Woo! This didn't take me too long! I could have updated last week, but I was in Texas. Anyway, I've noticed that my little marks for my scene changes are not showing up, and I don't know why, so I hope no one got confused. I think I fixed the problem. Oh, and one more thing, there is something that I wrote in this chapter that I didn't ever think I was going to write, but it also needs a warning so...
WARNING: This chapter contains graphic...um...stuff. I don't want to give away too much to destroy the story line, just trust me, it's kinda unpleasant graphic. Please if you are squeamish or don't like, don't read the very last segment of this chapter. I can't tell you to skip the whole thing like I did before because this chapter is crucial to the plot. So if you're that peeved about it JUST DON'T READ THE LAST PART!!!!
Thank you.
And now, on with the story...
Chapter 23
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Complacency
Isis stood, quietly gazing out the window, glancing every so often over to her younger brother who had lapsed into silence. Evidently there was no need for her to remind him. She could tell just by looking into his eyes that he was thinking about that night. She didn't mean to cause him this much pain...Isis loved him with all of her heart, no matter what he said to her, she didn't blame him at all.
She took it upon herself to be the mother to him that she had promised she would be, and a mother would not turn away from her son just because he said he wanted nothing to do with her. A mother's love was undying, and because both Malik and Mariku had lacked a real mother, Isis had made a pact with the Goddess that she was named after that she would do all in her power to be as much of a mother to these two boys as humanly possible. It only seemed fitting for her to make that solemn vowel to the Goddess Isis, being that Isis was the nurturing Goddess, wife of Osiris and the mother of the living king Horus. She was everything that Isis herself aspired to be to Malik and Mariku.
Swallowing her pride she walked over to her aching brother and knelt down beside him.
"I didn't mean to remind you of that night Mariku." She spoke calmly as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
Mariku grunted as he lowered his shoulder, allowing her hand to slip off.
"Don't just suddenly show up and think that you can erase all the pain." He said in a huff. He glared up at her as if daring her to respond to that.
Isis had to think carefully about her next words, because she knew that Mariku was in no mood to listen to any kind of explanation or apology.
"Mariku," She paused for a moment, to get her thoughts together. "Just because I'm named after a Goddess, doesn't mean that I am one. I make mistakes, I'm only human. And...maybe sending you here as a child was a mistake, but I acted upon the only thing that I thought would keep you safe. That was my number one priority. My heart ached for you, and I was never happy with myself for making that decision, but I would have never been able to forgive myself if I had stood idly by and let them kill you. Please try and understand. I love you." Her expression softened as she tried to lay a gentle hand on him, only to have him jerk away.
"Like I said, Isis...don't just suddenly show up and think you can erase the pain." His voice was less harsh this time, but Isis could tell that he still didn't feel any kinder towards her. Glancing up to her, he asked again the question that had been bugging him ever since he ran across her in the alley. "But you still haven't answered me. Why have you come here?"
At this moment, Isis didn't think it would be a good idea to tell him. After all, he wasn't taking too kindly to her. She could only imagine his response when she mentioned his brother.
"Just passing through." She said, looking him right in the eyes. Unlike her brother, Isis was an unbelievable liar. If left to her own devices, she could probably make someone believe that the sky was purple.
"And you decided to pay me a little visit. Is that it?" He said with a smirk. "Not to spoil this party, but as you can see, I'm not much of a host. Therefore, I'd appreciate it if you left as soon as possible." He shifted his position and wrapped his arms around his legs like a little kid. Even with his burly, dark appearance, Isis still thought he had the same mannerism as a small boy.
With a chuckle, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't leave. You see...along the way, I was attacked by a bunch of briggans. They took my camel. But I was only about an hours walking distance from here, so I figured I'd stop by."
"Is that so?" He said, glairing at her. "You say you were attacked about an hour from here? Well, that would put you right at the peak of the Mt. Sinai pass. And I'm afraid there are no desert people in the mountains, Isis."
Isis glanced away as she took in a deep breath. He had her caught. Why? Why did she have to make up a lie so dumb! She knew that no Bedouins stayed in the mountains. She had been too careless with her words this time.
"Uh huh. I caught you Isis. I'm not as dumb as you think, now am I?" He chuckled as he stood and walked over to her. Leaning in to her he smiled lightly. "So are you going to tell me why you're here or do I have to force it out of you?"
Nervously she let her eyes fall to his left hand where she saw him reaching for the sheath that was tied to the belt of his black kilt, which was the only thing he had on prior to taking the black cloak off.
"I'm ashamed of you Mariku! Threatening your own sister with a weapon...honestly."
"Just shut up woman and tell me why you're here!" He bellowed, raising his hand.
On impulse Isis brought her hands up and shielded herself from what she thought was about to be a harsh whip across the face. When she didn't feel anything, she slowly opened her eyes and lowered her arms. What was she scared for anyway? She had magick, and she had been up against bigger men than Mariku. But there was something different about him. He was much tougher than any body else. His long years in this place had definitely hardened him up and made him rough around the edges.
"Ok fine, I'll tell you, but you're not going to like it."
"Amuse me." He smiled, opening his arms and shrugging. "It's better than sitting here and listening to all this bullshit." He backed away from her and urged her on. "C'mon, I'm all ears. This is what you wanted isn't it? You wanted me to listen to you. Well, I'm all yours."
Isis cleared her throat and nervously fiddled with the golden sash around her waist.
"I...well I'm..." She paused as she was hit with a sudden bout of confidence. She was going to make this work; she had to, because there was no margin for error. "If you must know, I'm here for you."
