AN: Eh, the chapter title is a little cliché, sorry. Hm, what have I got to say about this chapter…it was hard to write. (Argh, this story in general is hard to write. ;;) Especially the end and middle, because…well, can't explain without spoilers.
Hehe, please enjoy reading the seventh chapter.
Thanks to…
dragonlady222: I know! They drink too much! And yes, it was great of Bakura to take Ryou along…though I wonder what it will cost him. Thanks for the review!
casaragi: Hey, you're not alone; I hate Bakura's father as well. Stupid old man! Thanks for the review!
FlyingShadow666: Aren't they? Geez, the mom's no help, and the dad's a complete jerk. Poor Bakura and Ryou…glad they're running away, ne? Thanks for the review!
ONIX-21: Hehehe, all that (and maybe more…??) will be revealed in this chapter. Thanks for the review!
The Vampire Prince: I hope so too, and I agree about their parents. What jerks! Thanks for the review!
AnimeNymph: Lol, I bought one, by the way. And yes, your words exactly: The quest begins! Thanks for the review!
Anei Aikouka: Haha, the image was priceless for me. Thanks for the review!
Chapter Seven: A New Beginning
"What?" the child muttered, jaw slightly ajar. I must still be sleeping…
Bakura lightly pressed a finger against Ryou's lips, to emphasize the importance of silence, before he started packing again. Over his shoulder, he softly said, "Get dressed, out of the pajamas. Shoes are next to the door."
Still not quite awake, Ryou groggily hauled himself up to a sitting position. Glancing down at his attire, then back at the dresser where Bakura was sifting through things, Ryou noted that the teen was still in his casual clothes with his sneakers on. Too tired and sleepy to dress just yet, the child watched his brother rummage about their room as a million questions pounded at the doors of his mind. He ignored them, since he really didn't need a headache right now.
A pair of shirts, pants, undergarments – everything Bakura thought as a necessity and easy to carry around was shoved into Ryou's backpack. After a few minutes, Bakura paused in front of the bunk beds, quickly checking his mental list of things. Then he let out a shaky breath and got on his hands on knees, reaching under the lower bunk. As he felt around the dusty blackness for anything resembling a box, Bakura ordered the child to get a coat. "It's chilly outside."
That seemed to wake Ryou like water being splashed on him. "What? Why?" the child whispered impatiently, obviously confused. He gently slid off the bed, trudging over to the small dresser they shared. As hastily as he could, Ryou changed into some jeans and a short sleeve as he tried to wake up. He pulled out the new dark blue windbreaker that Bakura had bought for him and wriggled into it, but he kept pestering Bakura with questions as he tied his tennis shoes.
"Where are we going? Bakura, we aren't really running away, are we? And why-"
Bakura shushed the boy as he dragged out a cardboard box from underneath the bed. Though Ryou stood behind him, clearly demanding an explanation, Bakura paid no attention to him as he delved into the box.
Ryou stared at the contents of the crate as the teen transferred handfuls of dollar bills into the Blue Eyes backpack. It didn't wholly register to the child what Bakura was planning to do until he saw the rope ladder sprawled across the bottom of the box.
Like a light bulb going off somewhere in his head, Ryou's mind took in the sight and kind of comprehended the meaning. This is…he means…he really means to…
However, before the boy could say anything, Bakura scooped up the ladder and shoved the cardboard carton underneath the bed. Then he hurriedly got to his feet and shouldered the backpack as he made his way to the only window that their room had.
This can't be happening, Ryou thought, finding it hard to breathe as his brother struggled to open the window. Out of panic, the child rushed over to where Bakura was and tried to yank the screen shut.
"What are you doing?" Bakura hissed.
"You're crazy," Ryou shot back, shaking his head. "What are you doing?"
Bakura swallowed hard, looking out the window. "We have to run away."
"Why?!" Ryou cried, feeling tears swell up. His mouth was immediately covered by Bakura's hands, smoldering any sound that would have escaped his lips.
"Shush, you'll wake him up," Bakura murmured, referring to their snoring father on the couch downstairs. The teen slowly removed his hands. He turned back to the window, only to be stopped by the child again.
