Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Koibito Yami ❯ So It Goes ( Chapter 1 )

Koibito Yami

(Dark Lover)

Hato Chiisai

Chapter 1- So It Goes

It had been over two hours since Ryou Bakura had come home. And he had come home late. His Yami, Bakura, had told him to come home straight from school, but Ryou didn't. He knew that his abusive Yami would beat him into unconsciousness. He had been scared to go home, and scared not to. His father was an archeologist, away on a dig for two months. His Yami always relished the times when his father was gone, because he could freely pursue the activity that seemed to give him so much pleasure; causing Ryou pain.

Afraid of his Yami, Ryou had decided to go to the movies and the arcade with his best friends, Tristan, Joey, and Yugi. Tea usually came with them, but she was out of town for a few days. Yugi's Yami had come too. Ryou liked Yugi's Yami, who everyone simply called Yami, but he was upset every time he saw Yugi and Yami together. They had a deep affection for eachother; they were best friends. `Were,' being the word. Now, they were lovers, too. Yami, the spirit of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, always looked out for Yugi, and took care of him. Ryou would have given almost anything for his Yami, who was the spirit of a Tomb Robber, to care for him as Yugi's did. Yami and Yugi were sympathetic to Ryou, and tried to protect him from his Yami, but they couldn't stay with Ryou all the time.

Ryou knew he was going to be beaten, and it had taken a lot of courage to enter his empty home. It was dark, and Yami Bakura made sure it always stayed that way, after learning of Ryou's fear of the dark, which YamiBakura had unknowingly installed in his Hikari in the first place. When his Yami didn't immediately assault him, he had gone up to his room. His Yami often waited for him there. But his Yami still did not appear. Ryou had gone downstairs to the kitchen and warmed himself some leftover pizza from the night before. He had eaten dinner, cleaned up, and watched some TV, and his Yami still did not make an appearance, so Ryou, rather confused at this point, had gotten in the shower. He inspected his chest, as he washed it; the bruises there were almost gone from his last beating, last week. His Yami had been very quiet recently, and it was making Ryou very nervous.

After he washed his long sheet of silvery white hair, he got out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He returned to his room, which was dark. As he turned, to switch on the lights, he froze, and his blood ran cold.

His Yami stood silouhetted against the window. No details could be seen, but his violet eyes seemed to glow, as they bored into Ryou's soft brown eyes. He smirked at Ryou, who was trembling in his terror.

"Don't tell me you were thinking you'd get away with it?" YamiBakura snarled, his teeth flashing. Ryou swallowed, unable to look away from his dark half. YamiBakura glared at his Hikari. "I told you to come home. Now, where were you?" He demanded.

"Nowhere, Master." Ryou whispered, weakly, looking at the floor. He heard his Yami coming closer, and he choked back a terrified sob that threatened to escape. Soon, he was staring at his Yami's feet. He knew his Yami knew where he had been. And now, he knew why his Yami had waited so long to confront him. He stared down at his body, naked, except for the towel. And that was what YamiBakura had been waiting for. He knew how much more vulnerable and helpless Ryou felt without clothes, how every human felt so vulnerable when they were so exposed. It added humiliation to the pain of the beating, and the worse Ryou felt, the more satisfied YamiBakura was. YamiBakura had attacked him twice before, when he wasn't wearing any clothes, and those stood out more vividly in Ryou's mind than any other beating he had been forced to endure. YamiBakura smirked. He could smell the terror on his Hikari, and now, he wanted to smell his blood.

Ryou saw the blur of motion, but had no time to react to it. He spun around and stumbled back into his desk as YamiBakura backhanded him, catching his left eye. The towel began to slip, exposing his thigh. YamiBakura stared at it, then looked at Ryou's face. He was holding his head, and not noticing anything else. The water still dripped from his long hair. YamiBakura stalked up to Ryou, and buried his fist in the boy's stomach. Ryou let out a choked cry, as he doubled over. YamiBakura brought his knee up into Ryou's chin, snapping his head back. Ryou fought to keep his balance, but fell to the floor, knocking his elbow against the wall. He whimpered in pain, and felt the tears well up in his eyes, as the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.

He had lost his towel by this point, and looked up, to see YamiBakura staring at him, a strange look on his face. Ryou drew his knees up to his chest, his face flushing in his embarrassment.

