Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Half a soul ❯ Stage one ( Chapter 1 )

Ryou Bakura

by

serene_ai

Rating: PG

Pairings: kind of Bakura + Ryou and more to come

Warnings: yaoi, Anzu/Tea-bashing, spoilers (mostly because I haven't gotten very far in watching or reading Yu-Gi-Oh), eventually bad english

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never have and never will

~~~

This story takes place after the Battle City tournament. Yami Bakura's soul was sent into the shadow realm, but this time without a connection to the real world (just imagine he would have died and instead getting to hell, his soul was sent into the shadow realm), by Yami Yugi, when he attacked Bakura.

During and after the tournament Ryou Bakura had to stay in medical care. Now three months since the incident have passed and Ryou's father didn't notice anything of it at all when he came back from another dig. Mostly because Ryou had been at home for a week and was allowed to go to school again.

This is where the story starts...

~~~

"Do you really have to go again, Father?", a young boy asked his father, while helping him with his suitcases. "Yes, I'm really sorry, Ryou. Ah, I almost forgot! I decided to raise your weekly pocket money. Boys in your age tend to grow a lot, so you might need to buy new clothes!", his father smiled warmly at him. He really loved his son, but because of his job he never could spend much time with him.

"Thank you, father." The voice of his son brought him back to the presence. "I will, but make sure YOU eat enough! You are still so thin!", he joked and watched the smile spread over the face of his son.

Something was different with him, this he know, but if his son decided not to tell him he wouldn't push. He know he was very capable to take care of himself, like he had proofed all the times he had been away.

"I'll see you in five months then, Ryou! I'll work hard, so we can spend more time when I return!", he smiled, while he hugged his son, before he went into the car and started it. "Have fun!", he told him, while his car started pulling away.

"See you, father!", Ryou called after him and waved until his father had disappeared out of his eyesight.

As soon as this had happened he stopped waving and his smile dropped. Slowly he went back into the house and closed the door behind him. With a thud it felt into the lock and the albino leaned against it, before he slowly slid down the wooden surface and hugged his knees to his chest. "So I'm all alone again...", he whispered and hid his face a few seconds in his arms, before he stood up again and went up in his room.

Piles of paper were on his desk - homework and assignments from school that Yugi and the others had slipped into his mailbox. He had already worked them through and had used his free time to study, so he probably wouldn't have any problems keeping up with his friends.

Suddenly he halted within his movement and looked down at his ring. After everything that had happened he didn't wanted to take it of longer then necessary. Even if it was true that his Yami had been very abusive and aggressive, he couldn't help but feel sorry for what had happened to him. Even a spirit like him would have deserved to die someday, but with his soul in the shadow realm...

A soft sigh escaped his lips and he started to make preparations for his first school day after the Battle City tournament.

~*~

When he finally entered the school ground he noticed students stopping and chatting with each other, sneaking glances over to him.

It was obvious that they hadn't known that he would get back today. He shrugged to himself and went into the building. Finally he stood in front of the door, suddenly hesitant, but then he gripped the door and shoved it open.

Again students looked up and most of them froze. "Bakura-kun!", suddenly a hyper voice reached his ear and Yugi stood in front of him. "I didn't know you were going to attend school again! How are you? Did you get everything I brought over? I didn't dared to ring, because I was afraid I would wake you up!"

He would probably have ranted on, if it wasn't for Tristan, who put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down!", he told him. "You aren't even giving a chance to reply!"

At that moment somebody slapped him on the back. "Hey Ryou! What's up? You ready to face the horror of school again?" The boy in question chuckled. "Yes, I'm well enough to join again, but I shall hold back in sports the doctor said.", he answered and then turned back to Yugi. "Thanks for the sheets. I worked through them."

"I'm glad I could help!", the boy beamed up.

Surrounded by Yugi & Co he made his way over to his place, listening to their stories as they tried to inform him about everything that had happened.

All too soon the first lesson started and their english teacher walked in. "Ah! Bakura-kun, it's nice to see you are doing fine again!", she greeted him and started calling out the names to check the present.

Exactly when she called up Seto Kaiba, the said one entered the class. "Present!", he said in his cold voice and walked over to his place without giving an excuse to why he was so late.

