Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh characters.

Warnings: This will get very angsty in later chapters, sometimes gory so this is not for the faint of heart. Also, this is AU. (My first AU story, wee!)

Her Sweetness: -yawn-

— Everybody, Everybody —

Chapter Nine

He took the photo and placed it into the desired slot in the picture book. His eyes burned red as he starred at it but he could not tear his eyes away. That night, no matter how much he would like to forget and how much he had forgotten it, it was still a memory and an important one and it belonged in the picture book along with all else that he held dear.

Ryou ran his pale fingers over the other empty spaces in question. What could he not remember? What was not set in front of him that needed to be there?

And why was he so set on collecting the missing pieces now?

His chocolaty eyes came to a close and he shut the picture book. Thinking back, now even in his mind, there were blank spots, not just in the picture book. But maybe the picture book was his mind, Ryou thought to himself, the contemplation echoing throughout the house in which he inhabited for this one moment.

There was, of course, some things that he did remember but maybe did not wish to remind himself of them. But that was what this was about. Being reminded of them, their love and how, because of him, it was shattered.

Could such a pure love be shattered so easily?

It was not so pure, he told himself though he wasn't sure if he was talking or listening. Suddenly his eyes opened. It was the motor of a car. He looked around swiftly but saw nothing to match what he heard. And from the ceiling floated a photograph that landed delicately into his lap. It was not blank.

He held it up and looked inside to see a shiny red sports car, leaving his home. Two people were inside and they were soon out of sight, the dust from the road covering their tracks. When they were no longer seen, the picture moved inside the home after the sun went down and into the bedroom of his mother and father.

"Come on," He heard a familiar voice say and soon saw his fifteen-year-old big brother in the doorway, leading his own hand.

Ryou saw himself protesting entering the room. "'Kura, we can't; we're not allowed to be in their bedroom," His objections diminished and soon were completely forgotten about as his brother pulled the boy into the large bed and all went silent with the exception of growls and moans.

Time kept moving and the moon rose over the world. Ryou's tired panting had calmed soon and he relaxed in his brother's arms, their chests rising and falling as one. The rhythm of the night filled the younger one's ears and his eyelids drifted shut but flew open again as he heard the words: "I want to tell them,"

He looked up, finding Bakura's brown eyes alert and bright in the darkness, transfixed on him. Ryou shifted in his brother's embrace. "W-What do you mean?"

"I want…" He paused. "I want to tell our parents that we've fallen in love…"

Ryou looked at his near look-alike for a long time. Neither gaze faltered and finally Ryou was the one to turn away, burying himself into his brother's chest, a small snicker escaping his lips. "Bakura." Was all he said.

Said twin's eyes narrowed and he lifted his brother higher onto the pillow so that they were once again facing each other. "What? It's not funny; I want to tell them how I feel about you. Don't you think they should know?" When Ryou didn't reply, he continued. "Isn't this something you're happy about?"

Finally, a sigh. "I am happy about it, but… but this isn't the type of thing you tell your parents."

Bakura stopped for a second and then sat up, his bare back flat on the headboard. "You're talking about the fact that we're brothers. Who cares?"

"Everybody will," He said simply.

"Well who the hell cares about everybody?" Bakura's voice went into another pitch and he cleared his throat, trying it again when Ryou looked at him worriedly. "I mean it's not like their opinion matters. What they think won't ever change my feelings for you, Ry. But I don't want to hide it anymore… I love you and it makes me feel like telling people…"

Ryou's doe eyes were locked with his brother's darker ones. He said nothing until he returned to his previous position of laying down, head in his brother's lap. "There are some things…" he whispered, "that shouldn't be told, Bakura… No matter how it makes you feel."

"… H… How can you say that, Ryou?" Bakura swallowed the anger and disappointment in his voice.

"…"

"Don't you love me…?"

"…"

The picture was slipped into it's correct spot by a boy whose eyes were flooded with tears.

The picture book stayed open to torment him.

Ryou Bakura dropped the rag he was using and was filled with a sharp intake of breath. He did not remember falling asleep. But he supposed he must've drifted off as he stood there with the warm and relaxing water running down his back and his legs. He shook away the remnants of his daydream and turned the shower off, taking a towel off of the rack before he exited the stall and wrapping it around his waist.

The mirror over the sink was clouded with fog and he wondered how long he'd been in the shower. His skin was not too wrinkled, he noted as he looked at his fingertips, so it could not have been more than a five or six minutes. If it had been longer, he knew he would've heard from Marik. That's when he sighed, remembering where he was and what was going on outside the comforting warmth of the shower stall.

He looked between the crack of the door but did not see Marik's form standing in front. Ryou pushed it open and looked out into the hallway, seeing no one still. Before his next thought came, he heard a small mutter coming from somewhere in the vicinity. He looked up, unaware that a room was right across the hall, hidden almost by the door to the closet.

