Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Cries of the Undead ❯ Chapter 10

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Yuugi.”

 

There's something very frightening in the way a madman speaks your name, it's almost as though they taste you, sick tongue rolling over every letter, every sound, every hidden meaning to your identity only to spit it out like it was something vile and warped like their mind, throbbing and brimming with disease.

 

The small duelist shuddered as that horrid voice, deep and empty, spoke his name. Yuugi could almost feel Marik's deadly teeth sinking into his soul, savoring the boy's sweet demeanor, and suckling on his innocent mind.

 

“Yuugi?…”

 

His iron shut lids shot open, amethyst frantically sweeping the room before filling with tears. “Oh, Kami-sama…” his voice was broken, the tremble of his lips evident as he spoke. Yuugi's heart twisted with pain beyond comprehension and he tried to run, tried to reach, tried to save his yami, but fell on his chest when the chains did not yield to his wants. “Yami! Oh, Gods!” the boy sobbed, coughing as his lungs burned, he twisted and jerked and felt his wrists split as the chains bit into flesh, but Yuugi didn't care, Yami, his Yami was hurt and weak and trapped, but then again…wasn't Yuugi?

 

Cold chuckling filled the air, drowning the sound of the small boy's cries. “Yes, keep struggling, Little Yuugi.” Marik grinned manically, “I'm sure the Pharaoh will love you with or without those chubby hands of yours.”

 

Yuugi stopped fighting and his mind finally registered the burning pain at his wrists. Something warm and sticky trailed down to his fingertips, hitting the ground with a near inaudible `pat'.

 

“There's a good boy.” The dark laughed, arms crossed before his bloodied chest, he stood there, planning in his psychotic mind such lovely games to play.

 

Yami…broken, battered Yami…

 

The once great, untouchable Yami lay chained to the black silk bed, bruise and gash and blood and other fluid across his regal face, making the royal, snottish air of the Pharaoh crumble into a pathetic heap of a shadow. His blood red eyes blinked away hot tears, but it was evident in the small veins collected in the corner of the youth's eyes that he had cried before. “Yuugi…please…Marik…” the ancient spirit's voice was hoarse, scratched with hours of torment, bleeding with his pleas, healing with his other's presence. “Let him go…” Yami tried to sit up, flinching in pain as the chains tightened, breath coming out in wet wheezes as a sharp crack was heard, dark purple bruise flowering where the rib had snapped, tearing through his pale skin and jutting out, the splintered end smiling at them, flesh and blood caught in demented teeth.

 

Yuugi screamed, tearing his eyes away from the terrible sight. “How could you?!” he sobbed and glared through tear clung lashes at Marik, teeth clenched as he tried to control his loathing. It was a horrible feeling, a thick burning that churned and thrashed within him, threatening to overtake his body and make him lash out at the blond yami. “How could you?!” Yuugi stood and ran toward Marik, yanked back by the chains and falling painfully to the ground. “How…” the boy sobbed, back pulsing with pain and heart tearing in two at the sight of his other.

 

“How?” Marik chuckled coldly, malicious grin pulling at his lips. “How what? How did I break the once all powerful Pharaoh?” His chest rumbled with heavy laughter as he strode over to Yami and roughly fisted his tanned fingers in the tricolor locks. “Why, Little Yuugi, didn't the whore explain to you about the birds and the bees?” the manic dark ran his other hand over the pale chest, gently fingering the rib and licking the blood from his fingertips. “He certainly knows everything. Bad Pharaoh, were you just planning on fucking the hell out of your pathetic light? Tsk tsk.” Marik grinned and pulled back, the icy chains that had held Yami melting away to nothing when the blond airily began to pull his pants on.

 

Yami gasped, taking in full breaths as he was finally able to breathe comfortably, shuddering in pain when the broken rib protested the movement and scratched his lungs. “Yu…Yuugi…” the scarlet-eyed youth slid off the bed, crumpling on the ground and trying unsuccessfully to get up, slender arms giving out every time he tried to brace against the floor. Fingernails scraped across the black ground as Yami tried to drag himself to his light, whimpering as freshly healed wounds split open from the strain, soft skin tearing open, bright crimson trailing down his wrists, marble smearing with every frantic movement.

