Yami's koi: WAHOO! New chap, not sure how this is gonna get started...
Neutral Man: you updated your profile! WHIPPYDEE DEE!
Yami's koi: er, yes, well, that can sometimes happen. Weirdo.
Bakura: anyone get the feeling I should've picked up my shopping when I vaulted that hedge?
Yami's koi: no. Ryou was in danger and you did an honourable thing.
Bakura: I did? Cool. Now I get to tell the Pharaoh he's an ass. Glares from Pharaoh, sweat drops from Ryou and Yugi Pharaoh, you're an ass.
Yami's koi: this is kinda long, so I'll be at the end of the page. Enjoy!
I close my eyes, trying to place where I am. The room I am in looks vaguely familiar, but there are a few sworn differences than what my mind remembers. There are many posters on the walls of Rock bands, or pictures someone has drawn. I try to stand, supporting myself on the large bed besides me. At length I succeed, and shakily I walk to stare at one of these pictures.
They are drawn brilliantly, almost every detail exact. Some are of Duel Monsters, people who I presume are dear to the artist, and some are of... beautiful gardens.
Roses blossom from one side of the canvas, a deep blood red. They stand near to a lush green hedge, where peach coloured flowers occasionally loom. Trees stand tall and strong on the opposite side of them, laden with many delectable, coloured fruits. There is a long and winding path running through the middle of this scene, and over that is a wooden bridge, overlooking the delicate flow of a stream beneath it. It's truly a wondrous sight, yet why draw something which gives me the vivid impression that the artist was longing when they drew this?
I sigh, and turn to face the window elegantly. The skies are becoming dark, streaked with pink and different blues. I near the window, and lower my eyes.
And instantly wish that I hadn't.
Someone prowls on the outskirts of the many alleyways that lead from and to this street. These alleys seem ridden with flies and an awful stench, sensed even from my enclosure. The walls of houses opposite me are dirty, so dirty that the brick colour seems to have eroded. A sound of glass being broke is distantly heard by my ears, as is the sound of a woman's scream, and then silence. The streets seem deserted, and yet something warns me that all is not as it should be.
My eyes narrow. Ra and his scheming God of the Dead have something to do with this. There is no doubt about it. This is not the street I remember. In fact, this isn't even the house I remember! I shiver, and wrap my arms around myself, backing away from the window.
"Scared, little Ryou?" A deep, grating voice asks, "Or just cold?"
I turn, and immediately acknowledge my surprise. Father. I feel relief for just one moment of security, then I feel the memories haunt me. I back away from him now, secretly thinking that whatever is outside, it's better than what is in here, with me.
"I...I'm fine, Otousama," I stammer. My back hits the wall behind me, and the well-known feeling of fear engulfs me. He smirks, advancing.
"Fine? You will be after I sate you in my arms tonight."
My heart freezes. My mouth opens in a wordless cry, horror shown on my face. He...he's going to rape me. Again.
Bakura
I blink many times. His body does not return. My head cocks itself slightly, and I come to a conclusion. It's the only rational thing I can think of doing right now. I race downstairs, grabbing the cordless phone and dialling the Pharaoh's number. I pace the kitchen, having run in there purely because of its space.
"Mutou residence."
"Is that Yugi?" I ask, knowing it to be him simply because of the softness to his voice. I don't even need to wait for his answer. "Yugi, it's me, Bakura. I need to talk to the Pharaoh. Er, I mean, please."
My manners still lack work. And motivation, now that Ryou's gone. Yugi breathes heavily down the phone. When he next speaks, his voice is thick with tears.
"Yami's gone out. Do you want me to pass on a message?"
"Yes," I answer quickly, not wanting Yugi to prattle on all day, as was his slight tendency to do so, "tell him to get his arse down to my place now. Tell him to bring all the Egyptian spell, lore and God books he can. Onegai, Yugi?" I end as a plead, hastily deciding to add, "It's about Ryou."
I hear him draw an astonished breath. In my heart, I sense a slight hint of pity in his voice as he answers:
"Hai, I will. I'll ring him and we'll come to yours straightaway."
Relief and gratefulness seeps through me at his word. "Thanks Yugi," I say, before hanging up.
Ryou
"Otousama...iie!" I cry, my eyes widening further when I see what he has produced from his back pocket. A knife. He turns the sharpness of the blade into my throat, and I wince, feeling the telltale droplets of blood well and trickle down my neck.
"IIE!" I scream, using some unknown strength to push past him and race onto the landing of this foreign place. Someone lurks on the stairs; I can sense it. I grip the rails on the landing, hard. Using whatever courage I have managed to save from my time in the Otherlands, I vault the wooden banister, landing ten-foot below on my feet. I cry out at the pain in my ankles from the sudden contact, but urge myself towards the door.
I wrench the rotting door open, hearing Otousama and the other thundering after me. I yell out, flinging myself forwards into the fastest run I have ever achieved in my entire life. My legs carry me down this filthy road, race to anywhere they can take me. I make a turn to the right, and suddenly an arm from nowhere reaches out and hauls me down onto the road, dragging my helpless body to an alley on the left.
