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Powerless	By : Ochodre Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Het - Male/Female Views: 2661 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Author's Notes: I tried to give Bakura the worst nightmare I could think of. Am I being exceedingly cruel? Probably, but... hey, that's what she gets for picking on poor little Ryou so much. XP (nevermind I'm giving him some mad crazy angst, too.)
---
I'm all out of faith

This is how I feel

I'm cold and I'm ashamed

Bound and broken on the floor

You're a little late

I'm already torn...

~Natalie Imbruglia, 'Torn'
"Here, have something to eat."
Bakura looked up and narrowed her eyes. Didn't she just tell him to go away? Unfazed, Ryou pushed the plate at her face insistently.
Without warning, she let out a growl and smacked it away. Rice flew across the room and spattered against the television. For a moment, it almost felt like she had her strength back, and she grinned as Ryou stumbled back in surprise. Granted newfound confidence, she rose to her feet, sneering at him.
"Maybe next time you'll learn to heed my words, weakling," she snorted, tossing her hair to the side and turning away. Ryou would be too busy pouting and cleaning to bother her, and she could sleep in peace.
A cold hand clamped down on her shoulder. Anger flared at his insubordination, and she whirled sharply to face him --
Only to be met with a sweeping blow, hard enough to stun her.
When her vision cleared, she looked up at him in disbelieving horror, clutching her cheek. Ryou's face had darkened into an expression that seemed unnatural on his gentle face, a look of inhuman, seething rage. She sputtered, looking for something threatening to say, something that'd rattle him and cause him to revert back into the submissive, shy boy she knew, but nothing came...
"I'm getting quite sick of your behavior," Ryou snarled quietly, his voice taking on a dangerous edge.
Bakura just gaped at him, until she finally gathered her wits enough to snarl back, "You cannot possibly think you can tell me what to do--"
She was shoved away roughly, nearly knocked to her feet, but she was able to catch herself thanks to a nearby wall. But as she realized the wall was against her back, it went from a support to a trap.
Just as she raised her head, Ryou grabbed the collar of her shirt -- his loaned shirt -- and jerked it upwards. He lifted Bakura off her feet and pinned her against the wall, bringing her to his eye level. The thief tried to lash out, but she was paralyzed again, going utterly still once she saw the hateful red in his eyes.
"Maybe I couldn't do anything about it when you were male, but now, I'm not going to put up with your shit," Ryou hissed menacingly "I gave you a place to live, whether it was my body or my home, I give you my food, I give you my clothes, I tolerate your unbearable presence, how do you thank me? By being nothing but a weak little bitch..."
Ryou's voice took on the sound of the cynical, internal tormentor that had haunted Bakura throughout the day, and his fingers migrated from her collar to her throat. She let out a strangled gasp as his thumbs bore down on her windpipe, staring at him with growing panic.
"I even saved you from Malik," Ryou tilted his head to the side, and something else came into his eyes. They went from red, to more of a violet shade. Dead, hungry violet. "Maybe I should finish what he started, eh...?"
A twisted, predatory grin split his face, and he descended upon her.
His scent was suffocating...
---
Ryou stepped out of his room, stretching his arms. For once, he was glad it was a weekend, if only because it granted him the luxury of sleeping till midday. He wandered into the living room, scowling when he saw that he carelessly left Bakura's untouched supper out on the table. He would've thrown it away, but she might be hungry when she woke up and demand to know where it went. It wasn't like she had any reservations about eating day old food. He shook his head and put it in the refrigerator.
As he returned, he glanced at the couch, where his roommate had uncurled herself into a more natural sleeping position. Her hair fell around her shoulders and the arm of the couch in wild disarray, and she hugged herself tightly, defensive even in her sleep. Ryou smiled sadly, and had to wonder if she always slept like that. He'd never seen the thief at rest before.
He was about to leave her in peace, when he saw a disturbed expression flicker over her face. Ryou frowned, noticing how her eyelids and lip twitched. She was actively holding herself, not just sleepily crossing her arms. Hesitant, he walked over to the couch.