YamiBakura felt the heat rise in his cheeks as well, and a stirring in his chest. He was confused by these feelings, as he looked down at Ryou. But he scowled, dismissing the unfamiliar feelings, and advanced on his victim. He gave Ryou a sharp kick in the side, and Ryou cried out as he felt one of his ribs crack. YamiBakura seized Ryou's arm, and wrenched it behind his back, twisting it sharply. He put one knee between Ryou's shoulders, and began to increase the pressure on his arm. Ryou screamed at the intense pain, and YamiBakura saw the tears run down his face. He gave Ryou's arm another viscous jerk, and Ryou screamed again.

"Pathetic." YamiBakura snarled in the boy's ear. "You are the weakest, most pitiful excuse for a human being I've ever seen. Only a fool shows weakness to his enemy." And he released Ryou, stepping back. Ryou whimpered, as his arm fell to the floor, limply. Ryou could not move it, and had no feeling in it either, aside from a dull, throbbing pain. He simply sat on his knees, and cradled his arm, tears streaming down his cheeks and falling to the floor, mingling with the blood that dripped from his mouth. Yami Bakura brought his leg up sharply, sending Ryou flying into the corner of the desk. He uttered a sharp cry, then, lay dazed for a few moments, before blinking, and looking up at his Dark Side. He lifted his arms and crossed them over his head, as his Yami came flying at him. He beat on Ryou, his head, his arms, his torso, he kicked his legs and sides, until Ryou went limp. Then, his Yami backed off. Ryou fell to the floor on his face, his body heaving as he tried to control the sobs that he knew would only make his Yami hit him again. Yami Bakura dropped to one knee beside his Hikari, and seized a handful of the silvery hair, soaked in blood from a wound put there after he had fallen into the desk. Yami Bakura lifted the half conscious boy's head, until they were looking eachother in the eye.

"Are you going to come home late again?" He asked, sweetly. Ryou winced, and gasped as his Yami jerked on his hair.

"No, Master!" He managed to gasp.

"What have I told you about socializing with those pitiful humans, and that damn Pharaoh?!" He snapped, jerking Ryou's hair again. He whimpered, and didn't answer. "Especially that damn Pharaoh and his damn Hikari! You won't talk to them, you won't `hang' with them, you won't even look at them! If you do, I'll know. Have I made this perfectly clear?"

"Yes, Master." Ryou gasped, in a quavering, defeated tone.

"Good." YamiBakura snarled, and released the boy. Ryou staggered to his knees. He felt a feeling well up in him, an anger, a desperation, that gave him the courage to say what he was thinking.

"I understand." He said, and his Yami turned to look at him, a suspicious look on his face. Ryou took a deep breath. "But that doesn't mean I'll obey." He said, trying to keep the terror out of his soft voice. Yami Bakura turned around completely, as if not quite sure of what he heard. Ryou began to shake violently, as his Yami advanced on him, shooting him looks of pure venom. YamiBakura dropped to his knees beside the naked boy, and put Ryou in a headlock. He whimpered again.

"Do you want to repeat that? I don't think I quite heard you." YamiBakura snarled. Ryou refused to answer, his courage gone. He knew that his Yami was merely trying to force him into submission again, and Ryou, despite the intense pain, had no intention of giving his Yami the satisfaction. He whimpered again, as his Yami tightened the grip of the headlock. "Well?" Ryou screwed up the last ounce of courage he had in him.

"You heard me right." He said, trying to sound fearless, but it didn't quite work. Then, he saw a fist right in front of his face, before he saw stars. YamiBakura slammed his fist into Ryou's face again and again, he didn't bother counting, until the whimpering stopped, and Ryou stopped struggling. His Yami released Ryou from the headlock, and Ryou fell straight to the floor. His Yami glared down at him, and kicked him over onto his back. Ryou didn't respond, having fallen into the blessed relief of unconsciousness.

YamiBakura stared down at the nude form of his Hikari, really looking at him for the first time in months. Slowly, the scowl faded, and a look of disbelief took its place. Could this really be his Hikari, Ryou Bakura? It didn't look like him anymore. His bruised body was incredibly pale, more that Yami Bakura had ever seen it. And Ryou was so, well, thin. He had always been thin, small, and delicate, very fragile looking. A word often used to describe him was frail. But now, he was more that that. He wasn't thin any longer, he was gaunt. Yami Bakura hadn't noticed until now.