The teacher shook her head and continued. Once Kaiba was seated and had put his things on his desk, he noticed the white hair that stood out and frowned. He hadn't known that the boy would come back today.

He shrugged and tried to pay attention to the lesson, although he already know the stuff she was trying to teach them.

~*~

School was over relatively quick and so Ryou found himself leaving the school ground, carrying his schoolbag in his left hand.

When he was about passing the door, three guys stood in his way. "Not so fast, little one! I believe you still own us a little money...", one of them smiled. "I do not remember such a thing.", Ryou said coolly and tried to pass them, but the biggest one grabbed his shoulder, which made him halt.

"Where do you think you are going? We are not finished with you yet!", he told him. With the same gesture you would whip a fly aside, he pushed the hand of his shoulder. "Don't touch me!", he said without any feelings.

"Oh! Did our little friend suddenly get courage? Well, let's show him how we deal with people that refuse to pay!", their leader growled and together they stepped up on him.

"Take your hands of our friend!", Joey's voice suddenly growled. Next to him stood Tristan and behind them Yugi and Tea.

"Wheeler-san! Honda-san!", they gasped frightened. "W-We are sorry! W-We didn't knew he was one of your friends!", they stuttered and quickly let go of Ryou.

Bored Ryou looked away from the scene and waited until the three boys had disappeared. Yugi, of course, had used that moment to walk over to him.

"Hey Bakura-kun, why don't you come over to me? We want to have some fun and maybe even study a bit together!", the tri-coloured boy asked. He thought for a moment about it. On one hand he hadn't a good feeling about it, on the other hand he would only be alone if he went home now. "Alright, I would like that a lot!", he smiled back at the smaller boy and joined them.

Indeed everyone came over. Joey, Tristan, Tea and even Seto. After a while Yami Yugi joined them as well - mostly because Seto started a debate about Duel Monster.

Ryou choose this moment to walk over to Joey and Tristan. "Thank you for your help before, although I could have handled them." The last part had slipped over his lips against his will, but he didn't really care.

For a few seconds there was silence until Seto broke it with a sneer. "Yeah, right. And that from somebody that didn't even got one starchip at duellist kingdom!"

Yugi was about to scold Kaiba, when something unexpected happened. "Are you questioning my duelling skills?!", Ryou growled, glaring at the CEO. Everyone was taken aback and starred at him.

"Ano... Bakura-kun, do you feel alright? You are acting strange all of sudden?", Yugi asked carefully and Yami watched him with a suspicious eye.

"Never felt better!", the boy answered the question and turned back to the blue eyed boy. "I ask you again! Are you questioning my duelling skills?!", he asked very slowly and dangerously low.

Kaiba shrugged carelessly. "I didn't questioned anything, I was just stating the truth!" Suddenly he frowned. "How did you get on the island anyway? You weren't a duellist and as far as I know you and Yugi didn't even really know each other at that time."

Now the others attention laid at the albino boy as well. "Yeah, how did you made it to the island?", Tea asked.

"So finally you notice that there is something strange, huh? Took you long enough!", Ryou commented. "And since you are so clever, I'm going to tell you." The sarcasm in his voice was noticeable.

His millennium ring glowed slightly and in the next moment he held a quiet big bag in his left hand and throw it over to Kaiba who caught it instinctively. "The reason I was on the island was, that Pegasus hired me to help him `sort out' the `unworthy ones', as he liked to say. To repay me for my efforts I could keep as many starchips as I managed to get and before you ask me, the starchips are out of pure gold, so I guess they would make quiet a price if I choose to sell them."

"Then why didn't he say anything to you when you showed up with us at the castle? And why did we never see you duelling?", Joey called out. "Because I asked him and because I choose not to duel with you around. I didn't wanted you to know about it." With those words he let the ring glow up again and the starchips disappeared again. "Where did you keep those?", Tristan wondered, while Seto was completely silent. "In my soulroom.", Ryou answered as if it was obvious.

"How many did you take out of the tournament?", Yami suddenly interrupted. He had watched Seto counting those starchips and noticed that there must have been over hundred.

"I don't know, since not everyone was knocked out by me... But Pegasus said he was impressed how I handled good a half of those who were on the ship, so I guess I duelled about the half of the candidates...", he answered after he thought for a few minutes.

