Yep, another chapter. I'm going to be busy for the next few days...weeks...I don't know. But I have a pretty busy schedule, what with the schoolwork, projects, other fanfics, giftfics, and the talent show to perform. Plus, I'm still currently fiddling out the details of a lemon yaoi Phantom of the Opera and Yu-Gi-Oh AU crossover.
Disclaimer: Don't own YGO!!
Hope you guys liked this chapter. Stupid computer conked out on me on the entire fluffly scene wtih Marik and Ryou. Dang it!! (punches computer furiously) So yeah, it took me a while to get it back to the way I wanted...and I'm still not pleased.
Yay, Baku's back!
Chapter Six: Apologies
He never met Yami Yugi.
After strolling out of his room, Ryou's insides immediately wirthed with guilt. Closing his eyes, he avoided the doors to his friends and hurriedly ran up, instead, to the top of the blimp, where the duels were always held.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he felt the cold breeze tease his gentle hair. A weight felt as though it was being lifted from his chest as he serenly strode up the steps to the duelling arena, firmly grasping the rails to keep himself from flying overboard.
The cool, night sky immediately eased his pain, his anxiety, as though with every brush of the wind, another worry was whittled away. He sighed happily, thankful of the clean, fresh air that flew past him, coaxing his face, teasing his hair. Serenely, he closed his eyes to savour the moment completely.
The night was so dark...when Ryou opened his eyes again, he had noticed that the clouds were darker than usual, and there was a low, rumbling sound. A storm was approaching.
Ah, it was not a worry. Ryou would be back down in the blimp in a second, probably talking to Yami Yugi by then. He didn't want to put Yami Yugi in danger, but at the very least, he should at least warn Yami Yugi not to come by his room anymore.
Sighing again, he propped one elbow on the railing, and leaned his cheek against his palm. He really didn't want to go back down there...though he liked to stay indoors most of the time, he missed the outside world, and just sometimes, outside air was just so soothing.
He didn't want to go any fast than he had to.
Suddenly, however, there seemed to be more to the darkness. More than just the approaching storm, more than the dark looming clouds. Something darker than that, and it made the hairs the nape of his neck shiver and stand up.
He looked around him cautiously, wondering where the familiar prescence was.
Suddenly, a shadow grabbed his arm and twisted it roughly, cutting circulation sufficiently. He yelped and tried to twist away, and, after he heard a snickering sneer, the shadow dropped his arm. He clutched his pale limb protectively, heart pounding with fear. Glancing down on his limb, his heart stopped and his eyes grew.
In the exact same places as before, were four green-black fingerprints, and green-tinged black bruises adjacent to them.
Ryou looked up, swallowing, and trying to back up. However, his head clearly wasn't working properly, and all he could do was stumble back a few steps before crashing onto the ground.
"Bakura."
The shadow stepped out of the darkness, feral red eyes glinting maliciously, wild white hair flicking dangerously in the wind. Duplicate porcelain cheeks, twin frail and frame, identical shirts and pants.
But different elements of the soul.
The well-known Darkness had a smirk upon his face as he slowly approached the fallen boy. Ryou let out a gasp as his own darker half grabbed the front of his collar and roughly pulled him to his feet.
"Bakura...please...!"
"Not even a simple 'hello'?" smirked Bakura, his cynical dark eyes glinting blood red. "I would've thought you'd care more for your darker half."
"Bakura..! What are you doing here?" Ryou swallowed, twisting his head away.
"Did you really think the Shadows would imprison me?" asked Bakura deadly, walking fowards, dragging the boy in front of him. Ryou gave a small whimper when Bakura mercilessly thrusted him upwards, his own collar tightening on his throat. "I am the Shadows, hikari. Nothing can imprison me for long. I am the thief that never gets caught."
Ryou bit his lip, thrashing his head left and right, trying to break free from the tomb robber's grasp. "Bakura...! What are you doing here?"
Smirking, Bakura threw him onto the ground, his feral eyes burning now. "Well, now. So hostile for a Light. Tell me, has spending time with Marik softened your discipline?"
