Hope everyone's doing well! I had the majority of this chapter done until yesterday, then filled it in a bit quickly. I've been absolutely scatterbrained for the better part of this week, and about an hour ago I went, "Oh crap! I need to edit that chapter before I post it!" :P I've had a couple of drinks tonight so I did my best to edit it, but I wouldn't be surprised if I missed something. Feel free to point it out and I'll fix it. Thank you so much to those who've left feedback! You're all wonderful!

Ch 14

…

"Where do you want me to start?"

Yugi opened his mouth to answer but Tristan spoke first. "I think -" he paused to choose his words, "that there's something we ought to know. Regarding you-know-who."

Ryou let his head fall back in exasperation. "I thought we were going to talk about the house."

"Hear me out," Tristan said, holding up a hand in slight defense. "I think Yugi didn't quite grasp all of what Joey was trying to say before."

The others looked at him curiously.

Tristan pointed to Joey, "You said it was easier for him to describe what happened when it wasn't as detailed, right?"

"Right."

Tristan turned his finger to Yugi, "And you said talking about it and dealing with it are two different things."

"Yeah?" Yugi agreed.

"While that's true," Tristan said, "I don't think that's the exact point he was trying to make." He turned to Joey again, "What parts was he leaving out before?"

"All da exact violent stuff dat Mar- er… dat you-know-who did to him," Joey said. "Ya know, da more morbid details."

"Alright," Tristan wiped his mouth thoughtfully and continued. "It's understandable that you wouldn't want to relive everything that happened in detail, Ryou. They were awful things that were done to you, but I've been thinking there might be more to it than that."

"What do you mean?" Ryou asked uneasily.

"Well, I think…" he sighed to himself, unsure of the correct order to say what he was thinking. "What I wanted to ask you was, what sort of relationship did you have? With him?"

Ryou frowned, as if not understanding. Yugi quirked his brow in a similar manner.

"Ok," Tristan shifted in his seat a little. "We all said that we can't imagine what it was like for you going through... you know, what happened. But something else occurred to me that we can't imagine, and that's what it was like for you going through all of it at his hands."

Ryou immediately put his cup down and spoke quickly.

"I don't want to talk about that."

Tristan pointed at Ryou but moved his eyes to Yugi, "And that is what I think Joey was referring to before."

Yugi blinked at him and Tristan elaborated, "When he asked if that's something we ought to pay attention to. I think he meant the parts that Ryou didn't want to address. At all. I think he's saying that's where the real things are that we need to deal with."

"Forget it," Ryou said. Joey spoke at the same time.

"Yeah! Dat's what I was goin' for. Nice thinking, Tristan!"

Tristan and Yugi continued to stare at one another in thought; the brunette running his fingers over his chin. "See what I'm saying?"

Yugi gave a slight nod as he thought it over. "I think so."

Tristan gestured to him again, "Because if it had been us in his situation… like, if I had done it to you, we would know the magnitude of what that meant. But that wouldn't be the same thing as if, say, you had done it to Joey. Or if Tea had done it to me, or even if Joey had done it to me. Because even though we're all friends and we're all really close, we're each close in different ways. And even though it would tear us up that a friend would do something this horrible to us, it would do so for different reasons depending on who had done it."

"That's true."

"But we don't know what sort or relationship Ryou and you-know-who had before this," Tristan said. "We only know that they hung around together, and that's pretty much it."

"I see," Yugi said, biting his lip. "So if we did know how strong their bond was before, it would help us understand the events better from Ryou's perspective. And the other's for that matter."

"Exactly."

Yugi turned to Ryou, who was looking very unhappy. "It would help us understand better, Ryou."

The white-haired teen grimaced.

"You don't have to say his name, just tell us what sort of relationship you had with him."

"Well how would I know?" Ryou said defensively. "It's not like I've got other friends to compare him to like you do."

Yugi nodded in agreement and kept his tone level, "Alright. So then he was your only friend, right?"

Ryou turned his head away, visibly pained.

"How close were you?" Yugi asked carefully. "How often did you see each other? How much did you share with him? That sort of thing. What was it like between the two of you?"

"I don't know," Ryou said. "He…" he winced a little as he thought about it. "It's complicated."

The others waited patiently. Then Tristan asked, "Could you please try? The best you can?"

Ryou huffed a sigh, "Let me think."

It was hard to do. As if trying to summarize their relationship weren't difficult enough, it was hard even picturing the blonde Egyptian anymore. At least, picturing the way he was before the awfulness. Ryou wiped his hands on his legs, trying to keep his head level. He passively reached into his mind for input from Bakura. That helped a little, but not much.

