Summary: Post YGOTAS Timeline; Ryou has been sent to a faraway boarding school, only to find that the entire school is being experimented on by some government group. Just as he's about to give into despair that his life is ruined, he makes an unlikely partnership with the last person he ever expected to see.

WARNING: This story is rated M for mature themes involving scientific experimentation, sexual themes, attempted rape, violence, adventure, suspense, humor, plot development, and steamy lemons. Not all at once, and not over the top, but definitely in there. Please read with discretion.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! and all of its characters © Kazuki Takahashi. This is a fan fiction, and no money is being made off of this story. Please support the original artist.

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Chapter Four

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"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey," came a sing-song voice that almost sounded exactly like Marik's. It wasn't though, and Ryou recognized it enough to rouse himself from slumber.

He sat up with a groan, his head throbbing painfully. "Blimey I feel like I've been run over by a truck a few hundred times," he complained. At least he could actually sit up now, and that alone was a vast improvement.

Melvin sat on the desk chair again, watching him calmly with the knife in his hands, easily visible. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"Did you have a nice supper?" Ryou shot back.

A grin flashed across Melvin's face. "Aw, your sarcasm is adorable." He gave Ryou's body a quick once over, and his eyes half-lidded with satisfaction. "Nice to know we'll both live another day."

"Both?" Ryou asked. He swung his legs off the bed, slowly beginning to stretch. Every muscle ached, and he still had a feeling of being unsatisfied in his skin. But it was far less pronounced. He gave Melvin a suspicious glare, trying to understand him.

"You have actually read the guidebook, I assume," Melvin blinked his eyes slowly. "Stop asking stupid questions. You're making the psychopath look more intelligent than you, nerd."

Guidebook? Ryou frowned, and slowly, the words made sense. "If you kill me, they'll kill you," he said slowly.

"You really are a slow one."

"Hey, my mind is kind of in a fog right now, I was drugged! You can't expect me to be at my best right now!" A blushed crossed Ryou's face. "A-anyway, I didn't do anything weird in your bed, I wouldn't do that anyway. So… you know…" he looked down, feeling awkward, and took a deep breath. When he looked back up, Melvin was suddenly right there in front of him, leaning over, face inches away.

Ryou had never heard him move.

"An...y….way….." Ryou swallowed. His voice was gone, and all he could manage was a whisper. His eyes stared up into calm purple irises that never seemed to blink. "I just wanted to say thank you. For rescuing me."

Melvin reached for his neck, slowly placing his fingers around it in a soft hold that got gradually stronger with each passing second. It seemed to take ages before it became hard to breathe, but by then, Ryou was already breathless. He grinned, wider. "What makes you think," he purred, "I rescued you, little bird?"

Ryou raised his hands, grabbing at Melvin's wrist as he tried to pull his hand away from his neck, and the slowly growing pressure that threatened to crush it. "C...an't…. B-br..reathe…."

"Don't worry," Melvin said softly. He pressed the flat of his knife against Ryou's shirtless chest, harder and harder with the same, agonizingly slow pace, until its edges began to dip too far into Ryou's skin. He felt his skin split with a surprising amount of pain, as if the odd angle and pressure was just right to agitate his nerves. "I won't kill you."

The hand choking him suddenly let go, and Ryou fell back against the bed with a gasp, coughing and pulling his hands up to cradle it. His cuts burned, his eyes burned, and his throat burned as he tried to breathe again, and all the while, Melvin stood over him and laughed.

This hurts, Ryou thought, blinking away moisture from his eyes, as Melvin yanked him back up to a sitting position by his hair. It hurts surprisingly more than the time I got stabbed. That came with endorphins and dizziness, and the confusion of bloodloss. This is like he knows exactly how to make my nerves freak out without even doing that much damage.

"What's wrong?" Melvin taunted. "You're not saying anything. In fact, I hear a very distinct amount of not screaming. That's very unfortunate." He slapped the flat of the blade against Ryou's stomach, snickering at the v-shaped cut it left behind.

"Rather," Ryou coughed, keeping one hand over his throat, but using the other to grasp onto Melvin's wrist in a pitiful attempt to make him stop. His words made his throat hurt, but he forced them out anyway. "I think it's fortunate for your neighbors."

"But unfortunate for you," Melvin tilted his head, his look chiding, before shaking Ryou's hand away. He nonchalantly began to drag the edge of the knife up and down Ryou's chest, not cutting, merely pulling at the cuts he'd already created, and visibly enjoying each wince it got out of his captive. "If you don't scream, I won't get in trouble. And you'll be stuck here until I see fit to let you go. Experiment is over, you know."