"Bakura?" he touched her shoulder lightly. He knew how unwise it was to wake the thief, but she looked like she was having a nightmare. She confirmed his worries by letting out a garbled sound of pain and protest, and he shook her shoulder gently.
Ryou pulled back in surprise when she halfheartedly batted at his hand, as if she was trying to fend off an invisible attacker. His heart tightened when he made an educated guess about the subject of her dream, and he leaned over, shaking her more insistently. "Wake up, you're having a nightmare," he said softly, hoping his voice carried over to wherever her dreams and fears had taken her.
Bakura groaned miserably and half-opened her eyes, blinking blearily. She stared up at Ryou blankly for a moment, before terror flooded her expression and snapped her wide awake.
Ryou tried to smile comfortingly, "Hey, it's just --"
He was cut off when one of her hands shot up and punched him in the nose, bony knuckles colliding with fragile cartilage. Stars filled his vision for a moment, and they were just starting to fade when a sharp knee flew into his stomach. The girl beneath him tried to thrash out of his dazed grasp, frightened beyond the point of reason.
"Oof! B-Bakura, what --" he released her shoulder to hold his damaged nose, voice distorted by the injury.
"Don't touch me!" she exploded, screaming at the top of her lungs, and he was knocked to the floor by sheer surprise. He heard her scramble off the couch, and quick footsteps retreated down the hall. The door to Bakura's bedroom slammed loudly.
Ryou sat there for a moment, waiting for the aches to fade in his gut and nose, allowing himself one pathetic whimper. His bruises would be with him for a while, true, but he was just glad she hadn't kneed him a little lower.
"Well, that was stupid of me..." he mumbled and rubbed his tender nose. From now on, he'd listen to his instincts and let sleeping thieves lie. He finally stumbled to his feet, grimacing as he realized she'd probably given him a black eye. As the pain receded, faint guilt took its place. He really should have known better than to startle her in the midst of a nightmare like that. All he had accomplished was scaring her even more.
Ryou didn't know what to do. It was a strange, new experience to see Bakura displaying any emotion other than cockiness or anger. He had to admit it was a little refreshing, if he ignored his current pain. He couldn't fathom the ethereal being he used to know acting like that, but that spirit had been corrupt and unbalanced, and had lost touch with reality after three thousand years in darkness. But now, he could see that Bakura was slowly regaining some humanity, every time he saw her eyes...
With her transition going as it was, though, she'd never learn to trust anyone again. For once, she really hadn't done anything wrong, as far as Ryou knew, but she felt everyone was against her. Unfortunately, that was mostly true, and her past and current attitude did nothing to garner her sympathy. He was probably the only person who tried to reach out to her, and he was the one she seemed to hate the most. His shoulders sagged as he applied a bag of ice to his nose.
The teenager sank into one of the chairs around the kitchen table and sighed, holding the freezing, wet bag to his face. Maybe he shouldn't care so much. Maybe she was right, he was just looking for a reason to help her, whether she wanted it or not. He didn't want to prove himself, though... he didn't know what he hoped to gain. What if he really did just to cheer her up?
Tsk, you're such a little martyr. Of course you have a motive. You want someone that needs you, that becomes dependent on you, so they won't leave you alone like everyone else because, really, you're the dependent one. But who'd ever need you, boring, annoying, pitiful Ryou?
He closed his eyes and tried to shoo away his inner demons. At least when Bakura had been in his head, the spirit had been mostly silent, as though it had been -- he noted with a touch of irony -- holed up in some other room. He glanced down the short hall. If a locked door was Bakura's answer to life's problems, maybe old habits just died hard...
Ryou almost jumped in surprise when there was a knock at another door.
Who could that be? Ryou set the ice pack down, silently hoping it wasn't the landlord with a fistful of noise complaints.
As he opened the door, the first thing he saw was a vivid pair of fuchsia eyes. The Pharaoh stared up at him, managing maintain an air of imposing confidence despite his short stature. Ryou noticed that Yugi and Joey were with him, once he managed to pull his eyes away from the fierce gaze of the former ruler.
The Pharaoh opened his mouth to speak, but Yugi -- the only one who could get away with it -- accidentally interrupted him, looking concerned. "Ryou, what happened to your face?"
