Finally finished this one. I quite proud of the first half of it, the second half...well, my heart was in the right place. There's not any lemon or smut in this as it's the aftermath of what happens. This is rated for themes, not content. Anyway, I own nothing. And...if ACTA and whatnot comes into affect and this is the last thing I get up if they take ff down, I'm sorry my last had to be so durn depressing. I own nothing.

Small Price

She curled further into herself, wishing for all the world that she could disappear. That the pain, the tainted feeling, everything, would just leave her. He shoved her roughly aside and she fell from the soft bed to the cold, hard ground. Shivers travelled throughout her numbed body from both the cold and the feel of his pale hands on her once more.

Leave me alone…

Don't touch me…

Don't hurt me…

I'm scared…

All of her thoughts were choppy. The only real things in her world were fear and pain. And blood. She felt it trickle across her body. Her thighs. Her arms. Her neck. So much blood. If she was thinking practically, she would ridicule herself for thinking that way. The sticky substance that clotted across her body was not as abundant as she thought. They were small trickles that were normal –if there is a normalcy to what Bakura had done- for the injuries of being handled too roughly, of having fingernails dug to roughly into a girl's soft, unblemished skin, of having sharp demon like teeth nip too hard at her delicate throat.

She heard Bakura stand slowly from the bed. And she winced, rolling tighter into a ball, her teeth digging into her swollen bottom lip to keep her whimpers and screams in. She heard the ruffle of clothes. The hiss of a zipper. The pad of footsteps.

"I suppose I ought to go thank Malik for his gift. You were quite a good girl." His thick accent slapped against her like a whip. "You've served your use." She could hear the sick, twisted smile that cut across his deathly pale, yet darkly handsome face.

The door opened and pure, white light filtered into the room, cutting through the darkness and reminding her that outside those doors, life was going on. Even though her world and her friends' worlds were falling apart, somewhere life was going on. She wasn't quite sure what that felt like anymore. Before all of this, her biggest problem was getting in trouble for working at Burger World or failing her next exam. Now, she barely thought of exams or work. Kami, she longed to have those days back.

No card games. No magic. No Pharaohs. No-

Pharaoh.

A choking gasp, as if she had just surfaced from the bottom of a lake after having used most of her oxygen, ripped from her throat. The Pharaoh. Suddenly, he was the only person she needed. She needed to be in his arms. She needed him to tell her that everything would be okay.

That Bakura had not actually done what he had.

Bakura had long since left, taking the blinding light away and leaving her in a shroud of darkness. She slowly lifted her head, whimpering as a headache formed in her frontal lobe and pulsed towards her temporal lobes. She reached for her shorts that had been discarded and as she slowly and carefully pulled them on from her place on the floor, she thanked whatever god would listen to her that she had landed close to them. Clutching onto the side of the bed, she pushed her weight onto her hands and lifted herself up. White hot pain shot throughout her lower body and she repressed her scream.

Once she was standing, she reached her hand out and clutched onto the wall, her hand looking ghostly in the pale moonlight against the alabaster walls. Using the wall as a guide, she slowly walked towards the door. By the time she reached it, she had regained her strength. She pushed the door aside and squinted her eyes at the light. She wanted to be in the light again…away from the darkness…She had always hated the dark. However, as she stood on the border between the light and the dark, she was scared to move forward. Stepping into the light would allow for the world to see her in her current state. She was unsure of how that state was, but she was certain it was terrible. She could feel that her lips were bruised, that her hair was matted, and that there were either nail or bite indents on her throat and arms. And the blood. How could he be so rough? When she saw how his other self acted and then how he behaved…Yes, she could understand that there would be some…differences. After all, Yuugi and Yami were different, yet they were also rather similar…Bakura and Ryo…It was like night and day. Literally.

Speaking of night and day…She drew in a deep breath and cautiously walked out into the hallway. She peeked around and released a breath at not seeing anyone around. She turned left and padded down the hall, vaguely surprised that through it all, she still wore her sandals. It was not long before she found herself outside Yuugi's door…She fisted her right hand and timidly raised her left to knock on the grey door. Her hand shook.

What would they think? Would they hate her for falling into Bakura's trap? She had just wanted to watch over him after his injury…And well…Malik still held control over her…How was she supposed to even know?

Malik sure has it out for the Pharaoh…He's thought everything out…

Anzu shivered as Bakura's words whispered through her mind. Her lips trembled and a tear trickled down her face. Her hand fell against the door, making a small slapping sound. The sting in her hand felt good…She made a growling sound and slapped the door again. Over and over. The small, trivial pain of the sting took her mind off of the other more obvious pains.