 

The blond yami smirked, walking along side the crawling Yami. “Come on now, Pharaoh, you wouldn't want me to get there first, now would you?” he mocked, taking languid steps and rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Stupid Pharaoh.” Marik hissed and kicked the broken boy in the side. Yami yelped and curled in on himself, wiry frame jerking as he tried to decide between protecting himself or his Yuugi. “You don't get your hikari back until I say, and seeing as how I'm such a nice guy, let me think of an offer for you.” The tanned youth knelt beside Yami and stroked the scarlet tipped hair, smiling gently as he watched the other shiver.

 

The half lidded, violet gaze lifted from the pretty site beside him, and flitted over to Yuugi, who was only a few feet away, Yami had gotten quite close now hadn't he? Marik grinned and was about to play with the small boy's mind when something jerked and whimpered from behind Kaiba. “Kaiba…” the yami drawled, brow arched as he cocked his head “Enlighten me, who else did you bring again?”

 

The brown haired puppet yanked the chains, the small, metal links brushing against each other, clinking in unison as a ghostly white figure was dragged from behind the long trench coat.

 

“Angel!” Marik's face flickered wickedly as he leered at the unclothed form of the white-haired boy. Ryou shook violently, sharp, short gasps not getting enough air to his ice cold body, threatening to make the frail youth black out. “Calm down, Precious…” Marik ran his tongue over his lip and teeth, grinning hungrily as he slowly slinked closer to the boy. “I won't hurt you…I'd never hurt you…”

 

Ryou's mind screamed at him to run, body promptly refusing to move, and merely going cold instead. He watched as Marik came closer, stalking on all fours like the vicious animal he was, violet eyes glinting with twisted glee as they did not break from his own transfixed gaze. Hot breath singed his ear, flesh crawling as it wrapped around his neck and poured down his back. “You're too pretty, too lovely, too perfect for your own good, Ryou…” the boy could feel heated fingers comb through his white locks and gently run over his scalp, another hand tenderly running down his side and caressing his lean form. “I couldn't hurt you, couldn't…it'd be a sin…”

 

A sin? Marik, he who was only an mirage, not a yami, not a shadow, not even a nightmare, only something you thought was there, only something you thought you heard, only something you thought you could see and sense and feel, he was worse than death, he wasn't real…and yet he dared to call something other than himself a sin?

 

Quite whimpers passed pale lips, barely a rush of air, barely a sign of life. Ryou's brown eyes gleamed with tears, each trailing down his face slowly and methodically, following the same path as the tear before, and setting the route for the next. He felt an empty gesture of kindness wipe his cheek, clearing it of sorrowful scars and leaving a dirty feel upon him.

 

“You're so very pretty…clean…untainted…” Marik purred, lips feather touching the white ear and neck and jaw. The smaller closed his eyes; praying and willing himself to wake up, wake up. It wasn't a big demand, just a wish, just a plea, let him wake up and he'd never sleep again, never cry, never fear.

 

Something hot and wet forced its way into his mouth, Ryou gasped, allowing Marik access, and began to cry. His pale body shuddered and slumped against the heated form of his nightmare. Marik tasted the pale hikari appreciatively, cradling the small frame protectively while kissing the nearly fainted other, even through hiccups and hitched breaths.

 

“Ryou…” Marik nipped at the delicate skin, flicking his tongue out and reveling in the subtle sweet taste of the smaller. The boy looked up in fear, twitching faintly and on the brink of hyperventilating. “Say you love me.” Ryou's eyes widened in horror, he jumped as his wrists were tugged, the chain curled around Marik's hand. “Say it, and I'll take these off…” The white-haired boy's lips trembled and he shook his head frantically, he would not give in to the dark's demands, Yami was unchained, how did that help him? There was no guarantee being free would be any better than being as he was now.

