Yami's koi: hi! Wow, an update… since when has that ever happened anytime soon?
Nefertiri: when the chapters were, like, three or four pages long.
Yami's koi: memories. So… thanks for reading so far, I greatly appreciate it… and here is the next instalment of Headstrong!
Minutes passed into hours, and Ryou discarded any thought of leaving the hospital that night. He sighed irritably and wrenched his covers from beneath him, burying himself in their warmth. Despite being so tenacious, so angry… he was exhausted. The surgery as well as the emotional agony he had been put through that day had all eventually caught up on him.
Snowy spikes gentle brushed against Ryou's face, and he brushed them away. In the semi-darkness, he could see his still, small figure reflected back at him from the windows. He didn't have the energy to get up and close them himself, so they remained closed. He watched bright lights in the wards opposite and above his own eventually snap off, the warm, inviting look gone in an instant. The buildings now looked hostile which, Ryou supposed, was how he would be for a while now.
And the ones to blame were Bakura and Marik. With a bitter smile, Ryou turned over, wondering what they were both doing.
The only problem was, Marik was right there.
"Hello, Ryou," He hissed, bringing a knife from within his back pocket. Ryou froze, his body tense. He began trembling all over – no, this wasn't happening… Marik would never… not so quickly…
"Yes, I am here… and I've come to get my revenge." Marik growled, flicking on the light near to him. His face was a deadly serious and malicious one, and Ryou understood it completely – he was going to die.
And then he swallowed, not sure if he had been expecting this or not. There had been a nagging thought at the back of his mind that Marik would be pissed and want revenge, but so soon? But, obviously, it seemed that way, and all that Ryou could manage to do was stare in horror at the Egyptian standing over him. Lavender eyes, narrowed by the emotions he so clearly bore often, regarded him evilly.
"Scared?" Marik mocked, laughing cruelly. "And that's coming from someone who has wanted death for so long? Someone who would have gotten that today, had Bakura not interfered? I actually don't know why I'm helping you out, but having you dead would be a lot off my mind, little Ryou.
"You've ruined my life… and, I'm sure, Malik's as well. But I know that at least he won't have to look at you, knowing what you've done to him for any longer."
The hikari sighed, sitting up.
"Fine. Kill me. But don't expect Malik to want you back after this. He trusts me… especially after this. I don't know why you didn't wait a while for this, Marik… that's just not like you." Ryou explained, all care gone from his voice. "You could have at least surprised me a little – waited until I felt safe, and then killing me. That would have been more impressive, don't you think?"
Marik paused at that, but soon regained his composure.
"Don't think you can bribe me with Malik or finesse. He's deserted me… just like everyone. And he wouldn't have me back if I did this or not."
Ryou rolled his eyes. "Ooh, pity party." He sneered, staring out of his window. If he was going to die, it might as well be now. He waited, staring at Marik's reflection in the glass, before snapping:
"Well, get on with it. And be quick about it, I've gone off the idea of waking up this time."
Marik glared down at Ryou, scraping the edge of the blade against the boy's slightly open nightshirt, teasing the blade slightly in the gaps between each button.
Understanding, Ryou shed himself of his shirt. If it was his heart the Tomb Keeper wanted, then he could have it. It was no longer of any value to the hikari, anyway.
In fact, having something so human made him sick. It made him feel somewhat similar to people like Marik and Bakura… but he doubted that no one had committed offences so great before.
Again, the cold steel pressed against Ryou's chest. He tensed slightly at the coldness, wincing quietly as the edge of the blade pressed into his skin, breaking it. Blood trailed along the length of the knife, slowly trickling down pale skin. Ryou hoped this wouldn't take long… if he was going to die, he was going to die. He didn't want it to be delayed again.
Bakura
He was in a dark, long corridor. He approached a room, the room that actually had a light on. Trying the lock, Bakura found that it opened… and barely managed to conceal a scream of horror.
A figure leered over Ryou's bed, half cloaked in the darkness of the Shadow Realm. His hikari seemed to be still, His hikari seemed to be still, unresisting.
"Ryou!"
Immediately, the figure jumped, turning to face Bakura. The Thief's face contorted.
"YOU!"
But before anything could be done, Marik swept himself away with the magic of his Millennium Rod, leaving a few swirling clouds of darkness behind. Bakura stared down at Ryou in fear, seeing thin lines of blood sliding down his stomach and chest: obviously Marik's work.
"Ryou… You let him do this to you?" Bakura asked, trying to contain his hatred and sudden concern. Ryou simply glared at him.
"That's twice today you've fucking ruined my plans."
