Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Koware na Hato ❯ Gokai ( Chapter 11 )

Koware na Hato

by: Yumei

(who has now changed her writer name to yukuro n nV)

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A/N: Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews! T.T;; I just got back from Japan from visiting friends and family so I apologize for the recent lack of updates! You're all wonderful for having so much patience with me *sob* Thanks to everyone again! I'll have the real explanation at the end… o.o

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Disclaimer: … *grumble* yu-chan does not own the cute little charries. she is just borrowing them for this "retarded" story because she loves them so much. *sweet smile* >_>;;

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Chapter Eleven: Gokai

A few simple moments of silence were painfully placed between them. Uncomfortable shifting and only quiet breathing disturbed the silence. Neither one spoke for fear of what to say…

"Thank you…" Ryou whispered quietly, folding his hands in his lap. His cheeks were flaming with a rosy red. "Thank you," he began again, "but…I don't need protection. I just…I just want to see the people I love! The person I love!"

Though with a slightly aching heart, Marik smiled softly and placed a hand on the crying boy's trembling shoulder. Though he barely knew the boy, his heart ached simply watching the innocent creature cry. "I completely understand how you feel, Ryou. I have people that I love and want to see too. But please understand; there's nothing that could be possibly done right now. Believe me, I do want to help you, but I…"

"You can't," Ryou finished for him, understanding the sadness in his soft tone. "You don't need to smile just for me, you know. If you want to cry…then you should cry. For a very long time I've only wanted to cry, but when I did, I thought it would make people angry, so I held it in. I couldn't be true to myself though. The more I stopped crying…the stranger I felt and I realized I can't make people happy if I'm not happy myself."

Marik blinked, then smiled softly again, placing his hand on the boy's cheek. "Thank you, Ryou. Please take your own advice as well. I promise to take care of you and I'll be here whenever you want to cry. I really want to help you…but I just don't know how."

"I know you have to take into consideration of what would happen to the people you love," Ryou said, looking away slightly. Feeling the hand drop to his shoulder, he blushed slightly. "I love Karakage-sama very much…all I want is to be with him…but for now…I want to help you too!"

Flushing, Marik blinked into Ryou's determined eyes. The part he had said about wanting to help him flattered him very much, but what surprised Marik the most was, "Did you say…that you love that person? The tomb robber that hurt you? Beat you, and made you cry? You love him?"

"I... I..." Ryou stuttered for a moment, turning away again. He didn't understand why he had such a hard time telling Marik something that he already knew was true. He loved Karakage-sama with everything in his heart, but why were those deep, pained purple eyes making so hard for him to say so? "Yes… Yes, I love him! Even…even if he does those things… He's only doing it for my sake!"

"He says that it's for your sake that he rapes you?!" Marik asked incredulously, eyes wide. He was shocked! "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! He would never do those things to you if he actually cared! No offense, Ryou, but that bastard doesn't care about you at all!"

"D…don't say things like that!" Ryou finally yelled back, his eyes squeezed shut, but tears falling down anyway. He opened his teary eyes to see Marik's shocked eyes. Pushing the boy's hands away, he yelled back again, "You don't understand at all! He really does do it for me! He does it because he doesn't want me to die! Without his spirit and soul flowing within me, I wouldn't even be sitting here right now! He's given me part of his entire existence… So what if he's never actually told me that he loves or even cares for me? I still love him with all of my heart!"

Purple eyes stared at him in utter shock and disbelief. Closing his eyes, Marik let his hands drop with an apologetic smile. He should have known… Ryou was most definitely not as frail as he or anyone thought. He was strong enough to stand by whatever his heart told him, even though it seemed difficult or not right. "You're right," he apologized, "I'm sorry. I never should have questioned you."

Ryou blinked and quickly wiped his tears away. It was stupid of him to get so worked up at someone who he would be spending his entire imprisonment with. Turning away from the boy's comforting smile, Ryou stared at the wall. "I…I'm sorry for yelling at you…"

"It's no big deal," Marik whispered, closing his eyes and smiling at Ryou's back. Sighing softly to himself, he ran a hand through his hair. Laughing bitterly, he said to the snowy haired boy's back, "I never should have questioned your feelings. That would be just a little too hopeful for me. Sorry."

Ryou's upset look dropped from his face and he peered over his shoulder at the other boy. That had made him slightly curious. What on earth would the boy mean by that? Hopeful? "What do you mean hopeful? Marik-san?"

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" Marik said with a carefree grin. Waving it off wit his arm, he stood up. "Don't let anything I just said trouble you! There's no need for me to be making you feel any worse. Anyway, let's find something to consume our time, hmm?"