 

“No?” Marik feigned hurt and nuzzled the boy's neck, sighing deeply, and kissing the white shoulder. “Say you love me…” he peered up with those malicious, violet eyes, gears turning and a cruel game starting. “And I'll set Yuugi free.” Ryou stilled. “I'll have the rich bastard drop him back off at home, fuck, I'll even set his mind free too.” Slender fingers tipped Ryou's chin up, both set of eyes reading the other.

 

The pale angel swallowed, eyes flicking toward Yuugi and seeing the want. The want to be set free, the want for Ryou to agree, the want for Marik to be satisfied enough that this might work. The brown gaze fell on Yami as well, the dark feeling the soft stare upon him and looking up, Ryou's heart clenching at the tiny spark of a hope and plea in those scarlet depths.

 

“Y-Yami…” Marik quirked his brow at the meek voice, questioning what the other was speaking about, “Yami too…” Ryou looked up, a foreign flash of determination in his eyes as he stared up at his capture.

 

His lips tugged into a smirk, he was highly amused at the angel's boldness. “You're asking for Yuugi, Kaiba, and Yami's freedom…all in exchange for you?” Marik shook his head, “I don't see how that's fair to me, Angel. I lose out-”

 

“Master…” Ryou's eyes darkened thick and deep with lust, voice seeping with demented innocence as he purred for the other's attention. Marik's eyes widened as the seemingly shattered Ryou cocked his head and made a mockery of seduction by merely looking at him with those chocolate depths. “I'll do what ever you want…” the hikari leaned up, slowly licking along the dark's lips “Whenever you want…” he nibbled on Marik's lower lip “For as long as you want…” Ryou bit down and darted his tongue into the slit, eliciting a moan from the yami. “If you let them go.” He pulled back and steadily eyed the dark, by appearance alone one might have thought he was bidding at an auction.

 

Marik narrowed his eyes, violet slits betraying him and allowing the other to see his peaked interest in the offer. “And if you bore me?”

 

Ryou grinned and pressed himself against the yami's body, hips grinding harshly, causing friction to make the blond groan “You won't be bored” he thrust against the other and dug his fingers into the tanned flesh at the dark's neck “I assure you…”

 

The blond purred as he felt the light's tongue lap at the blood his fingernails drew, the smirk accompanied by a sharp chastising snort when Marik nodded his agreement almost too eagerly. “They can all go, live out their pathetic existences and die…but first…” the psychotic yami stood, gently placing his prize on his feet and guiding Ryou to stand facing Marik, with Kaiba beside them, looking like the parody of a priest overseeing a very odd wedding.

 

“Tell me you love me, tell me you want me, tell me you need nothing more than me to worship.” Marik grinned, dark thoughts curving his lips into a sneer “In front of him.” The blond gestured to Kaiba.

 

Ryou glanced at the brunette in confusion, why should he care if Kaiba knew he was selling himself to save the other three? It made no difference what Kaiba thought of him, Ryou was doing right in saving his friends, nothing could stop him from doing this.

 

Marik waved his hand before the brunette's chest, Ryou's eyes peeling in horror. “No!” The Ring's eye flashed and the gold sang as magic stirred and freed the captured spirit. “No!” Ice blue eyes blinked in confusion, the once clouded look to them clearing and ringing the iris with a faint streak of red.

 

Nothing changed, nothing anyone who didn't know him well enough would notice anyway, but Ryou saw his other there as if he were in his own form. The hair didn't shine in silver spikes, the voice didn't drip with bloody sarcasm, the stance didn't go into cocky defense. No, nothing about the body beside them changed in the slightest to signify that the ancient tomb robber was now there, but Ryou knew, he could feel him, see him, taste him as though his other half was holding him.

 

“Ryou?!” Kaiba's arms reached out, trying to snatch the small boy away from the madman, Ryou jerked towards his other, but neither met.

 

Kaiba's body was snapped backwards, crashing against the black walls and falling to the ground. “Bakura!! No!” the white haired boy tried in vain to reach his yami, Marik's grip on the heavy chains keeping the frail youth from getting anywhere nearer than a few feet. “Bakura!!” Ryou was reduced to a sobbing wreck, falling to his knees and weakly trying to get closer while Marik flicked his wrist and dragged the boy to lie at his feet.

