Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Promiscuous Love ❯ The Pain Comes First ( Chapter 9 )

Atemu was confused at what had just occurred being that he didn't suspect the two were trying to get together. Getting himself decent enough, the Pharaoh walked over to the silent Malik to place his hand upon his shoulder. “Malik, what is going on?”

 

Malik merely shook his head from side to side, turning towards Atemu with his head lowered. “It's nothing—I think you better go…”

 

“Are you going to be okay?” Atemu felt he had to ask, fearful to leave Malik in the house with how things currently were. “I don't want you to hurt yourself again.”

 

“I'll be fine,” Malik lied through his teeth before heading back towards his bed to lie down for the time being since his energy to be up about had drained from him.

 

Turning his attention to the knife he had previously tossed out of Malik's grasp, Atemu knelt down to pick it up to see the crimson blood mated with the sharp blade. “I will just clean this up and put it back where it belongs, alright? I will see you later, Malik.” Leaving the room with a quiet close of the door, the Pharaoh did as he promised he would before putting the blade away in the drawer it must have come from.

 

A narrow pair of russet colored eyes watched from the hallway at what the Pharaoh was doing before making himself known, “How did Malik get those cuts on his body?”

 

Atemu jumped slightly once Bakura's dark voice encountered his hearing. Turning to face the spirit of the Ring, he sighed a bit before thumbing in the direction of the silverware drawer. “He grabbed one of the knives and did it himself.”

 

“It was Mariku again then?” Bakura wondered, placing his hands into his pants pockets. “It figures. He always did derive pleasure in ruining other's lives no matter how meager it may seem to others.”

 

“What do you mean?” The Pharaoh questioned, with a cock of his brow.

 

Bakura kept the serious frown on his face before closing his eyes a moment as if to suppress the pain that was dwelling within him from his other form. Looking off to the side a moment, he managed a soft exhale of his aggravation, “Ryou confessed to Malik that he loved him and that was why he was considering Kaiba's offer.”

 

Atemu couldn't help but express his shock in the matter as well as further embarrassment than before. Resting his hands behind him on the kitchen counter, Atemu replaced his surprise with sadness realizing what he did. “I am sorry—I am betting Ryou is completely devastated. I didn't know and if I did—.”

 

“Save it, Pharaoh,” Bakura ordered this time with a quick movement of his hand to make him stop babbling. “The point here is we don't need you any longer for your whining and preaching has accomplished nothing when it comes to Malik!”

 

“Now wait just a minute, that isn't fair!” Atemu growled in response, standing his ground for the time being when Bakura threatened to come closer. “I have worked my hardest to try and keep Malik safe and out of Mariku's hands which is more than you can say for yourself! You hide within Ryou and merely watch from the side lines while both my light and I work together!”

 

“I only take over Ryou's body whenever he is in so much distress, he cannot handle it any longer,” the dark spirit of the Ring corrected. For the time that Malik had been in misery, Ryou often tried his hardest to keep it together but would at times fail. Bakura felt it at times to take over his Hikari's body and speak with Malik or wonder off elsewhere so Ryou could attempt to feel better even if it was locking him inside of the same body with Tozokuoh.

 

“And while that is thoughtful of you, Bakura, what do you honestly think is best for Malik?” Atemu wondered with a serious look upon his royal features. “Maybe Yugi and I haven't had much progress with him but you cannot say that you have either.”

 

“Then what do you suggest, Pharaoh?” Bakura asked, eyeing the spirit of the Puzzle with a sort of glare. “Do you think it best we just hand him over to the place Kaiba has picked out for him, or do you suggest we continue to work with him and get nowhere fast? If there is one thing I know, there is that one being they won't understand about Malik and that is Mariku. We, on the other hand, know how to deal with him and keep him at bay—we just don't know how to make him leave like he did last time.”

 

“The only way Mariku is going to leave is if Malik stands up to him again and shows he is not afraid, but none of us can get him to do that.” For once, Atemu felt stuck in a battle he couldn't win. He had won many duels and suffered through many harsh situations through those duels but this was one battle he felt he had been defeated the more he dwelt on it.