Ryou let out a gasp of shock. "How did you---?"
"Oh, hikari," smirked Bakura dangerously as Ryou backed himself up against the railing. "Did you really think you could hide such a secret from me? Your emotional and mental barriers have always been pathetic. Even when escaping the tendrils of the Shadows, I could feel your own heartstrings torn when Marik finally snapped at you."
"Heart---strings?" repeated Ryou, stuttering. "What heartstrings?"
The thief's smirk grew wider. "Heartstrings? As in, the bondage between the one you love and yourself? Oh, I never knew you didn't know, hikari."
"L-love?" stuttered Ryou again stupidly. "But...no! I'm not in love with Marik! That's not possible!"
"Aw, going to break his heart as you did mine?" mocked Bakura, laughing sarcastically. "Tell me, Ryou, exactly how many yamis are you going to fall in love with in your life? You're already mine."
"I'm not yours in that sense!" protested Ryou. "I'm not yours at all!"
Rain began to plummet heavily to the ground, soaking Ryou's clothes and hair; however, the duplicate darker half seemed to be unfrazed by the sudden storm.
"You are my host, you are my body," said Bakura lowly, though his smirk remained. "Therefore, I own you. You have no mind of your own, no heart of your own, no emotions of your own. Everything that is yours is controlled by me."
"No!" yelled Ryou. "No!"
"No?" repeated Bakura, raising an eyebrow. "My, I had always thought that Marik, being the homicidal lunatic that he is, would've knocked more sense into you than I did."
"What are you talking about?" asked Ryou, slowly climbing up, using the railings as a crutch.
"Your...'punishment'?" smirked Bakura even more. "Well, hikari. Don't expect such a mushy method of torture from me in the future."
"Why are you doing this?" asked Ryou pitifully. "Marik didn't do anything wrong to you!"
"Oh yes he did," snapped Bakura. "He wasn't supposed to be anywhere near you! You're mine and mine alone, Ryou. Not in a romantic sense, but in a vessel sense! I am your yami and you belong to me!"
"I don't belong to you!!"
Snarling, Bakura grabbed at Ryou's arm again, this time twisting it so ferociously that he had rendered Ryou onto his knees in front of him. Growling, he increased the pressure upon the duplicate limb, digging his fingernails into Ryou's vein. Ryou gave out a painful cry as he scrambled at Bakura's grip with his free hand desperately, but it was all in vain. His own fingers were wet, the storm was dark and cloudy, so dark he could barely even see Bakura's own face from where he was. The drops on his face were drenching his skin, though whether it was his tears or the rain, he couldn't tell.
"You belong to me," he hissed. Now that Marik had met Ryou ( Ryou's eyes widened in horror....if Bakura knew that Marik had been visiting him...! The kisses! The hugs! The contacts!), Bakura seemed to have taken a far more unforgiving, merciless nature. "You are nothing but a lowly dog and I am your master!! You will obey my every command, my every heed, without question and without complain! You are nothing and I am everything! Now say it!!"
Tears leaking down Ryou's face, he shook his head stubbornly. "NO! I am not! I'm not a vessel and I'm not your dog and I'm not your slave!!"
The fingernails dug deeper within his flesh, causing him to cry out in pain again.
"Ryou," hissed the Darkness, his low voice grating harshly against Ryou's ears, "I know what Marik has been doing with you. Do you really think that someone like him would actually love? You are nothing in this world, Ryou! You are my vessel, my dog, my slave, and you are his toy!! Nothing more!"
Sobbing, Ryou tried to twist away, but with no avail. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping whatever Bakura wanted to do with him would come fast and quick. Suddenly, his arm was being wrenched upwards, so that Bakura was now staring down into his semi-similar brown eyes.
"Oh?" whispered Bakura coldly as Ryou turned away from him. "Tell me, then, hikari, do YOU love Marik?"
"L-love?" stuttered Ryou again. "No! I don't..."
