A/N: Yeah, I know it's been a while since I've updated any of my multi-chapters, but you'll have to forgive me for that. I've been busy, and I'm dealing with an outburst of plot bunnies, if you know what I mean, and a case of writers' block for Circus Freak (I have no idea why I still have that up since none of you read it). I know that you guys aren't the least bit interested in my problems, so I'm gonna go on ahead and skip everything to the chapter already.
Chapter 3: Sleepless Night
Yugi yawned as he stood behind the sleeping cash register in the empty fast-food restaurant. He looked at the clock.
"7:30," he mumbled to himself, "I can't believe the manager makes us take these frickin' shifts. At least first class isn't 'til 12…" He lifted his head as he heard the front door open.
"Mornin', Yug!" Jonouchi greeted. Yugi just smiled and waved. The tall blond guy was the only friend from high school he stayed in good contact with. Honda moved to New York to be closer to family, and Anzu was in Hollywood trying to either get an acting part or a dancing part in a musical or something. Ryo, as far as Yugi knew, was currently attending Purdue University. But the white-haired boy would send short emails to Yugi every once and a while, and it would just be little notes like "how have you been?" or something like that.
"So what can I help you with?" Yugi asked.
"Aw, come on, buddy! Ya gotta know my specialty by now?" Jonouchi smiled.
"Right," his short friend responded, "sausage and egg English muffin with extra cheese and two hash browns with a mocha coffee to drink." The taller boy laughed.
"Y'know me too well, Yug!" he admired as he paid for his food. Yugi entered it in, and then he added his own separate breakfast. Pretty soon, their food came in, and the boys sat down in the dining room at one of the tables.
"So has anything exciting happened in any of your classes?" Yugi asked in between mouthfuls of bisect. Jonouchi shrugged.
"Not much," he said, "at least not about the lessons." Yugi looked up. What did Jonouchi mean?
"I've been hearing rumors," the blond kid explained, "from the archeological people, that there's been a discovery in Egypt."
"Wow," Yugi exclaimed, "that's pretty cool! What do they think it is?"
"Well," his friend explained, "they think it's a tomb of some sort. But they haven't found very much writings, and they've failed to find any bodies. But they have found a bit of hidden treasures… and clever traps." Yugi soon noticed that his friend was not smiling.
"Really," the shorter boy wondered, "has anyone been injured?"
"Well, no," friend continued, "but someone has gone missing." Yugi gulped.
"W-who?" he slowly asked, the both of them forgetting about their food. Jonouchi doesn't answer for a few minutes. But when he looks up, he had a serious look in his eyes.
"It's Ryo." Yugi's face lost all of its color, and he began to feel so light-headed he thought he might faint.
"That's not funny," Yugi said, "not at all, Jonouchi! How could you say something so terrible?" His blonde friend just shook his head.
"I wish I didn't have to say it," he responded.
"What was Ryo doing in Egypt," Yugi wondered, "I thought he was in college. Is there anything we can do?"
"Unless you want to go all the way to Egypt and help with the searches," Jonouchi answered, "no. there's really nothing we can do." Yugi just shook his head, still unable to believe what his best friend had told him.
Ryo was always the quiet one. The one who was always by himself. The one who had to carry a heavy heart. And this guy was the one who had to suffer the most, even though he had never done a villainous thing in his life. He couldn't even make it to be the bad guy in a play, no matter how hard he would try.
…Yugi…
The boy looked up. Who was that?
…Yugi, you must listen…
The pharaoh? But how is this possible?
The next thing Yugi knew, he was in a dark room surrounded by glittering stars. He looked forward, and he saw the being that had shared a body with him for four years.
"Yami," he yelled, "Yami!" The king turned around, and he smiled at his hikari.
"What are you doing here," he began asking, "How did you get here? Where are we? Where have--"
"Calm down," Yami interrupted, "I'm afraid I don't have enough time to answer all of your questions." He paused to make sure that Yugi was listening to him.
"Ryo is in terrible danger," he finally said. Yugi nodded.
"I know," he answered, "but they've got search parties in Egypt putting searching for him. I'm sure that they'll find him--"
"Yugi," the former king interrupted again, "he's in even more danger then that. If you don't take action, the boy will die." Yugi's face went cold.
