Hello! I hope you are enjoying the story so far (which I will assume you are, since you're still reading it :)

Anyway. A few of my friends have been wondering if I forgot about the characters other than Ryo and Shizuka, so...ENTER BAKURA! Yesh, Thieving Mr. Evil-Pants comes along in this chapter. Yay for other characters!

Still having problems with my keyboard. I think I've been pretty good about weeding out all the typos so far (knock on wood) but I'm very sorry if I missed any.

I do not own YGO. This is a fact that saddens me deeply.

Passion's A Prison

Chapter 4: Savage Love

Bakura entered the house, in a bad mood as usual. He tripped over Ryo's cat, Bynx, on the way in the kitchen. Bynx yowled angrily and bit his leg; he kicked her off and was happy to know that the little beast hit the opposite wall with a thud.

He opened the refrigerator only to see that Ryo had filled it with his damn vegetarian eats again. He'd have to kick Ryo's little ass for that. Ryo knows he doesn't eat that shit. Oh well, Bakura thought. I'll just have to remind him. But how? He examined the knives in the block on the counter. Decisions, decisions…

Laughing to himself, he pulled a Power-Aid out of the fridge and drained it in one gulp, being sure to leave the empty bottle on Ryo's spotless counter. He sat at the kitchen table, trying to decide on the proper punishment for Ryo. He wanted this particular lesson to really sink in. This was the last time he was going to teach it to him.

He had just decided to sleep on it when he heard a sound from the living room: an unfamiliar male voice.

"…Hardly complimentary, my dear highness," he was saying. "Why use your venom on me?"

Bakura stepped into the living room to realize that it was only the television. Ryo must have left it on.

"You killed my love," said the woman the man had spoken to.

"It's possible," the man said, shrugging. "I kill a lot of people." Bakura laughed. Something told him he'd get along with this man.

"You mock my pain!" the woman shrieked.

"Life is pain, highness," the man said harshly. "Anyone who says differently is selling something."

Still laughing, he scanned the room, hoping to give Ryo a good scare before going to bed. A shocking sight met his eyes.

Yes, Ryo was on the couch just as he had expected. But in his arms was…a girl.

A beautiful girl.

She was curled in a ball under the blankets, her head resting on Ryo's chest, her long, copper-toned hair half-covering her angelic face. Her long, slender arms, ghostly pale in the moonlight, were crossed loosely over her chest, rising and falling peacefully with her slow, deep breathing. He crept silently toward the gorgeous sleeping girl. Bakura could hardly breathe for fear of waking her. When he was close enough, he saw that her right arm had been carefully bandaged, no doubt by Ryo. A powerful wave of jealousy coursed through his body at the thought of his worthless Hikari touching this girl's skin. But at the same time, he felt pity for this girl. He felt compassion for her numerous injuries. He had never pitied another's pain before. Quite to the contrary, he had always enjoyed it. But this girl…this beautiful, innocent girl…had somehow uncovered the sympathy in his veins.

He felt a sudden, insatiable urge to touch her, to hold her. His hands were gliding toward her with no instruction whatsoever from his brain. He found himself lifting her from the couch, leaving Ryo behind. He nearly dropped her when he realized what he'd done, but he managed to remain in control of his muscles. He carried her to his room and placed her on the bed, where she curled back into her snug ball, facing him. Gently and silently, he laid the blankets over her sleeping form. She smiled softly in her sleep and shifted her head on the pillows.

He didn't know how long he sat there, simply watching her sleep. She muttered incoherently now and then, occasionally forming words. He distinctly heard "Katsuya" a few times. She had a strange look on her face. Fear, maybe? He wondered why.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Shizuka opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar room. She looked around, hoping to see Ryo so he could tell her where she was. But who she found was definitely not Ryo. He did look somewhat like Ryo, but there were distinct differences. This man's hair stuck up more in the front, looking like a pair of white bat-wings had been placed there. He was also more strongly built than Ryo, his highly muscular chest showing through his unbuttoned shirt. For a moment, she did not recognize this man, but then her eyes fell upon the strange gold pendant his was wearing.

This was the spirit of the Millennium Ring.

She gasped in shock, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. His hands were icy cold, like Ryo's, but they had none of Ryo's gentleness.

"It's alright," he said softly. "I won't hurt you, I swear."

"That's what you said to Ryo," she said savagely, throwing his hand off of her. "Every time you tried to take over, you said that, he mentioned it last night. Where is he? What've you done to him? Tell me!"

Before she knew it, she was on her feet.

"He's fine," Bakura said simply. "He's fine, I swear. Don't worry yourself, sweetheart."

"That's Miss Jonouchi to you," she said.

"Well, Miss Jonouchi," he said politely, "it's certainly nice to make your acquaintance."

He pulled her hand toward him and kissed it. She withdrew it quickly; his lips were so cold they burned. However, he pulled her closer and kissed her neck repeatedly, biting her a few times. Once he drew blood, which he licked away. She moaned in pain, begging him to stop, but the embrace continued.

"There you are!" said a voice from the doorway. She looked up and saw Ryo standing there, miraculously unharmed. Such a powerful wave of relief swept over her that for a moment she felt light-headed.

Ryo surged forward and pulled Shizuka away from Bakura. "What did you do to her?" he asked, almost snarling. He stepped forward and made sure he was in front of Shizuka.

"Why must you always accuse me of hurting people?" Bakura asked, with an almost-convincingly innocent look.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, his voice dripping with biting sarcasm. "Maybe because you always do? Now tell me what you did to her!"