Ryou took a step out of the bathroom, the carpet feeling better on his bare feet than the cold linoleum. He touched the doorframe with his hand, steadying himself as he peeked in, looking onto the bed where he witnessed a tanned, bare back, turned to him. The figure in question, which he knew to be Marik Ishtar, was half naked, his shirt cast to the floor and his pants down by his ankles; the only thing attached were his boxer shorts, half of them lowered and revealing his hip.

Murmurs and moans alternated in the room, Marik's sweat-covered back glistening in the early afternoon sun. Ryou, for some reason, could not tear his eyes away from something he was not sure of.

-

An amused giggle came from Fake Ryou as his hands found their way back to the band of Marik Ishtar's boxer shorts, lifting them from the tanned skin and touching the place where they once rested. While one pale hand teased the skin there, his other traveled upwards, to the back of Marik's head and tangled itself in the blonde locks. Marik leaned in again, pressing his lips to the Fake One's and gently prying them open, making a way for his tongue to proceed inside.

Fake Ryou responded immediately, and while their mouths were busy, exploring each other and tasting the sweet inner flavors, Marik's hand felt downwards, caressing the silky curves of the hallucination's body. He wondered if Fake Ryou was indeed a hallucination like he had previously said, his creation.

Marik was not sure what he was now; how could he feel and kiss and taste a dream? It was true, at first, Fake Ryou was there whenever he called but then he came on his own. And he made him feel good, like someone out of everybody was wanting him. Marik could not deny that he was growing tired of waiting for Ryou Bakura to love him though his feelings would remain. Fake Ryou produced everything he wanted from the actual Ryou.

But did he want to take it?

When the need for air became apparent, Marik broke away from Fake Ryou and, panting, looked into those brown, doe eyes that were so familiar and so beautiful. Before he was able to say anything, he felt his hand being led on again and watched as Fake Ryou's legs parted and Marik's hand found it's way between them.

'It's hard to be so patient when you're craving release, isn't it, Ishtar? Marik?' His smile returned and he gently pushed one of Marik's fingertips inside himself, forcing Marik to shudder and press a little further. The Fake One lifted his other leg and rested it on Marik's hip, pulling him closer. 'What are you waiting for?' he asked.

Marik opened his lavender eyes with some difficultly, every part of him demanding he get on with it. He choked out: "Will it feel like Ryou…?"

Fake Ryou tilted his head. 'Of course. As long as you want it to…' He leaned in again but stopped, just a millimeter away from Marik's lips. His smile turned grim for a spilt second then reverted back to that child-like smirk. He whispered: 'He's here.'

A questioning stare from Marik before he followed Fake Ryou's eyes and saw Ryou Bakura standing in the doorway, dripping wet with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist and a puzzled look on his face. Marik gasped and looked back to where his dream had lain but he was gone. The tanned teenager looked back towards Ryou and pulled up his boxer shorts, now deeply blushing. "H-Hello…" he muttered.

Ryou stood there, seeming to be in a trance, his eyes following Marik's movements to gather his pants and slip back into them.

"What…" Ryou said after a few moments of Marik redressing himself in silence, the blush on his cheeks never wavering. "What were… you doing?"

Marik pondered this question as he pulled his t-shirt back over his head and sat on the edge of the bed, facing Ryou. He determined that he really didn't know. Towards the end as Marik was readying himself to enter Fake Ryou, he lost all track of conventional thought and the only thing that registered in his mind was that Ryou was there, offering himself to him. But Ryou hadn't been there, had he? No.

Marik sighed, getting up from the bed and wandering to the closet in his room, opening it and searching through, leaving Ryou's question unanswered. He finally came out with two hangers, one holding a large blue shirt and the other holding a pair of jeans. Marik turned to the boy, lifting the hangers languidly. "These are for you. If you want to wear them… but you don't have any other clothes, do you?"

A pause and then Ryou's voice held a bit of venom. "Well, I wasn't planning to stay for more then a few hours."

It was as if Marik expected to hear such a thing and it did not phase him one bit. He simply handed over the two hooks to Ryou and shut the door gently behind himself as he gave the boy a bit of privacy to change. Less than two minutes passed before the door opened and Ryou emerged, a perturbed look on his face and Marik wondered what was wrong now. He gave the outfit a glance over and determined that they were big for Ryou. They dwarfed him but there was really nothing he could do about it.

Suddenly a sound came, a low rumble and Ryou's face turned the lightest shade of pink. He folded his arms over his stomach and looked away, muttering something. When Marik told him that he hadn't heard what the boy had said, Ryou reiterated. "I-I said I'm hungry…"

"… Oh," Marik scratched the back of his head and looked around.

-

Ten minutes later, Ryou Bakura was sitting on the living room couch, waiting patiently while his captor busied himself in the kitchen, making something. Ryou occasionally looked at the front door but he did it stoically. There was really no way he could get out, if he tried to make a run for it, Marik would easily catch him and possibly hurt him. He didn't want to be unconscious anymore, not in this house with him.