"I don't want to go," Ryou softly said, glaring angrily at Bakura. "Why do we have to go?" He wasn't going to give up his new life so easily. Everything, for the first time in his life, was actually okay. He was happy. He could laugh and smile and he even had friends at school. He didn't have to lie about not having a lunch, he didn't have to walk to school alone, he didn't have to feel the pain of watching other kids getting picked up by their parents while no one came for him.
Bakura nearly crumbled under the scorching look of revulsion that Ryou gave him. He didn't know why the boy didn't want to go, but he realized that his brother couldn't understand. Bakura had always sent him up to the room to keep hidden from Ryou's eyes and ears what his father made him do, which was everything and anything he wanted to be done. It hurt him to see that Ryou didn't want to leave, but he knew he couldn't blame the child. It had been his decision to leave certain things veiled.
Ryou almost wrenched away when Bakura cautiously placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy refused to look at the teen standing before him, mainly because he didn't want Bakura to see him crying. Why did this have to happen? Why was his life always messed up and in jumbled pieces? How come he couldn't have a normal life, like other people?
"Ryou, I…" Bakura felt his words trail off, completely at a loss for what to say. How could he explain without actually telling him what he had suffered through?
For a few minutes, the two awkwardly stood before each other, silence thickly draping the air.
"How come nobody told me that father lost his job?" Ryou hoarsely asked.
Bakura felt another pang of guilt as he whispered, "You shouldn't have to worry about things like that." That bastard shouldn't have lost his job, then you wouldn't have to worry about all this.
"Is that why…that letter came?"
"…Because father lost his job, we lost our flow of income, of money. We can't afford to pay for your schooling anymore." Bakura tightened his grip on Ryou's shoulder as the anger from the bitter betrayal he had faced earlier resurfaced in his mind. "He told me that your education would be taken care of, that he would pay for all of it." As long as I did as he said.
Ryou was quiet for a moment as he tried to imagine not going to school. Then he realized that if they stayed here, if they stayed with their 'parents', he wouldn't be going to school anyway. "I-I can drop out of school," Ryou insisted halfheartedly, impulsively resting his head against Bakura's stomach. Either way, he had to drop out, right? Maybe running away wasn't so bad…at least they would get away from the creepy man and woman that were his legal guardians.
"That's a lie," Bakura murmured, wrapping his arms around the child's shoulders. He knew how much the boy loved learning. "Besides…when we find a place far away from here, you won't have to stay in your room all night by yourself. And…and you can keep going to school. I'll find a way to pay for your schooling." I'll work hard so you can be whatever you want to be when you grow up.
Bakura felt a lump grow in his throat as Ryou tightly hugged him around his waist. Those words, You can keep going to school, were priceless to the child. Bakura, I promise I'll study hard and make a lot of money for the both of us.
Then maybe you won't look so sad all the time anymore.
As Ryou pulled himself away from his brother and stumbled toward the window, he quickly wiped his tear-stained cheeks as he struggled to get the rope ladder in place. Bakura helped him, and eventually they got it to stay in a sturdy position.
Ryou went first out the window, and as much as he was afraid of heights, he landed with two feet solidly planted on the ground. Bakura tossed down his bulging backpack, and Ryou impatiently waited at the base of the ladder, a little terrified of not only the dark, but of what they were doing.
As soon as Bakura was standing next to him, Ryou grabbed the teen's warm hand. The child clenched it as they made their way down the street and toward the closest subway.
On the last stretch of sidewalk on their home street, Ryou glanced up at Bakura to see if he was going to look back. He wasn't.
Fighting the urge to peek over his shoulder, Ryou tightly held onto Bakura's hand as they turned the corner.
"Bakura, I love you."
The teen blinked back tears in surprise. It had been hard enough walking away from the nightmare he was still horrified of, but hearing those words…
He ruffled the boy's snow-colored hair, whispering, "Love you, too."
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AN: Hm…I don't know what to say. ;; I know it was a little messy…I think. I hope you liked it, and please review. It was kind of hard to decide on how this scene was going to play out…any feedback on it would be nice. Uh, expect the next update by Friday or Saturday night. Thanks for reading!