Ryou's arms and legs looked like nothing but skin and bones. His neck was thin and his collar bones stood out, his skin stretched tightly across them. His ribs stuck out, and his usual flat stomach had caved in slightly, showing his abdominal muscles that he must have built up after all the times YamiBakura had pounded him there. YamiBakura knelt next to his Hikari, and looked into his face. Ryou's soft face was thin, his cheeks and eyes slightly sunken in. He frowned again, and thought. Ryou's eyes were beautiful, even Yami Bakura couldn't argue with that. They were very large, and dark brown, and they echoed his personality, quiet, shy, compassionate… innocent. But they had lost that look recently. Now, if they weren't closed, they would be hollow, and empty, reflecting the pain of his suffering. Ryou's usually long, thick, silvery hair had even lost some of its luster. It definitely wasn't as thick as it should be. Ryou's Dark Half had the strangest longing to hold him in his arms, and feel the softness of his skin. He felt strange feelings well up inside of him, and he reached out, his fingertips brushing across Ryou s chest, feeling the smooth warm skin. Then, YamiBakura blinked, and pulled his hand back. He stood quickly, and backed up a step, staring down at Ryou's body, bewildered. He shook his head, and returned to the Millennium Ring, on Ryou's desk, to think about these strange feelings he had never felt before, leaving Ryou lying naked on the floor.

***********

Ryou woke to a throbbing headache, and shivering with cold. He slowly, and fearfully opened his eyes, and looked at his room, turned pink with dawn sunlight. Slowly, he sat up, and felt the back of his head. It was sticky with blood. He looked down at his body, then turned away in horror. He was covered in bruises, old and new. Slowly, he stood, and waited a moment to make sure he wouldn't pass out. He went to the bathroom, and turned on the shower. HE stepped in, and began to gingerly wash to blood from his hair. He sighed, and thought about whether or not he should go to school. He quickly decided yes; that last thing he wanted to do was stay at home with his sadistic, psychotic Yami. He got out of the shower, and only then dared to look at his face. He looked away quickly, gritting his teeth at what he had seen. He had two black eyes, a bruise on his forehead, and bruises on his cheeks. He had a busted lip, and a cut over one eye. He looked back at the mirror, and his eyes filled with tears, as he thought of Yugi's face when he saw the bruises. He took a hairbrush from the counter, and began to fix his hair, hiding as much of his face as possible.

As he went back to his room, he froze.

"Ryou! Where are you?" He heard Yugi Mouto call, pounding on the front door.

"C'mon, Ryou! We'll be late!" Joey Wheeler shouted.

"Maybe he's sick, guys, let `im sleep." Tristan's voice drifted to Ryou's ears through his open bedroom window; no wonder he had been so cold. Ryou slipped over to the window and looked out, hiding behind the curtains. He watched his friends leave. Yugi paused, once, and looked up at Ryou's window, a worried look on his face. Ryou ducked back into the shadows, so as not to be seen. He breathed a sigh, half in relief, half in regret, as Yugi disappeared around the corner. He moved over to his dresser, and pulled out his unifotrm. He put it on the white shiirt, and buttoned it up. He pulled on his boxers, and then his pants, and his socks, and shoes, then, put the Millennium Ring around his neck.

He had left it home once, and YamiBakura had been furious when he came home; he had beaten Ryou senseless, then, smashed a lamp over his head. Ryou had missed school for a week because of the injuries sustained. Ryou went downstairs, after he brushed his teeth, and put on his uniform jacket, zipping it all the way. Then, he hissed in pain as he slung his backpack to his shoulders. He fought back his tears, then, went out the front door, and began to walk to school.

************

"I still don't like it." Yugi said to Joey, as they sat in the classroom before class started. "It isn't like him to miss school."

"He's probably just sick." Tristan said, again. Yugi frowned.

"When was the last time you saw him sick. I mean, really sick. I think he had trouble with his Dark Side again. Yami agrees with me. That's the only reason he's ever missed school before."