 

“Angel.” A sadistic grin bubbled in the words as the blond pet the white head “You want your friends free, don't you?” Ryou hiccupped and nodded, panicked eyes going from the two tricolor boys to Kaiba, to his Bakura nestled behind those cobalt eyes. “Then say it.” Marik hissed, the venomous tone burning through the boy's heart. “I'll let him go too.” Ryou's eyes widened and filled with more tears “I'm sure he'd want to go anyway, especially after he hears you.”

 

All eyes were on him; the gnawing need to say it was overridden by the fact that Bakura was there. But, Bakura would know, he would know Ryou didn't mean it…right? The pale hikari looked up at Marik, cheeks marred with tears, Bakura would know, he'd understand, he'd forgive him…

 

“M-Marik…” Ryou's jaw trembled, lower lip caught between his teeth as he tried to settle his nerves, his mind, and his heart. “I…I love…” chocolate eyes caught a glimpse of Bakura, a frozen heap of long limbs and foreign emotions flitting over the mask he wore. The light closed his eyes and quickly flicked his sight toward Yuugi and Yami, coming to stare up at the demonic yami, narrowing his eyes in clear defiance “Marik, I hate you. I don't care if you torment me for as long as I live or if you kill me.” Ryou stood up, lithe form shaking from cold and anger “But I love Bakura, and if you think you can break me like the rest of your damn puppets, then maybe you should keep me and find out that after living with that bastard for a few years, nothing can get to me that easily.”

 

It was deathly silent for a few moments, the only sound coming from Ryou's petit chest as it heaved with his enraged breathing. The walls clinked with wet chains in apprehension and the violet candles flickered in curiosity. It started low, a throated rumbling as all manic laughter begins, before swelling and coming out a hideous twist between psychotic amusement and hellish fury.

 

Marik laughed and began to walk towards Bakura, Ryou stumbling behind as he tried to figure out what the madman planned. “Well, Precious…” the blond threw Ryou to the ground, watching in sick glee as the boy scrambled to Bakura and nuzzled into the taller's chest. “It seems you're only brave when your dear Kura is around, there to lend you that extra strength you so desperately hunger for.” He strode over to Yami, being held tightly by Yuugi as his chains were no longer held in place by Kaiba, and grabbed the Pharaoh's shoulder, dragging the weakened yami back toward Bakura with a half crying Yuugi trying to scramble after while tripping on his chains. “Let's see how you do this round.” Marik grabbed Ryou's hair and pulled him from Bakura, who was kept silent and still like a broken doll with a dismissive wave of the blonde's hand, and slung the chains holding the boy's wrists together over a hook so that now the pale youth hung against one of the black walls, feet barely reaching the ground.

 

“Pharaoh, if you would be so kind.” Marik lifted Yami to his feet and non-too gently shoved him in Ryou's direction. “Make the pretty little thing scream loud enough, and I'll let you and your multicolored shit go.”

 

Yami fell against Ryou, the pale boy coughing as air was suddenly rushed from his lungs at the pressure. Scarlet eyes widened then narrowed in disgust “Marik! You can't be serious? I'm not-”

 

The blond, having expected such a response, held Yuugi against his chest with the Rod's dagger pressed firmly at the boy's neck. “You either ass rape that angel or I ass rape this one.” Marik smiled, almost sweetly were it not for the fact that it was indeed Marik and nothing could make the lunatic anything other than sadistic. The violet eyes gave an exasperated glance toward Bakura when the Ring began to hum angrily “Really now, Kura, stop struggling, you'll only hurt yourself.”

 

Yuugi gave a choked whimper as the blade slowly scratched his throat; Yami torn apart as he knew sacrificing one hikari for the other was nothing more than a cruel game for Marik. “Yami…” the spirit looked up at Ryou, stretched taut and smiling sadly at the broken Pharaoh “Yuugi's a virgin, I can take it, trust me.” He gave the dark a reassuring nod as Yami shakily held the boy's hips.