"Then by all means," smirked Bakura suddenly, "you wouldn't mind now, if I punish HIM for touching my Light inappropriately, now, would you?"
Ryou gasped and turned around, his eyes now large and pleading. "No Bakura! Don't hurt him!"
"So you do love him," laughed Bakura, throwing his head back in laughter. "Admit it, hikari. You do love Marik. You didn't mind me, an evil darker half, to be banished to the Shadows, did you? And now here you are, defending Marik, who has done worse than I have since my rebirth! You DO love him, Ryou. I know it."
With that, he threw Ryou away from him; the smaller boy was thrown into the railing, his spine arching back painfully from the contact. Gasping and panting, Ryou fell onto the ground again, trying his best to nurse his poor, pained arm.
"Well then..." Bakura leaned in, roughly grasping Ryou's chin in his own porcelain fingers, "...all the more favourable as a punishment to you, then, hikari. What better way to torment you than to destroy the only person you love most?"
"I---!"
"You love him," smirked Bakura, standing up, dragging Ryou along with him by the chin. "I can tell. You just don't want to admit it, do you, hikari? That you've fallen for a Darkness much like myself. You hate me, but you love Marik." Bakura laughed again, his nails digging into Ryou's jaw, causing the Light to wince. Raindrops the size of bullets pelted against his face, causing him to wince even more, as he tried to draw back away from his yami.
"Bakura! Please don't hurt Marik!"
Bakura merely laughed again, his hair flinging in the now furiously blowing wind. Somewhere in the distance, a lightning bolt cracked through the sky, sending an eerie and unnatural ray of light across Bakura's pale face, illuminating all the depths of his evilness to the full extent. The wind was howling in Ryou's hairs, screaming at him, threatening to toss him around like a rag doll.
"Ryou," hissed the thief again. "Admit it, Ryou. You love Marik. I know."
"I ---," Ryou started, gasping for breath as rainwater drenched his hair and trickled down his cheek. He squeezed his eyes shut, and suddenly bellowed, "Alright!! I love him, okay?! Is that what you want to hear?"
Bakura merely smirked. "It's what I know."
Ryou collapsed, sobbing, brushing away the droplets of rain and his tears with the back of his hand. His head felt so thick, so hazy, he couldn't see properly, he was so dizzy!
"Oh Ryou..." Ryou opened his eyes, and saw that through the darkness, Bakura was slowly fading. "Rest assured, be thankful for the time you have with Malik's other half. I assure you, that once I find a way to truly escape from the Shadows and return properly to you, I will destroy Marik in the worst possible way...right in front of your eyes."
Ryou fell onto his knees, scrambling at the wet floor.
"No! Bakura, please, don't! Don't hurt Marik please!!" Ryou begged, scrambling at the misty spirit. The Ring's occupant merely looked like a mirage now, drifting casually against the darkness of the night...his red feral eyes bright and his smirk gleaming as he disappeared.
Wind howling in his ears, mind throbbing and dizzy, Ryou quickly got to his feet, trying his best to run after the melting mirage. However, he had barely ran more than three steps when the slippery, wet floor slid beneath his sneakers. The angry zephyr of the storm blasted against his side mercilessly, throwing him airborne towards the side of the arena. He gave out a silent gasp when his spine made contact with the railing painfully hard, arching over the metal fence, throwing him over the side, and plummeting him towards the endless sky.
Time seemed to freeze as his arms flailed helplessly towards the railing. A shadow suddenly appeared in front of him, reaching his own arm towards his hand. Every second that should've flashed within an insant eased into a millennia; finally, he felt fingers brush against his own pale hand, and grasped his wrist. Almost immediately, his body was thrown towards the shadow. As he was pulled nearer and nearer to his savior, he noticed on the silouhette's forhead....
...a bright, golden eye...
Marik had searched for Ryou in his room. He wasn't there. Furiously, Marik had skimmed all the other rooms of the blimp, before heading towards the elevators that led to the duelling arena.