Everything stopped when the door opened. Her eyes dilated and her breathing stopped, her hand stilling in the air when Yuugi stared up at her through round, tired eyes. "A…Anzu…What are you…" And then, he saw her.

"Yu…Yuugi…" She gasped. Her chest heaved and she lurched forward, holding him tightly to herself as she sobbed. Yuugi wrapped his own arms around her and together, they slid to the ground where they sat, both unable to stand. Anzu cried on his shoulder as he held her.

She felt him stroke her hair gently, pulling her closer with each pass of his hand. "Anzu, what's happened to you?"

It was not Yuugi that spoke to her, but instead the Pharaoh. "Yami…" She held him tighter.

He pulled back to gaze into her eyes, his hand moving from her hair to her cheek. He cupped it lightly and stroked it with his thumb, wiping away her thick, hot tears. "I would be a fool to ask if something was wrong…"

She slightly lightly as his sense of humor. "Bakura…He…uh…" She somehow was able to feel embarrassed at this…She looked down. "He…hurt me."

Yami raised a thick brow. "I can see that. You need to be more specific, Anzu."

As she turned his eyes back to his, she watched as his eyes seemed to unfocus for a moment, becoming an odd mixture of violet and crimson. 'Yuugi…He's talking to Yuugi…' And just like that, his hold on her tightened –almost to the point of hurting- and his eyes sharpened, almost seeming to glow against his alabaster skin and black ringed eyes. She stared, transfixed, into his anger and hate filled eyes.

"Anzu," he hissed, his voice low and deadly, sending shivers down her spine. He didn't sound human. "Did Bakura touch you?"

Her lips trembled and the tears welled and spilled, further cracking her already tear-stained cheeks. And slowly, she nodded. "Y…yes…" She whispered, her chapped lips barely moving and her word coming out like a breath of air.

His upper lip curled back slightly, a low growl sounding from his throat. He moved her away from himself and for the briefest of moments she thought he was disgusted in her until he began to stand. His sharp eyes were locked on the corridor that led to Bakura's room, the Eye of Horus glowing threatening on his forehead. It slowly registered that he was going after Bakura…

She gasped wildly and clutched onto his wrists, her eyes wide with terror. Yami glared down at her for a moment before his eyes softened. "Let me go, Anzu."

She shook her head, a few droplets of tears flinging from her eyes and looking silver in the bright light of the hallway. "Please…Oh, gods, Pharaoh…don't leave me alone…" She sounded breathless, as if she had run a marathon.

His expression softened, his eyes never leaving hers as he gently pulled his wrists out of her grasp. Slowly, he turned his hands over and intertwined his fingers with hers. Squeezing her hands lightly, he tugged gently upwards. She blinked and sniffled before gradually standing. She opened her still trembling lips. He unclasped one of her hands and gently pressed his finger against her still swollen lips, silencing her.

"I would be a terrible friend to leave you in this state," he began quietly. Her eyes began to droop at the alluring quality of his voice. "Revenge can wait. First, I must see that you are all right." His eyes searched over her face for a moment before glancing at the darkness of his room. "Come further into the light out here with me. I want to see the extent of your injuries."

Anzu slowly shook her head. "No…" She breathed against his finger. He pulled his hand away from her mouth.

"Anzu…"

She pulled him closer to herself. He easily wrapped his arms around her, holding him close to himself. She melted in his protective and loving embrace. "Please…I'm not ready to face the light, yet…I want to be in the dark…with you…I'm no longer afraid of it."

He looked down at her, and she was momentarily distracted by how much taller he was than Yuugi. She wondered how it worked…

The Pharaoh never replied to her request verbally. Instead, he walked forward, pushing her into the darkness of his room. They slowly disappeared in the blackness before the door closed silently behind them.

Anzu reverted back to a childlike state of dealing with terror: She went to sleep. The frightened girl spent the night with him that night, protectively being held in his arms as she slept. Though she slept, his gaze lingered on the door, silently daring Bakura to walk by…

Occasionally, he would press soft kisses to her forehead or head and murmur, "My sleeping beauty…"

And she had never felt safer in her entire life. For just a few brief hours, Anzu was able to pretend that what had happened between Bakura and her had not happened. That she was not defiled. That she was still innocent. Of course, those feelings of safety left her as soon as she opened her oceanic eyes the next morning.

