Make Me New

Make Me New

Author: Schwarzwald
Summary:Ryou may be out of the hospital soon and there is something definitely wrong with Bakura.
Rating: R for blood?
Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis. I am teh sadness.
Warning:It’s been a while. This may seen very distanced in style from the last chapters.
Notacias:First of all an apology is in order. The YGO fandom essentially made me, as in this is where I got my “start”. I’ve no problem being honest about the fact that I’m not the most dedicated YGO fan and it was essentially some of the better written fics that got me into it. However, it was the readers, YOU ALL, the ones who’ve been with me on this now...32 fic journey, all along. You guys were there in the beginning, cheering my alternative pairs as I now call them and laughing along at whatever zany antic I was having the characters do. You all were there for the best love stories and the worst tragedies there in. If any story deserves attention and finishing now, it’s this one and I’d like to thank all of you, especially Nicole Soo for that one line email, that little, “Please Don’t Forget About Us.”.I won’t and I haven’t.

But I’ll warn you. I’ll have to get back into the groove, I’ll have to fall back in love with all these characters again so that when I write, it won’t be stale or full of false feeling. So, while this chapter will be short and seem a bit foreign and distanced in perhaps style and tone, the others won’t be.

I ask you to bear with me while the “car” starts up again.

Please come with me on this ride.

Thank You. And Sorry.

Concerns

Yugi let Marik hold him and roll him around on the bed. He didn’t mind, it was nice being cuddly and he kept laughing when Marik decided to lick his stomach or bite his arm and growl. They hadn’t spent much time together lately, not with Yugi going to visit Ryou in the hospital and Yami’s refusal to let him out at night after all the reports of murder in the papers.

“Marik...”

The golden haired Yami lifted his face and detached him mouth from Yugi’s shoulder. “Nn?”

“I have to get going. The hospital closes soon!”

“What?! I’ve been trying to get you in the mood this whole time!”

Yugi laughed. “By biting on me and nuzzling my tummy?!”

The Egyptian shrugged. “I dunno. Come on, skip a day!”

“But Ryou -.”

“I heard the charges are going to be dropped anyway. So come on!”

“What?” Yugi sat upright, looking into Marik’s eyes. “Where’d you hear that?”

“Bakura was actually home last night -Hey! Where are you going!”

Yugi got up and pulled down his shirt, grabbing his wallet. “I’m gonna go talk to Bakura! I can’t believe he didn’t say anything!”

“He never says -DON’T YOU NEED A RIDE?!” Marik called as Yugi ran out of the room and down the stairs.

Yami passed by the open door. “Don’t yell in our house.”

“Shut up Bitch.”

Yami reached in and slammed the door, Marik temporarily startled.

“Shit...”

But not as startled as he was when Akefia appeared from behind Yugi’s desk and jumped at his face.

“SON OF A -.”


****

“Are the charges getting dropped?” Yugi felt lucky to have caught up to Bakura before he was leaving. He’d invited himself on the drive and hopped in the Yami’s car, missing his murderous glances.

Bakura didn’t answer. He shifted gears with a shaky hand and Yugi looked down at his nails.

“Your nails are all red. Are you doing mean things to Ryou’s room?”

“Shut up.” he said menacingly. “Shut your mouth if you want to keep it.”

Yugi wanted to say something else but there was something wrong with Bakura’s tone. Usually, you could hear his playfulness, even if he had a weapon or something but this time...

He took a look back at Bakura’s hand and glanced at him. His eyes were blood shot and he was cowling.

They were speeding now and Yugi pressed his back to his seat, feeling afraid.

“...Yami Bakura?”

“What?” he snapped.

“...thanks for the ride.”

Bakura turned the corner fast and Yugi pulled his feet up. He could see the hospital in the distance but it was like Bakura wasn’t seeing anything at all. They came at the gates with a screeching halt and the guard let the arm raise and motioned them by.

They got out in the parking lot, Bakura parked any kind of way, and went towards the building. Yugi watched Bakura try and light a cigarette but it wasn’t working.

Yugi held his hand steady while he worked the lighter and it was like he saw who he was with for the first time.

“Chibi...” he growled. “What...you were in the car?”

Yugi put the lighter in his pocket. “Yes. They won’t let you smoke in there.”

“The fuckers...” Bakura stayed outside and Yugi went in, waving to the Yami as he disappeared.