 

The Pharaoh slid his eyes closed as he positioned himself, taking in sharp breaths as he tried to steady his conscious. Cold legs wrapped themselves around his waist and pulled him forward, a tight heat enveloping him and short desperate gasps for breath filled his ears. “It hurts more…if you take…too long…” Ryou let his head roll to one side, tears freely sliding down his face as he looked to Bakura, the dark slumped against the cold wall, eyes locked shut.

 

“Oh, no. This simply will not due, Bakura, either you watch this round or you watch when I take him.” Marik smirked as he watched those murky blue depths flash with rage, simply daring the blond to touch the white hikari. “Well?” Bakura glared and reluctantly flitted his gaze toward the Pharaoh and his Ryou, the soft brown eyes of his hikari catching him and sadly asking forgiveness.

 

/Bakura…I'm sorry./

 

//Don't be, Love. The only one who should be sorry is that fucking asshole.//

 

/Kura, please, don't hate Yami, he…he only wants-/

 

\\Ryou?…\\

 

The white-haired hikari blinked in confusion, did he just hear?…

 

//Pharaoh?!//

 

Yami looked up at Ryou and then with equal puzzlement stared at Bakura.

 

//HOLY CRAP!! You can hear us?//

 

Yami winced and nodded his head, suddenly feeling Ryou pull him back into rhythm with a scream.

 

/Don't be so obvious about it, Yami. Otherwise Marik will get suspicious./

 

The scarlet teen nodded in agreement and began to thrust gently into the pale boy, looking up in worry when Ryou began to cry and wriggle in an effort to get away.

 

//What the fuck are you doing?! I'm going to gut yo-//

 

/Sh, Kura. If Marik thinks Yami's doing what he wants, and let's them go, it'll be easier for us to get out too./

 

\\Yuugi, can't he hear us?\\ Yami looked over at his other, eyes widening as he watched Marik caressing the small boy, Yuugi keening as tanned fingers fondled him through his shorts. The violet gaze laughed at Yami, playing the dagger over the delicate skin of his captive, daring the Pharaoh to do something as Marik began to undress the small boy.

 

Marik chuckled as he pinned Yuugi to the ground, the boy's face smeared with tears as it was pressed down, lower half of his clothes savagely ripped from him. “You know what I love, Yuugi?”

 

“No!” Yami tore away from Ryou and bolted toward the two, finding himself snatched in long arms and unable to kick free. Scarlet looked up and he watched as the ice blue eyes dulled, the faint tinge of brown and red fading to near nothing. “Bakura! Let me go! Yuugi!!”

 

//Don't you think I would if I could!// Bakura hissed in aggravation, feeling his grip tighten on the wiry form despite trying to will the arms to loosen.

 

The blond grinned, prying the smaller's legs apart and kneeling between them, fingers scratching down the boy's back with one hand while the other held the hikari's head painfully against the icy floor. “When pretty little virgins squeal in agony.”

 

The scarlet haired boy jerked in the embrace, something cold scratching his back and drawing blood from the thin cut, a soft purr coming from Kaiba's throat, but sounding hungry and more like a certain tomb robber. \\Bakura!\\ There was a slurred murmur in response as five distinct teeth suddenly dug into Yami, sucking greedily on his blood. Through clenched teeth, Yami hissed and arched his back, the Ring only clamping more tightly as it drank on. \\Fuck! Bakura!…the Ring…it's…it's…\\ the youth had lost too much blood to begin with, the Millennium Item was not helping his situation and Yami would pass out if he didn't snap the other spirit out of his drunken state soon.

 

“It's thirsty…” Bakura whispered, the brown head of hair rolling brokenly to one side as he giggled faintly, growling when Yami tried to pry free.

 

Marik positioned himself, lowering his pants just enough so that his member slid out, teeth scraping the base of the other's neck as he hissed “It's a lovely sound really, if you listen hard enough, you can hear the flesh tear, the blood dribble, their soul crack.”