 

Both were silent for a moment, debating on what to do when it came to the boy they both felt responsible for and the lights within them that they felt had suffered enough as well. Bakura eventually shook his head, resting his forehead into the palm of his hand for a moment, while swallowing hard, “I guess I will have no choice but to let Kaiba take him come next Saturday.”

 

“Do you really think that wise?” Atemu questioned boldly, “Malik already expressed to me that he doesn't want to go. And if he doesn't want to do something, he's going to go crazy and do something brash.”

 

“What more could Malik do now, that could be anymore devastating than he already has done?” Bakura asked before turning his back on the Pharaoh. “He won't kill himself—he is the kind that enjoys killing himself slowly by cutting and working with drugs to torment his body. I will contact the hospital on Monday so I can give Malik a heads up tomorrow.”

 

Atemu watched as Bakura headed back towards Malik's bedroom for a moment before asking, “Do you want me to be here?”

 

Peeking inside of the dark room to find Malik was just fine and trying to sleep off his regret for the afternoon, Bakura eventually shut the door and locked it from the outside since he didn't trust Malik wondering around on his own. “I will have to lock the window on the other side so he cannot escape through there,” he muttered mostly to himself before turning to look at Atemu to answer his question. “Whether you want to be here or not is your decision though I would prefer you weren't. But maybe it takes all three people who care in the same room to bang it into Malik's head that we want him alive.”

 

“I will see you tomorrow then,” Atemu assure before heading towards the door to leave Bakura alone with Malik. Walking out towards the sidewalk, Atemu couldn't help but stop for a moment to look back at the house before him with a worried frown. Sad to know there was nothing really he could do for the moment he headed back to Yugi's grandfather's card shop.

 

Bakura eventually fixed the window from the outside that lead into Malik's room to make sure there was nothing he could do to run away from them at the moment. Seeing as Ryou would be unable to make it to work, he felt it would be best to call the place and let them know before relaxing in the living room for a moment while he ignored the two souls conversing inside of the Ring—.

 

 

Being that mostly inside of the territory created by the Ring was nothing but ruin, Ryou stayed within the semi-destroyed temple seeing as he had nowhere else to go that would cheer him up. Sitting in the area that Bakura was normally found in before the partially erected Egyptian statue, Ryou kept his knees close to his chest with his forehead buried within them so his wild, albino colored hair could hide his pain. To know Malik would possibly leave the house thanks to his overwhelming depression was bad enough, but the added hurt of him betraying him stabbed his heart even worse.

 

Tozokuoh watched Ryou cry in misery from the sidelines for a moment in the darkness where he mostly dwelled to stay out of the picture and just lurk. Coming in closer from the darkness he fed off of, the red cape whipped slightly thanks to the dreary wind that blew about them to indicate he was there standing next to the hurting Hikari. “Why do you worry so much about him?” Tozokuoh's eerie voice wondered as he bent down to pick up the sobbing Ryou. “He merely made your life further hectic than it needed to be.”

 

“You'll never understand,” Ryou replied through his sadness, embracing Tozokuoh's broad neck to keep himself anchored. “I loved Malik a lot and when I confessed it to him, he took no time in hurting me…and yet…I still cannot let him suffer in return…”

 

The wild, white hair of Tozokuoh shifted from side to side when the thief king shook his head. “I don't understand you and I guess I never will even if we share the same body. I still believe you should let the hospital take it from here and leave him there.”

 

“And do what?” Ryou asked with a bit of an angry sniffle, “Spend the rest of my life with you?”

 

“Do you have a problem with that?” Tozokuoh wondered, coming closer to Ryou's mouth to place it upon the shaken boy.

 

Widening his russet colored eyes at the thief's actions, Ryou eventually pushed away harshly before helping himself to his feet quickly in order to wipe his mouth clean of what Tozokuoh put there. Bringing the back of his hand up to his trembling lips, Ryou's eyes were filled with an anger that nobody had ever seen before that knew him. “How dare you! What gives you the right?!”