Blinking slightly, Ryou spun around and stared after the retreating blond. He had not completely understood what had happened, but he could feel a tiny weight being lifted from his heavy heart. There was so much he wanted to know and needed to hear, but at least for now, he could forget about it for a while. Even though he was in captivity…at least he had a friend here who would listen to him… Karakage-sama… where are you? Will you came and take me home…? Will you come for me at all? Karakage-sama…

"This is Kaiba."[1]

"Seto? Sorry to call you at a time like this…"

The blue eyed boy slowly put his papers he had been holding before on his oversized desk and sighed slowly as well. Running one hand through his thick brown hair and using the other to rest the phone closer to his ear, Seto glanced at his piled paper work, but finally turned his gaze away. "What is it this time? Yami? …and who told you to call me by my first name?"

"Sorry," Yami apologized again gruffly into the phone, throwing himself down on a chair. Glancing at Yuugi's curios, question-filled face, Yami sighed into the phone. "I wouldn't normally ask this of you or anyone else, but…"

"…what is it?"

Yami shifted uncomfortably. He knew that it wouldn't exactly make Bakura feel wonderful either to have the tall blue eyed boy be "checking up" on him, but he couldn't exactly ask an everyday doctor to have a look at an thousand-some year old spirit that was losing the substance in his body. Swallowing his pride, he blurted into the phone, "Well, I kind of need a favor."

Seto raised his eyebrow. Tapping his pen against the side of his reading glasses, the blue eyed teen smirked, amused, at the wall. "A favor? Well, this isn't something I hear everyday. So what is it you need, oh great king of games?"

Muttering under his breath, Yami sucked it in and smiled sweetly back at Yuugi. "Oh, hush now, Seto," he said in a sugary sweet voice with a tint of seduction in it, "You know you would do anything for me."

"… w-wh…" the boy stuttered into the phone. His glasses slid off his nose and he gracefully used his long fingers to set them on the table. Twitching slightly, Seto shut his eyes and jumped from his chair, finally exploding. "What the hell was that, Yami? Are you trying to bribe me or something?"

"Oh no, I would never…" Yami glanced at the top of Bakura's snowy head which was still unmoved from the arm of the couch. Grinning again at Yuugi's begging eyes, Yami smirked back into the phone. Although he didn't like this any better than Kaiba did, but did you see him complaining? "It's not really for me. It's more for Bakura."

Trying to calm down from his boiling anger and embarrassment, Seto slowly sat down again. Eyebrow still slightly twitching, he asked smoothly, "Bakura? You mean that timid little kid? What could possibly happen to a kid like that?"

Ignoring Seto's dry sarcasm, Yami rolled his eyes. "I'm not talking about that Bakura. It's the spirit of the sennen ring. But it involves the Bakura-kun you're talking about though. It's kind of serious. Could you come over?"

"Oh, what was that? I don't believe I heard a, 'please, Seto-sama!' in there."

Grumbling under his breath, the crimson eyed boy glared at the tomb robber. You owe me so big for this one, kiddo. "…please, Seto…"

"What was that? You're not making yourself clear, Yami. I can't hear you at all. You shouldn't whisper like that if you want people to hear you."

"…" Yami gritted his teeth. He was about to take matters into his own hands. "Well, then let me make it loud enough so you can hear me: HEY, SETO-SAMA GET YOUR BILLIONARE ASS DOWN HERE NOW BEFORE I DECIDE TO GO THERE AND SCREW YOUR ASS FLAT. Did you hear me this time?"

Seto blushed, eyes slightly widened. That stupid pharaoh shouldn't be the one saying that, especially since he was the one who didn't remember his…their past. The moment the blue eyed boy felt the presence of the sennen rod, he got more memories back then just the ones about his Blue Eyes. Night after night he would have to listen to the crimson eyed pharaoh's lustful screams… Stop thinking about that, Seto! That damn idiot's on the phone right now! Scowling into the phone, Seto muttered once more, face still burning, "I hate you."

Satisfied, Yami smirked into the phone and laughed slightly. "Yes, yes, Seto. I love you too. Now, how fast can you get here?"

"Fifteen minutes… oh, and you'd never be able to 'screw' me. You'd be on the bottom anyway."

"…shut up…"

"Ever heard of the height rule?"[2]

"…goodbye, Seto."

"Marik-sa-… Marik? If I may ask…what are you doing?" Ryou squeaked softly from behind the blond Egyptian. Quietly, he peered over the boy's shoulder in attempt to see what he was rummaging around for. "Are you looking for something?"

"Not really anything in particular," Marik sighed. Finally throwing his hands up in the air and sitting down, he sighed and said, "Ah! I give up! What's the point of having a person around to spend hostage time with when we'll both be bored to death?"

