Yami's koi: I'm not joking, okay? Just accept it and move on.
Neutral Man: … who are you talking to?
Yami's koi: no one. Anyway. I guess, here is the next chapter of Headstrong: Woot, woot! Gomen, I do that sometimes. I say that to… express happiness and achievement. Ha!
Neutral Man: she's gone mad…
Yami's koi: indeed I have. See ya at the end!
"How are you holding up, Malik?" Marik shouted, over the rush of wind searing their ears into a coldness that resembled skin being cut with a knife. His hikari mumbled something, and Marik seemed pleased with the response.
"Indeed. We're two more blocks away from the hospital."
The two sped down the busy street, knocking people out of their way as they went by. Screams of shock and pain echoed in their ears, and insults were hurled at them from streets and mere feet away yet, in their haste, only Malik could hear the people's responses. He couldn't care less… what would they do, if they knew that their friend had been so terribly distressed, all over his bloody yami, Bakura?
Marik growled as he read his light's troubled thoughts, the emotions that he felt motivating him to move at an even quicker pace. They raced around the corner, panting heavily, and saw the hospital building come into sight.
But Marik didn't pause for sightseeing. His hikari blinked, before following the swiftly disappearing Marik into the building. They gasped for air, leaning against the wall to support their tired legs.
"Can we see… can we see… Ryou Bakura… please, Ma'am?" Malik asked, still struggling for air. "Please we… really need to talk… to him…"
"Are you friends, or relatives of… Ryou Bakura?" The Receptionist asked calmly, typing in pieces of information into her computer to look for the said person.
"We're his friends. We've only just heard about him… and we desperately need to comfort him." Malik pleaded, managing to do this without resorting to using a question.
The receptionist nodded curtly in understanding before turning back to her computer. Marik growled slightly in impatience, yet managed to turn it into a mental scowl before anyone could get offended, or kicked out.
Marik! Calm down, we're going to see him now. Fuck, turn your cell off, damnit! It will interfere with the devices here - Malik cried, panicking slightly.
Whoa, calm down, my little Malik. Ryou will be talking to us in less than a minute, I am sure of it. Marik soothed, being surprisingly peaceful. Who would have thought that a previous maniac, who had wanted to dominate the world in shadow, would be so relaxed and caring for his hikari?
"Ryou Bakura, did you say?" The receptionist asked politely, breaking into both Ishtar's thoughts. Marik's hand rested on Malik's shoulder comfortingly, and he blinked for a moment. When did that get there…?
"Yes, I did." Malik said, wishing that she would hurry up.
"I will have to ask you several questions before you can go to see him. Can you describe his appearance for me?" She asked, still as slow as ever.
"He has light brown eyes, very pale skin, even paler hair and slits all the way across his wrist." Marik interrupted, before his coequal could begin to even form a word.
The woman behind the desk blinked in surprise. "I… see. You may go through. He is on ward… 20."
"Thanks." Malik mumbled, before holding back a frantically rushing Marik. Marik, things are different in here. We can't interfere with any other patient's daily routine, okay? We may distress more than one person here today, but I don't want my conscience blaring out that I've helped to kill someone.
Marik growled, but slowed to a walk. "Fine."
Bakura
Bakura had resumed cleaning, yet a lot of doubt was beginning to creep into his mind. Had it really been wise to scream at the Ishtar's like that? Bakura dreaded to think of what horrors they might unleash against him. It had, actually, taken him by surprise that they hadn't called him back to berate him for being such a bastard.
And therein lay his fears. They could be conspiring against him now… plotting to kill him before he could ever get a chance to make things right with Ryou again. Bakura tried to clear his mind of such thoughts, but it made him truly wonder… he knew what would await him in the Afterlife, if such thing existed, yet he couldn't contemplate ever being able to rid himself of guilt if he died before apologising to Ryou.
Yet a mere apology would never be enough. Deep down, Bakura knew that this was a long shot. He had constantly abused Ryou when everyone had deserted him, left him for dead. Ryou had cried out for death, and had been only moments away, before Bakura had disrupted his life again.
