, Ra. Iie, I have never believed in such a myth, and myth it is. Gods and religious beliefs are simply a way of translating the occurrences in life that some simpleton doesn't have the brain capacity to explain. I see such things as a fairy tale created to sweeten the loss of a loved one.
Speaking of those who have been lost... my mother. For some disappointingly odd reason, I still think about her. Then I may curse, and scream at the 'heavens'... and then I remember.
Rain clouds come to play... again
My host. He has at least one function good enough to be mentioned. Yes, I abuse him, but don't give me that shit about how cruel and heartless I am. Because that's how the world shall be for him if he continues to be so innocent, and I am giving him that favour of showing him how to be. He should be thanking me, not screaming aloud in pain.
Huh. I've just remembered what he did last night...
Flashback (General POV, Past tense)Ryou hummed slightly whilst cleaning his room. Bakura would not be back for quite some time, so he could – leisurely, and without the fear of assault – do what he pleased. Music floated from his CD player, and he took several moments to reflect on what the lyrics had started for him. Guitars and a soft violin, along with the melodious voice that sung, saddened Ryou once more.
At that thought Ryou's trademark smile faltered. His chocolate coloured eyes lowered, an almost glaze falling across them, and he fell back to sit on his bed. Without so much as a murmur, he lifted the leg of his jeans, right past his knee, up until it reached his upper thigh.
On his right leg, vast, ugly scars marred the paleness of his skin. Ryou counted fourteen angry slashes, a long finger tracing each mark. Last night, he had added two more marks, something which he had been almost reluctant to do. Addictive though it may be, slashing could take its toll.
Has no one told you she's not breathing?
These two most recent scars were something of importance to Ryou. Well, of course, every one was. But this one he liked especially, purely because it was in the shape of a cross. Not the stupid fucking Christian symbol – anything so hopeful had been abandoned so long ago by Ryou – but it was an X.
"Cunt," Ryou spat, his fingers following the lines on his leg, as he remembered the reason why he did this, "I hate you."
At that moment, Ryou felt himself being violently pushed, face first, off the bed. And since his hands were too busy stroking his scars, he landed with a loud cry, on his face.
"What are you doing, bastard?" A voice behind him snarls. With a jerk, Ryou turned onto his stomach. With unexpected skill, he pulled his legs up to his chest, and slammed them face down onto the floor, so that he stood, now above, Bakura.
Hello, I am your mind, giving you someone to talk to... hello.
The Thief King blinked once, before releasing a howl, and straightening. "Learnt a few tricks of strength, did we? Too bad it won't actually do you any favours..." He sneered, his face dropping that feigned humour that Ryou abhorred.
"Just tell me what you want and get out," Ryou stated in a hiss, his jaw clenched. Bakura's eyes narrowed even further.
"Don't you speak to me with that tone of voice, hikari." He warned, laying a finger on Ryou's cheek. Bakura regarded the one he had driven so many times with almost curiosity. "Odd. To think I have another side of me so weak, so pathetic, that he can barely hold his own."
Something inside of Ryou snapped. He didn't know how long it had been so fine and fragile, but that thread had been obliterated. And it was his self-control.
"FUCK OFF!" Ryou screamed, shoving against Bakura's chest with unexpected strength. Though, compared to his Tomb Robber of a darkness, such power meant nothing. All the same, it aggravated the snowy haired yami. Yet when he attempted to push Ryou back, something happened which he did not expect.
Ryou produced a shiny object from his back pocket, and thrust it at Bakura's face. Upon the realisation of what it was, Bakura froze. A knife, with a slightly curved end, and almost intricately designed handle. His favourite blade, the most treasured of all he had ever coveted was right there, turned against its almost rightful owner.
If I smile and don't believe...
"You fucking dare use that on me, and I will rip your heart out through your throat," Bakura whispered, his voice quivering. He made not effort to move, as he had been trained to do when in a situation such as this, though one could not mistake that look in his eyes. It was lethal, and suggested Ryou had better drop the blade before it was lodged in his gut. And yet still, even though this would have been a perfect opportunity to break and plead for mercy, Ryou held his ground.