"Yeah, he did seem nervous about goin home last night." Joey said, frowning, starting to get concerned. The teacher walked in at that moment, and began taking roll. Ten minutes into the lesson, Yugi looked up, as Ryou came in the door. His hair hung around his face, so Yugi couldn't see him. Ryou hurried to a seat in the back of the room, mumbling his apologies to the teacher.

"And just where have you been, Ryou Bakura?" She said.

"Overslept." Ryou said, quickly. Yugi frowned. Ryou never slept in. Ryou seemed to be taking great care to hide his face, burying it in a book. Yugi sighed, and tried to concentrate on the lesson, but it was difficult. He knew something was wrong.

/It has to be YamiBakura./ He though to his own Yami.

//I agree. You need to talk to your friend as soon as possible, Yugi.// Yami replied. At the lunch bell, Yugi stood, and headed in Ryou's direction, followed by Tristan and Joey. Ryou saw them coming, and hurried out of the room.

"Why'd he do that?" Tristan wondered aloud.

"Did you see the back of his head?" Yugi said, grimly. Tristan shook his head, but Joey looked worried.

"Yeah. There was blood." He said, and they raced after Ryou.

Ryou felt bad for running from his friends, he wanted to talk to them so much right now, but if he did, he'd only give his Yami an excuse to beat the crap out of him again. Ryou fled to the roof of the school, and looked around to make sure he was alone. Then, he leaned against the wall, and, with a sigh, sunk down, and put his head in his hands. He could feel the sleeping spirit in his Millennium Ring, and then, he felt the hot tears slipping down his cheeks. He let them flow. He was so preoccupied with his misery, that he didn't hear the door to the roof open, and didn't notice Yugi, Tristan, and Joey coming over to him.

"Ryou?" Yugi said, softly, Ryou jumped to his feet, startled, and stared at the three boys. Then, he looked away, turning his back on them, as he saw their looks of concern turn to looks of shock and horror.

"Christ, Ryou!" Joey yelped.

"Oh, my God!" Tristan gasped.

"Yami, I think you should see this." Yugi said, and Ryou immediately felt that Yami had left the Millennium Puzzle to take physical form. He winced as he felt a gentle, but firm hand on his shoulder, and YamiYugi turned him around. Ryou kept his head down, hiding his face behind his hair. Yami's fingers gently touched his face, and made Ryou lift his head. Yami's stern face immediately contorted to show his shock, then horror, and then, fury. Ryou saw the three other boys were looking very upset as well.

YamiYugi put a hand on Ryou's shoulder, and started to say something, but saw Ryou wince. He took his hand off of Ryou's shoulder, and frowned. Then, he reached for Ryou's throat, and began to unzip the jacket. Ryou's hand flew up, and caught Yami's wrist in his hand. Yami looked at him, then, lifted his other hand, removing the smaller boy's fingers from his wrist, Ryou gave up, and let his hand fall limply to his side. The Pharaoh unzipped his jacket. He pulled it off of Ryou, and tossed it aside, then proceeded to unbutton his shirt. Ryou let him, unable to move. YamiYugi stripped the shirt off of the white haired boy, and his eyes widened. Ryou refused to look at any of them, staring hard at the ground. He knew what he saw; there was more bruised skin than unbruised on his body, and he knew it. Yugi was looking slightly ill.

"Oh, God… Ryou …" Yugi said, softly, not believing what he was seeing. Tristan and Joey were at a loss of words. They all knew that Ryou's Yami hit him, but they never knew he was actually beaten.

"That Ra-damned grave robber!" The Pharaoh hissed. He walked around Ryou, examining his body from every angle, noting the especially ugly bruise on his ribs. He reached out, to touch it, but Ryou shied away. It was probably broken. "What has he done to you? Why did he do it?" He waited for Ryou to answer, but Ryou was silent. "Answer me, Ryou." He commanded, his voice sounding like thunder.

"I, I fell down the stairs." He stammered. If he told the truth, his own Yami would be furious. "That's all. My Yami hasn't hit me in almost a week." He said, which was partially the truth; he hadn't, until last night. Yami frowned.

