Look! An update! And the plot thickens... Bwahaha...
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Ryou couldn't help but let a violent yawn pass through his slender frame. It was half-past three in the morning, but he still had another half hour until the bar closed, and then he had to help Kiyoshi pack up. Does he ever sleep? But Ryou really had no other choice, other than this overtime to try and earn back the money Bakura had taken off of him. I'm going to have to hide it somewhere from now on…
"Hey Ryou." The boy jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He blinked, and looked up into hazel eyes. "You look really tired man, I think you should really go home." Ryou shook his head, and suppressed a yawn.
"I-I can't." The boy admitted. "M-My wages from last night were taken by my brother. I have to earn it back, which means unfortunately that I have to stay until five." Kiyoshi sighed in sympathy.
"Okay." He murmured, heading over towards the till. "You're getting twenty-five dollars an hour right?" He started extracting twenty dollar bills. Ryou blinked. "And that was from seven to one, and then you started getting overtime pay, which is thirty dollars, and that was from one til five, so you get…" Kiyoshi started counting on his fingers. "Shouldn't have left school… Two hundred and forty-five dollars." He handed the thick wad of money to Ryou, who took it, sliding into the back pocket of his indecent jeans. "Now go home Ryou, you look exhausted. When was the last time you had a proper nights' sleep?"
"W-Wednesday." Ryou said over a massive yawn. Kiyoshi sighed, and placed a hand on the teenagers' shoulder.
"Okay Ryou. Seriously. Home. Now." Ryou sighed, and nodded. "I'll cover your shift. Now go." The teenager flashed a fleeting, tired smile.
"I-I'll see you on Friday then." He sighed, and headed into the back room. He grabbed his coat, and headed out the door.
"Oh, wait…" Kiyoshi wiped his hands, and then ran towards Ryou. He just managed to catch him before he walked out the door. "Are you all right to get home? I can give you a ride…" Ryou waved it away, smiling weakly.
"I can walk, Kiyoshi." The whitenette said. Kiyoshi opened his mouth so respond, when the cellphone in Ryou's coat pocket rang. He bit his lip, and lifted out the phone. "I have to go now! See you!" Ryou started to run down the street, the phone lifted to his ear. His heavy woolen coat was shrugged onto his shoulders, unbuttoned. "Hello, Bakura?" He asked, his boots stomping along the sidewalk. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm only heading home… Why? I had to do some overtime… Well, I needed that money to buy food…"
Ryou was unaware of footsteps following his as he continued to walk down the street, which was dark and quiet, apart from the occasional amber streetlight, Ryou, and the man following him. Tall and solidly built, he would be more than a match for the small teenager.
"Yeah… Okay then, I'll see you when I get home… B-Bye…" Ryou sighed as he slid the phone into his pocket, still unaware that he was being followed. Before the boy could react however, a cruel hand seized his shoulder. Ryou gasped, and spun around, looking up at the man, his eyes widening and heart pounding in fear. "O-Oh m-my…" Instinctively, Ryou backed away, whimpering.
"Mmm…" The light felt roving eyes scour his slender body, his long creamy legs and flat stomach exposed. Ryou swallowed, and wrapped his coat around himself, and made to run, but before he could take one step, the man grabbed at Ryou's arm.
"L-Let me go!" Ryou yelped, but his strength was no match for the stranger. "P-Please…" His heart seized in his terror, and he struggled desperately, the man grasping both of his arms. "H-Help!" He screamed into the night. "He- Mph!" Ryou was shoved back first against the mans' chest, and a sweaty hand was clapped over his mouth. Oh no oh no oh no oh no... Help me! Someone please! Ryou yelped into the mans hand as the other hand started pulling at the back of his coat, tugging the heavy material from his slender frame. Ryou struggled helplessly as the coat fell to the sidewalk, shivering in the freezing air. Help me someone... Please... Ryou screamed, but his desperate cry was muffled as the man started to drag him towards a nearby alley, his arms pinned at his sides. Ryou dug in the heels of his boots, but the effort was fruitless. His heart thudded in his chest as he was dragged into the darkness, and tears burned in his eyes, pure terror flooding his small frame. Someone help me… Ryou mentally pleaded.
Someone, please…
Bakura groaned as a frantic pounding on the apartment door jolted him out of his sleep. Lifting his head, the yami rolled his eyes and slowly stood up. Idiot boy probably forgot his key. Bakura rubbed at his eyes as he headed towards the door, looking up at the clock as he did so. Quarter past five? He said he was going to be here by four… Anger swelled in Bakura's heart as he yanked the door open.