Why should he take the constant abuse, and never-ending insults? And why should he even give two flying shits about how experienced his coequal was, or how well he could kill?
In the end, he would be dead anyway. Whether by Bakura's hand or his own, he would die. And at that moment, anything seemed better than being murdered brutally by the other half of your soul. The one who was supposed to care for you, to tend to those wounds that were inflicted upon you. To seek revenge upon those who dared to sneer at him.
Bakura looked stunned that Ryou was not actually complying with what any sane person would do. "Are you mad? Has fear snapped your mind?!" He yelled, tugging on the knife, regaining it easily. NOW Ryou looked scared. More than that, petrified.
Soon I know...
His eyes were overly wide; every single emotion within based around terror. Bakura raised the knife... and was stunned at what he saw.
Even though Ryou was terrified, he was no longer trembling. His fists were clenched and, before Bakura could voice his surprise, one connected with his left cheek.
"GO TO HELL YOU BASTARD. I HATE YOU! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FUCKING FACE EVER AGAIN!" Ryou screamed, towering above Bakura's half-fallen form. He had staggered backwards several steps, right into a bookcase.
Gingerly Bakura pressed his fingers against the throbbing cheek, grimacing when he placed pressure upon it. That would bruise over in the morning. And it was his hikari's entire fault.
"You hit me!" He shrieked, unwilling to believe that his kind hearted light would turn a hair on anyone's head. "And you bruised me, you --"
"You WHAT?!" Ryou challenged, retrieving the knife Bakura had managed to drop when he had been hit. "THAT'S WHAT YOU DO TO ME EVERY DAY! AND TO LET YOU KNOW, I'D RATHER DO IT MYSELF THAN HAVE SOME MOTHER FUCKER DO IT FOR ME. I'M PISSING OFF. AND I'M TAKING THIS WITH ME!" He declared, striding boldly past his thoroughly shaken darkness.
End Flashback, Bakura's POV
I'll wake from this dream...
Troubled boy or what? Why must he be such a bitch about everything I do? He's not exactly perfect himself.
I've just rounded the corner of a street to steadily approach my house, passing a tearful human.
It is odd, these mortals. How they work, I mean. Oft I hear them arguing or complaining about something that occurs daily, when really these mean nothing at all. They should have tried living my Egyptian Life before being such annoying, whining assholes about everything and nothing all at once. Try losing everything that matters to you, until regaining your focus in the lost arts of stealth. Robbery was my only desire, and remains to be such to this very day.
What the--? Right, since that bastard doesn't understand what it means to thieves if a door is left unlocked, I'll just have to go and teach him. If it's the only way he will learn... then my effort will be appreciated.
"RYOU!" I call, a slightly venomous edge tainting my voice, "Where the FUCK are you?"
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken...
I hear no answer. How he ever dares to do such folly is beyond my brainpower. That will be tomorrow's lesson, I think...
Aha! I know where he will be... either at that pitiful hikari's house, Yugi, along with the Pharaoh, or in his room. With a grin of gloating triumph, I start up the stairs. I hear not a single sound, which indicates he is probably hiding from me once more. My eyes glitter with joy as I wrench his door open, almost taking it off the hinges again.
His room is empty. The only noise I can hear comes from his CD player. This tune is one of sadness, of self-pity... My face turns into a snarling figure, and I begin to search. As a Tomb Robber, I am good at finding what is hidden. It is pure foolishness that drives him to believe he can hide...
"Where, oh where, can he be...?" I sneer, quietly moving towards the wardrobe. "I think I know..." I cry, blasting open the two doors with a small amount of Shadow magic.
When the slight amount of dust and shadow parts, swirling out through the open window, I find myself faced with nothing. Nothing but several old items that have been long forgotten by my weaker self. And yet at seeing this only infuriates me. I am the almighty King of Thieves, dammit! Why should I be so fathomed as to where my own hikari is?
Hello, I am the lie, living for you so you can hide...
I attempt the link, to no avail... it appears he has his barriers up, the ones in which I cannot pass through. With a growl, I kick the shit in the revealed wardrobe, and stride over to the phone at Ryou's bedside. Sneaking a look in his phonebook, I locate the appropriate number and dial it.