Of course, Bakura knew that this was exactly what he deserved to be feeling. Anyone with decency would have at least offered words of comfort, ways of solace, to the fallen hikari.
No. Bakura hadn't done any of that. Whenever Yaten was drunk, and being particularly violent to Ryou, then the Thief would have stood there and laughed. He might even join in, help Ryou's drunken father, give Ryou more pain and misery than he could handle. Whenever Ryou's friends dismissed him, let him down gently, when he had asked them out on a weekend, because they had their lovers', Bakura would have laughed and mocked Ryou. He would have beaten him cruelly, hissing out words that were so poisonous, the words that had pushed Ryou into wanting to take his own life.
Bakura stopped and stared down at the floor, blinking furiously as he tried to clear his blurred vision. He had been wrong, and he had said all that Ryou had allowed him to say when he had visited.
Why had his hikari even asked for Bakura in the first place? Why should he… if he know that they would argue, and give the tenshi even more stress to try and cope with?
Then, Bakura sighed. Ryou had screamed at him, had told him why he was such a bastard… and by Ra, it had worked. Guilt was engulfing the Thief, pulling him down, closing in on him, making him suffocate… he needed to get out of there, quickly, before it would be too late -!
Malik and Marik
Finally they had reached Ryou's isolated medical room. Doctors and various other hospital staff eyed them wearily before allowing them entry, yet Marik gave them a rather challenging glance that could have blown it for the both of them.
Malik was immediately shocked at just how withdrawn Ryou looked. He was staring out of the nearby window, his knees brought up to his chest, and cared nothing for the small noises the Ishtar's made when entering. Malik thought that the boy didn't even blink.
They needed to speak with the shattered boy. They needed to help him through this awkward, darkened time. For if they did not… then they were even lower than Bakura himself.
"Ryou." Malik said, his voice not even bearing the silent plea for Ryou to respond. Nevertheless, the pale-skinned form of the fallen hikari shifted slightly turning around just enough so that he could face them.
Marik immediately knew that he couldn't meet with the boy's eyes when he looked at them. They bore little, or no, emotion, and didn't fall into place with the cheerful stereotype that everyone gave to Ryou.
Or the stereotype that they used to give.
"Why are you here?"
At that, Marik had to look up. He though it would have been obvious.
"We've come to talk to you, Ryou. We want to help you." Malik replied evenly, somehow determined enough to look his friend in the eye. Ryou scoffed slightly, turning away to stare back out of the window.
"It's too late for that."
Malik's eyes widened slightly, fully comprehending what that statement meant. If the abuse continued, then Ryou would try to take his own life again. If the abuse and neglect ceased, then he would still kill himself. This was a fine moment to be thinking of the phrase, 'Heads you win, tails we lose!'
Ryou didn't care. He almost felt guilty for not being so sharp with Yami and Yugi, but they had at least tried to look like they were sorry when they couldn't see him at a weekend, or suchlike. The Ishtar's, however… had never even given Ryou a chance to speak. No, they were always too horny, too 'involved' with each other to even consider seeing their friends. Of course, Yami and Yugi had been an entirely different matter… but they could kiss each other when the Tomb Keeper's were 'having fun.'
They could never understand how alone he had felt, so isolated from everyone. Ryou had considered everything before turning towards suicide: he hadn't been that weak. He had considered becoming the class clown, doing anything to gain attention, even if it meant causing trouble. He considered finding himself someone, but no one appealed to him enough, and he couldn't bring himself to pretend to like someone: it was just too cruel. Ryou thought about going to the same places that the lovers' were going to, but he never did.
Marik still couldn't look into Ryou's eyes, and therefore was thankful that Ryou had turned. But at the angel's comment, he felt like hitting him.
"You can never understand what I have gone through."
Again, the fierce yami felt like striking the poor, snowy-haired boy. What the hell did Ryou know about their lives?
"Don't say that, Ryou." Malik began, his voice now showing a slight strain of how desperate he was to talk to Ryou.
This time, Ryou did turn around. His eyes now were cold; somehow a different colour than what was usual for him.