"He was…" Ryou tried, "He and Bakura met at the start of Battle city, and they had some sort of business arrangement. That was the extent of it until all of that was over, I guess. I didn't really meet him myself until some time after that. We crossed paths one day and… started talking… He recognized me, but I had only the haziest memory of him. I don't even think it was my memory."

He swallowed, wondering how much he would have to say before the others would drop the matter.

"He and Bakura have always been closer in some way –"

I wouldn't say closer, Bakura remarked.

Ryou ignored him. It was just his pride talking. "They're the ones who interacted with each other more often than I did. We were on good terms though. He was pleasant to be around… It took some time but eventually we got time to ourselves and got to know one another a little better. So I didn't mind being around him. He's the only one who understands Bakura as much as I do. Or the closest, at least." The next words caught in this throat and he struggled against the pressure building behind his eyes. "He was always very kind to me."

The others watched him with some sadness as he spoke.

"I enjoyed his company," Ryou murmured. He gave a slight sniffle and took a breath. "He was the only person who gave me any of his time. Who treated me like his friend." He paused in his thoughts, then closed his eyes with a pained whisper, "Oh god."

He brought his arm up around Mrs. Bear and pulled her close to his chest, rolling over onto his side, away from the others. The sight of his bruised back in the gap of his hospital gown just made his torment that much more evident. They got the picture.

"Would you like to stop for today, Ryou?" Yugi asked quietly. "We can continue later?"

Ryou nodded.

"Alright. We can go now and give you time to yourself. You have music to listen to now too, if that helps."

They collected themselves and moved the chairs back.

"I hope you feel better, Ryou," Yugi said sincerely. They turned to go.

Ryou squeezed the bear and turned his head upward, "Tristan?"

They stopped.

"Come back."

The tallest teen curiously returned to the bedside.

"Come here," Ryou said in a quieter tone.

Tristan leaned in close and the British boy turned his sad, watery eyes to him.

"I-" he tried, struggling to fight his pride. "I really do want to get better. I can't stand feeling like this. I just can't."

Tristan's gaze softened with understanding.

Ryou's voice sank to a whisper, "Please don't give up on me."

He felt the other's hand on his shoulder, and Tristan looked at him with absolute certainty. "We won't give up. I promise you that."

Ryou gave him a grateful look, then turned his head forward again before a tear slid from his eye. Tristan gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and went to follow the others.

…

Wake up.

Bakura's voice was quiet yet firm and Ryou's eyes snapped open. Had he been sleeping? The sudden silence around him and the slight rise of his heartbeat suggested so. He blinked and tried to recall… Yes, he had fallen asleep after a light cry; he was still holding the bear to himself. Faint hints of Marik plucked at the corner of his mind as though he'd seen him just a moment before, and he remembered feeling something unpleasant had been just a little too close. It must've been the start of a nightmare. Not a very vivid one, evidently. But Ryou didn't bother to try and remember much more.

Thank you, he thought to his yami as he rolled onto his back with a sigh. He glanced at the clock: it was after 9pm. The nurses would come to check on him soon. He wondered at the fact that they hadn't woken him before now, but maybe they decided to let him rest for a while. He was glad of it.

…

Odion sat on Marik's bed, holding a cup of blended fruit smoothie in his hands. He'd finally managed to convince Ishizu to go home and rest for the night. Now it was just the two of them.

"I know you have no appetite for food," he said softly. "But you need something in your stomach today. I beg you."

Marik glanced sidelong at his brother. The older man's face was wrought with despair. Odion held the cup out to him imploringly, and Marik begrudgingly rose to a sitting position. He took the cup and looked into it without any trace of emotion at all. At least it had a straw, and he wouldn't have to chew anything. Sitting crossed-legged, he made himself drink the sweet substance. His stomach gurgled in gratitude as the blend filled him up, but the effort of getting it down still felt like a chore. When it was nearly gone, Marik placed the cup on his table and wiped his mouth.

Odion gave him a kind smile, "Thank you."

Marik brushed his hair back with a heavy sigh and intertwined his fingers behind his neck, letting his head hang down. He felt terrible. Beyond terrible. He couldn't describe exactly how he felt. Or what he thought. And he hated every bit of it. It seemed like he hated everything, and he hated that too. He raised his head and looked at his brother with hopeless, exhausted eyes. Odion's own eyes shown back at him with understanding, and the utmost desire to do something helpful. Marik considered him for a moment, appreciating how this man was always there for him, from the moment he was born. Through the good times and through the very, very, very bad. Odion was always there.

Marik uncurled his legs and crawled forward on the bed, curling up next to a surprised Odion and wrapping his arms around the older man's torso. Odion brought his own arms around Marik, feeling his brother tighten his hold on him. Odion held him close, willing his love and care to convey its strength without the use of any words. And so they stayed for some time, with Marik clinging to what little comfort broke through his churning inner torment.