Bakura watched Yugi leave and a few people come out of the building. He eyed them and he smoked a little faster, taping his finger on his jeans.

**

“Well...yesterday he attacked Grandpa’s ankles. But, I think he’s getting used to us. The Yami scratch count is down to six a day!”

Ryou seemed pleased. “Thanks a lot Yugi. He’s really a good kitten.”

“Well...” Yugi taped his chin. “He’s kind of big now, so I wouldn’t say that.”

They ate some gummy bears Yugi had smuggled in. “You’ll be getting out soon!”

“What?”

“Yeah, I was talking to Marik and he says that Bakura said that they’re dropping the charges.”

Ryou blinked, his large brown eyes curious. “Charges for what?”

“Um...the um...” Think Yugi think... “The charges for the bill so you could stay here.”

“Oh. OH!”

They both nodded and sat quietly for a moment.

“Yugi?”

“Mm?”

“...I don’t understand why Dartz hasn’t come... He’s going to leave me isn’t he?”

Yugi began to feel nervous and he began stretching his bear. “Well...I...I haven’t heard from him...he’s busy you know?”

“I know.”

Yugi pulled the bear apart, frowning a bit. “He’s a busy jackass and you shouldn’t see him anymore. Not even to break up!”

“Yugi!”

“No Ryou... he’s...” Yugi hesitated. The doctors here didn’t want him to bring up what Ryou had done or why he had done it. They say it could lead to another psychotic break.

He grabbed another bear to eat. “He’s a jerk.”

**

Bakura washed his face in the guest bathroom, trying to get the filth out of his nails and looks awake. They wanted to meet here, he didn’t know why. He couldn’t care why. He’d brought his porcelain knife with him. It didn’t make a noise in the detectors. And if Dartz was going to be here...

Well he might as well finish the job right?

He stared at his reflection, his eyes burning red for a moment and then going back to brown.

It’d be for Ryou.

He left the bathroom and retraced his path to the little conference room the DA, Dartz’s attorney’s, some of Kaiba’s legal assholes, and the lawyer Ishizu had gotten them were. He came in the room and everyone was already there.

Except Dartz. And Kaiba.

He remained standing and crossed his arms, staring down “his” lawyer like she was also the enemy.

“Now let’s talk.”

He could clearly see that he was intimidating everyone in the room and he could see that Kaiba’s people had guns.

How endearing.

He wasn’t really listening. He heard things like deal, additional time, dropping the charges. It all sounded good. So he tuned back in.

“So, does that mean Ryou gets out?”

The opposing lawyers looked at each other and the DA spoke.

“You do realize that as a condition of this deal...Ryou will have to continue psychiatric monitoring?”

This made Bakura frown. “Ryou is crazy! It’s a crime of passion!” He looked at his lawyer. “You said it yourself!”

The woman nodded, leaning back a bit. “Even so...ah...Mister Bakura, he still needs psychiatric help. We...discussed it and since you’re very bent on getting your brother out of here, we decided on a sort of house arrest for the remainder of what would have been an acceptable parole for this sort of crime.”

“Wait, Ryou could have gotten parole -.”

“It was one of the options a judge could have considered.” Dartz’s lawyer said. “But highly unlikely with the amount of evidence against your client.”

Bakura growled at him and the woman spoke again. “He’ll have to serve a year of house arrest. Maybe less if you agree to Ryou going to see a doctor regularly and nothing happens at least five months in.”

He clenched his fists and snorted. “Make it happen.” He told the woman, leaving.


He slammed the door on his way out and headed for Ryou’s room, despite the woman trying to tell him visitor’s hours were almost up. He went into the room where Yugi was getting ready to leave.

“Out. I’m talking to Ryou.”

Yugi left, hugging his friend goodbye and waited outside.

Bakura hugged his Hikari and whispered in his ear. “You’re getting out. Soon.”

“Yugi said that.” Ryou laid his head on his shoulder. “Yami...”

“Ryou...”

Ryou cupped Bakura’s face. “Please stop.”

“Stop what?”

They just stared at each other and Ryou kissed his forehead. “Okay.”

//I’m going to get you out of here...and then it’ll be us again.//

Ryou nodded and let him go. “And stop smoking.”

Bakura smirked, starting to leave. “Yeah right.”

