I DO NOT OWN YGO!
Chapter Two: Shopping
Bakura stared out the window in his limo, watching the buildings fly past in a haze. He sighed dejectedly before turning towards the child on the opposite side of him.
Ryou stared at the ground still, his legs crossed at the ankles. The child was shaking slightly. Bakura couldn't tell if it was from being cold or being scared.
Clearing his throat, Marik asked what their destination was.
"The manor…wait, scratch that." Bakura took a glance at the boy's condition and changed his decision. "Take us to one of the clothes outlets."
Ryou glimpsed upwards at Bakura with chocolate brown eyes before quickly averting his gaze to the ground again.
Feeling uncomfortable, Bakura raised an arm to scratch his head. Halfway there, the boy across from him flinched, as if hit. Bakura raised an eyebrow and finished his objective quickly, relieving his itch. Ryou clenched his fists tightly as if to assure himself of something before shivering again.
Bakura sighed in exasperation before opening a box near the fridge and pulling out a blanket. He threw it towards the child and shut the box.
Gratefully, the child cocooned himself with the black blanket, his shivering subsiding ever so slowly.
The car gradually came to a stop, and Bakura made his way out. He took a few steps towards the store when he noticed that the kid was still in the car.
"Hurry up, kid. I don't have all day," grumbled Bakura, holding the door open.
Scrambling out of the car, Ryou quickly placed the blanket on a seat and followed the retreating Bakura into the store.
To the small child, the warehouse was huge. He fell in step behind the strange man with white hair as he stared at all the racks of clothes, the shelves of shoes, and the number of cashiers.
Without a warning, Bakura stopped, causing the small, astounded child to crash into him.
"S-sorry," the boy quickly muttered, backing away with his head hanging shamefully.
Bakura ignored him as he started talking to one of the cashiers there.
"Why, Mr. Teishin! How are you today?"
"Fine. Just need some clothes and a few pair of shoes," Bakura muttered.
The smiling man in front of him just widened his grin as he led the way. "Well, the newest styles for teens your age are over here. Let me show you some-"
"I'm not here for me, I'm here for the kid," Bakura interjected. The employee halted, obviously taken aback, before studying the child.
"Right this way, terribly sorry," the man said, guiding them towards the opposite way from which they came. Bakura just rolled his eyes and followed the guy towards the children section.
After picking out a few of the clothes that Ryou seemed to like (Bakura couldn't get the boy to do anything. He just kind of stood there) his new guardian took him to the changing room in the back. Bakura locked the door and turned towards the back, placing the clothes onto a bench.
"Try this one on first," Bakura said, picking out a gray, short sleeve shirt and shorts that were dark blue.
Ryou stared at him and at the clothes.
"What, do you need help changing?" Bakura asked sarcastically. When Ryou looked at the ground once again, Bakura nearly cussed out loud. "I am going to kill my father," he said through clenched teeth as he knelt next to the boy.
When Bakura reached for the boy's shirt however, Ryou jerked backwards and fell. Bakura stared at the child, and Ryou stared back at him, fear evident in his eyes.
"Come here," Bakura murmured. "We have to see if these fit." Still, the child made no move. "If you try these on, then you won't have to try the others, okay?" Great, now I sound like I'm begging him.
Ryou swallowed hard before inching towards Bakura. Silently, he allowed the teen the take off his shirt.
Whatever Bakura was expecting, it wasn't this. He tried hard not to stare, as Ryou was really uncomfortable already, at the wounds the child carried. Quickly but gently, Bakura slid the grey shirt onto the boy.
It fit perfectly, but an eerie silence followed afterwards.
"Um…let's try on the pants," Bakura offered, turning away and grabbing the said item.
As before, Ryou remained silent as Bakura slipped off the tattered clothes he wore. More marks marred the child's legs and rump, as Bakura had somewhat expected. He smoothly placed each leg into the right hole and slid the pants on.
These also fit perfectly. "There, all done." Bakura felt a wave of uneasiness wash over him as the child fiddled with his hands, trying not to look up.
"…can…see…"
"Say that again?" Bakura asked.
Ryou bit his lower lip before repeating himself. "People can see them…" Bakura nodded, understanding the boy's concerns. Wearing a T-shirt and shorts wasn't a good idea, seeing as how wounds on Ryou's arms and legs were visible.
"We'll get long sleeve shirts and jeans, okay?"
Ryou nodded, silently thanking Bakura in prayer.
-Teishin Manor-
Bakura led the way into the mansion, heading towards his room. Ryou quietly followed him up the stairs and into the room. Marik brought up the rear, with all the baggage and new clothes.
Ryou felt a pang of awe as he gazed around the room. Square in shape, the room had a fireplace on the left, with a closet next to it. A window was on the wall across from the child, along with the magnificent bed with a small coffee table near one of its sides. On the right wall stood a wide mahogany desk complete with a lamp, computer, and pencil holders. A couch stood in front of the bed, and a clock was above it.
"Put all his stuff into the room down the hall," Bakura ordered, sinking into his bed. Marik raised an eyebrow. "What?" Bakura rolled over and started shifting through his CD's on his coffee table.
"Nothing, nothing, master," Marik said, taking Ryou's hand and leading him to his room.
Ryou stood near the doorway as Marik dumped all his stuff onto the ground next to the bed. The room was similar to that of Bakura, but it felt unused and well…empty.
"Do you need help unpacking?" Marik asked. When Ryou shook his head, Marik said, "Bakura's going to the hospital to visit someone. If you need anything, don't hesitate call me." With that, Marik left. It never hit the teen that the child didn't know where a phone was.
Ryou slowly made his way towards the bed, studying the time. It was 3:00 PM. What was he suppose to do? When nothing came to mind, Ryou curled up into a ball and fell asleep on his new bed.
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Thank you for all the reviews, advice, and encouragement! You guys (and gals) are awesome! I hope you liked this chapter.
AN: I tried really hard to make the discovery of Ryou's wounds not sound so…plain and original, you know? I hope it worked.