Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ When It Hurts The Most ❯ Just leave me alone... ( Chapter 3 )

Ryou looked at his reflection in the mirror. He sighed, misery growing, at what he beheld. Instead of himself, he saw a pathetic hollow shell. Dark circles around its eyes, paler than death itself...dirty. Ryou sniffled and picked up the hairbrush to try and tame the mane of wild un-naturally white hair. He felt so dirty now...that dream...it would replay in his head, before his eyes over and over. One word stood out painfully clear.

'Whore.'

Ryou felt his eyes begin to sting again. He wasn't a whore...whores did that sort of thing willingly. Whores loved their work...whores were...well...whores. But no amount of self-convincing made him feel any level above a whore. He looked back up to the mirror. Empty eyes, glazed over with tears stared back at him. How could he possibly go to school today? Yesterday he was the happiest person alive, or so it may have seemed...but what a drastic change! Yugi would surely notice. Ryou cringed and looked away from the mirror. "I don't even want to look at myself..." He muttered putting the hairbrush down mournfully.

Of course, Bakura had questioned him. He questioned him the remainder of the night! Ryou, never having broken a promise in his life...did not directly tell his yami. He merely stated. "I...I just get uncomfortable around my relatives..." Bakura even tried to peer into Ryou's soul room to see what the TRUE problem was. Ryou sniffled at the thought.

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Bakura crept silently to his hikari's soul room door; it was a mahogany door, with intricate Victorian style carvings that left a homey and welcome feeling to anyone who may be blessed with a glimpse of it. Inside, Bakura was met with a side of Ryou that most people do not see, the reflections of his soul. The room was neat and tidy, and had bookcase upon bookcase of books. Among the titles were 'Taming the Shrew', 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'Robin Hood' and other such classics. Bakura rolled his eyes, how could his hikari be so...so...bookish!? He shifted his glance, and saw another strange sight. A small table, upon which rested two small plastic figures, and a small plastic shovel. Bakura, now curious, decided to entertain that feeling and get a closer look.

He blinked, there sat a small plastic crocodile, its paint worn thin and its teeth were jagged and missing in some places. This small plastic reptile had tiny bite marks on the tail and mouth; obviously it had been chewed on by eager childish teeth. Bakura turned the small Nile-dweller over and looked at its feet. There, one letter inscribed on each foot, was the scrawling of a small child...R-Y-O-U. The giggles of a small child filled the room. Bakura could feel the hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand on end. It was eerie...eerie that in this silent tidy haven, a small child's laughter rang so loudly and yet it sounded so distant.

Bakura thought it best to put the toy down, and examine the other plastic relic. A small green army man. Its gun had been gnawed on; it seems that the owner, Ryou, had a tendency to chew things. The small warrior still had sand on its base, and it also had the scribbles of tiny hands, R-Y-O-U. Bakura looked up from the proud soldier, to see a small child staring at him, quietly. He stepped back, surprised. "Who are you?" he whispered. The white haired chibi only continued to gaze sadly into the soul of his future darkness. "Does it really matter?" Bakura blinked and looked into the eyes of the young boy. White hair, chocolaty eyes and pale skin...this was Ryou...Ryou as a child intently peering at him, past his defenses and into his very soul it seemed.

Bakura shook his head, empty eyes! The eyes of this innocent child, who couldn't POSSIBLY be older than 10 were empty and without a trace of dreams. "I am not comfortable around my relatives..." the small angel whispered looking up to the grandfather clock, as it chimed. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven....It was seven o' clock. The chibi's gaze fell back onto his companion, his future yami. Bakura saw it clearly again, fear...but now he saw something else...something that seemed out of place on his hikari. Sin. It was written all over this child. Sin...not innocence. "It's time to play..." The chibi hikari said scornfully, as though he knew something bad was to happen soon, and then he faded away, leaving Bakura once more alone in the room.

Bakura put the small army figure back on the table. He listened for the noises of innocent childish laughter, but just as the ghost of Ryou's past, it too had vanished. Bakura shook his head, there was something DESPERATLY wrong...he could just tell. He picked up the remaining plastic toy, the small red shovel, it was quite worn and slightly bent at the handle, suggesting that it had been used to dig up more than just sand, and probably was not meant for such a heavy load. It had R-Y-O-U scribbled into the back. Unlike the other two childhood relics, this one seemed...quiet. Then he caught it...the faintest of whispers. "True quality time...is spent with the one you love..." Bakura blinked and looked around. No one...Bakura put the small shovel gently back into its place and looked around once more.

He noted a particularly dark corner in the vastness of Ryou's soul room. As he approached it he found a large door hidden in the darkness, a door much different than the soul room entrance. This door was solid steel, and it seemed MADE to keep intruders out, and its contents in. It was a very menacing looking door, but Bakura was now intent on discovering its contents. For he was a tomb robber, one lousy lock wouldn't stop him from anything.

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Ryou knew Yugi would notice, and indeed he had. "Ryou-kun...what's wrong?" He said opening his lunch tin. Inside of which resided rice, and a mixture of beef and vegetables. Ryou forced a smile, which more than likely LOOKED as fake as it was. "I'm...quite all right Yugi..." Yugi often added 'kun' to his friends names when he was worried. "You don't look alright!" Yugi pouted. Ryou shoved one of his dumplings into Yugi's mouth and smiled lightly. "Shh, just eat. It IS lunch you know."

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Bakura growled as he broke a THIRD of his lock picks on this door. "Damnit! This had better be worth all the Ra forsaken time it has taken!" He mumbled pulling yet another lock pick from his pocket. He smiled when he heard that lovely noise...the sound of victory, the sweet click of the lock becoming useless. "YES!" He cheered, pumping his arm in joy. He quickly pulled the door open and his joy immediately ceased. "...the hell?!" He blurted as he found an identical door. Yes that's right, a door behind a door! The chain of curses that followed the sight of that second door could have killed a priest. "Why in Ra's name would Ryou have a secret SO guarded!?" Bakura yelled, kicking the door and immediately hopping on the opposing foot. "OW! FUCK!" He yelped before calming down and sighing. "Now there is no way I'm leaving until I find out what's in there!" He said beginning the tedious work of picking a second lock. "I swear to Isis, that I will get in there if it takes me another millennium to do so!" Bakura said impatiently, hearing an unwelcome snap, and mournfully reaching into his pocket once more.