Ryou managed to giggle slightly, but inside, he felt very weak. Every time he tried to contact Karakage-sama through their mental link, it seemed to drain him of his spirit. He chewed on his lip nervously. If he didn't give Karakage-sama his "recharge" soon, his body would unmaterialize…and he hated to think what would happen if he became a lost, wandering spirit…

"Are you ok, Ryou?" Marik asked softly, looking into the boy's gentle brown eyes. The boy had remained quiet for a while, only the sound of his soft breathing was audible. He wondered why…Ryou had such a sorrowful look on his face. His lips were trembling and his eyes looked as if they were ready to fill with tears. Sighing inwardly, Marik wondered if he was thinking about the tomb robber again.

Though he really wanted to help the snowy haired boy, Marik knew that the instant he removed the headband from Ryou's head, his parasite of a spirit would be ready to kill them both in no time at all. He was completely unsure of what to do…

"Ryou," he began slowly, "even if you cry for someone who could never possibly be me, please understand that I will always be here to hold you and reassure you. From the moment I first saw your sorrowful eyes, I have craved your smile and your happiness. Each breath I draw is painful because of you and your unhappiness. Please cry if you need to, but smile if you can spare it as well."

Ryou covered his face with his hands and let his eyes fill with tears. No one had ever cared enough about him to say such beautiful things… No one had ever felt sad because he was sad, or asked him to smile for their sake… Though he had always longed for someone who would hold him, love him, and whisper kind words such as those, it may be a little too late now. "T-thank you…but please… P-please don't fall in love with me!"

Marik blinked. He was slightly taken aback by that sudden outburst. Don't fall in love with him? What was Ryou talking about? He wasn't sure how to respond, so he simply smiled at him and patted his head, standing up. He laughed slightly and stretched out his arms. "Don't worry about a thing, Ryou. Now, maybe we should get some sleep. I am kind of tired."

"Oh… right… But where are we going to sleep?" Ryou asked curiously. He looked around the room, but he couldn't see any place that would possibly make it comfortable to sleep. Even when he woke up, he was lying on a cold, hard table. His eyes followed after Marik as he bustled about busily and almost cheerfully.

"Like I said," said Marik with a grin as he dragged over something that resembled an old futon and a thin sheet. "Don't worry about a thing, Ryou. I got it covered!"

Blushing slightly, Ryou got off the table and walked slowly towards the other boy. "B-but how…? T-t…there's only one futon…and t-there's two of us… I mean, I don't want to be a burden. I'll sleep on the floor…"

"Don't be ridiculous, you dolt," Marik muttered, rolling his eyes. Dropping the blankets on the ground, he plopped down on top and motioned for Ryou to come over. "Come on now. It'll be ok if we just shared it. It's too cold on the floor for any one of us to sleep on the ground and it's not like I'll attack you in your sleep. Eh…well I might kick a little, but that's nothing to worry about."

Ryou sweatdropped. He still wasn't sure about it. He had had…bad experiences, after all. It wasn't as if he did trust Marik, it was that he didn't trust himself. ...and…that pain from before…it hurts jus as much now… Karakage-sama, will you come for me at all…?

"There you go," Marik said, covering them both with the blanket. Ryou had an almost blank expression on his face that made Marik a bit worried, but he told himself the boy was probably just tired. He had spent some time in captivity after all. He sighed. There wasn't much he could do for the little bird in cage of loneliness, but… I'll protect you… "Goodnight…Ryou…"

…Karakage-sama…

"Ne, mou hitori no boku![3] Kaiba-kun's here to see you!"

Seto almost scowled at the cheerfulness in Yuugi's voice. It was a little annoying. Stepping into the game shop, he was just in time to see Yami saunter down the stairs, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He blinked a few times, then turned away with a simple, "Hmph."

Yawning, Yami ruffled Yuugi's hair and sent him into the kitchen. "Sorry, aibou. This'll only take a minute."

"It better take only a minute," Seto muttered under his breath as Yami invited him to sit down. Raising an eyebrow as Yami dropped down next to him on the couch, Seto watched him with an amused look. "What are you doing? How could you be sleeping at this time of the day?"

"Well, excuse me if I'm not a party animal like you, rich boy," Yami grumbled sleep still on his face. "I tried to sleep a little before you got here. You said you would be here in fifteen minutes, you liar! It's only been eight…"

"Are you complaining that I'm early?" Seto scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Want me to leave? I don't know what you're expecting from me anyway."

"Just be a sport, why don't you?" Yami yawned, shaking the sleep out of him. "Ah… Now that I'm awake, let's talk. Come here. There's some things I need to tell you about."

Seto instantly blushed when Yami patted the spot next to him on the couch. He was already nervous sitting three feet from him, how could he possibly sit even closer? Extremely reluctantly, Seto moved over and avoided Yami's gaze at all costs. "What's going on here? What's wrong with the tomb robber?"