"About time you… Got… here…" Bakura froze as he stared at Kiyoshi, who stood on his doorstep, looking close to tears. "What the hell?" He demanded angrily. "Where's…" Bakura's voice died in his throat as he looked down, staring at the bundle in the brunette's arms. His knees went weak. Ryou.
The little part of Ryou that the yami could see looked terrible. His hair was stained with blood, he had a black eye, and nasty looking bruises covered most of his face. Ryou's nose was bloody and looked broken, and his cheeks were streaked with tears. Oh my God… What the hell happened?
"What happened?" Bakura repeated, his voice shaking. Kiyoshi swallowed, and bowed his head.
"Wh-When I was walking home, I-I came across his c-coat on the street." The hazel-eyed boys' voice was vacant and distant. "I… I f-found him in th-the nearby alley." Bakura narrowed his eyes.
"What happened?" He demanded angrily, fear pulling at his heart. No… "Tell me!" Kiyoshi swallowed, and sniffed, starting to cry.
"He was raped."
Bakura sighed as he brushed a lock of pearly hair out of Ryou's closed eyes. The blankets were tucked up to the teens' chin, and Bakura began to smooth out the creases on Ryou's covers. Pity began to well up in Bakura's heart as he continued the action. It was almost 9AM, and Bakura was dog tired, but he couldn't sleep. Bakura had only recently put Ryou down into bed, and he'd shown no sign of consciousness.
When Bakura took Ryou in his arms, and let Kiyoshi go on his way, He was close to crying himself. Ryou was very light in his arms for a boy, yet Bakura felt the relief as he set the young teenager down on the bathroom floor, running the water for a bath. As soon as Bakura unwrapped the thick coat from Ryou's slender frame, Bakura knew he'd been raped. The button on Ryou's scanty shorts was missing, he wore no underwear, and the back of his thighs were coated in blood. The yami felt like crying as he removed Ryou's clothing, and lowered his naked, bloody form into the hot water. It was such hard work, holding Ryou's head above the water so he wouldn't drown, and trying to wash the blood from his pale skin, that Bakura gave up, and stripped down himself, joining the young teenager in the bath. He felt a bit embarrassed as he sat in the bath, with Ryou resting against his chest, touching such a private area of the young whitenette, but hey, Ryou was unconscious at the time. He'd dressed the teenager in a white tee-shirt and underwear. He was still bleeding slightly, and Bakura, after some thought, folded up some toilet paper and placed it in Ryou's underwear to try and stem the flow of blood and not stain the sheets.
Who would do this to you? Bakura wondered as he crouched beside the boy, subconsciously stroking Ryou's now clean hair. In a bad area at that time of night? Quite a lot of people. The yami sighed. Why did you even walk home by yourself like that, Ryou? You know of the dangers, someone as pretty as you alone, especially in that uniform. Try as he might, Bakura couldn't feel anything other than pity and sorrow for the teenager. Ryou had been raped. Raped. And then, to top it off, he'd been beaten up by his rapist and knocked unconscious. Poor kid. No one deserves this...
A soft groan gently dragged Bakura out of his thoughts. He snapped to attention, and looked down at the teenager, who was slowly waking up. Cloudy brown eyes gently open, staring blearily around him, and then focusing on Bakura. The yami watched as Ryou slowly woke up, and felt his heartstrings tug as Ryou came to the sick realization of what happened last night, and started to cry. Gently, Bakura began to rub small, soothing circles on Ryou's heaving chest. The teenager sobbed and sobbed, his tears almost breaking Bakura's heart. For once, the yami never chided Ryou on his tears, never berated Ryou for crying. He just gently laid his hands on Ryou as he sobbed. For a long time, Ryou cried. He sobbed weakly, and Bakura gently rubbed his chest and stroked his hair. He didn't know what to do. He'd bathed Ryou and tended to his wounds –except for his broken nose, which was going to have to be set in plaster or something- but he didn't know what he was going to do about Ryou's emotional scars. He'd been raped for Christ sake, he'd been brutally abused. Bakura's heart ached as he continued to pet Ryou, who's sobs finally subsided, and the teenager closed his eyes, whimpering. Bakura sighed, and leaned back on the balls of his feet. He was tired, so tired...
Ryou whimpered as Bakura made to stand up, and gently took his hand out from under the blankets, and held it out to Bakura, his large eyes imploring and tearful. Bakura sighed, and knelt back down beside the young boy, sighing in pity.