…

The next couple of days went by as would be expected. After early routines with the nurses, Ryou would receive a visit from the guys. They would have light conversation and lead into the grimmer talk of what happened in the old house. Ryou would spend most of his alone time listening to music and drawing in his journal, or reading from his novels. And then closer to evening time, Serenity and Tea would visit with a gift or two and more, light chit chat. Serenity brought in a poster board decorated with a collage of flowers and birds she had worked on with her mother. Together they had made quite the beautiful garden for him to look at. It made him feel better because he could easily look at all the detail they had added and lose himself to pleasant dreamlike thoughts.

Tea also brought him a couple of mixed cd's with different genres to listen to, and took turns with Serenity reading from magazines when they'd run out of news to share. The plan seemed to be working, as the more they tried to keep his focus on pleasant things, the more he became enthused about getting better and going outside again. Talking about the darker things with Yugi and the others was still difficult and painful, but he was getting better about not snapping at them, and they felt more confident that they were getting somewhere.

The only thing was, they had still only managed to tiptoe around the crucial problem, and that was very clearly Marik. Ryou could heal from his injuries, and even talk with the enthusiasm of getting on with his life. But any direct talk about the Egyptian sent him right back into tense fits and discomfort. Yugi had been trying to press the questions he'd asked before; especially whether Ryou felt he was in danger or not. They could never get a straight answer, although they'd come to the same general conclusion. And this was their current struggle. The one they knew it would all boil down to: Ryou would never get better until he dealt with Marik, and they could see no hope of that happening anytime soon.

They'd also only been able to share their discussions with Ishizu and Odion, as the elder Ishtars always said Marik was asleep or wanted time to himself. At first this was understandable, but they became a little suspicious by the ever growing sadness in the older Ishtars' eyes. Behind closed doors, Marik used the Millennium Rod to start keeping the doctors away. He'd had enough of humoring their pestering visits, and allowed only the morning ones when his wounds were to be cleaned. He'd stopped physical therapy altogether, and lied when his siblings asked about it. It wasn't long before they caught onto this. Every time they would ask about it, he'd never offer more than a nod, and he spent most of his time drifting in and out of restless napping.

"We can't keep this up," Ishizu said to Odion out in the hall. "He'll never get better at this rate. I know he's lying to us, and he'll never let us in if we don't make him."

"If we force him against his will, he will only pull away from us even further," Odion said. "Then he really will have no one."

"But what good are we doing now?" she asked, the distress rising in her hushed voice. "He won't talk to us, and he won't take care of himself. I can't handle this, Odion. I'm so scared."

Her voice broke and tears filled her eyes before she could stop them. Odion took her in his arms and held her close. "I know," he said softly. "So am I."

…

Once she had regained her composure, Ishizu decided that although he would certainly try to push them away, she would still need to be a bit forceful if they were to make any change. Odion kept insisting that being forceful did not necessarily mean being rough. She agreed. Taking a deep breath, she gave a quick knock on the door to announce herself, then went into his room.

She paused just inside. The lights were off but the curtains were open, spilling sunlight into the room. And Marik sat upright at the foot of the bed, with his back to the door. She blinked with a little surprise before taking a step forward. "...Marik?"

She didn't expect any reply, so was surprised to hear a quiet, "Mm hmm?"

It sounded light enough, as though he wasn't upset. Yet the stiffness of his back and the stone-still manner in which he sat without so much as turning around did little to ease Ishizu's mind. What's more, she didn't have a response planned, as she wasn't prepared for him to answer.

"Uh… Did you… your bandages get cleaned today?" A fruitless question, she knew. But after a pause came another quite, "Mm hmm."

Ishizu took a silent breath to steady her nerves and carefully crossed the room. "Does your leg still hurt?" she asked softly as the side of his face came into view. "Or your shoulder?"

His eyes were fixed on the window, as though his thoughts were somewhere else. He made no attempt to look at her or look away.

Physically, he looked thinner. His hair was a mess and he very clearly hadn't gotten proper sleep recently. He looked almost ill.

A line of worry formed between her eyes and she thought carefully about how to proceed.

"Did you hear me?" She asked lightly.

Still nothing. She edged forward slightly, arm outstretched to (reluctantly) touch his shoulder. Then he made a small gesture with his head to the window. She looked and saw the many thin branches of a tree outside his window was busy with fluffy little birds. Some were colored, some were simply mixes of black, brown or white. All turned their heads this way and that with short, quick movements, and hopped about as they looked for an opening at the bird feeders hung beneath their feet.

