Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Light That Never Goes Out ❯ Blood Stained Bandages and Memories ( Chapter 4 )

Chap4-

(Tea's Japanese name is Anzu. Joey's Japanese name is Jonouchi. I will be using them.)

A glass of water was thrust under Bakura's nose. And two pills were pushed at him.

" Swallow these." his Yami ordered. " You have a fever. They're supposed to help. And the water should keep you from becoming dehydrated."

The boy stared. This was closest his Yami had ever come to doing anything for him. Was he actually taking care of him?

" They'll only come back up." Bakura pointed out , rationally.

Yami Bakura shrugged indifferently. "It was worth trying , wasn't it? Stop gawking at me , and swallow. "

Bakura obeyed , hoping that his Yami was right about the pills. He felt like he'd crawled out of a train wreck.

He was then handed an ice pack.

" To break the fever." the spirit said casually.

Bakura noted his Yami's cool tone of voice , trying to catch some trace of emotion. But the Egyptian's voice was unconcerned , merely stating the facts.

The younger boy's shirt lifted slightly , revealing a glimpse of a blood stained bandaged , as he raised the pack to his head.

" What's that on your side , boy?"

Bakura flinched like he'd been stung. " Nothing!"

" Don't lie to me , hikari no baka!" the spiky haired entity of himself sneered. " You're not made of the stuff it takes to lie properly , it's insulting to even try to deceive me."

Ignoring his hikari's protests and struggles , he wrenched the boys shirt up. He inhaled the familiar scent of blood. He ripped the rest of the bandage away , making his light give a stifled cry.

" This is knife work - and not mine." Yami Bakura stated quietly , raising his eyes from the wound back to his hikari. " Who stabbed you?"

" I...had an accident - I'm tired!" Bakura babbled , trying to disappear under the covers.

" Oh no you don't!" the Yami yanked the covers completely back. " Now I repeat: Who gave you this wound?"

The boy pressed his lips together firmly. Damn , he was stubborn!

" You didn't try to - "

" No I did not!" Bakura interrupted ,looking scandalized. " Sure , my life is ah.." he paused thinking. " ...weird sometimes , but I'd never end it with dishonor. At least , 'Otousan said you never get stronger by giving up. You persevere."

The white haired spirit felt his mind kick into sleep mode. It always did when his aibou began one of his ' moral' speeches.

" I mean , he had to be strong when OKaasan and Amane died. So I have to be strong like that too."

What Yami Bakura heard: dishonor..zzzzzz..persevere....zzzzzzz blah..don't give up.zzzzzz

" As much as I just love your high and mighty speeches , " the tomb robber said in a bored voice , " my question still remains unanswered."

" What question??" Bakura tried what he thought his most innocent smile.

" You've tried my patience quite enough tonight , boy." Yami Bakura said ominously. "And drop that toothy grin , you pretend about as well as you lie."

The fake grin vanished. " Why do you care?"

" None of your buisness!"

" Well it's none of yours how I got hurt!" the boy yelled angrily , in retaliation. "You don't care anyway , so just go away!"

He snatched an advil bottle of the night stand and threw it. He didn't mean to , but it narrowly missed Yami Bakura's head. *-*

Bakura gasped and convered his mouth , regretting it immediately. He'd gone too far , and he knew it. Sure , defying his Yami was fine on a day when he could fight back , or at least hide out at Yugi's house. But he'd never escape the spirit's wrath trapped in the house in the middle of a storm , and ill!

For a moment , the Yami was too shocked to react. His hikari had never reacted so rashly before. What was he hiding? But he felt his own temper rising to meet his aibou's when he processed the conclusion that the boy had just thrown something at him.

The boy stared at his dark half fearfully. He could not see his Yami's eyes , covered by his long spiky hair. But he could see the quivering straight line his mouth had become , and his fists clenched in an apparent struggle for self control. Probably trying not to leap over and do something 'rash' himself.

" Yami? I .."

Yami Bakura's head jerked up so quickly , that if Bakura had blinked , he'd have missed it. " In that case , aibou, I will extract the information from you - "

He raised his palm level with Bakura's face , and the white haired child's eyes widened in alarm. ~He wouldn't...~

" - by force!"

" No!" the boy yelled , realizing his Yami's intentions. But the palm of the spirit's hand had already slammed against the hikari's forhead.

Bakura was to weak to have possibly moved in time. White energy blinded them both , but Yami Bakura caught a glimpse of his lighter half's eyes through the parted fingers , begging him. Pleading.

The last thing his host felt was the ice pack sliding off his head , and hitting the floor with a thump. The bedroom was then no more.

A new scene came slowly into focus , like rippling water becomes clear when it settles.

Yami Bakura smiled grimly. He was in. And with Bakura so sick , he was rendered helpless to resist. He'd gone a few days back into his hikari's memories.

But his triumph felt hollow somehow. The way the boy had looked at him....

~He forced me. I had no choice.~

Whatever guilty thoughts he was having lifted when he caught sight of his young hikari, leaning against a wall, waiting patiently in a line of people.

He recognized this place. It was called Burger World , some kind of food establishment where people ate fried beef between two pieces of bread , and called it ham burgers for some odd reason.

The boy was dressed in his school clothes , dreamy expression firmly in place , and shifting his weight slightly against the wall.

A brunette girl with blue eyes approached him , clad in a waitress uniform. " Bakura?"

The boy continued to stare into space , looking a bit nervous.

" Bakura!" the girl said a little bit louder.

The boy looked up , noticing the line of people had ended. " I'm sorry - Anzu! I didn't know you worked here."

The girl smiled. " Yup! Your table is waiting. Yugi and Jonouchi are already here."

Yami Bakura was furious. " So that's why you look nervous! You defied me again! I told you to stay away from the pharoah."

Of course this Bakura was a memory , so he didn't answer. He just grinned back at Anzu , and thanked her.

" Bakura , over here!" Yugi Mutou's voice rang out annoyingly across the room.

The spirit of the millenium ring glared at the short boy with spiky hair. He shot a venomous look at the puzzle around the boy's neck , knowing the pharoah could also be watching and listening to the hikaris' conversation.

" Another pathetic attempt of yours to socialize I see." the spirit sneered. " But you disobeyed me , little hikari. They say this blonde boy... Jonouchi is mutt like? If I'd known you been here two days ago with him .." here Yami Bakura shot Yugi a very dirty look, "...I'd made so all you could do was crawl on your belly like a dog."

He was curious as to whether is hikari would mention him. Was the point of this whole visit to ask Yugi and the pharaoh for help? Bakura took a seat next to Yugi.

He observed the others' expressions. They all seemed calm and casual enough. Not like they were plotting something.

Jonouchi was leaning back casually , almost seeming to recline. Yugi seemed to be his annoying , cheerful self , by the look of that grin , and pharaoh -boy was nowhere to be seen.

But Bakura's hands were gripping his knees to where the finger nails dug in, wrinkling the material of his pants. The boy always covered up being nervous or worried . He usually wore a relaxed smile , but now it looked very forced. What was he up to?

In the meantime , in this memory , Bakura was remembering the fact that Yugi and Jonouchi knew his secret , and wondering whether they'd really invited him just to be friendly , or to keep tabs on him. He had taken the opportunity, with his Yami not being around, to socialize a little. To prove he was more than just 'that strange quiet exchange student.'

He would be afraid to become close to, or befriend anyone, lest his Yami take control and try to play one of his 'games' with them.

If Bakura understood one thing , he understood what true loneliness was. He'd lived that way for a long time , since his curse. Could these two boys actually be his true friends? Could something that good happen to him?