"Yeah, s'quite a shiner you got there," Joey observed, and the Pharaoh frowned as he took Ryou's injury into account, his eyes softening slightly.
"It's nothing, I just... uh... I fell," Ryou said quickly, wincing at his feeble excuse.
"There's no need to cover for that thief, Ryou," Pharaoh spoke in a low tone, "If he's hurt you in any way, we have all the more reason to come in."
"N-no, he hasn't, what's this about?" Ryou asked, though he obligingly stepped aside. He wasn't about to argue with the King of Games.
"The Rod," Pharaoh said bluntly, "Where is it?"
Ryou was silent for a moment as he finally recalled his promise to get information on the stolen item. "I..."
"This is critical. We have to recover it immediately, and everything points to the tomb robber," the Pharaoh's tone was no-nonsense, and the fact that Joey and Yugi had started roaming around his apartment did nothing to ease Ryou's mind.
"He doesn't have it," Ryou blurted, causing all three sets of eyes to turn and look at him incredulously. Feeling surrounded, Ryou continued in a quieter tone, "I know it's hard to believe, but... Bakura didn't steal the Rod."
"There have been news reports of strange robberies and sudden attacks," Pharaoh's tone became very serious, and Ryou swallowed, "Only a select few are able to control the power of the Items, and I have every reason to believe my friends, if not all of Domino's residents are in danger. I never should have let him keep that Ring, I should have known his thieving ways would never change --"
"It wasn't him!" Ryou cut him off, unintentionally raising his voice. He blinked dumbly at himself, as surprised as everyone else at his outburst. They had ended up in the hallway, near Bakura's door. Steeling himself, Ryou stepped in front of it. He didn't know what he was doing, and some more rational part of his mind was trying to convince him he was being an idiot, to just hand Bakura over and avoid the Pharaoh's wrath, but he was steadfast.
"Step aside, Ryou," the Pharaoh's tone became slightly threatening, his eyes narrowing in warning. Ryou braced himself and did not budge.
"It was... it was Malik," he recalled the name Bakura used, meeting everyone's eyes with unflinching conviction.
"That's impossible," Yugi said, "Malik left after Battle City, and went back to Egypt with his brother and sister. Atemu banished his dark side permanently..."
"I grow tired of this," the Pharaoh bristled, possibly because Yugi had used his true name in public. In front of an 'outsider', no less. Ryou started to become disheartened that they refused to believe him, especially when Joey stepped forward, prepared to 'assist' Ryou out of the doorway.
"Please," Ryou's tone became pleading, "You have to believe me, I saw him!"
"You... saw Malik?" Pharaoh looked confused for a moment, probably not so much wondering how Ryou saw the Egyptian, but why the normally harmless boy was lying to their faces.
"Yes, honestly," Ryou insisted.
The Pharaoh closed his eyes, obviously trying to restrain his fury. Yugi frowned, setting a hand on his counterpart's arm.
"Ryou," the Pharaoh said in a tightly controlled tone, "I don't understand why you're testing the limits of my patience, but trust me, you will not like the results. My friends are in danger, and I won't stand for this. Now, please, step aside."
Normally, Ryou would have been intimidated by the tone. Normally, he would've given up by this point, thrown his hands in the air and succumbed to the stronger will. Normally, he would have done as he was told, got out of the way and watched as they barged in, as they discovered Bakura's secret, as they played judge, jury and executioner...
But all he could think about was the expression she had on her face when he pulled Malik's limp form away from her. In that singular moment of vulnerability, his roommate became real, tangible, and accessible in Ryou's mind. She was more than a thief, more than a former evil spirit, more than a tomb-robber, more than a cold-hearted villain, more than a taunting, rough bully.
She was a person. Moreover, she was a person who was scared, despite her attempts to convince him otherwise. She had enough to deal with without the Pharaoh and his witch hunt.
Ryou spread his arms and dug his fingers into the wooden door frame, setting his shoulders. A disturbing calm settled over him, and he let his face sink into the faintest of glares.
"Leave him alone."
Even the Pharaoh was taken aback by his quiet, but unwavering voice. Ryou continued.