"I have to go sleep Ryou." Bakura said softly. He cupped Ryou's face in one hand, and wiped away a trail of tears with his thumb. "I've been up nearly all night…" Ryou shook his head, and whimpered. "I'm tired…" Ryou closed his eyes, and began to shuffle over to one side, clenching his eyes in the pain. Bakura sighed. "Ryou… I'm so sorry." He whispered, laying down beside the boy. Ryou closed his eyes, and swallowed. "So sorry…" Bakura rolled over his side, and gently linked an arm around Ryou's waist. The boy immediately buried his face into Bakura's neck, fresh sobs wracking his slim frame.
"H-Hurts." He finally managed to stammer hoarsely. "All over…" Bakura sighed, and closed his eyes. Exhaustion seeped through his entire body, and the feeling of having Ryou pressed against him, was… Good. Within five minutes, Bakura had sunk into a deep, exhausted sleep. Ryou clung to Bakura's shirt as he cried, a fresh pain crackling up his spine each time he moved, and his nose throbbing in agony. Everywhere else was reduced to a dull ache, but it still hurt a lot. What hurt more, however, was the terrible shock and realization that he'd been raped. That his virginity was taken from him, so cruelly, and he didn't even know the mans' name. Ryou's sobs increased.
H-How could he do this to me?
Bakura sighed, kneeling down beside the teenager. Ryou was on his stomach, his face buried in the pillow. Gently, unsure of whether the boy was awake or not, Bakura shook Ryou's shoulder. He was met with a groan, and a soft whimper.
"Come on Ryou." Bakura started to comb his fingers through Ryou's long white hair. The teenager moaned, and shook his head. The yami sighed, and began to tug the blankets off of the young boy. "I'm putting some more of the cream on you, and then we're going to the doctor. That damn nose of yours is broken, I'm sure of it. We have to get it set." Ryou whimpered, and tried to burrow himself deeper into the mattress. Bakura let out a long groan of frustration. "Please Ryou, I'm doing my best to be understanding here. I know you hurt, and I'm trying to make it better, but there's only so much I can do." He began to slide Ryou's boxers down his hips. The boy squeaked, and started to shake, but didn't protest. Bakura bit his lip, and spread Ryou's thighs slightly, grabbing at the tub of cream beside the mattress. Ryou was crying softly, and Bakura sighed, using a free hand to gently rub the boys' back. "It's okay Ryou…" He whispered soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you." Ryou sniffed. "Okay…" He whispered, coating one finger in the cream. Gently, he slid the lubricated finger into Ryou's passage, the teenager gasping in pain. Bakura winced as he dug his index finger in deeper, feeling the torn, but slowly healing muscles. The yami hadn't allowed Ryou to eat any solid food yet, for fear of how much it would hurt him a few hours later. "That's good." Gently, Bakura withdrew his finger, the cream –which was supposed to help speed along the healing process- coating Ryou's passage. "There you go…" He whispered, tugging Ryou's boxers back up to his hips. "You feeling a bit better today?" The boy sniffed, but finally nodded. "Okay… Now come on, Ryou. Sit up for me?" Ryou hiccupped, and weakly pulled himself into a sitting position. Bakura bit his lip as the sight of the youths' swollen, discoloured nose. "Shit Ryou… That must hurt." The boy nodded. "Okay… Stay still." Bakura muttered. Ryou's eyes widened in alarm.
"D-Don't t-touch it." He whispered hoarsely, uttering his first word in over a day. Bakura rolled his eyes.
"I just want to see how bad it is, okay, Ryou?" He gently began to caress one of Ryou's hands to try and distract him. The boy nodded, closing his eyes. Bakura bit his lip, and extended his hand. He'd only managed barely touch it, when Ryou jumped back, holding two hands over his nose and howling in pain. "Shit!" Bakura swore. "Shit Ryou… I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so bad."
"O-Ow.." Ryou whimpered. "Th-That r-really hurt…" Bakura let out a long sigh. Ryou slowly lowered his hands from his broken nose, tears in his chocolate eyes.
"I'm sorry." Bakura muttered. "I didn't think it was that bad… But you see why we have to go to a doctor, don't you?" Ryou nodded. "Okay. I'll get you some clothes." Ryou was still wearing the white shirt that Bakura had dressed him in three days ago, but Bakura had forced him to change his underwear. Bakura sighed as he pulled out Ryou's favourite sweater, and a pair of jeans. Ryou sniffed as the clothing was placed before him, forcing back tears.