 

Grabbing onto Ryou's wrist that was within his reaching distance, he forced the young boy to come closer to his body. Using the free hand to cup the lower back of Ryou so he couldn't break away from his form, Tozokuoh grinned as he came closer to his face with an uncanny expression. “Don't be that way, Ryou. Malik doesn't love you so who are you saving yourself for?”

 

“I cannot be with you for you are a spirit within my Ring! What kind of a relationship is that?” Ryou wondered, trying to break free from Tozokuoh's grip.

 

“All you need,” Tozokuoh hissed through his clenched teeth before lowering Ryou down to the ground beneath them quickly since the boy was attempting to struggle against him.

 

No, Ryou could only think since Tozokuoh's mouth was soon crushed against his against his will, I cannot do this! I don't want him! His hands pressing against Tozokuoh's ivory chest, he struggled against him only to feel his erection rubbing his inner thighs every time he resisted. Being that he was in his purest form, Ryou knew it wouldn't take much for his darkest half to take his virginity from him if given enough time. Eventually getting his mouth free from Tozokuoh's, Ryou could only throw his head back and scream, “Bakura!”

 

 

Bakura stayed planted on the sofa, watching TV with a dull expression since such time he felt was wasted before a trivial device but knew that the time Ryou could have inside of the Ring might do him some good though he knew he was risking it with Tozokuoh there. But he kept an inward eye on things though his attention was split when he heard someone in the hallway.

 

Looking over his shoulder quickly wondering who could be there, he was surprised to see Malik standing there looking guilty as ever. “Malik—how did you get out when I locked your door and window?”

 

Malik couldn't help but smile with a brief exhale through his nostrils at Bakura's question since he found it a little funny and he needed the humor. “I have been locked enough in my room whether by myself or by someone else to know how to get out,” Malik smiled, showing off his own personal lock pick which was a mere hairclip.

 

“Impressive—you are quite the lock pick yourself. So, what do you want?” Bakura asked, turning around in the sofa so his feet that were once upon the coffee table were planted on the floor.

 

Fidgeting for a moment at the white shirt he had on, Malik could only wonder what to say given what happened that afternoon. “I am really sorry about what I did but the temptation was so strong—.”

 

“Shut up,” Bakura quickly ordered knowing Malik was trying his hardest to defend something that was unforgivable. “You broke Ryou's heart and tore him apart by being with that Pharaoh and his big eyed parrot! Ryou confessed his feelings to you and you hurt him. You hurt the one person who has been there for you every waking hour.”

 

“Bakura, I am sorry!” Malik came right out to say once more as he held his hands close to his chest with a sorrowful expression. “I really am! I know Ryou does a lot for me and I hurt him so…badly.” It was hard to admit it aloud but Malik knew what he did was wrong and he wanted to apologize.

 

“Answer me this, Malik, do you love the boy or don't you because I get this feeling you'll take anything that comes within this house.”

 

It was hard to look Bakura in the face when it expressed such anger and seriousness. Normally he was all about getting what he wanted for himself and merely sparing Ryou the sight of what went on when he was in control. But now he was showing that he didn't like the idea of someone messing with his light, and it made Malik buckle almost.

 

Massaging his hands, Malik boldly came over towards the vacant area next to Bakura on the sofa to explain himself better to him. “I am really sorry,” Malik repeated softly, looking at Bakura with his pitiful expression. “I just got really scared because when Ryou left, Mariku attacked me and I had nobody else to hold onto but Atemu and one thing led to another—and I am sorry…”

 

Bakura was silent for a moment before reaching for the soda he got himself earlier that was just sitting on the coffee table. “Sorry—I never really liked that word. Sorry was the word that the Pharaoh used to excuse his slaughtering my village.” Taking a sip from his drink, he placed it back down where it once was before mocking Atemu's excuse on the massacre of his family and friends, “`I am sorry, but we didn't mean any harm'. `Sorry' is a meaningless word that never should have been created. It means nothing—it's just a word that doesn't excuse some of the things mankind does or feels they were forced to do. Your excuse and use of the word `sorry' is just as meaningless to me.”