"I understand your concern, but you're just wasting your time here. We don't have the Rod," he swept his hard look at the intruders, first at Joey, then Yugi, and finally, he met the Pharaoh's gaze, and matched it.
Ryou was amazed when the Pharaoh stepped back and bowed his head by a fraction of an inch. "We will get to the bottom of this," he promised, "And if we find that you're keeping anything from us, Ryou, I'll count you in league with the thief."
Yugi's mouth dropped open, and he started to protest, when a stern look from the taller wild-haired boy silenced him. Joey just looked bewildered and unhappy, like he was caught up in something he didn't really understand. Ryou didn't move from his place in the doorway, remaining there until they turned and left. He flinched when the Pharaoh slammed his door shut, and final let go of the wood. He walked to the opposite side of the hall, slumping against the wall and sinking into a sitting position.
What was he doing? He had never gone against his friends before. They were being perfectly reasonable in their actions and suspicions, but something in him would not let them go after his roommate. He already felt like he had let her down by failing to prevent Malik from touching her at all, by upsetting her enough to run off in the first place. And now he'd failed his friends by being on the wrong side.
Ryou held his forehead, and almost didn't hear the door across from him opening. He didn't bother to lift his head, already anticipating that she'd start yelling at him for thinking she couldn't handle the Pharaoh and his cohorts...
But there was silence. Making sure he hadn't been hearing things, he looked up.
Bakura stared down at him, standing in her doorway. Her head was tilted slightly, and she had a slight expression of incomprehension.
"Why didn't you just say I was gone?" Her voice finally broke their wordless exchange, "If you said I was off somewhere, they would have thanked you and left, and you wouldn't have gotten yourself on the Pharaoh's blacklist."
Ryou wilted as he realized she was right, that his display had accomplished nothing. "I don't know," he mumbled, shaking his head, "I wasn't thinking."
Instead of responding with a smart remark, Bakura just grunted, something that sounded a little odd with her now feminine vocal chords. Ryou almost wished she had insulted him, so he'd have something else to think about. He didn't want to dwell on what had just transpired. He really hadn't been thinking, as his mind suddenly became focused on the singular goal of keeping them out and away from her. It was almost as though he were acting...
Protective?
Ryou almost laughed aloud at the idea. Him, protective of anyone, much less Bakura? It was ridiculous. But he quickly became subdued when he realized that just might be it. Something twisted in his stomach, and he found it impossible to look in Bakura's direction. She'd kill him if she knew. As it was, he was amazed he was getting off this easily, so much so that the eerie silence was starting to become uncomfortable. He dared a glance upwards, and saw her leaning against the doorway, taking in all the sights the carpet had to offer.
"Why do you do it, Ryou?" Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet, and Ryou blinked when he heard her use his actual name. He lifted his head.
"Do what?" he asked, frowning at her body language. She still held herself defensively, and seemed deeply shaken by something, though she was trying her best to hide it. The events of last night had probably given her a whole new range of nightmare material, the likes of which she never even had to consider before.
"Why do you tolerate me?" Bakura reiterated, her tone laced with annoyance at having to explain herself. "Are you a masochist, or are you just stupid? Can you even fathom the list of crimes I've committed against you, boy?"
Her voice was not guilty, only irritated, accusatory and confused. Ryou let out a soft 'heh' and shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. His mind wandered back to earlier days.
He had hardly known the dark force that had possessed him, blanking out his memories and stealing away his consciousness, only understanding that he had to try and stop it. Ryou was never the kind of person to muster hate easily, slow to anger and quick to forgive, but he had almost, almost been able to hate it. That was largely because for the longest time, he had thought it was a malevolent extension of himself, and his full responsibility. Things had changed, though. Now that Bakura was outside his mind, Ryou's empathic, compassionate nature had kicked in, forcing him to see the spirit as something more than a cruel twist of fate.
"Sometimes, I was certain there was a human soul behind the darkness in my head, even if it was faint..." he finally spoke, hushed and wary of his words, "I felt as much that one time... I don't need any other reason to forgive you."
Bakura scrutinized him for a while, before dismissing his altruism with a snort. "What time?"
