I don't own Yugioh.
Note: Strong abuse and language ahead in this chapter.
Chapter 47
Honda winced when he heard the screams again. He couldn't stand it. It was bad enough that him and Ryou were dragged down to some dank pit and chained into a prison cell. But they had to make it worse by having them listen to the screams of the creatures in the cells. Not only that, but Ryou had been gone a while. The guards took him to another place. And he didn't come back yet.
Honda sighed. The cell he was in was dank and dark, with only a dim source of light coming from outside the bars. There was another prison cell next to him, but there was nobody in it. He pulled at the chains attached to his hands like handcuffs, binding them together, with just as much success as the last forty-five times or so he pulled at them. It smelled like mold, and Honda could have sworn there were bones in the corner of the cell. He didn't want to know.
All he could do was sit there and wait for his companion to be brought back, wondering what was in store for them.
Ryou was wondering the same thing as he was led down the halls and into a room. It looked like an interrogation room from the movies. There were all sorts of strange looking devices and tools around the place, hooked up to wires or free-standing. There were a couple chairs, and one of them looked something like an electric chair. Ryou was more and more nervous.
The guard, which couldn't be described as 'human'…more like a combination of human and monster, pushed him roughly onto one of the chairs. Instantly, bindings wrapped around his wrists, pinning them to the armrests. The same thing happened with his legs, as cuffs buckled him down.
Now he was very scared.
The guard laughed at him and walked off, leaving Ryou alone in the creepy room.
He didn't have to wait long, when the door opened. The person who walked through had a grin on his face, and was fairly tall with dark brown eyes. He wore black robes and a cape billowed behind him. He sneered.
Ryou gasped, "B…B…B…Bakura…?!"
Yami Bakura laughed, "So you recognize me, do you, boy? Even though we haven't seen each other for quite a while. I used to take great pleasure in the things I did…until that damned Yami came by and banished me."
"But…how…?" Ryou was sure his face was as pale as their hair.
"The part of me banished on Earth," Bakura addressed the other boy, grinning like a psychopath, his eyes twinkling with sadistic glee, "was only a spirit. It was only an extension of my main body. And, my main body was here. On Gaia. Oh, it would have been so much easier to start the Soul Gathering on Earth if I wasn't banished."
"S-Soul G-Gathering?" Ryou gulped.
Bakura laughed, "You wouldn't understand, Ryou. Yes, a Soul Gathering."
"Y-you mean…you would take people's souls…like you did to the town…?" Ryou asked.
"Gladly take their souls!" Bakura growled, "What the fuck do you think we were trying to do there!? Do you think I was there because I liked the Earth?! Hell no! Use your head, you fucking moron!"
Ryou flinched at the words.
Bakura put his face close to Ryou's, the mischievous glint in his eyes still shining with anticipation, "I bet you don't know that you are supposed to help us."
"What?!" Ryou exclaimed.
Bakura stepped back and backfisted Ryou across the face, "Shut up you turd! You were supposed to help us! The ring was specially presented to your father in hopes that he would turn it over to you. You had the necessary power to boost my own, and speed up the process. But no…your moronic father had to be stubborn and keep it. He fucking knew the power in it!" Bakura turned and slammed his fist into Ryou's face again.
Ryou cried out in pain, flinching, and remembered when his father would get violent. He'd never intentionally hurt Ryou, however, like this person was doing.
"That asshole kept the fucking ring!" Bakura growled, then grinned, "But he couldn't control my spirit…a part of me…that lived inside of it. No, he couldn't. I had a lot of fun with that man."
Ryou felt blood run down to his chin, and his nose stung painfully, bleeding as well as he looked up and got brave, "What…what happened…to my father…?"
"That pitiful weakling?" Bakura smirked.
Ryou did not like that smirk. It was…too evil.
"I would have mounted his head on the wall, but it would be too expensive," Bakura said calmly.
Ryou paled. "You…you…you didn't…you…"
"Of course I killed him, you little fuck!" Bakura punched Ryou in the chest, making the boy double over a bit, gasping for air and wincing in pain. "And it was painful, I assure you!"
Tears welled up in Ryou's eyes. My father…he took care of me for all these years…he loved me…and now he's…he's…Ryou squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered, letting the tears fall. Unexpectedly, he felt angry. Very angry. And it was directed at the person who took the man away. He looked up, angry eyes settling on the sneering boy. The tears still ran down his face, mixing with the blood, but his eyes shone with anger and defiance.
Bakura just laughed, "I love that expression!" He curled his fingers together, acting dramatically, "Oh, I'm sorry…did I make you angry?" He laughed. It was an eerie laugh that chilled Ryou to the bones. Even the two guards standing at the door shifted.
"I hate you," Ryou seethed.
Bakura stopped laughing and backfisted Ryou across the face a couple of times. "Take that back."
Ryou winced, and gazed up at the evil maniac blearily, "…no…"
Bakura sent his fist into Ryou's chest, and Ryou heard a 'crack' as a couple of his ribs broke. He gasped for breath, coughing, as the pain seared through him. He doubled over, his arms twitching as he tried to move them to wrap around his middle, but they were secured down.