"Nothing," he said. "I did not harm Miss Jonouchi."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to believe she cut herself on the neck?" he asked. "Look, I don't want to play games with you, you monster-"

Bakura threw his head back and laughed maliciously and walked forward. Shizuka was trembling again. He shoved Ryo aside, none too gently, and reached for Shizuka.

"It's not you I'm aiming to play with," he said. Shizuka looked as though she might faint. He kissed her. She struggled to get away, tears running down her face, but Bakura redoubled his grip, pulling her closer. He was holding her so tightly that she could barely breathe; she struggled frantically, desperate to escape.

"LET HER GO!" Ryo yelled, running forward. He pulled at Bakura's arms with all his strength, already knowing it was no use. But he had to try. Shizuka was growing more terrified by the second; her face was shining with tears, but whether they were from fear or pain, he did not know.

And then Bakura's hand shifted to remove Shizuka's shirt.

This act pushed him over the edge. He would not allow Bakura to subject Shizuka to any more unwanted physical contact. With every ounce of strength he could muster, he wrenched Bakura's arm off of the terrified girl. He took Shizuka in his arms and headed for the door. For some reason, Bakura did not follow. He half-carried Shizuka to the car. Only once the two of them were safely in the car, the doors locked, did he turn to look at her.

She was crying and shaking, her breath shallow and uneven. Ryo hesitated, not wanting to frighten her more by touching her. However, she put her arms around him, sobbing into his chest just as she had the night before. He hugged her gently and began trying to reassure her. Eventually, she stopped crying and pulled away, wiping her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. She nodded shakily. Her neck was still bleeding. "Here," he said gently. He reached over and opened the glove box. He pulled out a small first-aid kit, from which he withdrew a band-aid. He gently placed it over the cut and lowered his hands. She looked up, her eyes still swimming in tears.

"Thank you," she said.

"It's no problem," he told her, starting the car and driving off.

"Where are we going?" Shizuka asked shakily.

"Mai's house," Ryo said simply. "I think you need to see Jonouchi."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Bakura stood there, shameful, horrified. The girl made him feel…almost human…and he abused her, abused her like he had everyone else in his life, as if she had abused him as well. She'd done nothing, yet he'd felt the need to treat her cruelly. Ryo had done nothing to deserve his abuse either, nor any of his friends. Not even he Pharaoh, he realized with a crushing wave of grief.

He was ashamed of himself. Ryo was right. He was a monster.

That poor girl...

He walked absentmindedly into the kitchen. He pulled a knife out of the block. It seemed impossible that just last night, he had thought of punishing Ryo. He remembered the line from the movie he had been watching.

It's possible. I kill a lot of people.

This was true on his part. He had killed and injured so many...and he had terrified that beautiful girl... It's possible. I kill a lot of people... he raised the knife. He could still hear her voice: That's what you said to Ryo...And he had nearly killed him, too...The knife blade was touching his chest... It's possible. I kill a lot of people...Would he be the last...?

Just as he wondered this, the front door opened with a bang.

"Bakura!" called Marik's voice. "Bakura, you there?"

He set the knife down quickly and walked over to the door.

"What?" he said, trying to sound irritable rather than depressed.

"Namu said he saw Ryo out in that storm with the Jonouchi girl," Marik said, "and that it looked liked they were headed here. Is it true?"

"Yeah," he said. "So?"

"So?" Marik repeated incredulously. "So? So, this opens a whole new world of ways to torture him. I can't believe you didn't think of that!"

"It crossed my mind," he said in what he hoped was an offhand tone. "But think about it. There is always security around her. You saw how they all reacted at Battle City. I thought you'd learned."

"Bakura," said Marik, putting an arm around his shoulders in a business like way, "it's been four years since Battle City. We're smarter now. We have better techniques. I'm sure that the two of us can think of something."

"I suppose," he said, shrugging his arm off. "But can't we find a target other than the girl?"

"Are you going soft on me, Bakura?" Marik asked, his eyes wide. "You never pass up an opportunity to cause pain, especially not to Ryo. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," he lied. "It's just...You didn't see the connection between those two. Ryo and the Miss Jonouchi. He loves her. If we get hold of the girl, Ryo would likely get himself killed trying to get her back."

"Oh, now you're protecting Ryo?" Marik said, scowling as he always did when the word "love" came up.

"No," he said quickly. "No. I'm just saying: I still need him. And, he is his Hikari. He let me out of the Millennium Ring, I haven't forgotten. I owe him something for that."

"Who are you, and what have you done with Bakura?"

He rolled his eyes. "He's still a part of me. There's still a connection. Don't tell me you don't realize you're still a part of Namu?"

"Okay," Marik said impatiently. Bakura knew he had won the argument when he brought up Marik's lighter half. Marik hated that little worm. "Alright, we won't use the girl."

The two of us fell silent. He picked the knife up and put it slowly back into the block. I don't want to play games with you, you monster...

you monster...Ryo had been right.

AN: I am hopelessly dyslexic and have a hard time telling the difference between the names Malik and Marik. So I'm using Marik's assumed name from Battle City (Namu) to refer to the lighter half rather than the name Malik. I'm terribly sorry if this causes any confusion, and I hope you understand.

I wasn't sure what to title this chapter, and I don't think the name I settled with fits (at all) but it will have to do for now.

I do not own The Princess Bride, unfortunately. T'is one of my favorite movies, though I still haven't gotten around to reading the book...

Anyway. Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter is finished and should be up soon.