"I can say, Malik Ishtar, whatever the fuck I want. You never spoke to me like trash only because you never spoke to me. You never spoke to me because you were so preoccupied, so lost in the addictive plague of love. Just make the best of it, asshole. You'll soon see just how much of a bastard that Marik of yours is." Ryou hissed coldly, not screaming, only because he wanted the Tomb Keepers' to experience just a brief moment of what he had endured. Not screaming only because… that would get him absolutely nowhere. There was no point in throwing a tantrum, so why bother? Yelling at both of them would not erase what had been done to him. The only thing that ever could… would be a new life. That was another reason why Ryou had tried to take control of what no one has.
Escape had been denied from him. He had been so close to experiencing love, care, sickness, health, hate, fear, shock, sadness, and intense bliss… and everything else that should have been his in his current life.
But no. Yet again, that pleasure had been taken away from him. But by a reason why he was doing such an act anyway? That was… too cruel, too much.
Malik was shaking. He could not understand why Ryou was so distressed with him and Marik being with him, and so he tried to talk to his fellow hikari, in an attempt to finally do so.
"Ryou… I don't know why you are saying those things, but I know that you are sick and don't mean it." Malik started, before being cut off by an impatient, fractious Ryou.
"Oh, sure I am. So why the fuck did I used to feel so alone every weekend, when you and that… that monster over there were fucking or whatever, whilst I was at home, just being hit and hit over and over again by that bastard of a yami! Sure, I could have left the house. But where could I have gone? Who could I have gone to? WHO WOULD HAVE CARED!" Ryou asked, screaming the last sentence in a vicious outbreak of blame and hatred for the Ishtar Tomb Keeper.
Both Egyptians had paled considerably, Marik more than his light. Cautiously he stepped forwards.
"What do you mean… Malik will see what a bastard I've been? What have I ever done to you?" He asked, trying to be reasonable.
The only response that Ryou would give was an outburst of rage. All of the emotions that he had been holding in, for all of those months whilst he was being abused… he was letting them out. And boy, did it feel good.
It felt immensely good to watch as both Malik and Marik's faces drained of colour and of compassion, replaced by hurt and confusion. It was amazing to witness how they were crumbling beneath his words, his words that were nothing but the bitter, poisonous truth.
But the damage had already been done. Things had developed far too rapidly, before events had been taken out of Ryou's hands… and his life was placed in another's… yet again.
Still, Ryou had a question to answer. With a smirk – an evil, twisted smirk that looked so much like Bakura's when he was promising someone great measures of torture – on his face, he leaned forwards also.
"We both know what I am talking about, Marik. We both know about how you have been using your Millennium Rod as an influence… as an influence to contort people's emotions."
Finally. The truth was coming out… and Malik seemed completely clueless to it all. Oh, this would be so much fun for Ryou… the Ishtar's were FINALLY getting what they deserved… apart from, of course, Malik. He seemed totally innocent inn this affair… but anyone distantly connected, in anyway towards Marik, was one to be punished.
"Ryou… you don't understand…" Marik whispered, panic entering his voice. Ryou's smirk widened.
"Oh, I think I do. You were controlling Bakura… to abuse me. Only, he thought he was dominating me, so that's why he sometimes, in his dark, evil, forbidden mind… thought that it was he who was controlling me.
"However, you're plan failed, Marik. I suddenly felt a great opening of Bakura's link, and mine, and that's why I felt the urge to snap at the Pharaoh, your ancient enemy… and I fell to your will. After using all of it up to restrain myself from killing myself before my time… I had nothing left to give. And I was forced to accept it… that I was not only a lonely child, but also one who was being abused for NO FUCKING REASON!
