DD: Hey guys! Sorry I'm late with the Halloween one-shot, but I did finish it. I was at a friend's Halloween party and I didn't get to post it. Anyway, here it is! Hope you enjoy. I own nothing!

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Yugi Mutou groaned as he opened his eyes. Then he blinked. He closed his eyes, shook his head and then opened them again.

It was pitch black. It didn't make any difference whether his eyes were open or closed. He couldn't see anything.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tried to move his arms, but his left arm was chained to the wall. He couldn't feel his right arm, but he assumed that it was in the same situation and had gone numb.

He was sitting on a cold, stone floor with his back against a wall of the same material. There was a blanket covering his legs that was pooled at his stomach, leading him to believe that it had fallen off before he had woken up. He wrinkled his nose, trying to ignore the rancid smell in the room.

He tried opening his eyes again, but found that he still couldn't see anything. He sighed. "Hello?" He called. "Is anyone there?" He waited. Nothing. "Help!" He waited. Nothing.

He slumped against the wall again.

No one could hear him scream. He was alone.

The hope in his chest that had almost diminished fluttered when he heard the click of a lock. He looked up in time to see light stream as a door opened.

He squeezed his eyes shut again as they watered, having grown accustomed to the darkness.

He heard footsteps as whoever had opened the door walked down a flight of stairs, and he heard another click.

He opened his eyes again to find that the second click had been that of a light bulb turning on. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted.

The light was hanging over a table with straps at the top, bottom and sides.

Yugi didn't want to think what they were for.

Perched on the table in a delicate manner was a slim figure that Yugi knew all too well. Pale skin, white hair and brown eyes. "You're awake again."

"Bakura."

The figure smiled. "In a way." His voice was softer than Bakura's, and lighter.

Yugi blinked. "Ryou?"

"Yup." Ryou smiled at him. "How are you holding up?"

Yugi frowned in confusion. "Okay, I suppose." He squirmed in his bindings. "Can you let me go so we can get out of here?"

Ryou blinked and tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I think Bakura captured me or something and I can't get out," Yugi replied. "Come on; we can get out of here before he notices."

Ryou shook his head. "I can't."

"Yes you can," Yugi insisted. "Yami will make sure Bakura won't hurt you."

Ryou shook his head and giggled. The sound went straight down Yugi's spine. "No, Yugi. You don't understand. I can't let you go, because if I did, there would have been no point in capturing you."

Yugi paused and blinked. "W-What?"

"I said if I did, there would have been no point in capturing you," Ryou replied with a smile. "Would you like something to eat?"

Yugi shook his head. "B-but it can't have been you! Did... did Bakura make you?"

Ryou's smile slipped off his face and he scowled. "Oh yes. Because poor innocent Ryou is far too weak to be able to fight of his yami's influence. He couldn't do a thing wrong; it's all Bakura," he scoffed. "No, Yugi. It was all me."

Yugi shook his head. "B-but... Bakura..."

"Was doing all that I asked him to." Ryou's smile returned. "I told him to pursue his revenge. Now he's stopped because of his emotions, but even at the start, it was me egging him on. I told him to hurt my arm when we just met. I convinced him to take control in Duelist Kingdom. I convinced him to team up with Malik in Battle City. I convinced him to fight Marik. And I convinced him to hide a part of himself in your puzzle."

"But..." Yugi shook his head. "Why?"

"Because he could cause pain." Ryou smiled. "I find pain fascinating. It causes so many reactions in humans that you would never see without it. The same with death."

Yugi gulped. Ryou had never scared him like this before. "Cut it out, Ryou. This isn't funny. Just let me go."

"I disagree. I find this quite amusing." Ryou smiled. "And I already told you. I can't let you go. You'd go straight to Yami and tell him who cut off your arm."

Yugi froze. "My... my arm?"

Ryou nodded. "You fainted right afterwards, but your reaction was fascinating. I'm surprised you forgot."

Yugi shook his head. "Stop messing around, Ryou. My arm's right here." He wiggled the fingers on his left arm.

Ryou giggled and shook his head. "Wrong arm. I'm surprised you didn't notice from the smell."