"And how were you chosen to become one of those crushers?", Tea switched the topic slightly. "Pegasus know my father and knew that I was duelling, so he asked my for a duel. To bad I didn't played with full strength or else I would have been the first one that defeated him...", Ryou answered again.

"But... Didn't he use the eye to see your cards?", Yugi almost shouted. "He tried, yes, but he didn't success. For once, my metal shields were strong enough to keep anyone out and second my Yami wouldn't have allowed anyone intruding our mind!", he explained.

"What is wrong with you, Ryou!", Yami Yugi asked walking up to him. "You are not acting like yourself!" "I am myself.", the boy answered. "I just changed so I could survive with only a half soul."

The look on the former pharaohs face was one of completely shook. "W-What are you saying?!", he questioned paling.

"Didn't you notice? My yamis and my soul were already connected. When you sent his soul into the shadow realm you ripped half of my soul out with him... Why else did you thought it took me so long to recover? I had to adjust to the new conditions and so I had to balance my soul out. Since my dark side was missing I had to fill the emptiness up a little... A soul without a bit of darkness doesn't exist..."

"But Yugi was able to live before he met Yami too!", Joey called out. "Yes, but his counterpart already existed somewhere close to him.", Ryou said and then suddenly shook his head. "I knew this wasn't a good idea. I shouldn't have come. This is only making more trouble... I'm going home, see you at school.", he told them and went out of the room.

Yami still stood at the place where he had confronted the albino haired boy and was starring blankly at the wall.

Suddenly he seemed to snap out of his trance and ran after the boy. "Ryou! Wait!", he called and just caught the boy at the front door. "What is it?", the other asked. "I wanted to apologise!", the Yami said. "Although I don't know what pain you were going through, I wanted to say I'm sorry! If I had known, I would have found an other way!"

"I know, Yami, but it's to late now... The emptiness in my heart can't be filled again, no matter how much I would change... I can't say I forgive you yet. It's too early for that... But someday I surely will." Then he smiled at the dark one and left.

Behind Yami the others had stood and listened to the conversation. "Did I understood this right, that Bakura could only survive the loss of his Yami through getting a bit.... how shall I say... `darker'?", Joey finally interrupted the silence that hung in the air.

Yami nodded and turned around to them. He seemed kind of down so Yugi went over to comfort him.

While all that happened Seto had been silent. "Only half a soul...", he thought to himself, while listening to the others with only half attention.

He knew how painful it was to have his soul taken out completely of his body, but it must be even more painful to have his soul ripped in two parts and losing the other part at the same time.

"If he managed to deal with that, he is a lot of stronger then most people would give him credit for...", he told himself silently and decided to pay the boy a small visit after their meeting.

~*~

After the incident Seto stayed about two more hours before he excused himself. Yami was still slightly depressed about what he had done, even if it hadn't been his intention, he know that he almost killed the boy.

A bit later the head of Kaiba Corporation found himself in front of Ryou Bakura's house.

Slightly hesitant he pressed the doorbell and waited. When there was no reply, he tried pressing it again. Just when he was about to give up and come back another day, the door opened and Ryou stood before him. His hair was wet and told Seto, that the boy probably had just showered.

"Can I come in?", he asked calmly. Ryou hesitated for a moment and then stepped aside to allow him entrance.

"I was making tea before showering, can I offer you a cup?", the boy asked politely while leading him into the living room. "Yes, thank you.", Seto answered and took a good look around, before he took place at the couch. This was the first time he had ever visited the boy, so it was his first time inside this house as well.

After they had sit opposite each other for a while, both sipping their tea, Ryou broke the silence. "What brings you here? You surely didn't come to ask me for forgiveness on Yami's behalf, did you?"

"No, I came for an other reason." Now the CEO got slightly nervous. He rarely apologised for something he had done, so this wasn't something he was familiar with.

Ryou seemed to sense his uneasiness for he didn't asked any question and simply waited for him to continue.

"I... wanted to apologise for my behaviour today. I had no right to say it.", he finally managed to say. The albino looked surprised and then a small smile lit up his face. "That's alright. You aren't the only one who thinks weak of me, so it's okay. It should be me apologising, I had no right to snap on you like that. I'm sorry as well."

Now it was Seto's turn to be surprised. He had expected a lot of things to happen, but this had never crossed his mind and he found himself smiling back before he could stop himself.