"Will die," he repeated, "will die… but without food or water, of course he will--"
"He's being tortured," Yami yelled impatiently, "tortured by the dark magic of ancient Egypt! You must go and help him! If you don't he'll suffer a slow and agonizing death!"
Before Yugi could ask anything else, his vision faded, and he was back in the restaurant with Jonouchi.
"How long was I out," Yugi mumbled to himself.
"What," his friend asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Jonouchi," the shorter boy yelled, "we have to go to Egypt!" The other boy looked at him confusingly.
"Egypt," he asked, "why? What difference will we make?"
"We just have to," Yugi countered, "I'm gonna call Marik. I'm sure he can help us get tickets!" And with that, he bolted out of the building.
And then he came back, with a look of embarrassment on his face.
"…after I tell my boss I'm too sick to work."
Yugi lied in his bed staring up at the ceiling. For about thirty minutes now, he's been tossing and turning in the sheets, but he couldn't get to sleep. He kept wondering how Yami was able to communicate with him. Or was it really Yami…? No, Yugi was sure of it. It was definitely him. There was no doubt about it.
But what about his message? About Ryo being tortured in a tomb in Egypt? was that true? It seemed so inhumane. It was like kicking a puppy. Of course, Yugi did meet one person who would happily kick a hundred puppies… but he was gone. Banished into the shadows. Or better yet, his soul was completely shredded by the power of light.
However, there was one thing that was true; Ryo was lost and all alone in a world far away from home.
Ryo began to wake up. His body was aching all over, and he was lying on cold stone. When he tried to rub his eyes opened, he realized that his hands were bind behind his back, and his legs were tied up as well. He began squirming and twisting around in a vain attempt to break the ropes.
The white-haired boy stopped moving when he heard ghostly footsteps from the black hallway ahead of him. Ryo could feel his heart pound inside his chest so hard and fast that he thought that the little muscle was going to break his ribs, and his body was shaking so hard someone would've thought he was going through hypothermia.
The footsteps became louder and louder as Ryo's heart pounded harder and harder. But he could never imagine the horror that the footsteps came from.
Ryo could feel all of what little color he had drain from his face as he looked up. Dark clothing. Piercing fangs. Long, crazy hair a sadistic smile.
"Did you miss me, Ryo?" he laughed. Ryo couldn't get control over his mouth well enough to make words.
"H-how…" he managed to choke out. Bakura grinned.
"Now that's not very important," he sneered, "since there's no way for me to leave this time."
Ryo could feel his body begin to shake, and he thought he was going to black out. But he soon realized that it was just going to get even worse.
His brown eyes grew from horror as he watched his darker self pull out a knife. The yami smiled.
"Open your mouth, Ryo," he ordered. The hikari froze, slamming his teeth and lips shut. He shook his head.
He didn't know if this was all a dream or if it was real, but knowing his sadistic yami, why take the chance?
The yami shook his head and made a few "tsks" with his tongue.
"Haven't you grown up at all while I was gone?" he asked impatiently. When Ryo didn't answer, the yami gritted his teeth, and walked even closer to the defenseless hikari.
He began kicking Ryo's abdomen and stomach over and over and over again.
"Open… your… damn… mouth!" Bakura yelled as he slammed his foot into Ryo forcefully.
Ryo wanted to scream with pain, but he knew that if he did, the yami would take the advantage and slam the blade down his throat.
Although, he doesn't really know why his yami would want to hurt him. Of course, the sadist would never need a reason other than the sheer joy it brings to him.
Poor Ryo could feel his last meal begin to slowly creep back up. But he kept his mouth shut as tight as he could. It would only make the scene worse.
Bakura finally got fed up with Ryo, and he got on his knees and grabbed his hikari by the throat.
Then he began to squeeze.
Ryo's breathing became short and shallow, and he knew that sucking in air from his nose wasn't going to be enough.
Bakura grinned, and he easily slipped his knife with his free hand in between Ryo's lips. The hikari clenched his teeth, but he was too weak from lack of breath.
The yami laughed as he lifted the upper jaw and slipped his blade in.
Ryo began to taste medal and blood as the knife sliced the soft tissue of his inner cheek.
A/N: You know how people but fluff in just for the sole purpose of having a lovey-dovey scene? Well, I put in violence to satisfy my sadistic needs! So how bad did I freak you guys out? Please review!