"Mutou residence?"
I growl slightly. The fucking Pharaoh HAS to answer, doesn't he?
"Pharaoh. Is my hikari at your house now? I cannot seem to find him."
I hear a slight mumble on the other end, most probably from Yugi. I think I can... Urgh... hear a kiss...
With a slightly deeper voice than usual, if that is attainable, the replies: "No, he isn't here. He did come over ours to sleep last night, something about an argument...?"
Don't cry...
"It's none of your business, Pharaoh!" I snap, before slamming down the telephone on him. I do not have the time to play listen to Yugi arouse the Pharaoh down the phone.
So... that overrules any possibility of my light being out of the house. To Jou, he is barely known, thanks to that bastard CEO unwilling to part from him for more than a moment. Anzu... I fucking hope not. As for Honda... he could possibly be hanging around with Otogi, Shizuka and Mai. So, I come back once more to the original question: where could little Ryou be...?
Ah, fuck it. It will give me a good enough reason to beat him later. Yes... I can almost smell his fear, right now---!
WHAT THE FUCK?
Oh shit. Ryou's blood is... everywhere, rippling underneath my feet, soaking into my bare skin. His body, once smooth, pale and flawless, lies now on the floor, wounded and defeated, by two people... me and himself. Purple bruises, tinted with black, mar that pale whiteness, several bloodstains smudged against his skin. The sight of Ryou's damp, crimson streaked hair slouches idly onto his lifeless shoulders, his bare back covered in the bruises that I have given him, his precious face pressed down into the pool of blood at my feet, horrifies me. His body is no longer moving.
I swallow. Hard. I had never expected him to do anything so drastic as this because of... because of me. I was the one who has caused this to blossom from my supposedly innocent, pure hikari. He was never meant to be anything but submissive, defenceless... And now look at what I have done to him. It was I, Bakura, who has driven him to suicide. Or, to at least try. Tch, I hang onto hope when there is none left. There is cold, hard proof lying literally at my feet that my hikari is gone. But I must make sure. This could be an illusion.
Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping...
Slowly I sink down to my knees, the blood around me rippling as I settle into it. Dreading the reaction to this, I dip two fingers into the icy cold substance and sniff. It seems there is a possibility, though slight, that he may still live. And yet, if he is, would he possibly be happy to be rescued by me?
Now, for the next test. I reach out with my unstained fingers to gently push against the limp body, gradually coaxing it to face me. The dead weight, however, gives me the cause to believe that he is no longer living. It is then that comes the greatest shock of all.
He is still bleeding. Very, very slightly, I can see a trickle of blood oozing from a gaping wound, in which a sword – my sword – is impaled into. Fuck, he's even used my blade to kill himself with... the one that I have never been so distressed to see. This one view has scarred my pride and dignity for life.
I stare at the gash, at the tender flesh ripped by the sharpness of my blade. At the sight of his inner organs, long past their life. At the blood spilled around him, all because of me. At the haunting, smiling face now frozen in time.
Hello, oh I am still here...
I rise to a stand, still staring down at the limp form beneath me. The stained, bloody hand reaches my face, to cover my mouth. Suddenly I feel extremely dizzy, my eyes blurring for a moment before a gentle release of tears is done. To steady myself, I reach out for the nearby counter.
My fingers just happen to skim a small, haphazardly folded note, nudging it gently away from my grasp. I turn so that my stomach touches the workspace, and unfold it. I see that it is addressed to me. And this is, I fear, the remaining words of Ryou Bakura.
I begin to read, shakily, with tears hazing the words slightly.
Bakura,
Surprise! I am finally dead. So tell me, my darkness... are you disappointed that I have achieved what you did not? For that is what you always desired, my death, the end of my pitiful existence, wasn't it? I hope you are content, knowing that I am far beyond your comprehension. Then again, you are probably in severe disappointment. Thanks to your own knife (ha-ha!), you have lost your only punch bag. Oh, how my stomach bled for you.
