Chapter 9! Read and enjoy!
He didn't know how long he lay there, but when he next opened his eyes, Bakura was leaning over him, looking concerned. Ryou cried out, shrinking away from the spirit.
"No! Go away, don't touch me!"
Bakura froze; for a moment, Ryou thought he saw pain and a strange regret in those dark eyes, but he blinked and Bakura's face seemed to close, emotions vanishing and leaving him expressionless. Ryou wondered if he had really seen them…no, he must have imagined it. Bakura bent over him again, gathering him up. Ryou screamed when his arm was jostled; Bakura stopped immediately.
"What is it, little one? What's the matter?"
Like it makes any difference to you, Ryou thought resentfully, hot tears threatening to spill over at the memory of Bakura's most recent act of violence. Bakura flinched as though he had been struck, and Ryou realized that he had heard his thought through their mindlink. He bit his lip, trying, and failing, to suppress a sudden pang of guilt. Bitterly, he wondered why Bakura always affected him this way, making him feel as though he were at fault regardless of the situation. He saw Bakura still waiting for an answer and looked away. "My arm hurts really bad when I move it," he said softly.
Long fingers ran along his arm gently but firmly, probing for injuries. Ryou winced as they passed over the angry bruises that had formed when Bakura had grabbed his shoulders, but didn't cry out. When Bakura reached his elbow though, he gasped in pain, gritting his teeth to keep back a scream.
"This hurts?" Bakura asked, pressing lightly on the spot.
"Yes," Ryou managed, keeping his jaw clenched. His vision was getting hazy again…No, he thought dizzily. Mustn't…faint…Bakura moved the elbow and a fresh wave of pain washed over him; Ryou gagged, feeling sick.
"You've dislocated your elbow," said Bakura, still examining Ryou's arm. "I can put it back in for you though."
"Will it hurt–" Ryou screamed as pain exploded in his arm. The spots returned to his vision in droves, dancing, multicolored blotches, mocking him. He screwed his eyes up as the pain intensified. I'm dying, he thought crazily, he's killing me, he finally got tired of me so he's killing me… He heard a wet grating noise of bone against bone, then a pop as Bakura wrenched the offending limb back into its socket.
"All better, little one," Bakura announced, almost cheerily. Ryou lay still, panting, as the pain subsided slowly. He glared weakly at the other boy, who was watching him intently.
"It would be nice," he said hoarsely, "if you warned me before you did that."
"If I told you, you would have tensed up," responded Bakura, shrugging. "It would have hurt even more." Ryou scowled.
"I hate it when you're right," he muttered. Bakura didn't laugh, but Ryou got the feeling that he was trying not to. He sat stiffly and did his best to maintain his dignity as Bakura scooped him up carefully. "I can walk, Bakura," he protested. "My legs are fine. I hurt—you hurt my arm," he corrected himself, emphasizing the "you" ever so slightly, wondering at his own daring as he did so. His words had a definite effect: Bakura froze for an instant, then gently placed him back on the ground.
"Have it your way, then," he said, voice devoid of emotion. Ryou glanced at him and saw the handsome features slip into an inscrutable mask, as expressionless as his voice.
"Bakura?" he asked, frightened. "Bakura, don't please, I didn't mean it…" He stopped as Bakura started walking away. "Bakura! No, where are you going? Don't leave!"
The spirit stopped, standing with his back to Ryou, then turned to face him. "You made me do this, little one" he said quietly. "You made me." With that, he turned away again and kept walking.
"Bakura! Wait!" called Ryou desperately. The kitchen door banged a moment later, then, through the window, he saw Bakura walking briskly down the driveway, turning onto the street. "No!" Ryou rushed out after him, crying. "Bakura!"
Bakura didn't slow down, or even look back. Sobbing, Ryou collapsed to his knees, knowing he would never be able to stop Bakura from doing what he wanted. His hand brushed against something in grass; struggling to see through his tears, he picked it up. When he saw what it was, he felt his heart break.
Once again, the hummingbird lay cradled in his palms. Now though, it was broken and bloodied, no longer beautiful or full of life.
"Why did you fly into that window?" Ryou whispered to it, shaking. "Why did you hurt yourself?"
The bird's eye stared blankly back at him, answering neither of the questions. But, as Ryou saw himself reflected in the tiny orb, he realized that his questions weren't really for the bird. He was asking himself.
Ok, I know, I haven't updated for half a year, and this is kind of a lousy chapter. You'll review anyways, right? Because you love me so much? Review!