chap 3 .. 2 is company


The lightning struck and in the room, everyone's hearts skipped a beat for they had seen Bakura standing behind Ryou!

"This is impossible!” Joey screamed out.

"Ryou watch out, behind you!” Yugi called out.

But Ryou didn't move a muscle. He just stood there like a lifeless doll. The room fell silent and everyone's eyes were on the sinister Bakura!

Yugi started to speak. "What did you do to Ryou?"

Bakura walked a step forward and smirked. He lifted his hand to Ryou's head and gently grabbed a bushel of hair. "I haven't harmed a single hair on Ryou-kun's head", he said as he plucked one strand of hair. Ryou’s face scrunched a bit, then went back to the doll like state he was in.

“Why you! " Joey called while Tristan and Duke held him back from lunging to the unpredictable Bakura. " How the hell are you here, Bakura! And why are you torturing Ryou, you sick bastard! “ Joey calmed down and the boys let go of his arms.

Bakura looked at Joey.  "Torture? “ He clenched Ryou’s cheeks in his palm with his thumb and index finger as he leaned closer to Ryou. "I’m not torturing you, am I Ryou?”

Ryou’s face softly glowed, his eyes wincing open slightly as a tear fell over his fever ridden face.

"I’ve Had It!” Joey lunged at Bakura.

It was like time had slowed down, as Ryou glanced to the side to look at his friends trying to help him. In a blink of his eye, Ryou felt his body being tossed aside. Ryou look down towards Bakura and saw him pulling a switch blade out of his pocket. Time eerily ticked forwards in slow motion and Ryou knew he couldn’t let his friends get hurt.

Bakura laughed as he began to stab forwards, then his eyes grew wide as the cold metal knife jabbed into his hikari.

Everyone gasped and the girls covered their faces! Joey skid to a stop in front of Ryou as he fell to the floor clenching the knife in hand. Ryou gasped and looked to his friends and spoke softly. “P-please don’t come near me...I-I don’t want anyone to get h-hurt...” He looked down and his body shook in pain. Joey took a step forward, Ryou yelled out with all his strength,”Stay back!” Joey then retreated towards the others. The girls slowly pealed their fingers from their faces to see Ryou, the once frilly white lace now drenched in the red liquid that poured from his side.

Bakura lurked from the darkness once again to lift the injured albino to his feet. Ryou gasped in pain, one eye twitching. His friend’s watched helplessly, obeying Ryou’s command.   Blood oozed down Ryou’s leg into the puddle at his feet.

“Bakura let him go... He will die soon if you don’t... He’s not an inhuman monster like you!!!” Yugi shouted. Bakura grunted and looked at his other half struggling to stand on his own. He placed his hand onto the knife in Ryou’s side. Everyone froze. “Don’t touch that, Bakura!”

“What? You think I’m going to leave evidence here?” he snarled back. He yanked the knife out of Ryou’s side.

“GAHHHH!!” Ryou wailed out as blood spat in every direction. He sank to the floor and the room began to fall into a dark abyss for the young teen, as he watched his Yami walk away. His eyes couldn’t see any more, but the last words were spoken.

“I’ll be back Ryou...” Bakura murmured so that only the teen could hear him.

Joey and the others rushed to Ryou’s aid and Bakura slipped back into the darkness. Yugi stood up “Wait! Where are you going, you animal!!”

Tristan placed a hand onto his shoulder “Come on Yugi, we will go after him later.” He led Yugi back to Ryou, seeing Joey on a verge of tears. A rare site to see, a once strong male stature whimpering before his eyes.

Yugi placed a hand on Joey’s shoulder. No words were spoken, but Joey had to see what happens if you are to rash against some one of the likes of Bakura. Joey pulled Ryou close to him whispering, “I’m sorry,” repeatedly. The whole gang just stood still. The room was unbearably quiet.

Finally, Tristan came to reason of the situation at hand. “We have to get him to a hospital... Hell, we can’t call an ambulance! It would be a ridiculously long wait! We would get there faster if we walked...”

Duke stood up , “But luckily I have my car with me...but wrap him in a towel of something. I don’t want my upholstery to be blood stained. Everyone gave Duke an enraged look  for his rude comment. Duke starred, wide eyed, in an apologetic way. ”I was joking… I swear.”

Tristan looked at Joey and Ryou. “What are we going to do about the dress? Knowing Ryou, he’d die of embarrassment if he were to know he went to the hospital in that...”

Everyone looked in concern and Yugi gave a half-hearted smirk. ”Well it’s better than him being nude... don’t you say Tristan.

“I guess you’re right...” Tristan said as he motioned to Joey to lift Ryou so they can get going. Joey looked over and wiped a tear from his eye. He nodded and began to lift Ryou up.

Ryou grunted in pain. There were so many things fluttering in his head. He had no clue what was going on. He was in darkness and in pain. “Where am I?” he thought to himself. “Where are the others…? W-why does it hurt so much...”  He shuttered.

Joey watched his friend shutter suddenly in his coma like state. ”Ryou...buddy you ok ...?” Ryou didn’t respond, just shuttered. Joey sighed and carried him down the stairs, following the others.

In less than twenty minutes, they were at the hospital thanks to Duke’s wild disregard for road rules.  Joey hoped from the car almost before Duke stopped.

Te’a gasped. “Hey Joey are you crazy!!” She sighed and Yugi looked to her.

“Just let him go. He feels bad for letting this all happen... Now it’s just talking to a brick wall to him until he knows Ryou is ok... Yugi turned back and hoped from the car. Duke and Tristan went to find a parking spot in the over loaded lot.

Joey ran up to the first person in a scrub he saw and handed Ryou over, explaining how he was stabbed in his mid section on the right side. They took him from Joey and he just followed, dumb founded. A nurse walked between him, blocking his way. Joey snapped out his bewildered state.”You’re in good hands now.”

He sighed and looked to the nurse. “Take good care of him please.” He says, putting his hands onto the woman’s shoulders, shaking her a little. The woman looked terrified, she didn’t know if Joey was the one who stabbed him.

Te`a ran up to him. “Joey!! You’re scaring her! What do you think you’re doing?” she pried Joey from the nurse.

Yugi spoke softly. “I can assure you, he’s harmless...There was an accident...We’re not exactly sure what happened.” Yugi bit his tong. He knew Bakura was the cause, but it would be rather hard to believe that a five thousand year old spirit inhabits a new body of his own, and has stabbed his former host. So he grunted and turned his head.

The nurse looked at all of them. “I need some information on the boy... Where in the world are his parents..?”

All three froze at the question. They knew Ryou’s father left him home when he left on his expedition, though Ryou was very capable to handle everything by himself. They knew it was illegal to leave a minor at home. Sweat dripped from the Threes faces. The nurse was growing impatient with the lack of a reply. She threw a hand to her hip and asked again "well?” She said impatiently and taped a foot on the ground.

Yugi sighed and started to explain the whole situation. About two hours passed. The whole gang in the waiting room hung their heads low. Yugi sighed.

“There was no choice... I had to tell her... But the law is not on our side...” Joey rubbed Yugi's shoulder to comfort him.

Ryou is now about  to be in for the ride of his life.