"You shouldn't direct your anger at me," Bakura said innocently.
Ryou choked on a sob.
"If it weren't for the rebellion of the Gaians against us," Bakura continued, "Then I wouldn't have had to kill your father."
"Liar," Ryou whispered in disbelief.
Bakura grinned, then sent a kick to Ryou's shin, causing pain to sear up Ryou's leg.
The boy cried out, letting tears run down his face as he gasped against the pain.
"It's not broken, weakling," Bakura growled, "And actually…if your father hadn't been so much of a bloody coward, then you wouldn't be suffering right now."
Ryou looked up sharply.
Bakura grinned, "That's right…he was a coward. He got scared over a little prophecy, and ran away. He took you with him. Ran away from Gaia. Away from his wife, your mother. It's a wonder you don't hate him. Tell me, Ryou, didn't you ever wonder what happened to your mother?"
Ryou's eyes went wide, and he paled.
Bakura sneered, "That's right. She's from Gaia. James, your father, is also from Gaia. He heard the Prophecy of Light and Dark, got scared that you would have to 'save the world'…as if a little weakling like you could ever do anything…and ran off with you to Earth. He abandoned his wife."
Tears welled up in Ryou's face, and he rasped in disbelief, "No…"
Bakura grinned, "Yes, little Ryou. He did. And then, we sent out some insurance to make sure that nobody would interfere with us. We attacked. The Kurayami group, the group of Darkness. We can summon and control dark monsters of Gaia. We killed that weakling, Tenko's father, whatever the hell his name is, and made sure that Tenko was out of the way. One of you would have to take part in the prophecy. With James fleeing to Earth with you, and Tenko destroyed, we had no worries."
Ryou was speechless.
"I even went after him. You probably don't remember, because you were just a toddler then. Your father had been given Tenko to look after. I recognized the boy. He looked too much like Tenko for me to pass up. So, I dumped him in the river. Tenko is dead. And with you on our side, nothing can stop us."
Ryou smiled, then chuckled, wincing as he finished, "I think…you missed something."
Bakura's smile dropped, and he glared at Ryou.
"Tenko is alive," Ryou smiled, "He's very alive. And, he's on Gaia. He's here to stop you and the Kurayami group. He's here to save Gaia."
Bakura stood there, stupefied for a few moments, then his eyes flashed angrily. He punched Ryou a few times in the face, then the chest, then gave him a couple of kicks before backfisting the boy one last time across the face.
Ryou coughed and winced, tears running down his face from the pain. All over his body now, the pain was intolerable.
Bakura grabbed Ryou roughly by the collar of the boy's shirt and yanked him forward, ignoring the boy's pained cry when the chains holding him down prevented him from going flying up, and his beaten body protested any movement at all.
"Tenko is alive?!" Bakura demanded. He shook Ryou a few times, "Answer me!"
"He…is…," Ryou choked out, losing his oxygen supply, then was thrown roughly back into the chair, coughing to get the oxygen back into his lungs and trying to ignore the burning pain throughout his body.
Bakura pressed a button and the chains on Ryou's arms and legs went back into the chair. Bakura grabbed Ryou and threw him to the ground, then started kicking him and slamming his foot down on the boy angrily.
Ryou cried out with pain with every blow, coughing blood occasionally.
When Bakura felt satisfied, he crouched down and pulled Ryou up a little by the hair, causing the boy to give a startled yelp. The pain prevented the boy from falling unconscious, and he winced every few seconds, breathing hard and coughing.
"If Tenko is here," Bakura growled, "Our plans could be ruined. Do you know what that means, you worthless piece of shit?!" He shook the boy, "Well?! DO YOU!?"
"N-no!" Ryou choked, tears running down his face.
Bakura slammed Ryou's face into the ground, "I'll tell you what it means! It means that he can stop the Soul Gathering! It means that we can't take any souls from people with his holy power protecting them! It means that we can't spread darkness and chaos throughout Gaia and Earth! If he's alive, we can't do that!"
Ryou winced, trying to breathe as he was smothered in the ground.
Bakura eased the pressure enough for Ryou to breathe. "Join us."
Ryou's eyes flew open. He tried to look at his captor, "Wh-what…!?"
"I said, join us!" Bakura shouted, grabbing Ryou's left arm and pulling it into a lock behind the boy's back.
Ryou winced, "Wh-why should I…?"
Bakura pulled a bit on Ryou's arm, causing the boy to cry out, "Because if you don't, we'll all die! If you don't use your power, Tenko will win! If you don't, I'll break your fucking arm!"
Ryou cried out, slapping the ground weakly with his good hand.
"Join us!" Bakura shouted.
"I…will…not!" Ryou mustered all the strength he had.
Bakura's eyes flashed angrily.
SNAP
Ryou screamed in agony as fire shot up his arm. He kicked out with his legs and tears ran down his face from wide, pain-filled eyes. He screamed more as pressure was put on his broken arm.