"Wh-Why did this have to happen to me?" Ryou stammered, his voice breaking. "Wh-Why? I-I j-just don't understand…" Bakura bit his lip as Ryou buried his face in his hands, and began to rub Ryou's back.
"I don't know." Bakura whispered, his heart aching in pity.
"O-OW!"
"I'm sorry sir, but I'm going to need you to stay still while I bandage your nose."
"I-It r-really hurts…"
"Okay Ryou, just squeeze my hand tight, okay? You need to stop moving…"
"Okay sir, now I'm going to apply some more tape-"
"OW!"
"Ryou, please!"
"It hurts too much… Please, Bakura I can't have it on, it just hurts too much, please…"
"Oh man…" Bakura let out a long sigh, and began running the fingers of his other hand over Ryou's, which were tightly clasped onto Bakura's wrist. "Ryou, it's going to be okay." Both were sitting on a white bed in the doctors office, Ryou so close to Bakura he was practically sitting on his lap. "Damnit, can't you just give him a sedative or something?" The doctor sighed, and shook his head.
"It would be much quicker to set his nose now, rather than wait for the sedative." Bakura growled, but nodded.
"Okay Ryou. Now please for the love of god, sit still." Ryou gulped, and nodded, closing his eyes. The doctor leaned forward. Bakura winced as Ryou grasped his hand with an almost crushing force, the light gritting his teeth to keep from screaming. "That's good…" Bakura whispered softly. "Okay Ryou… It's okay." Tears formed in Ryou's eyes as the doctor continued his work. "Okay… And… There you go." Bakura rubbed Ryou's back. "It's over. Does that feel better?"
"A-A little." Ryou sniffed, rubbing at his eyes.
"And now." The doctor looked sternly over his glasses at the pair. "I would like to know how young Ryou here came up with these kinds of injuries. Who caused them?"
"We don't know." Bakura muttered. Ryou had seized up, and started shaking. The doctor narrowed his eyes. "Seriously, we don't. It was… Four? In the morning in the west district. Ryou was walking home from work when he was jumped." The doctor frowned.
"What kind of job do you have young man?" He asked. Ryou was silent, his frail form trembling.
"He… Works in a bar." Bakura supplied. "But trust me, he's not taking another step on that side of town ever again." The doctor nodded, but seemed deep in thought.
"Ryou wasn't… Sexually abused was he?" The doctor inquired, surveying the shaking boy. Bakura sighed and nodded.
"Raped." He muttered, biting his lip. "It was his first experience as well… Why?"
"I see." The doctor muttered, looking quite shaken as he started to type into his keyboard. "Now… Dr. Yumeka is a very experienced therapist… I can schedule an appointment for tomorrow afternoon, if that isn't too soon-"
"What are you talking about?" Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Why the hell would Ryou need a counselor?" The doctor blinked.
"With all due respect sir," He said, frowning slightly despite his manners. "Your younger brother has been through an extremely traumatic experience, and will no doubt require extensive mental therapy… He hasn't got a history of mental illness, does he?" Bakura almost laughed. You could call it that…
"No." Bakura sighed. "But he doesn't need this therapy shit. He'll get over it and be fine. Won't you Ryou?" The boy didn't reply. "Ryou?" Bakura sighed. "Okay then. I get it." Bakura muttered. "We'll take the frigging therapy then. The yami groaned. "You can be overdramatic, you know Ryou?"
The light gave no reply.
"I can't go to school like this tomorrow." Ryou sighed, and bit his lip. "What am I going to do?" Bakura shrugged.
"It's good to see you getting out of this funk." The yami noted, sprawled out on his bed. "I thought you were never going to get out." Ryou swallowed, staring at himself in the mirror, at his black eye and bruised face and broken nose.
"All I want to do is crawl back into bed." The boy admitted, sniffing slightly. "I feel terrible." Bakura groaned, and rolled over. "What?"
"Don't do that again, Ryou." The spirit muttered. "I couldn't take it." Ryou frowned, tearing his gaze from the mirror.
"Couldn't take what?" Ryou narrowed his eyes slightly. Bakura sat up, and ran a hand through his long pale tangles.
"I felt so hopeless." Bakura looked at the ground. "I couldn't do anything to help you. I didn't know how to take care of you, or what to say or anything. I couldn't take care of you. I still can't." Ryou tilted his head to the side, and gently sat down beside Bakura.
"I think you took really good care of me." The boy admitted, looking down at his shoes. "I-I mean, you helped to heal me and you just let me cry without being mean…" Ryou gave a small, shaky smile. "Thank you." Bakura felt the faintest blush starting to tint his pale cheeks.