He had felt guilty about yelling at Ryou. He could never tell Ryou exactly why he couldn't leave his room, why he couldn't tell Yami Yugi he was alive. Everytime Ryou asked, it wrenched at his heart, and he would coldly dismiss the subject. But fate had always had a tendancy to take everything away from him...and he was definately not going to let fate take Ryou away.
Normally, he had always stayed true to his threats...but...no, he had brought Ryou back for a reason, he was never ....would Ryou to the Shadows.
As soon as he walked out of the elevator shaft, he was met with what seemed like a fury of heavy typhoon. Wind blasted against his side, almost toppling him over the side. He regained his balance, and, shielding his eyes with arm, he tried to see through the sheets of rain that was plummeting against the blimp.
His heart stopped beating almost instantly.
...Ryou!
The smaller boy's shadow was thrown off by the unmerciful wind, his body gracefully arcing through the air, until it crashed against the railing. Marik's eyes widened in horror as Ryou's body seemed to flip through the air, finally flying over the side of the metal railing.
Breath caught in his throat, Marik instantly plummeted up the steps to the arena. He whipped against the needles of rain, finally reaching the side. He threw his arm out, fingers brushing against Ryou's porcelain ones....
....in the next instant...he had clasped hard on Ryou's wrist and yanked him back. He felt Ryou's body jerk against the sudden force, before drawing him as close as he could. The next moment, Ryou's body had collided with his torso, sending both of them sprawling onto the wet floor, backwards. With his free arm, Marik instantly wrapped it across Ryou's shoulders protectively, as though he still feared that Ryou would fly from the side of the blimp.
Hastily, he turned Ryou over in his arms, running his hand on Ryou's cheek.
"Ryou!" he said clearly. "Ryou!"
Blearily, the Light fluttered his eyelids open, revealing large, doe brown eyes, sparkling with tears. He glanced up weakly at Marik, and the Egyptian was surprised to see a faint smile spread across Ryou's lips.
"Marik..."
"Ryou," breathed Marik, wrapping his arms tighter around the smaller boy. "What are you doing here?! In the cold?! Away from your room?!"
He felt Ryou, trembling, nuzzle softly into his chest, tears soaking his already quite wet shirt.
"Marik..." Fingers shaking, Ryou gently reached up. Marik froze when he felt those gentle fingers brush against his cheek, in an almost loving manner. Weakly glancing up again, Ryou breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes misty and dazed. "Marik...you're okay..."
Closing his eyes, Marik tightened his grip on the smaller boy, resting his cheek against Ryou's head. Planting a kiss on Ryou's forehead, he noticed that he was quivering like mad, and deftly slipped off his cloak. He gently draped it across Ryou's shoulders, snugly enveloping him in a warm bundle of dark royal purple. Ryou let out a thankful murmur, his face buried in Marik's chest once again.
"Marik..."
And again, Marik felt salty tears soak through his shirt. His heart froze again when he heard Ryou's voice again, weary and tired, a soft, gentle whisper, travel to his ears.
"I'm...I'm sorry..."
"Shh," hushed Marik softly, closing his eyes and planting another kiss on Ryou's head. The younger boy's fingers slowly fell from his cheek, weary and exhausted. He wrapped his arms tighter around Ryou's slim, frail body, afraid to break him, but afraid to let him go. "Shh...it's okay, Ryou, it's okay. Everything's going to be fine." He kissed the Light again tenderly. "I'm sorry, Ryou. I shouldn't have yelled at you...don't cry, don't cry... everything's going to be alright."
He felt Ryou nod slightly, once again nuzzling into his chest, before relaxing limply against his embrace. Marik looked down and saw Ryou's pale and gentle face crestfallen in exhaustion, no doubt already surrendered to the depths of slumber, despite the small, faint smile.
Careful not to wake the gentle angel in his arms, Marik eased his arm under Ryou's knees, heaved, and gently carried him back into the blimp, where it was warm.
Yay, fwuff! What's a perfect yaoi fic without fluff? And..close death?