 

Scarlet eyes blinked in surprise, Bakura was able to speak?! \\Ryou!\\ Said hikari looked up weakly \\Bakura! He's… I think he's got control over Kaiba's body, wake him up!\\

 

Ryou's eyes grew double in size /Kura!!/ He felt the fuzzed intoxication of Yami's blood pour into his own mind, making him blink in confusion and nausea. /Please? Bakura…listen to me…let him go…/

 

The yami rolled his head from one side to the other, indecisive as to which angle Yuugi looked best, the freakin' twerp wasn't pretty like his angel, but he wasn't ugly either. Violet eyes flashed with maliciousness and he smiled cruelly, “Like this.”

 

Marik found himself in a tangled mess just as he was about to tear into the boy beneath him, “What the fuck?!” his blond hair was fisted in someone's hand being whipped back and forth so his head smacked violently against the marble ground. He could feel his ribs snap as someone larger than him straddled his chest, hot breath filling his nostrils, long, slender fingers tightening, squeezing, dwindling his air supple so that the blonde's mouth opened and closed to try and take in a full breath.

 

“Quite the predicament, eh Marik?”

 

Violet fluttered, the heavily lidded eyes narrowing, a cocky smirk forming on tanned lips as the blond worked his jaw. “Kura, and I thought that feminine, scratchy voice of yours couldn't get any more annoying, thick with British blood and all, but here you are, as Seto Kaiba, prick of the world, jerk of the millennia, bastard through life times.” Marik chuckled, he didn't need air to speak, the body did, but he didn't.

 

“And here you are, Marik.”

 

The blond grinned saucily at the other; he absolutely loved it when Bakura spoke his name. Heavy with anger and hatred and loathing beyond words, thick with Egyptian and British and Japanese accentuated pronunciation, rich with malice and blood and fantasies too dark to voice.

 

“Bad little boy you are, embodiment of what happens when naughty children play with shiny magic toys. How old are you now, Marik?” Bakura leaned closer to the tanned face, contorted with fury and teeth cutting clear through the corner of his lip, blood spilling from the darkened mouth and running down the slender jaw, Marik absolutely hated being called a child.

 

“Six? Eight?” the blue eyes drowned themselves with brown, scarlet rings of drunken revenge flashing hungrily. “I forget, mostly because I don't care.” Bakura pinned the dark's wrists above the array of blond spikes, leaning forward and putting added pressure to the Egyptian's ribs, grinning satisfied when he heard a soft groan then snap of another rib, tightening his grasp around the other's throat and feeling the muscles beneath him jerk in need of oxygen.

 

“I bet you'd thought you won?” Kaiba's face tensed, eyes going to slits, face shadowed by brown bangs. “That you'd get away with this.” Thin lips tugged into a dark smile, letting go of the tanned throat, his fingers searched for the Rod that lay forgotten beside them. “That you wouldn't have to pay for hurting *my* Ryou, *my* angel, *my* pretty, precious, pet.” Pale fingers curled around the cold metal, flicking the sheath of the Rod off so that the blade smiled at them in the violet lighting.

 

“Well, I guess you were wrong.” Almost sung, almost pleased, almost satisfied…almost, but not. Nothing would be enough to exact the pain and fear and dread the darker yami had planted within Ryou's heart and mind and soul. Nothing would ease the boy to sleep at night, to dream peacefully and silently. Nothing would heal the reopened wounds, split wider, deeper, and filled with salt.

 

Yami had rushed toward Yuugi and scooped the hysteric boy into his arms, rocking them both to try and calm strung and snapped nerves. “Sh, Aibou…I'm here, it's alright.” The amethyst-eyed boy shook violently in his yami's arms, clinging to the battered body and sobbing against the bloodied chest. “Ryou…” The ancient spirit slowly stood, gritting his teeth against the pain as he struggled to carry Yuugi across the room. He placed the smaller on the ground, reassuring Yuugi nothing would happen, and carefully lifted Ryou from the hook, the slender form slumping in exhaustion against him.