Bakura flinched slightly, but regained himself.
"But did you really want to die by Marik's hands? Did you really want him, a low-life, pathetic bastard, who's almost worse than me, to take your own life away from you, when you could easily do that yourself? And did you honestly want to have him do so much as talk to you again, after what he has done to both me and you?"
Ryou suddenly became interested. "How do you know what's been going on!"
"Malik. He came over and… he thought it was best that I knew too. He still thinks that you will forgive me." Bakura laughed weakly, averting the gaze for a moment. "But enough of that… I still need to make sure you're alive, right? How deep is this wound?" He leaned down to examine it.
Ryou flinched, trying to pull his arm away from Bakura's gentle grasp. "It's fine th--"
Before anything else could be said, a bright light materialised itself from Bakura's fingertips. Hen it eventually subsided, nothing could be seen on Ryou's smooth, pale chest. Not a single speck of blood, not a single white scar.
Ryou examined his chest as best he could. "Thanks."
Bakura nodded, "It's just simple magic from the Millennium Ring. You would--" He paused then, remembering. He sighed.
"I'm sorry, Ryou."
Ryou sighed and stared at the ceiling. "In all honesty, it's too late for that. But what for? At the moment, you have a lot of things to apologise for, so I can't really be sure as to what misdeed you're apologising for."
Bakura gave a small laugh: it was true, and he regretted every single thing he had ever done to inflict pain upon his hikari. It had transformed him from a sociable, loving and decent person, into what he could remember himself being like once, when things were rough in Egypt.
"I can't say for everything, purely because I disagree with some points you seem to blame me for," Bakura admitted, carefully, "But I do apologise for… for what you've become. I know words can't change anything, but if they could, I'd say every word I know of to get you back the way you once were. I don't want to see you as something I used to be." Bakura whispered, sighing. That had sounded so corny and romantic, and he hardly knew why he had said it. Perhaps he understood what it was like to be in Ryou's state, and did not want him to go through what he had once endured. Yes… that had to be it.
But if it was something else, then Bakura was in desperate trouble.
Ryou was quiet for a moment, and then spoke up in a low tone: "You… once tried to kill yourself?"
Bakura sighed. He dragged up a chair next to Ryou's bed, resting his arms against its backrest. "You wanna hear a bed-time story?"
Ryou nodded. He didn't exactly know why he was being civil towards this man, but he was tired. His brain wouldn't listen to him, and he put it down to that very simple fact.
However, if it was a more believable reason, then Ryou was in desperate trouble.
"Okay… I was about seventeen, and I had already raided a few Tombs. Take note that I was only young, and I had some friends still. One of them was a girl… and her name was Nefertiri. She was beautiful, but she'd never really caught my eye. She had long black hair, hazel eyes, a slender and fragile build… the only thing that I seemed to have in common with her was that she had a scar. That was how we had met… I had asked her about it, and showed her most of mine.
"Nefertiri was… a twin." Bakura went on, before noticing Ryou's odd look. "I'm sorry… Twins were seen as a sign of witchcraft." Ryou nodded, understanding. It made sense, considering how religious those in Bakura's time had once been.
"Her mother was killed shortly after childbirth, but, thankfully, both twins were kept alive. Nefertiri had a brother, Diaha. Their dad left them when they were five, being recognised as the father of the twins… and never returned. Diaha made a vow to Nefertiri, and was broken by the same he was fifteen. He had vowed never to leave her, but when you get a job in the Egyptian Army… it's practically a death wish.
"And so, in her despair, she tried to stab herself to death with a blunt knife found with some of Diaha's old possessions… luckily, I had returned from a raiding and needed some food, so I was just in time to save her life.
"Since then, we were barely apart. Nefertiri soon discovered my career, and even went on one raiding with me. What surprised me was that she didn't mind, but then… she hadn't exactly been very rich. My artefacts, once sold, brought in a lot of money. Nefertiri never met anyone, but there would be days when she just looked at me and smiled brightly… like there was something she wasn't telling me."
Ryou tried to stifle a yawn behind his hand. "Carry on."
Bakura smiled. "Sorry that I'm boring you. But anyway… One day, she kissed me. Naturally, I kissed her back, knowing that it was wrong, but I'd been without a woman for a while, so… yeah." He blushed slightly, but still carried on. "We were a little short on money, so I told her to get us some food from the market, as I'd taught her how to steal properly.
"Now, the next part is only what I could piece together over time, so it may seem a little impossible… Nefertiri didn't return. I waited up all night, and when she didn't return by the morning, I knew she wasn't coming back. I naturally assumed I'd driven her away somehow, and blamed myself for losing a great friend.