I should really start from the beginning. My depression, and preferred solitude, began when my father first 'gifted' me with the Millennium Ring, which is now in your entire possession. Oh, but what a gift that was. I was actually... reluctant... in accepting any form of present from my father, as this usually was translated as a beating, but for just this one time, I felt that he had bought it for me because he actually gave a shit. To prove to me that I wasn't just someone my mother brought into the world for him to scorn.
Fuck, I was so wrong I am actually embarrassed by that vision. No, I was given no gift from bearing the Item. Iie... I was cursed, cursed with the yami that threatened to not only destroy me, but to drive me to suicide. You touched my body with your hands, fists and feet. What you may have deemed for me as a minor dull ache in the injured place, you were awfully misled. You have tainted my heart now, forever. My body shall no longer roam this earth but, if I ever manage to find you again, then consider yourself dead.
I feel satisfied. Not only because of the fact that I have finally repaid you for the constant abuse and betrayal, but because I am something better than you.
There are several things that you must do... not that I expect you to do any of them, of course. I wish for you to tell my friends the following things:
Yugi... I hope that you become even happier then what you already are. I know that you will go far, thanks especially to the encouragement and support from Yami. You were always the vision I that I had perceived of Bakura and me. Yami... despite my darkness' dickheadedness, you always seemed to find friendship and time for me. Never abuse Yugi's shell. Live a long and prosperous life, free of all shadow and illusion.
Jou, I have never wanted to fool you. Believe me, I have desired to tell you all of my feelings, and of Bakura's cruel intentions. I am glad that you have managed to find yourself a lover. Now Seto... I never knew you, and now I wish that I could have done. Live happily, and never screw up like I have done. Treat your lover rightfully.
Honda, you and I never really got to know each other too well either. I think it was the suspicion of Bakura and his misdeeds that repelled you, which I cannot blame you for. Whatever you desire from life, ensure that you achieve it before dying.
Malik (Haha Bakura! Thought I hated the Tomb Keepers, didn't you?), I can't believe that you and Marik are finally together. I am pleased that at last you have found happiness. Never allow that word to slip from your lips without remembering me, remembering the lack of it that I had in my short life. Marik, don't use handcuffs too many times. They bruise too much, apparently. Don't try to destroy the world again, I couldn't bear it if I saw Bakura in the Afterlife.
Now, Bakura... I hope you've had the Time of your Life torturing me. But now that is over. I desire you to feel guilty over what you have caused me to do.
Good Riddance,
Ryou.
A single tear falls onto the darkly written farewell note that I still hold. I tremble heavily, unable to conceive fully what has happened. I, Bakura, have killed my own hikari, the other side of my soul...
I reread the letter again. 'So tell me, my darkness... are you disappointed that I have achieved what you did not? For that is what you always desired, my death, the end of my pitiful existence, wasn't it?'
And would you care to know the answer, dear Ryou?
All that's left of yesterday...
No. I am not happy. Iie... I cannot believe that this is what I have done. Any form of death by my knife is perfect. And yet, for some reason, yours is not.
How you ever transformed so hastily is something that I shall never be able to comprehend. However... until the night comes, until that sweet, soft blanket of darkness can wash over my body, coaxing me into sleep...
...I believe that I have certain requests of yours that are in need of fulfilment.
Yami's koi: do you want another chapter of Ryou's funeral? I can do that, if this is what you so desire. Do ya think I did the suicide letter okay... I wasn't too sure about it.
Neutral Man: I like the ending.
Yami's koi: hai so do I. So... this songfic is very unused. I didn't want to use a song too used, so I used this. I'll be doing an Alterbridge one soon about Yami and Yugi. That will be out as soon as it can be. Also, I was thinking of maybe doing a parody of Lord of the Rings with Yugioh characters in place of the hot actors. I have a few of the main ones sussed out... but a few may have to be invented. Please send me whatever you think about this idea: remember, it is you who I do this for, not for profit. And... Ryou has in this fic, the exact same amount of scars, and even the x, as me. In a way, he stole from me!
Neutral Man: plushie of depressed and lonely Malik for reviewers.
Yami's koi: yeah, please review me. Luvvies! BYE-BYE PEOPLES!!!!!!...