Mariku gave her an awkward look that she could tell came out of sheer bafflement. "I'm sorry sister, but when I asked for an explanation, I wasn't expecting you to be this vague. Please take a seat." He extended his hand and motioned for her to sit down on the soft, fluffy pillows. With a sideways glance, Isis took him up on his offer, she had been standing for quite some time, and she was becoming weary, but what was with the sudden hospitality? Did he suffer from some sort of bi polar mood swing disorder that she didn't know about? Then again, there was probably a cache of stuff that she didn't know about him anymore.
Mariku glanced at her before he too flopped down on the pillows. "Now, if you don't mind, could you elaborate for me?"
Isis steadily inclined her head, indicating that things would begin to make sense in due time.
"I came to Goshen after certain things were revealed to me, they-" She was interrupted by him mid sentence
"No, you're still being too hazy." He told her, shaking his head with disapproval. "What was it exactly that was revealed to you? "
"If you would kindly let me finish..." She spoke sternly as she looked away from him, casually glancing around the room, trying to lessen the tension that she sensed was building. "I left Thebes last night aft-"
Again Mariku felt compelled to interrupt her.
"Wait a minute, what were you doing in Thebes? I thought you left Egypt after you married Yami."
"Could we please not discuss that." Isis's tone had a sense of finality in it, and Mariku had no desire to indulge himself in that issue, lest his sister stop talking all together.
"Fine, continue."
"As I was saying, I left Thebes last night, as to why I was there in the first place, well, that is none of your concern." She added, seeing that he was still curious. "I left because the sennen necklace showed me something in a dream. A-and about that, I'm not sure you really want to know. Seeing how much you hate your family...well, I think it's best that you didn't hear what I have to say, because truthfully, I really don't think you could handle it." Isis turned her attention back to her brother; this little tactic she liked to use always got his goat. It was her little twist on reverse psychology. Mariku never liked to think that he couldn't handle something, and even if he really couldn't, he always at least pretended that he could. She hoped this little ruse still worked. Holding her breath, she waited for a response.
"Try me." He said with a grin.
These were the words that she had been waiting for.
"If you insist." Isis stood up and walked over to the table, picking up a chalice and gazing at it as she casually began. "You know how much of an ass Malik has been over the years. And I doubt you even remember this far back, but to me, it all seemed like it started right after father died and Malik inherited the sennen rod."
Mariku remained quiet as he stared at the ground. He had to keep his cool, no matter how much he wanted to scream and yell because she had brought up that bastard...he had to show her that he had moved on.
"I vaguely remember. But to my knowledge, my brother has always been an ass." He said with a grunt.
"Ah, but that is where you are mistaken. You might have been too young, but I remember it all too well. Malik used to be innocent, he used to be a normal, compassionate person that-" She was abruptly cut off when Mariku stood up and glared at her.
"Stop feeding me this horse shit! Malik never cared about anyone but himself! How the fuck can you sit there and say that he was compassionate? He never loved me! He never even said that he loved m...wait, I take that back...he said he loved me right before he sent guards out to kill me!" But now Mariku was fuming, he might have told her that he could handle anything that she could have thrown at him, but he didn't expect her to come in here and feed her lies about Malik actually being a good person. Bullshit!
"Mariku calm down! You don't understand. The only reason that he never showed love to you was because he was jealous of you!"
"Jealous? Jealous?!? Ha! That's a lie if I've ever heard one."
"He was Mariku, he was. He was so heartbroken every time you got to go outside and play while he was stuck alone inside studying. He didn't want that life."
Mariku didn't care. Nothing she could say could make him feel any less harsh towards Malik. "Yea, well it all paid off didn't it? He's now the sole ruler of the most powerful empire on earth. What more could a man want?"
"But he didn't want this life! He never wanted to be Pharaoh! Don't you get it? He didn't have a choice!" Isis paused as she thought about how much of an advocate for Malik she was being. She didn't approve of anything that Malik had done, but she had to play devil's advocate now if she wanted to save her brother. "The only one in this family that's ever wanted to be Pharaoh was that bastard Yami." She added with a hint of repugnance.
"Just continue." He ushered waving his hand indifferently. "What is it that you want from me?"
"What I want? It's more like what I need."
"Ok, what do you need then?" He asked, crossing his arms as he walked up to her.
This was it. All of her efforts came down to this. The best thing to do was to just get it out, so that's exactly what she did.
"I need you to go to Thebes, to Malik's palace and steal the sennen rod from him." Isis decided that she should elaborate after seeing the shell-shocked look on Mariku's face. "I bet you're wondering why, of all the people in Egypt, I came to you, right? Well, to tell you the truth, even I don't know why, but my vision was very specific on who I had to go to." She paused for a long time, biting her lip. She had to ask him. "Will you do it?" She almost knew the answer, and she was prepared to deal with it.
"Sure." Came his simple reply. Isis was almost knocked off her feet. 'That was way to easy...' Just moments ago Mariku could not even attempt to contain his rage when Malik was mentioned, and now he was willing to travel to Thebes just to save the man that tried to kill him? But she was not about to complain.
"Alright then. All you have to do is-"
"I know what I have to do alright! Gods...just go in there, steel the damn rod, and leave. I'll have you know that I'm not doing this for him or you." 'I'm doing it for me.' He smiled inwardly. This could not have possibly worked out any better.
"Shall we discuss our plans then?" Isis asked as she looked out the window. The day was slowing coming to an end, and the sun was disappearing below the horizon.