"It was then that I realised her company had been something that had kept me going. Without her, everything just seemed so empty and pointless. Even though I never loved her, or even liked her in the sense of desire… Nefertiri had been a big aspect of my life.
"The only thing that stopped me from killing myself was the thought of Tomb Raiding. I didn't involve myself too much; planning carefully for weeks before finding men, bribing people… it was a good life.
"But then, later on, I found Yami's father's body. You know that I fought against him, right?" Bakura waited for a sleepy nod before continuing. "Well… I saw Nefertiri there. It turned out that she had been thinking about me when she stole the food, and so got herself caught by her own carelessness… since then, she had been in the Pharaoh's keep, working as a slave for him. When I saw her… memories just came flooding back, and I was lucky to get out the way I did. And she helped me to escape… by saying that if I were killed, then she would kill herself. She even grabbed one of my swords and pressed it up against her heart, ready to do it if any one of the Priests killed me."
Bakura stopped then, inhaling deeply. Looking down at his hikari, he grinned. Either he was a good storyteller, or he was just plain boring. He set out some chairs to make a stiff, but still functional bed. He glanced at Ryou's sleeping face before he went to sleep.
"Night, Ryou," He whispered, smiling softly as he drifted off.
In the Morning
"Have you got a visitor, Ryou? So early in the morning? Who is this, your brother?"
Bakura immediately woke up. Blearily, he looked up at the blurred outline of the Doctor that had spoken to Ryou last night. Ryou hesitated.
"He's my… yeah. He's… he's my brother." He glanced at Bakura, praying he would go along. "He just needed some rest, he's been up here all night."
"Uh, sorry about the whole visiting hours violation thing," Bakura mumbled, gathering some of his senses as he awoke properly. The light shining in from the window almost blinded him, but his eyes were adjusting.
"That's all right… I was wondering, actually, when some of Ryou's family would be along. What was the delay about?"
Bakura thought quickly. "I was with our Grandmother, up in the next prefecture. It's a busy place, and the district I was in wasn't very pleasant, so…" Bakura shuffled uncomfortably, pretending to look guilty. "But, I'm here now." He added, brightly.
The Doctor smiled. "Well, Mr… Bakura? Bakura, would you care to take a walk with me? I need to speak to your privately for a moment."
Bakura blinked. "Sure."
Once they were outside, in a small garden area near the maternity wards, the Doctor began to speak.
"It is clear that Ryou did not attempt suicide for no reason. He will not tell us why, and when I asked him for help, he refused."
Bakura said nothing. What was this man getting at?
"I was hoping you could have a word with him, before he leaves in a few minutes… and persuade him to seek medical help."
Anger suddenly bubbled throughout Bakura.
"OH, SO THAT YOU CAN CURE THAT SO-CALLED MENTAL DISEASE THAT HE NEVER HAD! HE WAS DRIVEN TO IT, BY SOMEONE HE CAN NEVER FORGIVE! SO WHY DON'T YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, AND TELL YOUR CARERS, THAT THEY CAN GO FUCK THEMSELVES IF THEY EXPECT ME TO PERSAUDE RYOU INTO SOMETHING HE WOULD BE WASTING HIS TIME ON!"
"Sir, please, restrain yourself, this is a hospital, not a football match…"
"I DON'T GIVE A TOSS!" Bakura screamed, "IF RYOU HAD MENTAL PROBLEMS, HE'D BE IN A HOME BY NOW. AND AFTER WHAT I'VE PUT HIM THROUGH, I COULDN'T FUCKING BLAME HIM!"
Silence. The Doctor paled, staring behind the Tomb Robber. Predicting what was coming, Bakura cocked his head.
It was Ryou.
"My hikari." Bakura stated softly, turning his head back towards the Doctor. "Obviously needs me more than he needs mental help. And that is pretty fucking bad, considering."
Ryou said nothing to Bakura, but stood next to him and leaned against his muscular frame.
"He's right, you know. I would rather stay at home, with him and my father, than in a mental institution for five months having something that was never there drummed out of me. And nothing you can say can change my mind, Doctor. I'm deadly set."
((Even though I've gotten rid of Yaten now, Ryou. Yeah… that is fucking messed up, isn't it?))
As much as Ryou hated it now, he actually used the mind link to talk to Bakura.
(Yaten's gone? Where? What did you do to him?)
Bakura grimaced at the accusation, but knew that he deserved it. ((I didn't hurt him if that's what you mean. I just told him that his Associates had called and were going off to Egypt for another dig. He won't be back for another three weeks… at the least. He thinks he's taking a ferry there… but the return ticket isn't valid until the middle of next month.))