Ishizu watched them for a moment, then looked back at her brother. His eyes still looked glossy, yet he seemed to be transfixed by the little creatures.

"It's nice out," Marik murmured.

A little surprised, Ishizu nodded and tried to sound a little more cheerful than she was. "Yes, it is."

He continue to stare, and she waited to see if he might say any more.

"We should go outside," he said softly. "Can we go out?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "I –yes. Yes, we can go out." She leaned over and delicately touched his shoulder. "Would you like to walk, or…?" she asked, reluctant to suggest he use his wheelchair.

He gave a slight nod.

"Alright. Before we do though," she fidgeted with a lock of his hair and placed it behind his shoulder. "Would you please let me wash your hair for you? Then we can go for a walk outside?"

He did a sort of half blink and nodded, finally letting his gaze fall as she helped him to his feet and led him to the attached bathroom.

…

He made no fuss as she helped him get clean, even when she sneaked a cloth over his neck and face. She dared to clean his hands and feet as well. Either he really was out of it, or he secretly felt as dirty as he was. Regardless, Ishizu made no attempt to speak to him more than was necessary for the task, moving the warm cloth along as much of his body as she could and she got through it as quick as a good job would allow her. Odion had retrieved an indigo colored bathrobe from the nurses, and after Marik was dry and dressed in clean shorts and a tank top, they wrapped him in the soft material and guided him out of the room.

He was slow at first, as he hadn't done much walking or any healing in days, but he didn't complain, and neither did the others. Ishizu just waited patiently while he held onto her arm and took his time, making his way step by step. Odion followed behind them with the folded up wheelchair, in case they should need it.

…

They made it part of the way walking out to the garden, but Marik quickly became fatigued and allowed himself to be seated in his chair once down the stone steps. Odion took the liberty of wheeling him around and Ishizu led them to the most scenic spot, which was next to a small curved bridge over a pond. They found a grassy place off to the side which gave them a view of the pond and the cherry blossom trees on the other side. The sun shone brilliantly on the whole area, while the breeze kept them cool. Overall the air was fresh and all sorts of birds twittered as they flew about.

Marik looked around idly, coming in and out of his thoughts and taking it all in. Ishizu sat herself in the grass a little ways in front of him. Not wanting to pick the flowers purposefully planted around them, she instead took taller blades of grass and folded them over each other, wrapping them up in the center to form flower shapes. She took her time with this, setting them in her lap one after the other. Once those were done, she took more grass and carefully wove them into a sturdy braid. When satisfied, she began to work on attaching her flower work to it; occasionally glancing up at her brothers. A few times, she saw Marik watching her with unfocused eyes, his head leaning against his hand. She continued her task and enjoyed the perks of being outside, herself. From the look on Odion's face he was feeling the same. None of them could stand being cooped up indoors for too long, and this was a wonderful refreshment. They were out there for some time, and Marik began to look sleepy. But he didn't ask to go back to his room. In fact he didn't say a thing the whole time. More than once they even thought he'd drifted off in the comfort of the atmosphere around them, but at any slightly louder sound he would open his eyes and start looking thoughtfully around again. They decided to leave him be. He'd been long overdue for this, and they wanted to keep him outdoors as long as possible…

An hour crept peacefully by, and they spotted some geese having a little social gathering in the corner of the pond. And a couple of small butterflies danced together over the many flower bushes, while petals fell gracefully from the cherry blossoms to daintily land on the water's surface. It all felt graciously tranquil.

"Sister?"

The sudden imploring tone of Marik's voice immediately got Ishizu's full attention. She looked up to see his hand outstretched to her, eyes looking glassy and sad. Quickly, she got to her feet only to kneel by his side and take his hand in her own.

"Yes, dear?" She cooed, equally grateful yet concerned for his sudden call. He gazed at her, definitely seeing her, but looking positively heartbroken all the same. Ishizu's own heart ached for him. He looked so much like he had the day he had begged her to show him the outside world just once in his life. Now years later, though he was visibly older, she saw that same sad child looking back at her now. Pleading with his big sister to set him free. She felt her eyebrows tense with sympathy and she gently stroked his hand, waiting for him to speak. "What is it?" she whispered.

His mouth opened but no sound came forth. She waited patiently, trying to convey with her eyes that he could tell her absolutely anything.

"I want to go home," he muttered thickly, almost unintelligibly. His voice even sounded like his younger self.

After a moment, in case he'd say more, she nodded thoughtfully. "You still need to heal a bit. But we'll take you home as soon as we can."

Marik turned his head, looking up at Odion, then back to her. "I want to go home," he said, as though they hadn't heard him.

She paused in her movements, searching his face. Finding her answer, she exchanged a look with Odion again, and knew he agreed. "Alright, my brother. We will."

…