Protector, Pt. 1
*SHONEN-AI / YAOI / ANGST*
Once again, this is a guy/guy pairing story, so no reading if you are underage!
Jounochi/Ryou pairing.
This story takes place after episode 27, the end of season one.
*********
Jounochi felt the screams pierce his soul and he had to help. Never mind that his soul was still trapped inside the little role playing figure of a warrior, this was something he had to do.
Ryou!
Jounochi saw them, the dark part of his soul created by the Millennium Ring attacking the gentler one. He didn't even fight back, only cringing and taking the pain. Something inside Jounochi snapped and he moved to be by Ryou's side, ending up on his left while Yugi appeared to his right. He held Ryou, shielded him from the onslaught until the dark Bakura was finally defeated.
Since that day Jounochi had kept constant watch on Ryou since the other insisted on holding onto the Millennium Ring despite the dangers.
"Baka." Jounochi glared up at the ceiling of his room from where he laid on his unkempt bed. He never cleaned his room up, there was no point with a drunken father always going around destroying things and making a general mess of the entire apartment. He missed his mother... At least Shizuka didn't have to deal with all this bullshit and was safe in the hospital.
Jounochi finally got up and went to look at his desk and the pile of homework. The clock next to the pile blinked the time as being the dead of night...he'd best start it now. Fully intending to do his homework, Jounochi ended up falling asleep on the books not two minutes after starting to read.
*********
"Yugi, wake up! Let me copy your homework!" Jounochi begged, banging on the front door of the Turtle Game Shop.
After a few moments the door swung open and Jounochi found himself flattened by Yami's glare. Even in light blue pajamas with little penguins and rumpled hair, the Game King managed to freeze Jounochi into silence. "No." The door slammed in Jounochi's face.
Jounochi started banging on the door again. "Please! I fell asleep!"
"You're own fault."
"I'll treat you for breakfast!"
"...breakfast...? I don't need any--"
"Cinnamon rolls!"
The silence lasted for exactly five seconds before the door was reopened and Yami peeked back out at him. "Really?"
Jounochi grinned. The Game King's greatest weakness was definitely anything with cinnamon. "All you can eat."
Yami's ruby gaze narrowed before the door slammed one more time.
*********
"Not a word of this to anymore. I have a reputation." Yami threatened, jabbing into a large cinnamon roll as Jounochi set to work copying his homework. At least he was in charge of the body right now and Yugi could honestly say he knew nothing about any copying. "You've been slacking off a lot at school lately. What's on your mind?"
Jounochi paused in his writing. "I...was thinking about...you know, all we've been through."
"Bakura."
"Eh?"
"You're a window. I know you watch him more than a normal friend. I worry about him too, but it's none of our business at this point." The Game King bit into his food. "He chose to wear the Ring again."
Jounochi shook his head, bewildered to hear Yami saying such things. "I thought you cared if he got hurt."
"You fail to understand the truth of the Millennium Items. We have rules... I broke them when I interfered with the Ring punishing Bakura because of my attachment to Yugi. I am different from the items in that I let my bearer control me...it's the other way around with the rest. You should let things be."
Jounochi wanted to punch Yami, to beat him to a pulp for saying such things. But his words spoke what he felt was the truth, and Jounochi could not hate someone just because that was how they saw the world. Plus it was Yami's world, not his, that he was daring to venture into. "Will the Ring attack me?"
The Game King finished his cinnamon roll before answering. "If you interfere too much, yes."
*********
Ryou Bakura flinched at the bruise around his eye before applying some make-up over it to hide the evidence of last night's fight. His yami had been angry when he tried to refuse him again... Ryou grabbed his brush and dragged it through his frost-blue hair, trying hard to not cry. He felt so ashamed to be this weak.
"You *are* weak." A deep voice growled from behind him and Ryou gasped before he was shoved roughly to the floor, his cheek pressed against the carpet. "You'll learn your place soon enough...just need to get rid of that stubbornness." Yami Bakura shoved Ryou's arm up his back, being rewarded by Ryou's small cry of pain. "Foolish child."
Ryou squirmed, trying to get out of the hold his dark self had on him. "I..need to go to school!"
"We still have time." Yami Bakura reached around to grab Ryou's crotch, rubbing him through the fabric. "You will obey your master."
Ryou choked back a cry, trying to calm himself. Yami Bakura would love any excuse to beat him into submission and he couldn't afford to delay too long to put himself back together and get to school on time. He was late once for physical education class and only thanks to Yugi and his friends that he was able to get out of punishment from the coach.