"He's getting a little desperate… He was hurt really badly. Will you please take a look at him?" Yami sighed, leaning back on the couch.

"What do you mean? How do you know I could help you at all? Can't you call a doctor?" Seto said gruffly, suddenly annoyed at the pettiness of this little visit to Kame Game Shop.

"Do you really think I could call in an everyday doctor and tell him that I have a thousand year old spirit here who's losing the substance in his body?" Yami asked dryly. "Anyway… I'm not sure why I called you… It was just a feeling I had. Like…I'd done it before or something…. Bakura's upstairs. He's was pretty annoyed when he got here…"

"The feeling's mutual," muttered Seto under his breath. Maybe he does remember more than I'm crediting him for… "Anyway, I guess… I should have a look at him then…"

Slowly rising to his feet, Seto instantly fell back down onto the couch on top of Yami. Glaring at the other boy, Seto asked in annoyance. "What now?"

"Don't look at me," Yami said, equally annoyed. "You're the one that's laying on top of me. Pervert."

"…oh, really?" Seto asked slyly, a slow smirk crossing his face. "Who's the one sitting on my coat? Did you have this planned out? Well, as I said on the phone, I'm on the top anyway…"

"S-shut up!" Yami yelled, a blush spreading over his face. Vainly attempting to kick out, he refused to look into Seto's piercing blue eyes until his face was finally pulled to look at them. "S-Seto…what are you doing…? Let me go…"

"I don't know," Seto breathed, leaning closer to the other boy. "I kind of like it like this… Don't think I can't hear that reluctance in your voice, Yami. Did you really call me over for Bakura? You don't seem to be fighting to get away from me anymore. Why don't we play a little game…?"

"S-Seto…" Yami slowly closed his eyes when he felt the boy's warm breath on his face. So close…his lips… Se-

"Mou hitori no boku!" Yuugi called out, jumping up from behind the couch. "Do you and Kaiba-kun want something to drink? Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you two right now. Want something to drink anyway?"

The two instantly jumped away from each other, both sitting on opposite sides of the couch. Yami's face had turned completely red, and he managed to cough out, "A-aibou… Just…tea…please…"

"Ok," Yuugi said brightly. "What about you, Kaiba-kun? Water? Tea? Coffee?"

"Coffee," the blue eyed boy croaked out, attempting to hide his face. He couldn't believe what had almost happened! If Yuugi hadn't shown up, he might have gone all the way for old time's sake… Yami didn't seem to object anyway…

"Oh, and by the way," Yuugi said over his shoulder, "Yami no Bakura fell asleep or fainted upstairs so you two can go on with whatever you were doing. I was going to get him into a bed, but he nearly scratched my eye out in his sleep! So I wouldn't suggest doing anything tonight."

"…oh…great…" Seto muttered, sinking down on the couch. "Just…great…"

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I wonder…how everyone is right now… Ryou closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them to stare up at the cold ceiling. It's been three days already… When will Karakage-sama come for me? Will he come at all…? He must be better off without me anyway. I'm only a burden to everyone… But… Karakage-sama… Will you come…?

Marik looked over his shoulder at the distressing snowy haired boy. He looked so sad and so empty… From time to time, his face would show an emotionless look that really made Marik worry. There was something strange going on with Ryou…but what could it possibly be…? "Ryou? Look at me, Ryou. Is there something wrong with you? Ryou…?"

"Yes," Ryou said, tears streaming down his face slowly. "There is something wrong with me… Without Karakage-sama here… I'll die!"

"What?! Ryou, don't be ridiculous! You won't die!" Marik exclaimed, a slight note of panic in his voice. He supposed Ryou was having an emotional break down… "Ryou, you won't die. You're just emotionally confused…"

"You don't understand!" Ryou cried softly, his tears glistening as he hid his face in his hands. "You don't understand… I can feel it this time… It's just like before… This pain… Karakage-sama…why won't you come save me? You're killing me all over again…"

"Ryou…what are you saying?" Marik asked gently, laying a hand on the boy's trembling shoulder. "What's wrong with you? You couldn't possibly-… R-Ryou? Ryou! Hey, Ryou! What's wrong?! Wake up!!"

I don't want to wake up… Ryou's eyes slowly fluttered closed, his body feeling limp. I'll die without you… Why won't you come…? Karakage-sama… "I'm sorry, Marik-san… It's just…too long…too much… I can feel…the spirit that Karakage-sama has given to me before….and my own…slowly, slowly going away… I'm sorry… I didn't want to leave you alone…"

As if the world had come crashing down, Marik finally realized the truth. That tomb robber! He did that… Something that difficult… The Resurrection of Past Poisoning! Maybe he dose…love Ryou after all… "Ryou, please! You'll be ok… You'll be… Ryou?"

...I didn't want to leave you alone…