 

“K-Kura? Where is he?” A mere whisper, but frantic as Ryou craned his neck and watched his dark raising the Rod. His breath caught as the yami's arm swung down, the hikari burying his face in the Pharaoh's shoulder, waiting for a cry of pain, a grunt, a crunch, anything to prove Marik had been stabbed.

 

But there was nothing except low chuckling, near purring save for the fact it broke out into twisted laughter again. “Kura, Kura, Kura…” Marik snapped his head to the side as he waved for the frozen dark to get off of him. Kaiba's form stood and the wide blue eyes of the billionaire filled with hatred. “I puppeteer Kaiba, not you.” He grinned, cupping the slender jaw of the brunette and whispering “And to think, I was gonna let your pretty go. Now, well…you know what to do.” The blond caught his tongue between his teeth, giggling to himself as he watched the tall body stalk toward the other three.

 

“Bakura! No!” Yami stood between the brunette and the two hikari's, a futile attempt of salvaging them because with quick snap of Kaiba's arm, the Pharaoh was sent sprawling to the ground.

 

“Kura! Listen, you're not…Marik's just…just…” Ryou took hurried steps backwards, finding himself caught between the wall and his yami, horrid memories playing through his mind. “Bakura-”

 

Brown eyes widened as he felt icy fingers caress his chin, a tender thumb wiping away the tears. “I'm sorry…”

 

Ryou felt his body light on fire, throat go dry, lungs collapse upon themselves. His lips parted and only a short gasp for breath came out, a mewl as he broke his gaze and looked down upon himself. The boy watched in half understanding as the Rod was pulled out from his torso. Black, red blood dribbling out in hot wet paths from a wound no bigger than his fist. It trailed down his waist, curved around his legs, and tickled his ankles before seeping onto the floor, collecting beneath him in ebony cloaked, scarlet pool of comfort.

 

Fingers, toes, hands, feet, arms, legs…they all grew cold and numb, the warmth, the feeling receding from those parts and collecting in his heart. Ryou looked back up, ashen face, murky eyes smiling at his Kura. He fell to his knees, rocking unsteadily, failing sight able only to register that Bakura was before him, kneeling down as well, tears looking so foreign upon such a strong face…not Kaiba's, no…because here, on this fine line the hikari tottered on, he saw his Kura, deep brown eyes, wild silver hair, pale white skin…

 

“Kura…” not a word, but a feeling…something so powerful that there was no need to explain it. “I love you…” It only scratched the surface, but the dark knew, the dark felt, the dark did not regret he had been forced to do it, better his life be taken by his hands than another's. Ryou slumped forward, head lolling brokenly to the side, eyes glazing with serene calm, lips gray and cooling as breath began to slow.

 

Bakura dropped the Rod and held the smaller tightly against himself, he kissed the boy tenderly, the hint of sweetness faded and replaced with the bitter taste of death. His eyes peeled wide as he suddenly couldn't breath, something around his neck cutting off his air and into his flesh.

 

“Damn you, taking so fucking long to die! Now you get to watch your dear Kura go first.” Marik hissed, broken laughter filling the air as he pulled tightly on the Ring's cord. “How ironic, the very thing that's kept you alive all these millennia's is what's going to kill you. Because you see, with Ryou gone, and Kaiba wearing the Ring while you die, you've got no where to go…but Hell of course.”

 

The blond chuckled, feeling the brunette's body stiffen and jerk frantically, the jaded eyes of the fallen angel filling with tears as Kaiba suddenly stopped, the fingers that had been trying to tear the cord from his neck falling to the form's sides, the Ring's eye flashing, sealing nothing but memories within. Marik snapped the Ring away and threw it to the side, smirking down at the white haired angel and pouting in disappointment when he noticed the hikari was already dead, a single tear blemishing the pallid skin.

 

“Damn.” Marik glared at the lifeless boy, nudging the corpse with his toe then turning on his heels to face Yuugi, an alarmingly cheerful grin pulling on his lips. “I didn't forget about you two, Pharaoh.” The yami stalked closer to the tricolor youths, brow rising in amusement as they scuttled away. “Aw, come now, well…not literally, of course…” he chuckled to himself and snapped his teeth at them, reduced to a fit of hysteric laughter when they jumped. “I won't bite, very hard at least.”