He left, walking past Yugi who was waiting in the hall. Almost immediately his demeanor changed and Bakura held up his hand. It was shaking.

“Yami Bakura?”

“Shut up.” He growled, walking ahead of him.

****
****

“And how has he been?” Ishizu served her brothers some food, watching Malik make his food disappear as quickly as she served it. Marik sipped his drink and replied.

“He isn’t around much.”

Malik came up for air. “Or he’s in his room...He’s meaner than usual. He tried to kill Otogi the other day.”

Ishizu looked at her brother. “What do you mean?”

Marik waved it away. “He’s just kidding. You know how he is -.”

“No Yami.” Malik looked serious. “He tried to kill him. He was strangling him...and all we did was take a few beers, I promised to give them back but...but he just got so mad and when Otogi tried to talk him down he knocked him on the ground.”

It got quiet and Malik continued. “He kept saying, ‘I’ll show you what happens when you take from me...’”

Ishizu spoke. “Ryou has to come home as soon as possible.”

“Why?” Marik began eating again.

“...Bakura and Ryou representing the most extreme of Yami and Hikari. When one is left without the other’s influence too long...rather, if the Yami is left without his light’s influence too long, disaster can happen.”

Malik looked confused. “It never happens with us. I stay away from Marik all the time!”

Marik grinned. “Please. I’m irresistible. Even to you!”

Ishizu rolled her eyes. “That’s because Malik, you’re something like...oh...how can I say this...a Dark Hikari. If it were white, grey, and black, you are more grey. Where as with the Pharaoh and Yugi, the Pharaoh is also grey. He’s a Light Yami. He has the potential for good, though his soul is dark. You have the potential for evil -.”

“Which I proved!” the blond said, pleased with himself.

“While your soul is light.”

Marik licked his fork. “Well...Bakura hasn’t murdered anyone -.”

“Yet.” the woman added, taking the dishes.

“So we have nothing to worry about.” Marik sighed, his stomach full. This family business could actually be worth something after all.

Malik looked at him smiling and Marik scooted his chair back. “Malik, down -.”

He was pinned to the floor and snuggled, Malik rubbing their noses together. “You are irresistible Yami-chan!”

“Don’t call me that! -Hey! Get your hand outta my jeans!”

****

It’d only been a few days, but Yugi was doing his best to do what Ryou’d asked him.

“Please stay with Yami until I get home. He’s lonely.”

And while Yugi could work with that...

He couldn’t work with being almost stabbed, getting hit, getting chased, and a million other things that he hadn’t known were Yami Bakura’s special needs problems.

Why did he have to do Bakura’s laundry!?

He sighed and folded another shirt, the door the Yami’s bedroom coming open.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Yugi checked the clock. “I was leaving soon. Marik’s not back yet -.”

“Get out!” Bakura unzipped his jacket and took his shirt off, facing away from Yugi.

But he saw it anyway.

The blood.

He froze and Bakura looked over his shoulder at him.

“Is there a problem?”

Yugi kept staring and eventually tore his eyes away and finished folding. He could feel Bakura moving around the room, but he didn’t want to look up. He was forced too when the metal point came under his chin.

“...Yami Bakura?” he whimpered, wishing Marik were here.

Bakura’s eyes were red. They were like two points, two hot coals and just as he was about to speak, the door opened a bit and Marik poked his head in.

“Thief, where’s -.”

Yugi didn’t think he’d ever seen any of them move that fast.

The ring was glowing, the rod was glowing and the eye of Ra blazed on Marik’s head as he forced the Millennium Rod’s blade closer to Bakura’s throat.

“I’ll kill you!” he boomed, attempting to use his shadow magic to win influence over Bakura’s mind.

But it wasn’t working and Bakura gave a dark laugh, shadow weave beginning to flood into the room. Yugi stood up on the bed and shouted.

“STOP IT OR I’M TELLING YAMI!”

This gave them pause and Bakura blinked, his eyes going brown.

“...What?”

Marik relaxed, stepping back a bit, his hair relaxing and the eye disappearing. He grabbed Yugi’s wrist. “We’re leaving. Now.”

“But the laundry -.”

Yugi was dragged out of the room, getting a last look at Bakura as he left.

He looked lost.


****

*Wow...I don’t know where all that came from. But...Ryou’s gotta get out of the mad house before he kills someone. That’s all I know.
*Thank you for reading if you have.