With his hair covering his eyes, Ryou could only hope that Yami Bakura would make it quick.
*********
Ryou winced as he walked to school, jolts of pain shooting through his body with each step. His dark self was rough, he knew this, but was also very cruel in not giving Ryou any pleasure out of any of the acts. He hated this. He wanted to be normal.
The bell rang just as he entered the gate, still taking his time getting to the classroom. Thankfully the lecture hadn't started by the time he got to his seat but the moment he sat down a small yelp escaped his lips and he found himself getting stared at by Jounochi. "Yes?"
"Did you get hurt?"
"Um, no...just, ah, sore back. Studying and all." Ryou faked a smile, which slowly faded the more Jounochi stared at him. His green eyes shifted away. "I'm fine."
Jounochi didn't believe him for a second, but there was no time to discuss it as class began finally, but after school, he would corner the white-haired boy and get the truth out of him.
*********
"Hey Bakura!" Jounochi ran to catch up with his classmate and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
Ryou gasped when Jounochi ended up grabbing onto a rather large bruise and he cringed down and away, his green eyes wild and frightened out of instinct. "Don't!"
Jounochi lowered his hand, his face shocked at the reaction. "Bakura...what's going on with you?"
Ryou shook his head, tears finally escaping down his face. "I'm sorry...I can't.." He moved to run but was still wounded and ended up falling. Ashamed he curled up into a ball to hide his face, crying heavily.
Jounochi couldn't stand watching this and scooped the smaller boy up into his arms, giving dark glares at anyone watching them. He only knew of one place to go...hopefully his father would have passed out by now. Ryou didn't fight him and that worried Jounochi slightly. He knew Ryou was gentle, but he was a little too submissive. The blonde boy managed to get them both to his apartment and luckily his father was gone on the couch. No matter how much noise Jounochi made he wouldn't get up until late night and that was only to drink some more.
He cleared off a space on his bed and laid Ryou down, propping him up with a pillow. "Are you alright?"
Ryou wiped at his eyes. "I'm sorry, Jounochi." He glanced around the room that looked like it exploded. Clothing thrown everywhere, some books lying on the floor and the entire place was in desperate need of vacuuming.
Jounochi found a clean cloth and some water, handing it to Ryou to clean his face off with. "You got all dirty falling into the ground like that. I'll toss your stuff into the washing machine."
Ryou's eyes widened and he grabbed onto his jacket. "No no, I'm fine!"
"Come on, Bakura!"
"Stop it!"
Jounochi managed to pry Ryou's hands off of the jacket and proceeded to take it off along with the white shirt underneath. What he saw made him drop the clothing. Bruises, cuts, and scars crisscrossed Ryou's chest and back. Ryou grabbed a blanket to cover his upper body with, head bowed.
"Who did this?" Jounochi finally asked, a hand reaching out to touch the other boy's cheek. It was wet with more tears. "Bakura, tell me."
Ryou reached up to his chest where the Millennium Ring hung around his neck. "I make him mad."
"Get rid of it." Jounochi growled, his hands settling right before Ryou's legs. "It's hurt you too much."
"I can't."
"Just throw it away!"
"I can't!" Ryou shouted, his hand clutching the Ring. "I've tried, but he finds me again." He was close to hyperventilating until he felt arms encircle him. Looking up he saw Jounochi staring down at him before he kissed him. Ryou was stunned at the movement, then his body tensed and he screamed, thrashing against Jounochi was the Millennium Ring sent torrents of pain through him.
Jounochi held tight to Ryou, afraid he was having a seizure until he saw the glow from the Ring and grabbed it, ripping it from the cloth tie and throwing it across the room.
Ryou stopped thrashing at once, but he breathed heavily in Jounochi's arms. "He's...so mad..."
Jounochi brushed away the bangs from Ryou's eyes and kissed his forehead only to have the boy flinch. "I won't hurt you, Ryou. I'm not him...I will protect you from him."
"How?" Ryou asked, his hands clutching onto Jounochi's shirt.
"I..." Jounochi was at a loss for words. How could he protect Bakura from himself? "I don't know, but for now all I can do is help you any way I can. Like now."
Bakura knew the Ring would find it's way back around his neck, by his hand or another's, but for now he was desperate for kindness...and Jounochi did stop his dark half from punishing him for a simple kiss. "Thank you." Safe in his arms, Ryou allowed himself to actually relax and be cuddled.
Jounochi smiled, laying down on the bed with Ryou and dropping soft kisses and caresses. He didn't want to push Ryou just yet, he had to heal first, but for now...he would be his protector.

To Be Continued...