Yugi tensed and his gaze travelled on a slow path from Ryou to his right arm. Bile rose to his mouth. His arm was severed from the bottom of his shoulder downwards. Gone. Completely.

All that was left was the small stub that was covered in tar, probably to stop the bleeding or infection spreading.

He looked away, his breath coming in short, panicked pants. Darkness clouded the edge of his eyes and the last thing he heard before he collapsed was Ryou's giggle.

Yugi groaned as he woke. He blinked open his eyes to see the weak, swinging light over him. He tried to sit up, but found that he couldn't.

He frowned and tried to raise his head, but a strap around his neck prevented him from doing so. He felt his blood run cold.

The table.

"Are you going to faint again?"

His head whipped to the side. Ryou was sitting in a chair a few metres away with a book in his hand.

He turned the page, not looking up at Yugi. "Tell me now if you are. Last time you woke up, I had everything ready and you just fainted again."

Yugi shook his head. "How many times?"

"Five," Ryou replied. He turned another page. "Not counting the time after I amputated your arm."

Yugi swallowed the sick feeling in his stomach. "I... I don't think I'll faint again."

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" Ryou looked up. Yugi shook his head. If he tried to eat, he would be sick. Ryou nodded. "In that case, let me finish the chapter." He turned back to the book, falling silent.

Yugi felt the nerves clawing at his stomach grow and he fidgeted, but he knew better than to disturb Ryou while he was reading.

Even in normal circumstances, Ryou was scary when he was disturbed if he was at a good part in a book.

Now, Yugi really didn't want to test his luck.

A few minutes later, Ryou closed the book with a content smile. "Sorry; one of my friends back home in England recommended this book to me and I was at a very interesting part in it."

Yugi hesitated before nodding. "That's... that's okay..."

Ryou smiled gratefully and stood up. "Now what was your favourite food again? Brownies?"

Yugi nodded. "I'm not hungry though..."

"Are you sure?" Ryou gave him a worried look. "I can make you some soup if you want." Yugi frowned and shook his head. "How about some herbal tea, or even just water?"

"I'm fine," he gritted out.

Ryou sighed. "If you're certain. Let me know if you get hungry, okay?"

Yugi gritted his teeth. "Dammit, Ryou, I'm not going to get hungry! Now tell me why the hell you're acting this nice after amputating my arm!" He yelled.

Ryou stayed silent as Yugi took a few deep breaths. "Are you finished?" Yugi nodded. "Good. I'm being nice because I want you to try to enjoy your last meal." Ryou smiled. "I've already told you that I plan on killing you."

Yugi's blood ran cold. "Ryou, you don't have to-"

"Oh, I know I don't." Ryou strode over to Yugi. "But I want to." He giggled. "Think of it as a hobby. You have card games, and judging people by their reactions after you beat them. I have pain, and judging people by their reactions while I cause them pain."

Yugi glared up at him. "You're sick. You know that?"

"So I've been told," Ryou sighed.

"I don't even get it!" Yugi shook his head. "Why are you going after me?"

"Because." Ryou smiled. "You're innocent. You're sweet. I want to see what pain does to you." His expression soured. "That and I promised Bakura that I wouldn't hurt Atem. Not physically anyway."

"So... you're doing this to get at Atem?" Yugi's eyes burned. "Just because Bakura has feelings for him and not you?"

"In a way, yes," Ryou replied. "I could care less whether or not Bakura has feelings for me, but I suppose it does sting a bit that he loves someone else after all I've done for him. Now do you want food or not?"

"If you're going to do it, then just get it over with," Yugi hissed. Ryou paused. Hope fluttered in Yugi's heart. Maybe his plan had worked; maybe by telling Ryou to kill him, he had taken away the joy of it.

The hope shattered when a smile appeared on Ryou's face. "If you're sure." He took out a bottle and a facecloth and dropped some liquid onto the fabric before holding it up to Yugi's nose. "Just take one whiff, and you won't feel a thing. For now, anyway."

Yugi held his breath for a minute. When Ryou didn't move the cloth, he gave up and breathed in the chloroform.

There was no point in fighting a battle that he was destined to lose.

Yugi didn't wake by choice this time. A searing pain jolted him awake. He let out a hiss of pain as he felt the blade in his back, cutting through his skin.