"Don't lie to me, Ryou Bakura. Now tell me the truth I know he did this to you. And within the last day. You didn't have them last night." Suddenly, Yami stopped, and his eyes widened. "That's why, isn't it? Because you came with us last night." Ryou swallowed. He knew lying to YamiYugi was useless; he'd see right through it. Yami reached out to Ryou, trying to show comfort, and compassion, but, involuntarily, Ryou leapt back against the wall, and put his arms up in front of him, cowering. A small whimper escaped his lips, and Yami stared at him, a pained and confused expression on his face. He couldn't believe that Ryou was frightened of him. He reached out, and gently pulled Ryou's hands down. Ryou looked at YamiYugi, and his body relaxed; he knew that his friend wouldn't hurt him, and felt sorry that he had hurt Yami by retreating the way he had.

"What happened, Ryou? Please, tell me." Yami asked, so softly, that Yugi, Tristan and Joey hardly heard.

"I was supposed to go straight home after school." He said, quietly, refusing to look at his friends.

"He makes theses commands?" YamiYugi asked.

"Always. But I was scared to go home, so I went with you." Ryou began to shake, as he felt the spirit of the Millennium Ring stir, and awaken. His lip began to tremble, as he felt his Yami's fury and anger. Yami saw the goosebumps rise on Ryou's fair skin, as the pale boy backed away from him, obvious terror painted across his face.

//We'll have a lot to discuss this afternoon.// YamiBakura sneered, mentally. Yami, Yugi, Tristan and Joey saw Ryou s hair quiver, giving it away that he was trembling. All the color had drained from his face, and he suddenly snatched his clothes, shoved by the four boys and headed for the door.

"Ryou, wait!" Yugi cried, and Yami tried to catch Ryou's wrist, but missed.

"Ryou!" Yami called, simultaneously with Joey.

"I have to go." Ryou said, and rushed down the stairs. He did not return to class that day.

*********

"You're home early." The voice startled Ryou, as he locked his front door. He turned to face his Yami.

"They followed me." He said, in a dry, desperate rush. "I tried to get away from them, but they followed me." He trembled as his Yami advanced on him, until their faces were inches apart.

"Don't let them." He snarled, and then, he brought his knee up sharply between Ryou's legs.

Ryou screamed, then fell to his knees. He felt his backpack being dragged off of him, and then, a sharp slap on the back of his head. Fireworks went off in the middle of his skull, and he cried out again, falling to the floor. He suspected that his skull might be cracked. He stumbled to his feet, and tried to run for the stairs, but his Yami seized his wrist and slammed him into the wall. Ryou felt both wrists being held against the wall over his head, and then, his Yami began to bury his fist into his stomach, and soon, he no longer had the breathe to even cry. Eventually, he passed out.

*********

Ryou jumped awake to the sound of someone pounding on the front door. He slowly got to his feet, and unlocked it, then opened the door. When he opened the door, Yugi saw the fleeting look of joy, disappear, and give way to distress. He looked at Ryou, who had looked away from Yugi. There was fresh blood on his lip.

"He did it again! That bastard did it again!" Joey cried, outraged, once he noticed the blood, too. Tristan stared at Ryou with a pained look on his face.

"Ryou," Yugi began, but Ryou cut him off.

"Yugi, don't. Just, leave me alone. You'll only make it worse."

"But, Ryou,"

"Please leave, Yugi. I, I can't talk to you. Not now, not ever. Not any of you, but especially you, Yugi."

"Is this another command he barks at you?" Tristan practically shouted. Ryou flinched, and looked at the ground.

"Look, I, I can't, I, please, just go. Don't worry about me. Don't try to help me, don't even talk to me. Please." Yugi could see the pain in Ryou`s eyes.

"You're not his slave, Ryou!" Tristan said, desperately.

/Yes. I am./ Ryou thought to himself, bitterly.

"Ryou, please, we want to help." Yugi said.

"Then go, and leave me alone." Ryou choked out, to his only friends in the world. He stepped back, and began to close the door. Yugi watched, sadly, as he did, but then, his heart froze as he caught sight of a second figure, looming behind Ryou, eyes glowing violet. Tristan and Joy saw it too, just before the door closed. The lock clicked. Suddenly, they heard a shout, and loud thud. The door shuddered, and they heard Ryou scream. Yugi, Tristan, and Joey, all jumped forwards.

"Ryou!!!" Yugi screamed at the door, pounding on it, desperately. "Yami! Help us!" Yugi cried, when suddenly, he felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He remembered suddenly that Yami wasn't in the Puzzle; he was at the Game Shop. They could hear Ryou crying, and his Yami shouting at him. There were thuds, and crashes, and Yugi felt tears welling up in his eyes, as he screamed Ryou's name again, as Tristan and Joey tried to pound the door down.