That was the longest thing Bakura had ever said to Ryou through their mind link that didn't involve a cuss word or any signs of hatred.
(Oh… right. Thanks, I guess. That takes him off my mind.) Ryou answered, before his eyes slipped back into focus once more. As the mind link had not been used in so long, the ability to do it without anyone noticing had died. And so the Doctor shot them a questioning look, watching their silent faces twitch slightly as they brought themselves back to reality.
"And with that said, Doctor, I thank you for your time." Ryou said, winking, "I'll be back in a week to get my stitches taken out, okay? But I want a Nurse to do it, I don't trust you anymore than I do Bakura right now."
The obvious insults hurt. Bakura sighed, falling silent as the two walked out of the hospital.
On the way home, Bakura felt a small vibration in his back pocket, and heard a cheesy rock ring tone. He answered the call immediately, the number being withheld.
"Hello?"
"Hey there, Bakura. Have you seen Ryou yet?"
It was Malik.
"Yeah, I'm bringing him home now. You still at my place, by the way Malik? I never did discuss that with you, did I?"
Malik sighed, and the tone of his voice changed. "That's what we spent ten minutes talking about last night. You must have really been distracted… Or, at least, doing the right thing and worrying about Ryou."
Bakura's small smile faded with that. "I know I deserved that, but Malik, honestly. I thought you forgave me because you thought Marik was a--"
"Totally heartless bastard that I should never have bothered fucking?" Malik asked, his voice emotionless. Bakura allowed a short silence to pass, the tension between the two Egyptians rising with every passing second.
"I didn't want to remind you, but I just thought…" Bakura shrugged, even though he knew the Tomb Keeper would not see it. "… Well, I'm not worthy of being forgiven, really, am I? Not after I succumbed to Marik's… well…" Another short and uncomfortable silence reigned.
"I know I shouldn't be asking this, but will you ever forgive me, Malik?"
A small, quiet sigh. "I honestly don't know. Sometimes, I do wonder… if everything you did was a part Marik's brainwashing plan."
Bakura increased the grip on his phone. "So, what you're saying is-"
"What I'm saying is that I can't be sure of anything right now."
Bakura smiled. "I don't expect you to be. After what Marik's done, it's fucked up your senses. It's gonna be a while before you can fully, honestly trust someone again. And with my record, I wouldn't want to trust me again either."
"Look, I have to go. I'll be waiting for you inside." And with that, Marik ended the conversation.
Ryou stopped Bakura walking with his less injured arm, wide-eyed. Bakura immediately noticed that the middle spike of his light's Millennium Ring was risen and pointing at him, and understood. Ryou had activated that ability of the Ring, and had heard every fucking word. As if just hearing from one end of the conversation wasn't enough…
"Bakura?"
The Tomb Robber could barely look in his hikari's eyes. Ryou's hand fell from his yami's arm, eyes narrowed as he stared at the Thief's downcast eyes. In all fairness… it served him right.
"Bakura… what was the point of telling me about Nefertiri, anyway?"
Bakura smiled and carried on walking.
"I think it was something along the lines of don't steal fish from a crowded ancient Egyptian market when there's a guard standing right next to you."
"Bakura."
Now that sounded fierce. Bakura smiled.
"Don't ever turn into me. I'd rather die to see you end up like I did… but then, I suppose those are empty words, coming from me." Bakura sighed. "I've said it before, and you won't believe me. But I truly am sorry, Ryou… I'm sorry…"
Yami's koi: uhh… It's two fifteen in the morning over here in England at the moment… I'm probably keeping everyone awake with my typing and creaking of the loft ladders whenever I stop for a break… I'm so tired…
Nefertiri: hey! I was in the chap! And what a crappy story!
Yami's koi: yeah. I own Nefertiri, btw. But not in a gay way. (Sighs) Gies, I am so sorry about the wait. A lot of crazy stuff has been going on these past few days. Like, I got a tattoo… of the Heartagram, from HIM. School finally broke up… still going to school and a tattoo tells you a lot, doesn't it? My Mom's boyfriend had moved in, they've known each other since 5/11/04, or 11/5/04 if you're American, it's too soon, my sister is moving out and leaving me with her, omg I sound so depressing.
Nefertiri: just stay cool, yamiskoi.
Yami's koi: ah, I guess so. Reviews shall be greatly appreciated, kk? And I'm sorry this chap sucked, I'm having problems writing angst at the moment. I need to get re-motivated. Luvvies! Thanks for reading/reviewing/both so far! Please, do so again in the future!