"When... You took the blow for me, in that weird duel. I didn't really know what was going on, and I still don't... All I remember is that you spread your arms and made sure that blinding light hit you instead of me," Ryou smiled secretly at the memory. Maybe all he had been doing was repaying a favor.
Bakura looked puzzled for a moment, before her metaphorical feathers became ruffled, "Don't be an idiot, I only did that because I needed your body in good working order!"
"Bakura, I'm pretty sure it was just a hologram..." he closed his eyes, trying to remember, "What damage could it have possibly done to me?" Ryou countered.
The thief tried to find an argument, but she begrudgingly closed her mouth and set her jaw. Evidently, her search was unsuccessful, so she tried another strategy. "You can try convincing me of your sainthood all you wish, but all I see is a lonely child, so desperate for companionship he enjoys the crudest of company. You foolishly believe that you can befriend me, don't you? That I'll see the error of my ways, and we can be best friends forever, just like the Pharaoh and his runt?"
Ryou cringed slightly. Bakura must have been feeling better if she was able to employ her sharp tongue without littering her language with vulgarities. He almost missed her screaming and swearing. Those didn't hit so close to home, weren't so cold-hearted and, most of all, they weren't so right.
A sliver of hope in his heart crumbled. In the recesses of his mind, he had been selfishly wondering, hoping that maybe, just maybe, her personality had been altered along with her body. Until this point, things had been different, but their current exchange was identical to countless others they had, long before Malik's penalty game ever entered the mix. Her voice was different, but the haughty inflection was the same. The thief was aloof and unapproachable once again. Nothing had really changed.
"Yes," he murmured, closing his eyes, "Yes, I want to be your friend, and yes, I know how stupid it is. I know I'm being an idiot," his voice dropped barely above a whisper, and his eyes stung, "I know you hate me."
"What? That's not true!" Bakura snapped, and a very perplexed Ryou blinked his eyes open. He saw a look of equal confusion cross her face, before she tried to cover for herself, "...I don't care about you at all. You're not important enough to hate, you're merely an annoying brat. You're nothing, nothing but a useless, pathetic, weak, brat, whimpering and pitiful, gullible and foolish..."
Ryou almost recoiled as she rattled off insults and derogatory descriptions, but he noticed something. It was the way she spoke, the way she waved her hands and violently spat each word out as she used him for a verbal punching bag. For no reason he could see, she was losing her cool. She was just... trying too hard. Trying to knock him down a peg, trying to write him off, trying to humble him, put him below her, beneath her on every possible level. But he was already humble. What was the point? His mind became quiet and blank as he suddenly grasped what she was doing.
She was not trying to convince him, but herself.
"Bakura..."
"What?" She turned her head sharply to give him her best glare for interrupting her.
"Are you..." he stared at her, hardly able to believe what he was about to ask, "...afraid of me?"
Bakura's voice died in her throat, her every movement halting. Her crimson eyes slowly turned to him, and they shone with the unmistakable, fearful look of someone who'd been figured out. They practically screamed How did you know?
Ryou rose to his feet, his hurt turning to sympathy. He could practically see her erecting her defensive barriers as he stood, fuming at him, her previously smooth vocabulary failing her now.
"I don't understand," he said, spreading his hands in a universal gesture of harmlessness, taking a chance and stepping towards her, "I don't care what you've done or what you do. I don't care if everyone else in the world wants your head, Bakura, I'm not going to turn on you, I swear."
But she didn't seem convinced. Her eyes had gone wide, and she was nearly hyperventilating, still frozen in her tracks. A thought occurred to him, and he stopped his approach, taking a step back. Her posture relaxed slightly, but she was still guarded, keeping a wary eye on him.
Ryou lowered his head and hands. Did she really expect him to attack her? The thought hurt almost as much as her cruel words. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said, unable to keep his voice from sounding wounded.
Somehow, those quiet words drove her over the edge, and he closed his eyes as the nearby door slammed shut. He walked up to it and tried to say something intelligent, but it seemed words weren't coming easily to either of them today.
Instead, he leaned his forehead against the wood, and mumbled an apology.
- 4
- 5
- 6
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Powerless