"You should do that more often?", Ryou interrupted his thoughts. "What?", the other boy asked. "Smile. It makes you look more nice and open.", the albino explained.

He blinked a few couple of times before he answered. "I'm not supposed to look nice!" "Well, you could use it to your advance you know? People tend to underestimate nice guys."

That sentence definitely held a double meaning and Seto found himself agreeing with the boy.

After chatting a little bit with the usually silent boy, Seto spoke up again. "There was a second reason I came over.", he admitted. Curious the white haired one laid his head slightly to the side, looking at him.

"As you know, my soul was sucked into a card at duellist kingdom, so I guess I know how you are feeling a bit. I'm not saying that we are the same or anything, just that I understand and... that if you want to talk about it... I will listen."

Big brown eyes looked at him with a slight uncertain and after a few moments he stood up and took the empty cups. "Thank you, Kaiba-kun. This really means a lot to me.", the boy smiled at him and then looked back at the cups. "Do you want another one?"

Again Seto nodded, but when the boy was halfway in the kitchen called him back again. "Call me Seto, okay?" Again he had taken the other by surprise, but received a happy smile for it a few seconds later. "Then you have to call me Ryou!", the albino told him and disappeared into the kitchen to get more tea.

Humming softly Ryou purred the warm tea into the two cups. Since Kaiba - no Seto - had come over to talk to him, he hadn't felt like he had the last weeks. All alone and ripped in two and then the emptiness in his heart...

Suddenly a sharp pain shot trough him and he had to grasp he counter to keep himself from falling. This of course made him trop the teapot and it felt to the floor with a loud crash, spilling the hot liquid over his legs, which were close to giving away under his weight.

Alarmed by the noise the blue eyed boy ran in the kitchen, only to see Ryou clutching the shirt over his heart, leaning against the counter and the broken teapot to his feet.

Worried he pulled the smaller boy away from the sharp shards and asked him if he was okay. "I-It's alright....", Ryou gasped out. "I-It will... stop... every moment..."

Just when he finished that sentence another sharp pain struck him and he saw stars dancing in front of his eyes. "I think... I'm starting to... loose conscious.", he whispered shortly before he collapsed into the strong arms of Seto Kaiba.

This one of course started to panic, called his chauffeur and told him where to pick him up and to contact the hospital.

~*~

"How is he?" "What happened to him?" "What did you do to him?!"

These questions were asked to him all at the same time. Yugi, Tristan and Joey had reached him at the same time, for he had contacted them once he made sure that Ryou was taken care of.

"I don't know, the doctor hasn't come out, he collapsed and I didn't do anything to him!", he answered calmly, although he didn't feel calm one bit. He was nervous about what had happened and hoped that the beautiful keeper of the millennium ring was alright.

"Did I just thought he is beautiful?", Seto wondered to himself, but shook his head. Couldn't be.

So they waited until finally the doctor and his assistant left the room Ryou was in. "He is alright now, so don't worry to much.", the doctor calmed them, before one of them could ask a question. "However it would be important for him that somebody stays close to him. He needs someone who can give him a special medicament the next time a thing like this happens.", he explained to them.

"He is going to live with me and my brother then!", Seto decided.

This brought him funny looks from Yugi and the others, but they hadn't time to question him, for Ryou stepped into the floor. "You really have good friends, Bakura-kun. This one here agreed to take you under his wing as long as you are having those fits.", the doctor told him and gave him a `light' slap on the back, which caused the white haired boy to fall into the arms of Seto Kaiba. Again.

A slight blush stained his cheeks as he stood onto his own feet again. "That's very nice of you, but I don't want to be a burden.", he started, but Seto cut him off. "You are coming with me, Ryou, no excuses!" Then he turned attention to the doctor who gave him the recipe for the medicament. "Let's go! You need to pack your clothes and whatever you want to have around, while living with Mokuba and me!"

Stupidly the others started to blink. Had Seto Kaiba, THE Seto Kaiba, the one and only, just called Bakura-kun Ryou?!

~*~

I guess I will end here, I wrote so long already... ^-^°

Seems as if I accidentally made this a Seto/Ryou fic... Aw, who cares! They are cute together anyway ^-^

If you want to see how it continues tell me!!!

serene_ai@hotmail.com

Serene_ai keeper of the Wings!