 

Everything the spirit of the Ring said was true and it hit Malik really hard. His excuse wasn't worthy of anyone to hear and he couldn't help but shake his head as his expression began to break. “I need help,” Malik announced softly while on the verge of tears.

 

Hearing him admit this prompted Bakura to look at the former tomb keeper with interest though refusing to say a word at the given moment.

 

“I cannot take this anymore and I don't want to keep on living this way.” Malik finally gave in to the sadness embracing him as he broke down into tears right before Bakura.

 

Letting him cry it out awhile, Bakura moistened his lower lip before asking, “Are you willing to go to the hospital that Kaiba picked out for you?”

 

“I don't want to but if it will make me feel better,” Malik admitted, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand.

 

Bakura couldn't say anything to that once he felt the disturbance within the Millennium Ring and the other two souls fighting one another. Raising his hand to prevent Malik from continuing, he shifted his attention back into the Ring to stop whatever was going on inside—.

 

 

Ryou was still determined to fight off Tozokuoh even if the male was stronger than him. Crying heavily to show his displeasure in the situation, he screamed a bit louder when he felt the dark thief come inside of him for the first time. “Stop it!!”

 

Before Tozokuoh could even hope to respond to Ryou's pleas, Bakura's arms embraced the Egyptian thief's torso quickly and pulled him off of their light without problems. “Get off of him! He doesn't want you, Tozokuoh!”

 

Tozokuoh wasn't too pleased once pulled from the one he was trying to claim as his own. Managing to get Bakura off of his back, he turned to face him with a furious glare, baring his teeth. “You are bold to do such a thing, Bakura!”

 

“I don't have time to deal with you, Tozokuoh,” Bakura moaned irritably not faltering in his expression. “If you touch Ryou again in such a way, I will break your damn neck!”

 

“You do not tell me what to do, Bakura!” Tozokuoh growled, punching at Bakura allowing his knuckles to collide with his cheek.

 

His head flying to the right from the impact, Bakura wouldn't allow someone such as him to do that and get away with it. But before he could retaliate, Tozokuoh grabbed onto his neck to attempt to lift Bakura off of the ground and choke him to death for punishment. It worried Bakura little knowing Tozokuoh would only rough him up since those two could not kill one another unless they wanted to both die. Grabbing onto the wrists of the angry thief king, Bakura looked over at the traumatized Ryou, “Ryou, go back to Malik! I left him to come and spareyou!”

 

Ryou was unaware of what was going on but didn't feel like arguing as he hurried out of the temple to escape Tozokuoh, not wanting to be touched by him again. Panting heavily, he headed as rapidly as he could out of the dark part of his mind and took back over the body that Malik was soon shaking since Bakura seemed to have blacked out.

 

“Bakura, wake up!” Malik called to him, continuing to shake the limp form until it finally snapped back to life.

 

Ryou inhaling sharply and shook his head back to reality, he couldn't help but push back from Malik for a moment, covering his eyes quickly as if to hide the shame he felt from being nearly raped. Gradually pulling his hands away from his face, Ryou looked at Malik best he could with a caring expression. “S—so…what did you and Bakura talk about?”

 

“A few things,” Malik said softly, eventually turning from Ryou since it was too much to bear to look at him after what he had done. “Ryou, I agreed that I would go get help at that place that Kaiba had set up for me…”

 

“Are you truly going to go?” Ryou wondered aloud trying to get his mind off of what he had endured seeing as how it wasn't unimportant compared to Malik's ongoing crisis.