He was lying on his stomach on the table now. His legs and right arm were still restrained but he trashed around as best as he could, waving his stump of a left arm.

His left hand itched even though it wasn't there.

Yugi let out another hiss. "Please! Stop!"

"I can't stop, Yugi. Not at this stage." Despite the situation, Ryou's voice was still light and innocent. "It's almost done; don't worry."

He was dying. Yugi was dying. He could feel it.

He let out a sob. "A-Atem, help!" He called, fear and pain lacing his voice.

Ryou chuckled. "He can't hear you, Yugi." Yugi felt a final cut before the knife was removed. "No one can."

Yugi managed to take a deep breath before he screamed again in pain as he felt Ryou's fingers dig into the wound and pull at it.

"A pound of your fair flesh," Ryou mumbled. "A pound of flesh closest the merchant's heart. Technically it's impossible, because if you went closest to the heart, you'd hit bone. But if you go at it from behind the shoulder like I did, then it's easy to get the pound."

Yugi saw dark spots clouding the edges of his vision.

"Oh, no, don't leave yet," Ryou said with a soft smile. Yugi felt him stroke his hair. "Look." He held something in front of Yugi.

Yugi's eyes snapped shut but he had already seen the mound of bloody flesh sitting in Ryou's hands.

His flesh.

"I'm sorry it had to be you," Ryou murmured. "I wanted to go after your yami, as I said, but Bakura refused. I might go after him next though. I'll give him a quick death; it would probably be too hard for him to go on living without you."

Yugi opened his mouth, struggling to get the words out of his mouth. He couldn't die. Not yet.

"Don't." Ryou stopped stroking his hair but placed his hand on Yugi's head. "You can't promise that you won't die so don't try to just for his sake." He pressed a soft kiss to Yugi's forehead. "Sleep."

Bakura looked up as Ryou emerged from the basement. "Finished?"

Ryou nodded. "He's dead. He didn't go too peacefully, but it was better than the last one. He didn't scream."

"I didn't think he would," Bakura muttered. "Atem means too much to him, and he would have wanted to make him proud."

Ryou tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"When I killed Atem when we were first alive, he never screamed. He glared at me the whole time. He had stayed proud until the end," Bakura chuckled. "He would have wanted Yugi to do the same." He fell silent for a moment. "He'll come after you, you know."

Ryou smiled. "I know."

"You promise not to hurt him?"

A glimmer of impatience washed into Ryou's eyes. "I already told you, yami. As long as you help me, I won't hurt your lover."

Bakura scowled. "He's not my lover."

"He would be if you told him you like him," Ryou chuckled. He went over to the kettle and switched it on.

Bakura hummed. "You know, you're a lot like Zorc."

Ryou blinked. "The god who controlled you?"

Bakura nodded. "Both you and him promised me salvation. You both promised you wouldn't hurt those dear to me. And you both convinced me to accept your help, even though I was wary of it."

Ryou gritted his teeth and turned back to the boiling kettle. "I'm nothing like him."

"I disagree." Bakura leaned against the table, unaware of the building tense atmosphere. He crossed his arms. "You're actually very similar."

Ryou clenched his fists. "Unlike him, I'm helping you."

Bakura narrowed his eyes. "And yet like him, I'm wary of your promised reward after I help you."

The kettle hit its maximum boiling point and turned off again. Ryou's tense posture relaxed. "Follow me, Bakura." He began walking towards the basement. Bakura reluctantly followed. Ryou chuckled. "Relax; I've already cleared away the blood and corpse."

"I'm not squeamish about death."

"Of course you're not." Ryou locked the door behind them as they entered. "I've just found my next test subject."

Bakura tensed. "Who?"

"Why, you of course, my dear yami." Ryou's smile was darker than Bakura had ever seen. "Tell me; we're so similar. Are you scared of death?" He pressed Bakura against the table. "Because I'm not. So even if you overpower and kill me, you will never get revenge."

Bakura growled and fought against Ryou's hold, but although the white haired boy seemed fragile, he had a grip of steel. "I'm not going to kill you, Ryou!"

"Good." Ryou smiled. "Then let's begin. It's time for you to join your ancestors, yami."

DD: Hope you enjoyed! Please review! See you next time, Killer Queens!