 

Yami was breathing heavily, pulling Yuugi closer, and wrapping his thin arms around the smaller protectively. “Do you really think that's going to help him?” the blond mocked, clicking his teeth at the scarlet-eyed yami. Marik leaned forward and grinned at the boys, lifting the tail of Yuugi's chains and tugging it with a sharp twist.

 

“Yuugi!” Yami clutched his hikari tightly, but found himself dragged forward before his grip gave in and the light was tossed to the side, Marik staring intently into the Pharaoh's eyes. “Aibou! Run!” the spirit crawled backwards, back sliding against the cold wall, body shaking as he watched the psychotic other leer hungrily at him.

 

“Yes, run…not like I won't catch him eventually.” Marik hissed, watching the fear and horror bubble behind those scarlet depths…that were fading. “What the hell?”

 

Yami looked down at himself, holding his fingers up to his face, he could see through them and watched as Marik reeled around and glared at Yuugi, who held the shattered pieces of the Puzzle in his fingers, other bits of the gold strewn about the black floor, some cracked and chipped from the force the petit youth had used to slam the Item against the marble walls.

 

“You lost, Marik…” Yuugi's face was littered with tears, small face flush, deep purple eyes torn between laughing at the madman and running to his flickering yami. “The only person you sought to hurt, and you couldn't…I love you, Yami.”

 

Marik fisted his hands in his hair, watching as the Pharaoh smirked at him, the image wavering for a moment before disappearing all together, the soft, cocky chuckling echoing in the dark room “I love you too, Aibou…you lost, Marik…”

 

The tanned youth cracked his neck to one side, teeth scraping over his bottom lip “Lost?” Marik caught his tongue between his teeth, violet narrowing to slits as he stared coldly at Yuugi. “I still got you.” The blond lunged at the boy, tackling him down and wrapping both hands around the small neck.

 

Yuugi kicked and squirmed, eyes burning as pressure built within his skull and his lungs screamed for air. His vision began to flicker between black and white, bursts of colors blinding him as his arms and legs began to lose strength, those deadly violet orbs searing through his soul and laughing at his losing struggle.

 

And then…Marik's fingers weren't there anymore.

 

The tricolor boy swallowed huge mouthfuls of air, head flooding with dizziness, and coughing as his lungs filled and emptied too soon. Yuugi blinked in confusion, rolling over to his side and coming face to face with Marik, a hole through his throat and blood pooling around him in a clotted mess. Marik had been dead all along; his hikari's body would have eventually rotted to nothing so that the demented soul would be trapped forever within his lover.

 

Yuugi crawled away from the sight, unable to scream and yet wanting nothing more than to do so, and bumped into something. Looking up with dread as to what else could possibly happen now.

 

“Kaiba!!” The small boy smiled as a flood of emotions washed over him, he sobbed and clung to the taller, shaking and crying against the billionaire's chest when the brunette picked him up. “H-How?…” The deep purple eyes blinked in confusion and he heard something clang loudly against the floor. Yuugi peered over Kaiba's shoulder and saw the Rod, blade covered in black blood.

 

“No one takes over my mind…” the quiet response was a comfort to the small boy. Yuugi sniffed loudly, burying his face in Kaiba's shoulder as they passed Ryou. “I know he had no family…but I'll arrange…and pay for everything…” The tricolor youth nodded and whispered his thanks, smiling at the other's gentleness, Kaiba didn't owe anyone anything, and yet something inside told him differently.

 

Yuugi's eyes grew heavy, the sheer exhaustion of the day taking its toll. From a promising beginning, to a heart-splitting end, he was alone now, the last of six halves, could he last like that? Nothing more than a piece, a half, a shard of a soul, missing his other…For all of eternity now.

 

The amethyst lulled closed, a sad smile toying with his lips as he pressed a single gold eye to his chest.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*