Before she was even fully awake, she knew she was alone. She knew he had left her. Her suspicion was confirmed when she did finally wake up to the dull morning light that filtered in through the tiny, round window. The sky was a mixture of grey and light blue, the clouds stretched thinly throughout the sky. She sat up slowly, the light blue covers falling away from her shoulders to pool in her lap. She examined his room carefully and was surprised to find that he had brought her a change of clothes. She stood, still stiff from the night before, and went to the chair where her clothes were neatly folded. She quickly decided that a shower would be the first thing to do. A very hot shower…

No matter how hot the water got, she never felt like she completely washed Bakura away. She figured she never would. He would forever be a part of her. And she would have to deal with that somehow. And then she would also have to deal with Malik holding her in his grasp.

Where was Yami…

Everything was a dull blur that morning. She didn't even remember getting out of the shower. She vaguely remembered putting on her clothes. How she ever found her way into the dining room was a mystery. She poked at her breakfast. Though she was certain she needed to eat, not remembering the last time she had, she was not hungry. She didn't think she ever would be able to eat again…

Your lips are so sweet. Like candy.

She shivered. She wished she could forget what had happened…

Fingers snapped in front of her face. With a slight jump, she looked up at Shizuka. Her wide light brown eyes peered at her with worry. "Anzu?"

Anzu's mouth hung agape as she thought of a pair of darker brown eyes peering at her in the darkness. Their dark chocolate depths containing nothing but evil. Those eyes drew her in like a mouse to a snake. There was no escape…His venom was forever with her. She would never be free.

Who was she supposed to fear? Bakura? Malik? Who was worse? She was caught in the middle of them with no way out. She would never be free of Bakura as long as Malik still had her. If she could just break free of Malik…

"Anzu?"

Shaking her head, Anzu finally turned her attention to her friend. "Shizuka…I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Shizuka smiled softly and then held out a folded piece of thick white paper. Her name was scrawled across the center. Her brows furrowed. She didn't recognize the writing, but at the same time she did. It had an overall neatness to it, but it also appeared as if the written language was not something the writer was used to working with; as if it was their second language. She reached out her hand for it.

"Who gave this to you?" She asked as Shizuka handed it to her.

Shizuka tore apart a piece of her toast. "Yuugi," she said simply before plopping the toast into her mouth and chewing.

Anzu looked again at the writing and it clicked. The other Yuugi…

Anzu quickly unfolded the letter, her eyes scanning over the small note. And just to be sure, she read it again. Only then, did she allow herself a small smile. "Yami…" She whispered, her voice full of astonishment.

Anzu-chan,

He can't hurt you anymore.

She didn't care how he had dealt with the problem. All she cared about was that he had cared enough to help her. She held the note to her heart. "Thank you," she whispered to it. And a small tear of gratitude rolled down her cheek.

X

Yami watched from the doorway window as Anzu tilted her head back. He could see his note clutched tightly in her small hands. He even thought he saw the glimmer of a tear trickle down her cheek. He drew in a steadying breath and turned to the side, his back colliding gently with the wall. He turned his head to the left and eyed the man standing across the hall from him.

Malik stroked the top of his rod lovingly. His cruel smile not hiding any of the unholy joy he felt towards the situation. "Are you content, Pharaoh? You've made her happy." His voice was twisted and demonic.

The said Pharaoh narrowed his crimson eyes. "You swear to not hurt her again? Either of you?" His sharp gaze cut to Bakura who hid in the shadows of the opposite hallway.

The Brit shrugged. "Makes no difference to me. I was just in it for your downfall." Yami's lip twitched at Bakura's indifferent tone.

Malik waved his hand dismissively. "The girl will not be harmed until our duel, Pharaoh. What happens to her then, depends on your actions," his gaze focused more so on Yami. "Just remember our deal."

His hands fisted, almost to the point of pain. "Believe me, Malik. I won't. You just stay away from Anzu."

Malik gave a slight nod, his looks devilish as both he and Bakura slipped into the shadows and disappeared. Once he was certain he was alone, he tilted his head back against the wall and stared blankly up at the ceiling. He might have very well made a deal with the devil…But he didn't care so long as Anzu was safe…

He would do it again…

He had just made things a whole lot worse for himself, but who cared? After all, he had to win the duel between Malik and himself anyway. Not only to save the world, get the god cards, and keep his puzzle. Why not add a little more to it?

If he lost, his soul would forever be lost. He would never be reborn. Never go to the After Life. Not even go to the Shadow Realm. He would just…cease to exist.

He turned his head back to stare into the dining room. His soul in exchange for Anzu's safety.

It was a small price to pay…

Fin. Please be kind.

~MutantEnemy101