"Yugiii!!!" They heard Ryou scream, and then yelp in pain. Yugi pounded his fists on the door, as hard as he could.

"Ryou! Ryou! No! Ryou, please! No! Ryou!!!" He sobbed at the door. Then, suddenly, all was quiet in the house. Joey, Tristan, and Yugi stopped pounding and stepped away from the door, staring at it, listening for any noise. Suddenly, the door opened, and Yami Bakura stood there. His shirt was flecked with blood, his knuckles smeared with it and behind him, they could see Ryou, lying on the floor, his eyes closed. His face was contorted in pain, and streaked with blood. He seemed to still be struggling, weakly, or writhing in agony. He moaned, then coughed, and blood splattered to the floor.

"Ryou!" Yugi gasped, and tried to push by Bakura. But the Yami seized Yugi's collar, and lifted him off of the ground, then threw him back into Joey and Tristan, who caught their friend. Bakura glared at them.

"Filthy Hikari!" He spat at Yugi. "If you want to help him, stay away from him. Don't talk to him, don't look at him, don't even think about him." He snarled.

"You, Son of a Bitch!" Tristan shouted, and leapt at Bakura. The demon backhanded Tristan, and sent him crashing to the ground. Joey went on the attack, but got the same thing Tristan did. Bakura looked at Yugi, then smirked.

"Just take my advice kid. That's the best way to help your friend, but I guess, you shouldn't count him as a friend anymore. He no longer exists to you. Here, he'd want you to have this. Just think of it as the little wimp's way of saying goodbye." The Yami said, and flipped something at Yugi, before closing and locking the door. Yugi looked down at the object in his hand. It was a Duel Monsters card. Tristan and Joey looked over Yugi's shoulders as he flipped it over. Tears of pain for his friend ran down his face as he stared at Ryou's favorite card. The Change of Heart.

He remembered the duel between Yami Bakura and Yami Yugi, when his soul had been trapped within his favorite card, the Dark Magician. Joey had been trapped in the Flame Swordsman, and Tristan in the Cyber Commander. Tea had been the Magician of Faith. Then, YamiBakura had played change of heart. And Ryou was revealed, trapped within his own card, just like Yugi and the others. Even then, he had been terrified of his Yami, but had risked everything to defy him and save Yugi and the others. Yugi's tears stopped, and he looked at Tristan and Joey.

"C'mon." He snarled. "Let's go back to the Game Shop to get Yami. This isn't over."

"Yug, I dunno, maybe we are making it harder for Ryou." Joey said, obviously distressed. Yugi held up the Change of Heart card.

"He risked everything for us when we were threatened by the Grave Robber. Now, we have to save him. Let's go get Yami." The three boys pelted away. Yami Bakura watched them go, with a smirk, then, suddenly his smirk turned to a look of disgust, and dismay.

"Oh, in the name of Ra! How could I be so stupid!" He shouted at himself. "That damn Hikari had the Millennium Puzzle! And Yami wasn't in it! It was right in front of me, and I didn't even have the sense to take it!" And a long string of Egyptian curses followed Yami Bakura's furious rant. Suddenly, he was silent, and turned to Ryou on the floor, who was looking at him.

"They're gone, just so you know. And they won't be back, either. And I missed the perfect opportunity. Now," he said, kneeling in front of Ryou. "I believe I need to relieve some frustration." His mouth turned upwards in a smirk. Ryou looked down at the floor, knowing what was coming.. YamiBakura seized his Hikari's throat, and lifted him up, choking him. He slammed him into the wall. Ryou saw the silver flash of metal, and heard the click of an opening switch blade a second before he felt the cold steel on his stomach, and then, he threw his head back, and screamed, as he felt the steel being forced, slowly, into his flesh, just below his ribcage. Bakura was very careful, making sure that the wound he left Ryou with would not be fatal. Ryou screamed again, as the knife twisted.

"Yugiiiiii!!!!!!" He screamed, in desperation. The knife was jerked out of him, and he heard it fall to the floor. Then, he was staring his Yami in the eyes. His Yami cuffed him, and he felt a new cut on his forehead, the blood trickling down his cheek.