 

“I'm sorry I have hurt you ever since Isis died,” Malik apologized even though Bakura divulged his hate for that word. “You didn't deserve it and yet I treated you the worse out of everybody when you were the one to take me in, and I never told you how much that meant to me…that you made room for me in your life even after the chaos I caused long ago in Battle City…”

 

Seeing that it was painful to admit such a thing, Ryou embraced Malik regardless of the hurt that swelled within his heart at having to hug the person who hurt him earlier. “I love you, Malik and I always had. That was why I gave you a place to stay because I didn't want to lose you at all.” Pushing back on Malik's shoulders a moment, Ryou looked him in the eyes even if it was hard for the both of them. “On Monday, Seto, Atemu, and I are going to talk about this because while you need help to control your unhealthy habits, Mariku is still there inside of you and only we can help further control that area.”

 

Placing his hands on Ryou's arms, he nodded in agreement even if it was difficult concerning the things he would have to give up, but a small part of him, not influenced by Mariku, knew it was for the better, “Alright.”

 

“Malik, I am going to help you because I promised you I would when I took you in after the accident,” Ryou swore aloud to remind his friend of the promise he made a few months ago.

 

“Will you promising me something else, Ryou?” Malik questioned softly, coming a bit closer to the bearer of the Ring. When Ryou's face expressed that he was curious as to what the Egyptian wanted, Malik sniffled back his sinuses a moment before asking, “Will you be there with me throughout the whole time I have to be at that place to feel better?”

 

“What about the others?” Ryou wondered, locking his brown colored eyes upon his roommate.

 

“I don't want them anymore,” he finally came out to say. “I just want you to be there for me. Is that okay…?”

 

It made a part of Ryou swell up with joy to replace the hurting deep inside of him to hear Malik finally say such a thing. He knew it would possibly help them heal whatever could have happened between them if Atemu hadn't been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Nodding his approval at Malik's offer, Ryou leaned forward to kiss him on his forehead since that was as far as he was willing to go at the moment when it came to kissing his friend he cared for. “I won't be anywhere else but here—where you need me. If you need me at work, just call me and I will drop whatever I am doing to help you. You mean too much to me to have you just slip away now. And I mean that.”

 

Embracing Ryou's frame with his weak arms, Malik stayed there on the sofa that night to be with the company he had pushed away so many times before. Watching the TV and listening to the sounds it emitted soothed him and eventually he fell asleep for the night within Ryou's warm embrace.

 

 

 

While it was a difficult path to take with going to the hospital that would treat the problems he harbored dealing with drugs, cutting, and relying on sex to take away the pain he felt, Bakura worked with Malik best he could with Tozokuoh, whenever he wanted to help or felt like doing so, to try and tame or destroy Mariku completely. It would be a few years before Malik could accept his sister's loss and the troubles her death caused him. But through it all, Ryou stayed there by the former tomb keeper's side as Ryou promised he would and never left the friend, who became his life partner, once Malik managed to be fixed from the pieces he had fallen into.

 

THE END

 

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Author's Notes: If it hadn't been for Raistlin-Windblade (as she goes by on FF.net), I would have been either in a mental institute or dead at the moment thanks to all the shit I endured last year. Some of my friends I have known online have tried to help me through the hard times I endured but I took them for granted and was never grateful to them and I regret that to this day. But when Raist came along, she wouldn't give up on me and stayed beside me regardless of her own illnesses she battles within herself and what have you and I could never forget her for that. While some of this story is a reflection upon my past behavior and some of the attitudes of people I have encountered during my depression, some of the events were fictional and to help the story move along and be more empowering. I hope I at least did that right. ^^;

 

Lordy—I am sorry if the last few chapters looked like junk mail to you but it's hard to stay focused on a piece that contains an anime series you no longer care for. Yes, I am sorry to say that I will no longer be writing YGO stories. It's just—the spark isn't there anymore and I cannot force myself to appeal to the fan base any longer for my own personal reasons. But thank you guys for reading and reviewing regardless. It meant a lot to me.

 

But thank you, Raist, most of all for your love and support through the darkest of times I suffered through. -=hugs=-