"Don't mention it." He muttered gruffly.
"It's almost eight." Ryou noted, looking up at the clock. "I should be at work right now." Bakura snorted, sprawled out across the couch with a cigarette in his hand. Ryou was curled up in the armchair.
"Like hell you are." The yami snarled, taking a drag of the smoke. Ryou gave a small, bitter smile.
"Think I would, looking like this?" Ryou muttered angrily. "I'm not beautiful anymore with this stupid nose cast and these bruises, and that's what got me the money."
"Yes." Bakura murmured softly under his breath. Ryou blinked at the comment, and a warm filling his insides.
"Y-You really think I'm still beautiful?" He smiled, resting his chin on the arm of his chair. Bakura sighed, rolled his eyes.
"Come here." The yami sat up, withdrawing the cigarette from his mouth. He stubbed it out on the ashtray that resided atop the coffee table. Ryou sat down beside Bakura, confused. "I'm only going to do this once." The yami instructed, scooting closer to the boy, and wrapped his arms around Ryou in a soft hug. The lights' eyes widened, and then closed as he relaxed into the hug of his secret lover. This feels so nice… Unbeknown to him, Bakura, arms wrapped around Ryou's chest and chin resting on the boys' fluffy white head, was thinking the exact same thing. Bakura and Ryou remained in the position for at least a minute before the yami broke them away. He stared into wet chocolate orbs, the ghost of a smile hovering over his lips.
"Yes, I do." Bakura sighed. "Do you think a few bruises and a broken nose is going to make you look any less beautiful?" He shook his head. "You're vainer than I thought." Ryou blushed, and looked down.
"You've changed." The boy murmured, rubbing at his left arm. "Why are you acting so… Warm and friendly like this?" Ryou lifted his head. "Why are you treating me less like an animal, and more like a person?" Bakura sighed.
"You're still healing." He said softly. "And you're going to be healing for a long time. Raping a virgin is worse than murder, Ryou. Well, at least I think so." He sighed. "You're not yourself now, and I'm not going to rule you like that when you're in pieces." Ryou winced, as the yami referred especially to the psychiatrists office two days ago, when, asked to relay the incident, Ryou completely broke down. Bakura got angry and screamed at the woman, saying it was far too early to pressure him like that.
Needless to say, both boys' would not be returning.
"Y-You do think I'm a person." Ryou gave a watery smile. Bakura raised an eyebrow.
"Of course Ryou." He muttered, reaching for his carton of cigarettes. Ryou swallowed.
"But you… you said that I was only a slave." He murmured. "You said I was nothing… And then Marik said the same thing." At the mention of the Egyptians name, Bakura froze, and turned towards the young boy, tightly grasping Ryou's slender shoulders.
"You listen to me Ryou." He looked the boy in the eye. "Whatever he said, ignore it. Don't listen to a word he says. He's only messing around with your naïve little head. You understand me, right?" Ryou gulped, and nodded. "Good." Bakura sighed, and lit his cigarette. "Hell…" Ryou sighed. "Don't you have homework or something?" The boy shook his head.
"U-Um, the doctor told the school about what happened…" Ryou whispered. "I had this week, and I get next week of leave." The boy made a face. "I just hope nobody finds out…" Bakura sighed.
"That's good." He took a drag of his smoke. "I swear Ryou, if I had any idea who that guy was, I would hunt him down, and…" He trailed off, leaving the threat dangling in midair.
"I'm glad you decided against a wild goose chase." Ryou sighed, leaning against the back of the couch. "I just want to forget it ever happened, and just move on with my life." Both were silent for a long time.
"Ryou." Bakura asked after a period of silence. "Who were you saving yourself for?" Ryou blinked, and looked up at the yami, tilting his head.
"What do you mean?" He asked, looking up at the yami with those innocent brown eyes. Bakura rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Come on Ryou. Why were you so celibate? You never even thought about sex with anyone else. Who was so important that you decided to save your virginity for them?" Ryou blinked, and then looked down, a blush forming across his pale, bruised face.
"You know the answer to that." He murmured, drawing his knees to his chest. Bakura looked thoughtful, and then a small smile broke across his face, but Ryou didn't see it.
"I do." Bakura agreed, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "But tell me anyway." Ryou sniffed, and looked Bakura in the eye, his chocolate optics shining with tears. Bakura felt his heartrate quicken, but he had no idea why.
"You…"
Bleh, Update later sometime..