"Go right ahead."
o o o
Night was upon the city of Thebes. It was when the evil spirits of the netherworld came to haunt unsuspecting souls that dared to wander out past dusk. This was a time for Egyptians, who were very spirit conscientious, to stay indoors. Like the afternoon heat, this was something that all wished to avoid. No telling what kinds of fiends lurked in the shadows waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The creature that was most feared however, played a huge part in the Book of Coming Forth by Day, more commonly known as The Book of the Dead. She was known as Ammut, or, The Eater of Souls. A combination of the head of a crocodile, the middle of a lioness and the hind quarters of a hippopotamus.Ammut was the beast who, if your heart proved heavier than the feather of Ma'at, would devour your soul in what the Egyptians liked to call, the final death. That, in and of itself was a terrifying prospect. It meant the end of existence...
Bakura sat there and pondered over these things. He sure as hell hoped that Ammut didn't want to come out here, because she would have a fine time devouring his soul. Somewhere, deep down inside he knew that his soul would cause that scale to tip so far that there would be no question as to where his soul belonged. That was quite a sickening thought. To know that, once he died out here, that would be the end. There would be no Field of Reeds for him. He would just wither away into nothing...
His cough had gone away earlier, only to return to him a few hours ago. He was weak and fatigued, but he dare not fall asleep. Even though he knew that death was inevitable, he still held on to a single ray of hope. It was what that boy had said...that boy who had visited him earlier. Bakura struggled to remember that boy's name, but he just couldn't do it, however, he remembered what that boy had said. 'Bakura, the Gods have blessed you, and they will not forget their servant.' Those words echoed in his mind, and he strained to make any sense out of them. Did it mean that they were going to save him? 'Please...let that be it.' He thought desperately. The throbbing pain that was shooting all over his body was almost unbearable. He could feel his sunburned lips cracking more and more every second until they finally started to bleed.
But pain wasn't the only thing on his mind at this time of night. This place was scary as shit. The dim light coming from the city cast eerie shadows on the dead bodies around him, and just ahead, Bakura could see the edge of the pit where all of the extra dead bodies were thrown. There was an almost supernatural, hazy green glow above it, and Bakura could have sworn that it was the kas of those people just hovering over the pit, trying to find their bodies. But he knew that none of them would succeed, if the bodies in that pit looked anything like the bodies that were on the stakes around him, then those kas had might as well give up hope. No one could ever recognize these heaps of rotted flesh and decaying bone.
Bakura shuttered as a strong gust of wind harshly blew the sand up, stinging his wounded flesh. His eyes were heavy, and laded with sleep. His limbs felt like led...but he just couldn't let himself fall asleep.
He had long since gotten used to the smell that came along with this place; it was just the sights and sounds that still gave him goose bumps. Whenever the wind would blow, it would go through the many hallow skulls, causing a haunting noise to rise up from this place. One that he didn't think he'd ever get used to. It was like a chorus of dead souls, singing the baneful tune of their misfortune. Sweet Sobek this place was hell incarnate.
Even though he fought against it, Bakura's body was overcome with sheer exhaustion. He hadn't slept in days, and his body yearned for even an hour of sleep. But he couldn't take that chance. 'No...I can't.'
Too late, his body took over and he could feel his eyes starting to droop, he was too weak to protest, and so, he let his head fall as the sound of the singing dead lulled him into a most unpleasant slumber.
o o o
It was midday, and the sun shone brightly on the kingdom of Egypt. One could look at this glorious place and feel a sense of awe stir inside of them. It is such a beautiful place to live. With its glistening palaces and massive white limestone temples, Egypt was the place to be. Every nation within a thousand mile radius wanted to be Egypt. They wanted Egypt's power and glory, but most of all, it was her people that foreigners envied above all. Even Egypt's dead were treated like royalty. They were given bigger tombs than some of the palaces in those far away kingdoms. From far off, it seemed as though Egyptians were living it up. They were so wealthy that they didn't have to work like other kingdoms did. Not a single Egyptian citizen had anything to worry about.
Well, if they only knew the truth...if they could only see things from the inside...if they could see the sufferings that the Pharaoh had brought down upon the one he loved, and even himself. Maybe then they would be content to live in their homeland.
Ryou shut his eyes tightly as the blinding light shone in through the balcony window and awoke him from his most pleasant sleep. He hadn't slept that good for quite some time. Keeping his eyes shut he prayed that this moment would not go away. That brief point in time when you wake up remembering nothing and not knowing where you are. He wished that could last forever.
But slowly, as his eyes flickered open, the memories flooded back, and so did the pain. Holy Heket did he have a busting headache. But how long had he been sleeping? Then flashes of last night's dream appeared before his eyes. Bakura, Malik, the demons, the choice...that voice. Surly that dream meant nothing; after all it was just a dream. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why he had chosen to help Malik. Now that he was awake and fully conscious he knew that he would choose no such thing. Dreams often do that, yea, that was it, dreams are always irrational. Just because he dreamt it, well that sure as hell didn't mean he'd do it in real life.
He sat up slightly and realized that he was in Malik's bed, alone. Where Malik had gone, Ryou didn't really care. All he cared about was saving Bakura from the horrible death that he was coming dangerously close to. In an instant though, Ryou fell back onto the bed, moaning slightly. His head was really throbbing, and then he remembered. 'That ass punched me!'