"What--" The figure silences me with a finger on my lips. I will myself to remain quiet, suppressing even my heavy breathing, my whimpers from the burn in my side.
Soon we both hear two men's feet stride along, one with large, heavy boots. I note the studs that are embedded within them, and rack my brain to think of where I may have seen them before.
"Seems like he's gone, Keith."
At that I make a start, thankfully making no noise. Bandit Keith, of course! Who else would reek so much of beer and cologne, and carry a heavy load on his feet so needlessly?
"Yeah. He'll be back; he needs a place to sleep. Doubt he'd live it out here. But for when he comes back how about we go out drinking?"
"Sounds good to me," My father says, somewhat disappointed. "Pity...I was rather looking forwards to hurting the runt."
"Yeah, you should've seen the look on his loser face when he saw me on the stairs. It was priceless!" Bandit Keith howled, striding away with his harshly laughing friend.
It is only then that I turn to my rescuer. "Thank you so much," I murmur, dragging him into the light so I may see his face. His brow creases somewhat as he takes in my appearance. He then shrugs and beckons him to follow as he wanders off. Hastily I oblige. After all, I do need to repay this man for what he has done for me today. And, he is my friend. Who can say no to that?
"You're that kid from school," he says almost roughly, making a sharp turn to our right down another endless path.
I stop dead in my tracks.
Bakura
I have not left the kitchen since I have made that phone call to the Pharaoh's hikari. Why should it take someone so bloody long to come to another person's house? I told him it was urgent. If Ryou remains lost forever and I find that I could have done something to prevent that, then I would never forgive them for it. Cruel? Perhaps so. But to have loved and lost somebody so deeply, to be bonded in which only darkness and light can be bonded, its...indescribable.
I rarely cry, I see it as weakness. And yet Ryou always has been my one weakness, and my largest strength. I would slay the one who would DARE to hurt him, and blame myself if he would be taken away from me. He wasn't just my hikari.
Ryou always had this one smile, and he always saved it for me, especially when we were alone. Recently we had become... quite close. That is why we moved in together. I loved his eyes: so gentle, much unlike my own. His traits that I love were too many to recall; yet his blush... he sure did make me melt sometimes.
It is said that when you fall in love you are willing to forgive every offence anyone has ever done to you. But I am in love. And there has always been one person who I could never forgive. Not after this.
"Blasted Gods," I curse, drawing a knife from my back pocket carelessly. However, the sight of the object, so akin to the one Ryou used to kill himself with, just makes me break. I shakily sink to the floor, bringing my knees up so my head can bury itself.
Ryou
"You mean you... you don't recognise me?" I ask, tremors racking my body. He nods slightly.
"Yeah. Like I said, you're that kid who just moved here."
'Just moved here?' I've been here for nearly three years now. Could my saviour be jesting to take my mind off of things? It was likely, considering his personality. Something begs me to question him further, and I submit to that longing.
"Where are you taking me?"
He pauses then, and his eyes widen with shock. He tackles me to the ground, dragging me once more down an alleyway. He pulls me to stand. Before I can interrogate him, he hurtles down this dingy place, yelling at me to follow. I obey, and glancing back I see someone pursuing us.
"Someone's following us!" I scream, passing him as he stops. I hesitate, and turn. Why would he stop? I glance at the stalker. His hair is dark, his face unshaven, and his clothes reek of piss. My nose wrinkles.
"You wanna fight? Here's your fight!" The beggar slurs in an exclamation, darting forward. My rescuer dodges, and parries his blade with an equally powerful object. The two daggers glisten in the twilight, and soon the peasant falls. The saviour doesn't stop there, however. He crouches down and, with his entire might, stabs him in the chest, repeatedly, until with a froth of blood and saliva, he dies.
I approach the, slowly, cautious as he rises to look me in the eye. All of a sudden I am afraid, very afraid. Scared that this was someone I knew who had become a murderer. I spoke then, very quietly, and tearfully.
"Jou?!"
Yami's koi: cliffie! Don't you just HATE me? Um. I DO like Jou, he kicks ass. I didn't have him do that for no reason, TRUST ME.
Neutral Man: Not even I expected that.
Yami's koi: I don't tell you everything about the plots. The plots come to me from many sources. Fragments from dreams, ideas when showering, ideas when I drift between consciousness and unconsciousness...
Neutral Man: okay then. I get the point.
Yami's koi: okay. I forget always to state disclaimers and warnings. So below will be for all chapters in this work, k? Songs of inspiration: Evanescence: Everybody's fool/Hello/My Last Breath/Imaginary/My Immortal. Review if you wish no problems if not. BYE!
WARNING! Hikari Suicide contains material that some readers may find offensive. Accordingly, Yami's koi must insist that the anti suicide readers must NEVER look under the angst category. WARNING! The characters in this entire work were naught from Yami's koi imagination. The characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi and other rich folk. The plot line, however, is claimed as her own creation. Accordingly, Yami's koi must insist that no on attempt to sue, or report possible abuse found in this fanfiction. We didn't hurt any animals in the making of this fic, so you shouldn't, either.