"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT, IF YOU THOUGHT THAT THE ONE PERSON WHO COULD SAVE YOU WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SOME COLD-HEARTED, MISERABLE BASTARD WHO HOLDS SOME GRUDGE, EH! I CAN'T STAND BAKURA FOR BEING SO WEAK, FOR LETTING SOMEONE LIKE YOU FORCE THEIR WAY INTO HIS MIND, MANIPULATING HIS FEELINGS! AND WHAT'S WORSE IS THAT I DON'T KNOW HIM, BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHEN YOU STARTED THIS SHIT! HE COULD HAVE HAD THE WILL TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING WELL BEFORE HE EVEN LAID A FINGER ON ME. SURE, BAKURA HAD NEVER, BEFORE, BEEN SO CRUEL… BUT LOOKS CAN BE DECIEVING, MARIK! I DON'T KNOW HOW MALIK CAN STAND YOU!" Ryou screamed, pointing a finger very forcefully in Malik's direction.
Malik did not know what to say. What Ryou said made sense, but Marik had not yet admitted to anything. Ryou could still be under the heady power of the drug that the doctor's had used to put him to sleep so that they could operate on him. Or, better still, the reason that was most inviting… Ryou was just so full of emotion that he had made himself an excuse to release a hold on these feelings.
Yes. That had to be it.
The only problem was that Marik's face did not seem to defy Ryou's shouts. In fact, he was smirking.
"And it took you so long to realise this, why?"
Malik gasped, and his face paled dangerously. His head was spinning with what had just been said, and there was nothing that he could do anymore to deny what his lover had been doing. Ryou had been trying to kill himself to escape the ferocious onslaught of his own yami's attacks… and not Bakura's. Even if Bakura's body was being used as a host for these vicious, repulsive notions, he was not acting of his own accord.
Ryou smiled faintly, triumphantly. So the bastard had admitted it. Even the hikari had had his doubts about forcing such a confession from Marik, without using any forms of violence.
"It… was something that Bakura told me," Ryou said, both slowly and truthfully. "He told me that if he hated me so much, if he didn't have some form of a conscience… then he would have left me to die… or something to that effect. It was then that I realised… it couldn't have been him. The way in which Bakura looked at me was so forlorn, so caring… and it hurt me to think that I had just accused him of so many things.
"But then, I asked myself, who else would be so sick as to inflict such mortal pain upon me? What have I, Ryou, ever done to anyone to deserve this horror?
"And then it came to me. I was close to someone who held many secrets about the forbidden, winding memories of the things that occurred in Ancient Egypt. But I would never fully forgive Marik, and never allow him to be alone with Bakura. Therefore… he needed me out of the way. And to do this, he manipulated my yami's thoughts, and knew that I would consider suicide." Ryou paused and blinked away the tears that he did not know had been formed. He hated the fact that he had been reduced to a pile of quivering hikari so many times.
Yet what he hated the most was that he had only just realised it.
Malik slowly turned towards his beloved, cold and fractious eyes blazing into Marik's own. It was enough to make anyone's skin crawl. Without warning, he stormed out of the hospital room.
"Wait, Malik!" Marik cried, shooting Ryou one malicious glare before heading after his hikari.
"I've had it with you! YOU DID THAT TO RYOU AND IT WASN'T EVEN BAKURA'S FAULT! IF YOU'VE RUINED THEIR RELATIONSHIP AS YAMI AND HIKARI FOREVER, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Malik screamed, unable to control himself. He attracted many stares from both patients and workers in the hospital, but at that moment, he couldn't give a shit.
The only thing he was concerned about was getting the truth back to Bakura.
Yami's koi: so… the plot that never existed before this chapter has thickened. Seriously. I didn't know where this was going until like, a month ago. That's partly why I spent so long on writing this chapter. But another critical reason to consider is the fact that I've just had exams and have more coming up shortly. They decide my future, so I have actually revised.
Neutral Man: oh, wow. Listen to how exhilarating her life is. One day even you might be so lucky to live such a life.
Yami's koi: thanks, NM. Thank you again to Hiro.P who has continuously submitted me fan art, I love it all. This chapter is dedicated to her especially. Hopefully you've all enjoyed this recent submission, so please R&R and tell me what you thought of it! Constructive criticism will be gladly accepted, it tells me what I need to fix, whereas 'You suck,' is just opinion that doesn't help me improve. So… I'll see ya later! Thanks for reading so far, please don't go far!