//I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry//
What did you do?!
//Little Ryou, little angel, little honeysweet—//
—Don't touch me! What did you do?! What did you do to make father so upset? Why'd you have to go fuck things up for me like you always do?
(petting soft white hair) //Don't be angry. Don't be angry, good little Ryou. I tried to help. I know you don't like that doctorkyoto.//
(tearing away) You're wrong! I do like him. He's my friend—
//Pretty-honeysweet Ryou, you said he didn't believe you…you said you couldn't trust him anymore.//
…
//Why do you cry? Pretty Ryou?// (licks a stream of tears past the corner of Ryou's mouth) //Why such sweetly-salty tears? Not good for such a pretty face.//
…
Father's going to move us again.
He's going to take me out of this town, just when I was getting used to it. He's going to take me away from Doctor Kyoto Takei, whom I finally started befriending.
He's taking me away because of you…
//You're angry, Ryou? Angry little Ryou.
I'm sorry, Ryou. Little sweet Ryou.
Don't be angry. Please don't cry.//
(stroking soft skin)
//I'll sing for you. I'll write you a song. I don't know the tune, but you can help me. I know you can. Like a tree—You will be my roots and I will be your shade, though the sun burns my leaves.
You will quench my thirst and I will feed you fruit, though time takes my seed. And when I'm lost and can tell nothing of this earth you will give me hope.
And my voice you will always hear.
And my hand you will always have.
For I will shelter you. And I will comfort you. And even when we are nothing left, not even in death, I will remember you.*
…
Ryou?//
(sniffling)
//Don't be angry. I want to keep you. I want to have you all to myself. brown eyes white hair sweet skin
…
Angel. Where is your voice, angel? Where has your soft, heartbreaking voice gone?
Can you not speak? Can you not tell me that everything's okay, that you're not angry anymore?
…
Ryou?//
…
You keep taking over.
…
You can't do that, don't you understand? Don't you understand that you can't just go out and hurt whoever you don't like?
//…
but i didnt//
You wanted to.
…You can't keep doing that.
My father…he doesn't understand.
We have to be more careful.
//…
gomen…gomen nasai//
That doesn't make it better.
//…
no
I know.
I'll try to be better.//
(reaching out to pet soft folds of clothing)
//Angel…
If I act better…
can I keep you?//
(heavy sigh)
As long as you don't hurt me, and as long as you don't hurt anyone important to me.
…
Can you promise me?
(drawing blood with nails against his own chest) //cross my heart//
(hesitates)
…
What do you want me to call you?
//I am the Spirit of the Millennium Ring.//
…
Yes…I know.
But what do you want me to call you?
(tracing soft features with bloody fingertips) //i am darkness//
Darkness…
Before, you called yourself 'yami.' I know enough of the Japanese language now to understand that 'yami' means 'dark.'
Do you want me to call you that?
//You would make a name for me?
…
Angel, you would set aside a word with which to call me?
A name of my very own?//
(hesitating)
If it pleases you.
(stepping close) //Yes.
Yes, little Ryou.//
(stepping closer, too close, scaring pretty little Ryou)
//Yes, little Ryou, it would.
I would be very happy if you called me such a name—a name befitting the fear in your eyes when you speak it.//
(familiar apprehension returning at that tone)
Yami? You're frightening me.
(cheshire smile, closer still, cornering little honeysweet Ryou) //Yes boy.
Afraid.
I get to keep you now?
I promise to be good.//
…
(fear reassumes dominion in his brown eyes)
//…
Don't have anything to say now, do you, pretty Ryou?
Your father doesn't mind. At least he won't do anything to stop me.
Who else do you have to be accountable to?
A new town, a fresh start—plenty of chaos to be had.
…
And you're all mine.//
Yami—
//Hush, boy.
I get to keep you now.//
You promised—
//Shhh.//
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~~~~~
*Yami Bakura's poem/song belongs to Mr. Mark Z. Danielewski, to whom I owe, in part, the entirety of this work.