Ryou tried once more to push away Melvin's hand, flinching backwards with a pained hiss at the abuse his already aching cuts were receiving. "What's wrong with you?" he snapped. Combined with his aching headache and an acute frustration-that, while not actively making him horny, was still leaving him in a foul mood-the mild attempt at torture Melvin was taunting him with was only making him angry. "You're telling me to scream so that you get in trouble? You're not even stabbing me, you're just picking at me with these pathetic cuts? I was only mildly scared when you choked me, the rest of this is just annoying!"

Melvin leaned back with a bored expression, one raised eyebrow the only hint that he was surprised by Ryou's words. But after a minute of staring at the glare on his captive's face, he threw back his head and laughed.

"Yeah that's getting annoying, too," Ryou pointed out, holding his head with a sharp sigh. "Seriously, Melvin. You're not acting like yourself. Just bloody stab me already."

"Oh no," Melvin continued laughing. "No no no, that would be too easy. What fun is torture if it's over too quickly?" He grabbed Ryou's hair again, forcing his head back at a painful angle, exposing his neck and leaning forward to lick it with his tongue. It was so sudden, Ryou couldn't resist it, and wasn't able to stop the blush from searing across his face. "Torture is all about breaking your victim. And you, stupid limey, are nowhere near broken."

Ryou flinched, the movement rolling down his spine like a shiver, his heart racing in his chest. He was unable to move, his nerves raged angrily about their pain, and Melvin was slowly pressing the blade once more into his chest the same way he'd cut him the first time. Too slowly, too painfully.

But all he could think about was how hard his heart was racing at the mere thought that that mouth was merely inches away from neck.

Not broken? His mind scoffed. On the contrary. There's something very, very wrong with me.

Three more times, Melvin pressed the blade into his skin until it bled, and watched him squirm and wince at the pain. Each time, Ryou found he couldn't cry out, fearful that if he did so, it would come out as a moan. The third time, Melvin let go of his hair, and sneered at him as he turned away.

"Congratulations," the bronze-skinned teenager mocked, grabbing a washcloth from his desk and tossing at Ryou's chest. "You are now officially boring me. You are free to go."

Ryou swallowed, holding the cloth like he didn't know what to do with it. His nerves were on fire, and he was pretty sure that if he tried to walk right now, he'd fall over. "Boring?" he murmured.

Melvin tossed himself in his chair, watching him with unblinking eyes as he meticulously began to lick Ryou's blood off the knife. "Booooooring," he sang.

He couldn't explain why, but it made him feel disappointed to hear it. Boring? I don't know why, but it sort of feels like… I've been rejected…. Somehow. Ryou grimaced, pressing the cloth to his chest and slowly dabbing each of his wounds. It stung.

"Be more fun if you screamed."

"I don't scream," Ryou frowned. He swallowed as he watched Melvin's long tongue snake expertly along the blade, cleaning it. That's my blood he's licking. Bugger… that's still…. really hot…

"Is that a challenge?" Melvin raised his eyebrow again, and as if knowing exactly what Ryou was thinking, continued to lick the knife even after it was clean.

Ryou fought the urge to swallow again. "I still don't get why you did all this. Not kill me, or stab me, or even put any lasting damage or injury on me. You didn't take advantage of me, and you protected me from those other guys."

"So?" Melvin looked bored. He blinked, once, slowly.

"I want to know why."

With a shrug, Melvin tossed the blade onto his desk and stood up, opening his door and beckoning out of it. His smirk was so smug, it made Ryou feel baffled. It just made no sense! He groaned as he stood up, but walked out of the room with deliberate steps, his various aches and pains throbbing together simultaneously. It was miserable.

So he isn't going to tell me. Is that part of how he tortures people? He messes with their minds as well as causing pain? I don't get him at all! He isn't like how he was from our show. I don't know what to expect.

He turned when he was standing outside of the door, looking up at Melvin with his face a mess of bewilderment and frustration. He opened his mouth, closed it, then sighed. He gave Melvin a wry smile. "You know, whatever, I don't care. I'm still grateful to you."

Melvin just looked at him, still bored, and still done with him.

Ryou's expression softened a little. "Thank you, Melvin."

A flicker of something flashed in Melvin's eyes, but before Ryou could identify it, the door was slammed in his face, and he was left alone in the hall.

Ryou turned and made his way back to his room, wanting nothing more than to stick bandaids all over himself and fall into bed.

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These chapters are short, I know, but it's doable for me to write a chapter a day this way.

To be continued...