"Dammit!" Ryou screamed loudly as he flopped over and shoved a pillow on top of his head, continuing to scream. He kicked and thrashed, trying his best to let out all his frustration. But nothing seemed to work. He beat his fists on the bed and kicked his feet, but nothing appeared to be making him feel any better. The only thing that would solve his problems was to see Bakura alive, and see Malik die.
It was time that he took matters into his own hands. There would be no Bakura to save him, this time, it was he who had to do the saving. Throwing the pillow away from him, Ryou sat up and rested his feet on the cold floor. Ignoring the constant throbbing in his head, he stood up and walked to the door. Taking in a deep breath, he pulled it open and peered out.
The hallway seemed vacant, but he glanced both ways just to be sure before stepping out of the room. It had occurred to him that he had never been around the palace. Most, if not all of his time was spent locked up in Malik's room. So, Ryou had no idea where he was going, but he figured that if he wandered around long enough, he would soon come to an exit of some sort.
Slowly he snuck his way around the colossal palace, after time becoming lost in the labyrinth like hallways that seemed to go on forever. At this rate, it would take him days to find a way out. Why did the Pharaoh need a palace so big anyway? He highly doubted that Malik had even been through some of these hallways before. Ryou rolled his eyes and let out a soft, disdainful chuckle when he thought about Malik's ego compared to this place. 'Yea, I guess he needs somewhere to keep it all.'
Continuing to walk, Ryou finally reached the end of the hallway, only to come to another one. This one was lavishly decorated with a red carpet that spanned the length of the corridor. Also too, this hallway was noticeably brighter than the last. Ryou wondered if he had somehow stepped into another palace. There were two ways to go, right, or left...he could either be finding his way out of this blasted place, or find himself wandering around it forever. Ryou turned his head to the left and made to walk when suddenly a pair of voices was audible in the distance. Quickly he ran across to the other side of the hallway and hid behind a marble statue of Mut.
He waited there, trying his best to breathe quietly and stay still, but he wanted to see who was coming. The voices were growing louder, and who they belonged to also became clear. Ryou strained to listen to their conversation, not that it really mattered.
"I predict that you'll probably chicken out." Yami chuckled to his cousin.
Malik glared back at him as if daring him to say one more word about it.
"I won't chicken out asshole! I said I'd do it on my own time, and that's what I mean. I'm nobodies bitch, you got that?" Malik sneered. Yami didn't answer, he simply shrugged his shoulders and made to roll his eyes, but Malik quickly grabbed him and spun him around, stopping Yami dead in his tracks in front of the palace's shrine to the wife of Amun.
Ryou ducked down when he saw the Pharaoh and some other man stop right next to where he was hiding. 'Ohshitohshitohshit.' He cried inwardly. It didn't seem like Malik had lost any of his temper yet seeing how he was treating the young man he was walking with. If Malik caught him now, Ryou knew that he'd be in for a world of pain. Yet, something about the conversation made him want to listen on. What might Malik supposedly 'chicken out' of?
Malik's grip on his cousin was firm and harsh, but not quite as menacing as his gaze. Yami let out a small cry as he glanced away. But when he did, he could have sworn that he saw a flash of white hair ducking down behind the statue that they were in front of.
"Malik, c'mon, you know I like to kid...but if you won't chicken out, then why'd you let him go?" Yami asked, putting on his best serious face.
"What are you talking about? I didn't let him go. He's still-" But Malik was interrupted with Yami's quiet laughter.
"I don't think so...maybe you should go and check. And while you're at it. Feel free to let me go at any time." He added, with a hint of discomfort in his voice.
Malik pushed Yami away from himself, but he was still fuming.
"I really think you should check, Malik." Yami urged him.
Malik was reluctant, he knew that Ryou wouldn't dare try and run away from him, Ryou had already learned his lesson. Oh, imagine the reaction if he knew that his little slave was right under his nose...
"Ok, for the hell of it I'll check. But I know he's in there, because he knows better than to try and leave."
At those words Ryou tried to sink further down, wishing that he could just melt and seep into the cracks of the stone floor. Anything would be better than getting caught. 'Damn.' He scowled. 'That ass he's with is trying to rat me out!' Of all the places for Malik to be in this palace the size of a small city, he just had to be walking down this very hallway. Yup, now it was official; Ryou knew that the Gods hated him. His chest was heaving and his palms were sweaty. 'Go check the room, go check the room...please.' His mind begged. Anything to get Malik out of here. Ryou rested his head on the base of the statue and looked up. Mut was adorned in a brightly painted red dress and atop her head was the vulture headdress. Ryou gazed up at her longingly. Like Isis, Mut was also seen as the mother goddess...where was she when he needed her? Ah, but that was a rhetorical question. He already knew that the Gods hated him...
He held his breath as he waited to hear anything else from Malik, or the other man. But there was not a sound to be heard. Had they left already? Ryou dare not peek his head over the base of the statue, for fear of getting caught. So he waited for a moment, until he was sure that there was no one out there, and then he slowly stood up.
'Praise Mut!' He screamed inside. Ryou walked to the front of the statue and looked up at her. She was wearing a gentle smile with outstretched arms, like she was waiting for him to walk into the embrace.
"Thank you." He said to her before running off down the left corridor, to where he hoped to find a way out. That last encounter was just a little to close for comfort, and he hoped that there would be no more like that. He turned his head as he was running and glanced behind his shoulder just to be certain that no one was following him. But he should have been looking forward because he felt himself crash into something.