"I never want to hear that name again." Bakura snarled, and watched the blood run down Ryou's face in bizarre fascination. Slowly, he leaned forwards, and caught the blood with his tongue.

Ryou gasped as he felt his Yami's tongue slip up his face, licking the blood away. YamiBakura let the blood roll around on his tongue, the coppery taste tainted with Ryou's sweat. Then, he looked at his Hikari's face. Ryou had his teeth clenched, and his eyes shut tight. Suddenly, the strangest desire filled YamiBakura, as he looked at his mirror image. He remembered how soft the skin on Ryou s chest, had been, and wondered, were his lips the same? He stared at Ryou, watching the tears fall. Impulsively, he leaned forwards, and began to lick those up, too. Ryou gasped again, and trembled, frightened, and confused. He felt his Yami's lips on his closed eyes. He wondered, how could his Yami's lips be so soft, when the rest of him seemed so hard and cruel. Ryou's weakened legs finally gave beneath, him, and he sunk to the floor. His Yami just watched, then stepped back, touching his own lips, wet with Ryou's blood, sweat, and tears. He frowned, and retreated to the Millennium Ring, once again disturbed by these strange, unfamiliar thought, feelings, and desires towards Ryou Bakura.

***********

YamiYugi sat quietly in an armchair, sipping some tea, and trying to read a book that Yugi's Grandpa had given him. He was depressed, after thinking all day of the pain and suffering of his gentle friend Ryou Bakura. He was trying desperately to get his mind off of it, if only for a minute, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw Ryou's marred skin and the look in his eyes that told of his pain. His heart ached as he thought about how Ryou had been so frightened at a gesture that was supposed to be comforting.

Yami sighed, and put his head back closing his eyes. It was all that damn grave robber's fault. Ryou was so afraid of his own Yami, that he was growing fearful of Yugi's Yami. Yami had been so upset by Ryou's sudden terror and retreat, that he had decided not to return to his Soul Room within the Millennium Puzzle. Instead, he had gone for a walk. He had no destination in mind, but just walked. He thought about so many things, Ryou Bakura's problems with his Yami, and his own little Hikari, Yugi Mouto, whom he loved more than anything in the world. And Yugi was very upset about Ryou. A slight smile touched his lips as he thought of his playful, usually cheerful Hikari, who should have been home form school by now. Yami smirked. `He's probably at the arcade.' He mused to himself, stroking his lip in thought. Yugi's Grandpa was minding the store, so Yami was enjoying some peaceful time in the house. Until, once again, his thoughts turned to Ryou. YamiYugi jumped, and spilled some of his tea when the door banged open suddenly, and loudly, as Yugi, Joey, and Tristan came in.

"Ow! Ohh! Hot! Ooh!" YamiYugi yelped, as the tea splashed onto his hand and thigh. He quickly put the cup down, and shook his hand, trying to get rid of the scalding tea. "Ra-Dammit!" He yelped. But then, he noticed the looks on Yugi, Tristan, and Joey's faces. Yugi's face was swollen and red, and his Yami could see that he'd been crying.

"Yugi?" He asked, softly, and a sick concern welled up in his stomach.

"He did it again." Yugi whimpered. "We went to Ryou's house, after school, and his Yami had beaten him again. There was, blood." Yugi held up his hands, helplessly. In one fist, was a Duel Monsters Card. Gently, YamiYugi took it, and stared down at Ryou's Change of Heart card, with a sick feeling in his stomach. Yami gripped his Light's shoulders.

"You shouldn't have gone without me, aibou." He said, sternly. "You could have been hurt."

"I am!" Yugi shouted. "I'm hurting because Ryou's hurting, and I can't help him!" Yugi felt the tears on his face again. "He doesn't want our help." He said weakly, and proceeded to tell his Yami what Bakura and Ryou had said.

"If we try to talk to Ryou, his Yami will hurt him again." He finished, weakly. YamiYugi sat down, and put his head in his hands.

"Then don't. Don't try to talk to him. Any of you. I only hope he can hold out until I'm ready to make my move. And Yugi," he said, looking straight at his Hikari, "above all, do not go back to his house. This is as much for your good as it is for his. We'll help him, but until I figure out how, stay away from Ryou Bakura."

************