"Why the hell do you have to be so fucking stubborn!?" Bakura screamed, "You have nothing left! Your father is dead, and your mother was killed during the war! You have no fucking thing left!!"
Despite the fiery pain and tears, Ryou gritted his teeth to reply, "That…isn't…true. I still have…my friends. They still care about me. And why…why would I help the group that killed my parents?! You're all insane! I refuse to do anything to help, even if I did have these 'powers' you talk about!"
"Fucking moron!" Bakura growled, and pulled the boy to his feet, slamming him against the table nearby.
Ryou cried out and fell down, coughing in pain and moaning.
Bakura kicked Ryou a few more times, and paused to deliver another kick, when Ryou spoke.
"Why…do you…hate me…so much?"
Bakura froze, staring at the injured boy on the ground.
Ryou didn't look up. He could barely move. His arm shot pain up his body, and his ribs ached. He was sure his face and legs were bruised, as well as his side, back, and chest. He opened one swollen eyes when the blows stopped, and coughed.
Bakura didn't have an answer, so he just asked, "What?"
"Why…do you…hate me…so…much?" Ryou asked again. "What did…I ever…do…to you?"
Bakura stared at him.
"I don't know…what 'power'…you are…talking about," Ryou gasped, then coughed and moaned in pain, "I never…wanted to…hurt…anyone. I just wanted…my friends…to be able…to live in peace. That's…what I want…for anyone. Is that…so much…to ask for, really?"
Bakura grabbed Ryou by the shirt and pulled the boy to his feet, though Ryou couldn't stand very well. He stared at him, "What?"
Ryou opened his eye again, "Are you…happy?"
Bakura didn't answer.
"If I could…end the war…and stop the pain…," Ryou winced, "…I would. But I can't. If I…fight…I'll just cause…more pain. That's all…fighting ever…does. Do you…even realize…how much pain…you cause?" Tears rolled down his face, "I'm sorry…" with that, he passed out.
Bakura stared at the unconscious youth for a few moments.
"Are you happy?"
Bakura felt a snarl in his throat. He said 'I'm sorry'. Does that mean…is he apologizing for me?! Am I to be pitied!? ME!? He curled his hand into a fist and hovered it over the boy's face.
Ryou didn't move. He was still unconscious.
Bakura growled in anger and, with a shout, shot his fist out towards Ryou's face, but stopped an inch away from hitting the boy. He stayed like that for some time before angrily letting go of Ryou, and the unconscious boy fell to the ground in a slump.
Bakura glanced at his fist, What's wrong with me? Why didn't I hit him!? He's a traitor! Isn't he…? What he said…it has me all confused now! Why did I listen to him!? Why should I listen to him!? Why am I letting it bother me so much!? That damn bastard! It's all his fault! So why can't I hit him!? Angry at Ryou but more angry at himself, Bakura turned and strode starkly out of the room.
"Get him back to the cell," Bakura shot at the guards as he passed them.
"Yes, sir," the guards grunted. They easily hauled Ryou up and dragged him back to the prison cells.
Bakura continued to stride forward. What the hell is wrong with me?!
Honda wasn't there when Ryou was thrown back into the cell, because he had been taken out of the cell by another part of the force, and was seated in a similar chair that Ryou had been seated in, strapped down to it. He glanced warily at the guards, when a familiar figure came into the room.
"Isis-sama!" Honda smiled, "I'm glad to see you! So much has happened…!"
"You want to see your friends again?" Isis asked, her voice a slightly different tone.
Honda frowned, noticing, "Isis-sama…what's wrong…?"
"If you want to see them again," Isis whispered, "Then fight with us. Join with us once more, and I will unlock your darkest powers. You will be stronger then you could ever imagine."
Honda blinked, realization dawning on him, "Oh, gawd…you've been brainwashed…"
"No," Isis smiled icily, "Merely pointed towards the right truth."
"What about Yugi!?" Honda shouted, "What the hell's going on?!"
"All will be explained," Isis shrugged, "And all you have to do is become one of our soldiers again."
"Hell, no!"
"Let me put it another way," Isis said icily, "If you don't…we'll kill Ryou."
Honda paled, "You wouldn't…"
Isis smiled evilly, and circled her hands, chanting. A ball of clear energy appeared, and in it a slow image was developing. Honda gasped. Ryou was laying in the prison cell, beaten up and bloody. He looked broken, cold, and scared. Then, the image was gone.
"What did you do to him!?" Honda shouted.
"I didn't do anything," Isis shook her head, "But Bakura did. And, he will kill him…but you can save him. All you have to do is say you will join us. All you have to do is say one little word, and his life will be spared. And, you get to see your friends again."
Honda hung his head. Finally, he lifted his eyes to meet her ruthless ones, "Do you promise…that Ryou will be unharmed for now on?"
"Yes. We will even let him go," Isis stated, "He is of no use to us. We can easily let him go…just as easily as we can kill him."
Honda shivered at that statement, and sighed.
"This is your last chance to save him. Will you join us?"
Honda looked up at her, then finally gave in, saying the one word that she and the other members of the Kurayami wanted to hear.
"Yes."
TO BE CONTINUED…