"Ouch!" He yelped when he landed on his ass. What the hell was in the middle of the hallway? Massaging his rump, he turned and suddenly felt all the life drain from his face.
"Going somewhere?" Malik towered over him with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face. Ryou sat there motionless with his mouth gaping wide. He felt his blood run cold as a shiver went down his spine. 'N-no...this can't be...he was...I saw him...oh sweet Nephthys!'
Malik reached down, grabbed his slave by the arm, and without a word started dragging him off down the hallway.
At first, Ryou was too stunned to struggle against him. But as Malik's grip grew tighter, so did the pain. 'Ow!' He tried not to scream out loud, for fear of the repercussions, but Malik was squeezing him so hard!
"Ow! Let go! You're hurting me!" He shouted, trying to pry Malik's hand off of his arm. Malik just looked back at him and smiled, speeding up the pace.
Ryou's legs weren't as long as Malik's, so it was hard for him to keep up. "Malik! Let go!" Ryou pushed at Malik's hand hard, but his own hand slipped and he accidentally hit Malik in the face. 'Uh oh...'
"Fuck! You little worm!" Malik, now completely infuriated took Ryou with both hands and slammed his body against the nearest wall. He was so overcome with rage that he could just kill his slave right there in the hallway...but then what about his little deal with Yami? 'Be patient.'
Ryou let out a gasp of air as pain shot through his back.
"Stop squirming!" Malik yelled as he continued to thrust the defenseless boy against the hard stone wall while repeatedly ordering him to be still. Ryou stood as motionless as he could in hopes that Malik would stop hurting him, but his body still convulsed with pain. "I thought you would have learned by now." Malik said angrily. "But I guess not. So I have to resort to my only other alternative."
He latched onto the boy's arm again and continued leading him down the hallway.
"W-Where are you taking me?" Ryou asked shakily.
"To where I told you I'd take you if you ever tried to run away from me." He replied.
Ryou thought back, to their last encounter... 'You're not going anywhere. And if you try to run away, I'll throw you in the dungeon'. He remembered now...but no...He couldn't go there; he had to get out and save Bakura!
"NO!" Ryou screamed at him, allowing all of his weight to fall back. He slipped out of Malik's grasp and instantly began to run the other way. Not that it did any good. In no time flat Malik had caught up to his slave, latched his arms around the boy's small waist and picked him up, deciding that it would just be easier for him to carry Ryou the rest of the way.
'You're not getting away from me that easily my pet.'
o o o
Jounouchi stood by the window in Malachi's Theban home with his eyes fixated on the streets outside. He was on a constant lookout for Bakura, who didn't seem to be showing up any time soon.
"Would you sit down already?" Malachi sneered, shaking his head as he looked at Jou with a sour expression.
"Dammit! It's been over a day already! He should have been back by now!" He yelled, turning his attention away from the window for the first time in hours. He ran a hand through his golden locks as he started pacing back and forth, muttering incoherently.
"Give it a rest. If I know Bakura, he's up there causing a scene. You know how he is...he likes to go out with a bang." He replied, albeit with no intention on calming the now perturbed Jou.
"No. You give it a rest! My sister's up there, and if Bakura doesn't come back soon, I'm going up myself to get her!" And that was final. There was nothing Malachi could say or do that would stop the determined blonde, not that he wanted to anyway. Jounouchi crossed his arms and went back to staring out the window and watched the streets until the sun sank behind the buildings and out of sight.
o o o
Yami couldn't help but feel proud of himself as he walked into his room later that night. He smiled as he picked up the discarded papyrus and sat back down in the chair beside his bed to read it again. His eyes scanned over the letter, once, then twice, and finally a third time. Everything was falling into place. This letter, Malik's anger, and soon, Ryou's death, they would all serve a higher purpose in the end. Malik had become so predictable these days that Yami had little doubt, if any that things would not work out as planned. Yami knew however, that in order for things to go smoothly, outside help would be needed, but he knew that wouldn't be a problem. Pulling out a piece of parchment and a scribe's pallet he began a letter of his own. It was short, and down to the point, but it was insightful to those who would be reading it.
When he was finished, he did the strangest thing. He held the letter over the candle and let it burn until there was nothing but ashes. Evidently, this letter was not meant to be read...
"In due time." He told himself, staring at the remnants of his letter on the nightstand with a smirk.
In due time Malik would receive what he deserved, and so would Yami...
o o o
Isis shot up from her makeshift bed with sweat dripping from her body. Mariku had been nice enough to give her his bed, insisting that he still had manners, and that no lady should have to sleep on the floor, even if that lady was his sister. She glanced around his sparse room and noticed a dim light seeping through under the crack of the door. It was most likely Mariku up handling business out there and she paid it no mind. For her mind was presently preoccupied. Her necklace had just given her another vision which seemed more like a nightmare. It showed her that boy again, Bakura, if she had remembered correctly. He was the one who she initially thought would be the one to save Malik, as unbelievable as it seemed. So that is why she had told him where he could find that boy that he was looking for. After that she highly doubted she'd ever hear about him again, but that was until tonight. Her necklace showed her, in horrid detail, that boy, strapped down to a pole in the desert. She saw his wounded chest, she saw his cracked and bloody lips, and in that dream, the necklace told her that this man would be needed in order to carry out her plans to save Malik after all.
