Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Visions of the Heart ❯ Mentality ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the voice in Bakura's head. :p And I don't mean Ryou.

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Visions of the Heart

Chapter 3 - Mentality

~Malik's POV~

Standing next to the sink, wrapped in one of Ryou's father's bathrobes, I moodily plugged in the hair dryer, turning it on myself as Ryou continued to towel his once-again-white hair.

Still looking at the shy teen, dressed in one of his own robes, I noticed him stiffen slightly. Puzzled, I shut off the hair dryer, not caring that my hair was frizzing away from my head a little more then usual. "Ryou, what's wrong?"

Ryou turned to me, letting the towel drop to around his hunched shoulders. "B-Bakura, he's home."

I saw the fear, even in his sightless eyes, and my fists clenched involentarily. I knew my face was burning in anger, and I'm glad Ryou couldn't see it.

My mind flashed back to when we'd first come about five hours ago. Yami and I had been unable to get in the front door, but had found the back door unlocked.

We got in, and yelled for Bakura. No one answered, but there was a sound from upstairs, like a muffled mew of a frightened kitten. We had followed the sound to find Ryou still curled on his bedroom floor, shuddering and clutching at his arm.

There was blood all over the bed, as well as Ryou himself. When I pushed him into a sitting possition, he'd been limp like a rag doll, but we'd been able to see his crudely bandaged arm. There was blood seeping through the bandages.

My yami came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. 'You know as well as I what has happened.'

So we'd gotten Ryou's arm rebandaged as best we could, and made a mental promise to take him to the hospital as soon as he was a bit more stable. It had actually been a few minutes before we realized Ryou's eyesight was gone. We'd started to head downstairs, and since Ryou had his hand on my shoulder I didn't think anything of it.

Of course, we hadn't thought to warn him of the stairs, since we'd figured he could see. He'd stumbled with a shout and I barely managed to catch him in time.

Finally we got downstairs and got some food into him, and then he and I went back upstairs to shower. I still don't know exactly why yami and I are helping him, but the sight of Ryou so helpless touched something in me, took me back to a time when I was just like that, when I'd been hurt badly by someone who was supposed to protect me. There's just something about Ryou so like a starving animal. He craves affection like water in a desert. For the first time, I felt my anger stirred toward my supposed ally, Bakura. How could the tomb robber do this to his own flesh and blood...

I was shaken back to the present when Ryou whimpered again. I shook off the cobwebs of my musings and frowned deeper, quickly linking to my other.

/Yami?/

//...Yes Malik?//

/Bakura's home. Ryou can sense him./

//I know hikari. We are having... a talk.//

In spite of myself I grinned. /Get him good for me./

//I did.//

My yami sounded smug, and I chuckled a little. "Don't worry Ryou, my yami won't let Bakura hurt you. Come on, let's get downstairs."

As I helped guide him where to put his feet and came within sight of the livingroom, I could feel Bakura's stare boring into my back. As I helped Ryou down the next step his gaze shifted to his hikari.

~Bakura's POV~

As I sat on the couch, seemingly too frozen to move, Ishtar gave me a hard look. "We'll have to take him to the hospital you know. I insist."

I snapped out of my stupor and glared up at him. "No way! How would we explain cause of injury? As you said yourself, young boys don't just suddenly go blind!"

To my surprise, he met my eyes evenly. "How about 'child abuser'?" he said, his tone only bearing the tiniest bit of mockery. "Bakura, he's lost a lot of blood. He knows, but he doesn't know how serious it is. His arm is a mess, and if he doesn't get help soon he could slip into a coma from shock. I could always call Yugi to help me persuade you."

I stiffened. "No."

"That's what I thought." Ishtar paused and cocked his head, his eyes glazing over slightly. I recognised the possition and stayed quiet, letting him converse with his hikari. "They're on their way down." he said after about a minute, his eyes clearing.

Like Ryou's eyes never will. A small, inner voise whispered. To my chagrin it sounded familiar. Very familiar.

Shut up! I told it sternly.

But Ryou will never see again, and you know it. Because of you Bakura, because of you...

Stop it! I ordered.

Something sounded from the stairwell across the room and I looked up, grateful for the distraction. Malik's back appeared, leading my hikari down the stairs, one step at a time.

Ryou came into view next, and I felt my jaw drop. He looked awful. I was beginning to suspect Ishtar might have been right. Ryou was pale, too pale, almost whiter then his hair, which just isn't right. His left arm and hand were covered in bandages that already showed signs of bleeding through, though I was sure the Ishtars had changed them several times.

'Since when was Ryou so thin? Or tiny?' I asked myself, though I didn't have the answers. His hair hung limp around his face, and his eyes gazed unseeing around the room. He'd always been puny, fragile-looking, but this...

Because of you...

"Stop it!" I screamed, jumping to my feet and looking wildly around for the sourse of the voice. "Shut up!"

Your fault...

"No it isn't! It isn't!!!"

I could feel the stares of the Ishtars on me, and the surprised mental-tone of Ryou. But I didn't care. Striding toward the door I threw it open and ran out. hoping against hope that the voice was just a ghost in Ryou's house or something, and would go away if I outran it. But in my heart I knew it wasn't.

Because he knew the voice, he knew who it was, and he knew what it meant.

All your fault...

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WSJ: *snicker* Ahh yes, the voice in Bakura's head... Next chapter out soon, stay tuned!

Unmei: Help? Anyone?

God bless minna-san!