He sighed audibly and leaned backwards into the cushions. How could he have forgotten his hunger for so long? It'd been almost a whole day since he'd eaten anything, probably more than a day. Ryou found that the longer he stayed here, the less normal and coherent his thoughts became. Marik was indeed driving him mad but he didn't want to lose this one thing he valued, his sanity. If he lost that, then there would surely be no hope. Right now he thought himself at an advantage despite Marik's obvious dominance over him. He had something Marik Ishtar did not. A sound mind.

Suddenly, said teenager was seated beside him and with a plate of spaghetti in his hand. Marik handed it over to Ryou and Ryou didn't spare a breath before he began to eat, now fully aware of his hunger.

"Ah… S-Slow down…" Marik warned weakly, his eyes following Ryou's movements. Ryou looked up at him and gave Marik a wavering glare but did slow down, beginning to chew like a normal person who hadn't been starved though he wished Marik would leave him alone. They sat in silence for the better half of Ryou's meal and as he got to the end, Ryou noticed something that made him uncomfortable.

He asked, idly: "Aren't you going to eat something?"

Marik looked surprised by this question. He looked away briefly. "No, I'm not hungry… Um, thank you for asking,"

"I wasn't asking you because I was worried," Ryou's eyebrows knitted together. He swallowed and then continued. "I want you to eat because… because then maybe you'd seem more human, I guess."

"… Human?" There was a long pause and Ryou never stopped eating during it. He guessed Marik was speechless and he didn't feel like explaining until he had finished. Finally he set the plate down next to him and glanced back at Marik.

"You don't seem human. Humans, they… there's something in everyone that makes them care, even just a little, about what's happening to someone else. If they hurt someone, they feel a little regret, the normal ones. But you don't seem to feel any regret about what you're doing to me. So, you couldn't be human…"

"I do care!" He shouted, his bottom lip trembling. He put a hand on Ryou's but the boy recoiled, glaring at him.

"Don't touch me,"

Marik swallowed a lump in his throat. "B-But I do care; you're all I think about, I love you more than you could possibly know, Ryou Bakura!"

Ryou's voice gained an edge. "There's a thin line between love and obsession…" He paused, his brown eyes widening a little. Which side of the line was Bakura on?

He wasn't given time to continue this thought because he felt Marik Ishtar leaning on his shoulder. He tried to shrink away from Marik's body but couldn't as the teen's arm came around his waist and held him in place. Ryou began to panic and was ready to try and flail his way out of this situation but once again Marik stopped him, whispering into his ear: "Do you want to know what I was doing… in my room, Ryou?"

Ryou had forgotten about that. He said nothing but nodded gently, still not comfortable in Marik's embrace. Marik continued: "I was going to make love to Fake Ryou… He kept pushing for me to do it so I finally gave in, but we didn't go all the way. B-Before he noticed you, Ryou, he told me that he was my doll and that I could do whatever I wanted with him." He paused. "I asked him if it would feel like having sex with you and he said yes… But how could I know that unless we've…?"

When Marik looked up to check Ryou's reaction, the boy's eyes were looking straight ahead, though they brimmed with tears, all on the verge of falling with one movement. Ryou began to shake his head, slowly, and the tears fell. He continued to shake his head and finally he produced the word: "No…"

"But why?" Marik pulled the trembling Ryou closer to him, not caring that the boy was now fighting against him. Marik nuzzled into Ryou's hair, kissing the shell of his ear while his hand slid down the front of his shirt and resting on the junction of Ryou's legs. "I know you love me, Ryou, so why don't you want to show it? I'm willing to show you…"

"N-N… No! No, get away!"

Ryou stood up, his hand's gripped at his arms, all of him quivering as if he'd just gotten out of the rain. His eyes were wide and he continued to scream 'no' at Marik, flashes blinking behind his eyes.

"You say that now but after a while, you'll love it. I already know that you love me, Ry, so why don't you want to show it? I'm willing to show you,"

Ryou screamed, falling to the floor in a fit of convulsions. "No, Bakura! I said no! I don't want it, please, don't! Bakura, please…!"

Marik's eyes were wide as he watched his love on the floor, screaming his brother's name and crying continuously, coughing now, choking. He got up and began to sit at Ryou's side but the boy lunged at him and a sound smack was placed across his cheek. Marik looked down at him, holding his fingers over the bruised spot. He said: "Ryou? Ryou, wait a minute, what's wrong?"

"No more, no more!" He cried out, his back arching up off the carpet. "Bakura!"

Marik shouted back, trying to reach him. "What about Bakura?"

The shaking stopped in it's violent nature soon but Ryou still continued to toss and turn on the floor, his arms still wrapped around himself. The crying diminished as well and he closed his eyes then, taking in deep breaths. He whispered into the quiet of the room: "Why did we hurt each other…?"

To be continued…