What he had to do with anything, she had no idea, but she wasn't about to second guess the powers of her necklace. So she decided that she would tell Mariku this in the morning, before he set out for Thebes.
o o o
The unsteady drip of water, somewhere off in the distance, slowly sedated the young boy as he lie on his side, facing the wall of the cell. His whole body ached with such an intense pain. Ryou didn't really know how long he had been down here, but he had just opened his eyes, knowing all to well what had happened before he closed them. Glancing over, he noticed that this was the same cell that Bakura was once held in. Ryou could still see the dried blood on the floor. A lot of that was probably his own blood though... His cheeks were moistened by the onslaught of tears that came every time he thought about how horribly he had fucked up.
He couldn't believe that he had actually refused to go with Bakura the night that he had come for him. And for what? This? To be stuck in a cell, after having been torn apart, while his own idiotic hope that Malik could actually have a shred of good in him ate away at his already diminishing soul. But that wasn't the only thing that his naïveté had caused. He had given his love over to the hands of evil and condemned him to death. And not only that, but he allowed himself to become the fuck toy of the Pharaoh...how sickening. The thought alone made him want to vomit.
That was the reason Ryou was crying. Not because he was sitting alone, in a dark dungeon cell. Not because his own death was looming ever closer. But it was because of the life that he let slip through his fingers.
Oh, how many times through the course of his life would he find himself in such a state as this? Withering away into nothing but a pile of self destructive dust. It was like this all the time, he had always pretended that he was happy, because he knew that that's what Bakura wanted. Bakura needed someone to balance himself. He needed the total opposite of what he was, and Ryou knew that. And that's the life that Ryou had been living, one that would help stabilize the callous tomb robber before he lost himself in agony. Ryou was more than happy to pretend, if it meant that Bakura was happy...But it was times like these, when he was alone and miserable, that his true nature shown through. He had no need to pretend, there was no one to appease, just himself to beat down. And that's exactly what he was doing.
'How the fuck could you have been so stupid?' He screamed at himself, awaiting a reply. He found none. There was no excuse that he could come up with to justify the reason that he had scorned Bakura and chose to be with Malik. This was his well deserved punishment for making such a terrible choice. Everything that was happening to him he knew he deserved.
"Gods...why?" He whispered into the darkness while plunging his head into his hands and curling up into a little ball. Why did Bakura have to die because of him?
No...he couldn't let Bakura die, there had to be a way out of this cell. Bakura made it out somehow...
With effort Ryou stood to his feet and began feeling against the walls, mostly using them for support because he could hardly walk, but also searching for something, anything. A crack, a hallow space, anything...He slammed his fists against the wall, turning around he latched onto the rusted iron bars and yanked on them, pulling with every ounce of strength left in him. He growled as he looked up and heard the taunting words of Malik ringing in his ear.
"Don't think that just because your lover boy escaped this dungeon that you'll be able to do the same." Malik laughed as he threw Ryou into the cell. Ryou landed on the wet floor and cried out in pain. He looked up only to see Malik looking down upon him and chuckling.
Ryou let go of the bars and allowed himself to sink lower and lower, until his body hit the ground. There was too much taunting...too much laughing. Faces in the dark, shaking their heads in solemn disapproval with one word echoing out from the masses...why?
But most of all there was Malik. He controlled the whip that stung the most...
"While you're in here, maybe you should think about the life you could have had if you listened to Bakura." He had said, glaring in through the bars of the cell.
Ryou remembered trying to tune him out...all he was trying to do was make him feel guilty, but this wasn't his fault...
"If you want, I'll let you see Bakura's body when they bring it back." Malik teased. "If you're not dead by then, that is."
Ryou covered his ears and turned away from Malik. He sat down on the floor, and, rocking back and forth he stared at the wall. 'Shut up.'
But Malik did not want to stop, he was having too much fun tormenting the one that he loved but that would never love him back.
"I wonder what Bakura would say now. As he's sitting out there dying. I bet he's thinking that you're not worth all the hell that he's going through."
Ryou covered his ears tighter. 'Shut up, shut up, shut up!' He dare not scream out loud, because that's just what Malik was waiting for.
"You know what makes me laugh Ryou?" Malik paused before he unleashed the final lash of the whip. "The fact that you two have been together seemingly forever, and yet, you were a virgin. I fucked you, and you're mine, not his. But at least he gets to die, thinking otherwise..."
"SHUT UP!" Ryou bellowed as he stood up and ran over to the bars. He was right in front of Malik and he wanted to kill him...he wanted him dead more than anything in the world...but there was nothing he could do.
Malik was enjoying every minute of this, but there was something more he wanted. He reached through the bars and took hold of Ryou's shoulders.
"No! Get off me!" Ryou shouted at him, but his pleas were silenced as Malik forced his lips on Ryou. He needed to taste the boy one last time. His tongue shot out and slid across Ryou's tightly shut lips.
Ryou screamed against him and wrapped his hands around the bars, pushing back with all of his might. But the Pharaoh's grip was steadfast.
Wanting more, Malik forced Ryou to open his mouth by viciously bighting down on the boy's supple bottom lip. With Ryou crying out, Malik seized the opportunity and slid his tongue into Ryou's mouth. 'I will greatly miss this.' He thought to himself as he enjoyed one last kiss with the boy.
But Ryou had other ideas. He didn't want Malik's tongue in his mouth anymore; he never wanted Malik to touch him again. Ryou made up his mind that he was going to make the Pharaoh pay for kissing him.
He waited until Malik slid his tongue deeper into his mouth, and then he chomped down, hard. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth as the Pharaoh quickly pulled away, with a little trickle of crimson blood seeping out of his mouth.
"You little..." Malik narrowed his eyes, wiping the blood off his chin. But Ryou backed away, deeper into the cell so that Malik could not reach him.
"You're forgetting something my pet." Malik lifted his hand and shook the keys in front of him. Ryou looked on in horror as Malik forced the key into the lock and stepped in, closing and locking the cell door behind him.
A devilish grin appeared on Malik's face as he backed his prey into a corner.
"Now my dear Ryou, there's no one to hear you scream."
Ryou shut his eyes and turned his head to one side when he felt the Pharaoh's hands at his waist, groping their way around him and finding the knot in his sash.
"No!" Ryou protested, but little good it did him. When he tried to reach down and pry Malik's hands off of him, Malik grabbed hold of both his slender wrists with one hand and lifted them up while he continued to undress the boy with the other.
Ryou shuddered as a wave of cold air swept across his naked body, after Malik let his linen kilt slip to the floor. The Pharaoh lowered himself and ran his tongue across Ryou's smooth abdomen, slowly moving upward. This slave was his, and this slave would forever be his. To do with as he pleased, like it was supposed to be, and he would not allow himself to listen to the protests of his slave like he did the last time.
'Yes.' His mind moaned. He felt incredibly aroused when he thought of the many ways that he could injure this delicate little thing, each one more tempting than the last. He wanted it to be so that Ryou was unable to breathe, that he was crying out, in pure anguish. He wanted to rip him apart, pound into him until every bone in his body was broken. This time, he was going to get his way. Ryou's feelings no longer mattered to him...
"I love it when you struggle." He whispered into Ryou's ear. Having finally made his way up to that one spot he began to suck on Ryou's tender skin, and he could feel the boy's arousal; however unwilling; grow.
Ryou struggled against the strong king, but Malik now had both of the boy's hands pinned at his sides. 'Someone please help me!' His mind begged as he shut his eyes again and tried to escape mentally. He felt Malik continue to suck on the side of his neck, and he couldn't help but moan slightly. 'No!'
Malik chuckled into the other's neck before pulling away. Quickly, so that the other could not elude him, Malik slipped out of his elaborately decorated kilt and let it fall to the floor.
What happened next was all a blur to Ryou. Before he could even blink, the Pharaoh had picked him up, slammed him to the ground and was on top of him, with his naked body pressed tightly against his own.
He looked up, and saw Malik's amethyst eyes glaring back at him. They were hazy, and milked over; clouded with nothing but lust, and a deadly fire that frightened him. Malik's hands were roaming over every inch of him, and he cringed when he felt Malik's hand rub harshly over his groin.
Tears filled his eyes and he could no longer pretend that he could take anything that Malik could throw at him. Openly the tears fell; sliding down his face as he turned his head to the side.
Malik brought his tongue out and slid it up the boy's face, licking up the salty tears. 'Yes! Cry! Scream!' Malik heard the voice in his head, crying out joyously. He could feel Ryou pushing against him in protest, but it did nothing, aside from turning him on even more. 'Boy do I love it when they squirm...' He couldn't take it anymore; he had tasted enough of the boy, now he wanted to finish what he had started, before he exploded.
With a harshness that Ryou had never felt before, Malik latched onto his legs and thrust them open.
"Leave me alone!" Ryou screamed, hardly able to believe that Malik was actually going to do this. He had seemed so gentle last time...now it was if he was a totally different person.
And that was exactly it. Malik was a different person; a bloodthirsty monster. Whatever good that was left in him had vanished, and the darkness in him took over. Malik pushed his hips forward, forcing himself into the boy beneath him. Ryou's toes curled as he screamed loudly, his voice echoing off the walls, causing Malik to grin. Again Ryou pushed against Malik's shoulders, only serving as an aggravation. Malik took Ryou's hands and slammed them down at the boy's sides as he brought his mouth down to Ryou's smooth chest, bighting the skin harshly until it bled.
"This is what you were meant for." Malik growled, continuing to move upward. He kissed Ryou cruelly, forcing his tongue in at his own leisure. This was how it was meant to be from day one. Ryou was his to conquer, and his to do with as he pleased. Why had he wasted so much time being nice? This was far more gratifying!
His hips grinded into Ryou's and he could feel the boy shudder beneath him, as if at any moment his body would shatter into a thousand pieces. Malik released Ryou's hands, thinking that the boy would now be too weak to struggle against him, and he was right. Ryou's arms remain at his sides as he continued to take Malik in, against his own will.
Malik started from the top of Ryou's shoulders and slowly moved his hands down; digging his nails into the boy's ashen skin, bringing to it a new color that Malik loved to see. A deep red that seeped out of the cuts on his slave's arms.
Ryou's sweat poured freely from his body, mingling with his freshly spilled blood. Malik was shredding his searing flesh with his bare hands. His nails raked across the pale boy's body, leaving every inch of him covered with scratches.
Malik's devilish eyes flashed red. Blood...Ryou's blood was everywhere; on the floor, on the walls...on him. He loved that Ryou was being pushed to his limits, with nothing but a thread of life to hold on to.
The smell...that all consuming scent of his slave's sweat and blood filled his nose. For Malik, it only served as an aphrodisiac, causing his carnal hunger to grow even more, and his desire to sate that hunger became overbearing. Malik gripped Ryou's slender waist and pulled on him hard, dragging the boy in closer to him and forcing himself in deeper.
Ryou's back arched painfully as a scorching fire soared up his spine, stopping at his neck, forcing him to throw his head back and scream loudly. Malik just wouldn't slow down! Ryou gasped for air, trying to suck in as much of the life giving substance as he possibly could.
Malik could not believe what he had been missing out on all this time. He should have forced Ryou to bend to his will the very first night that he had him in his bed! Ryou was nothing like his other sex slaves. When this boy screamed out in agony, it sent shivers down his spine. The smell of Ryou's blood, the taste of Ryou's flesh...the way Malik's body tingled each time he felt Ryou rubbing against him, with his body, convulsing in pain...It made it seem like a shame that he was going to kill him soon.
With that in mind, Malik wanted his fill. He wanted all of Ryou, and now. He wanted to hear more screaming, he wanted to feel more shivers of pain, he wanted to taste more blood.
Slowly he raised Ryou's body and then slammed it back down on the ground. 'Scream louder!' His mind ordered. Malik pushed harder, driving himself deeper into the boy, and he got what he wanted. Ryou cried out. It was a moan, hidden inside a loud shriek of pain.
It was like this for...well, Ryou had lost count of the hours that he allowed his body to succumb to the will of the Pharaoh. But as he lingered on the brink of death, no longer paying attention to the things that Malik was doing to him, he felt himself suddenly relax as everything went black. He had passed out, lying in a mixture of sweat and blood.
Ryou still had his hand wrapped around the bars of the cell, which helped him to sit upright. Tears streamed down his face again when he thought about it. Every detail of what Malik had done to him only hours ago still haunted him. Now he wanted to die, there was no way that he would ever be able to live with himself after that.
Yes, Malik had controlled the whip that inflicted the final blow...
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I finally have an ending in sight. Thanks to all of you who read this, even if you don't review. This has been a very big thing for me, and I want to apologize for all the stupid little 'Egypt tidbits' as I like to call them that seem to find their way into this story. (Like the part about Ammut, and the part about Mut...and I could go on forever) But I've always had a love, and a (dare I say it) slight obsession over ancient Egypt. And ever since I can remember I've always wanted to be an Egyptologist, with people like Joann Fletcher, Bob Brier, and Zahii Hawass being my role models. So far I've taken every chance that I can get to put a little bit of history into my stories...sorry. Like a big example would be my story A New Light. For those of you who have read it, I named Yami's father after Tutankhamun's father, Akhenaten, and the whole thing about him being married to Nefrititi and changing Egypt's religion, that's all true, and that really happened, and then when Akhenaten died and Tutankhamun took over (at the whopping age of 9) he changed the religion back to polytheism. Sound familiar? I put Yami in Tutankhamun's place. Now, grant it, he didn't change the religion back by choice; it was his royal vizier Aye who ran Egypt because Tutankhamun was so young...sound familiar? Ok...moving on... I like to be accurate with my depiction of ancient Egypt, and I know I'm not, because lets face it. If I made this true to history there would be a lot in this story that wouldn't have been written. One small thing for example, the Egyptians never slept on pillows. They had wooden headrests (which are actually not so bad, they support your neck very well...and no, I don't sleep with one, I just happen to have one...and no, it's not a real one, it's a replica of the one found in king Tutankhamun's tomb). And one important thing is that Egyptians never called their king, "Pharaoh" see, Pharaoh comes from the hieroglyphic for "great house" pronounced in Egyptian as "Par-arow". If you think about it in today's terms, it would be like calling the president "Hello Mr. Whitehouse".
Ok, I'm done for now; and again...thanks for listening to me blab. I love you all!
Malik: Ok...I'm not even going to comment...
OMG and just to let you know, from here on out I am scared to death of thunderstorms! I almost died I tell you! Last Saturday night we had this huge t-storm and lightning struck our chimney! It was around two thirty or so, I don't really know, because the electric went out, but I was laying out in the living room with my dog (because she's scared of t-storms) and all of a sudden I hear this loud ass BAM! Like a gun shot, and then, the fireplace got all bright and the all the lights in the house went on for a second. The smoke detectors went off and everything! But nothing caught on fire; the lightning bolt just gave everything some juice I guess...
Man....I really used to love thunderstorms....
Malik: What the hell is it with you and sound effects?
I thought you weren't going to comment.
Malik: Yea, you're right, why waist my breath?
I just wanted to say that Texas was awesome. We stayed in Austin but we went to San Antonio to the SeaWorld there, San Antonio has to be the nicest city I've ever been to. We went to Barton Springs and saw the bats fly out from under the bridge, (that was cool), we went to The Alamo...ho hum...it was just a building....SeaWorld was much better. Oh, and there's this building in downtown Austin that looks so awesome. I think it was called Frost Bank, but it looked like an art deco building... it was so pretty. And I'm not even going to say anything about the heat...damn, they said that there was a cold front coming in on the day that we left...ok, their cold fronts are reeeeeally cold...I mean, we're talking a shivering 99 degrees...yup, that is a Texan cold front...it was hot as hell down there...wait...maybe hotter....ok bye bye.
Ok...I've had this chapter written for about three weeks now and haven't been able to update it! (Not my fault I swear!) Has anyone seen the Yu Gi Oh movie yet? I went when it opened and it wasn't all that great...if possible, the voice actors are even dumber, altho...Jounouchi and Honda do provide some comic relief....some.
Man...this is the most I've ever talked...please forgive me. I'll shut up now. (And please, amidst all this senseless blabbing, don't forget the chapter! You know, it's the thing above all this mumbo jumbo shit down here.) Ok...SHUT UP!
Malik: Good...I'm glad you decided to tell yourself...now I can save my breath.
