Discovery

Yugi's grandpa drove us to Kaibacorp. Ryou leaned against my shoulder and I wrapped him in my arms trying desperately to keep him awake. Yami kept his eyes on me from the front seat. I wish I could read his mind and hear what he is thinking about all this. Yugi sat on his lap in the front trying to get his grandpa to drive faster. Malik gripped onto Ryou's hand as Ryou slipped in and out of consciousness. I looked up at Marik when I felt his hand on my back rubbing it in a sign of encouragement.

I gripped onto Ryou tightly, my own hands shaking with a sense of helplessness at my own situation. Ryou relaxed in my arms and his hand gripped onto my chest. I removed the wedding ring from my pocket. Taking his hand, I used my own shaking fingers to slip the wedding ring on his finger.

"Ryou, my……..mortal half-." I stopped. Mortal. Ra, don't do this to me! "Ryou, my moral half…I pledge my dedication, my love, and my fidelity."

He smiled in my arms taking a shallow breath.

"You just need some rest, Ryou. You'll be fine."

Ryou looked up at me and buried his face in my chest. "Please don't cry. We're almost there, Ryou."

Ryou coughed into my chest and when he removed his face, I saw the cause of his sudden distress. Malik pointed to the dots on his shirt that now matched the ones on mine. I took my jacket and wiped my hikari's face. He began to fall asleep in my arms.

I needed to know he was still alive in my arms. I wanted to feel his warmth. I brushed aside his hair and brought his face up to mine. His feverish eyes were trying to open, his lungs trying to bring in air.

"I love you, my angel." I placed my mouth on his gentle, soft lips. His hand weakly rose up to caress my cheek. My little angel whimpered into our kiss. Something about the kiss didn't seem right. Something was different…

"Ryou, did you eat this morning?"

"No. I took my medicine. That's all I had. I can't eat."

Marik raised his eyebrow. "What's wrong with the way he kisses? I thought it was rather exciting."

It is official. Marik needed a sound beating from me when this was all over. "No! Baka! It's not how he kisses! Ryou, what medicine did you take?"

Ryou gripped onto me tightly coughed. I planted a kiss on his forehead and watched his body shake form the cough.

"It's cough medicine. My father gave it to me last night and this morning."

"Sounds like it's not working," Malik said rubbing Ryou's back to help loosen any congestion.

I never tasted cough medicine like that. It was ……bitter. Ryou would not be able to detect the taste because his nasal passages were closed and that cuts off the sense of taste.

"Did it come from a medicine bottle?"

Ryou began to gasp again for breath, so I loosened his collar. "Are we there yet?"

"Nearly there," Yugi's grandpa told me.

Ryou fell asleep in my arms. Malik saw Ryou's arm fall limp beside him. The other hikari whimpered and began to hug my hikari. Ryou was still with me, but I brushed back Malik's hair much to surprise of Marik.

When we arrived there, I carried Ryou in my arms and ran into the company. They must have thought I was a madman screaming for Seto Kaiba to come downstairs or Joey Wheeler. I would take anyone now, anyone who could help Ryou. I don't blame Ryou for not wanting to seek medical help. Ryou always hated hospitals.

Security stopped me but I pleaded with them I was not insane. Yami and Yugi were the ones who convinced security to call Kaiba. Kaiba and Mokuba came down to the lobby and saw me carrying my wheezing burden.

"Idiots!" he screamed at his security guards, "If one of my friends comes in like this, you let them in!"

Seto ran to me and opened Ryou's eyes. His pupils were heavily dilated.

"Bring him upstairs." Seto called Joey on his cell and told him to get the guestroom ready again. Ryou's friends followed behind me.

In the large bed, I relieved myself of Ryou. I quickly removed his shirt and applied a cool rag to his body to cool him down. Yami and Marik stood far away by a window watching Joey, Malik, and myself wipe Ryou down with cool water. Yugi huddled close to Yami speechless. No doubt they were conversing through their mindlink.

I had to admit, Malik was taking this almost as hard as myself. Marik was never the emotional type anyway. Malik stayed by Ryou's side trying to make him sip a glass of water Joey brought in.

"Ryou, what type of cough medicine was it?"

Ryou opened his eyes which drifted around me, but could not focus.

"What type of cough medicine? Do you remember the brand?"

Ryou shook his head. Ryou was not helping me! Frustration boiled in my veins. I needed answers and Ryou either was not willing or couldn't give them to me! Seto went over to Yami and Marik by the window, no doubt also looking for answers.

Ryou's head fell back onto the pillow and I held him in my arms again. I kissed him on the lips again to try to identify the strange substance. It tasted….almost like vinegar. What medicinal purpose did vinegar serve? Vinegar couldn't cure pneumonia! It was so highly concentrated that it burned my lips when I kissed him. I'm amazed Ryou didn't feel a thing.

"Ryou, can you taste your medicine?"

"No, why?"

"You think somethin's up, Bakura?" Joey asked me.

I released my weak angel and stood up out of the bed. "Joey, Malik, watch him for me." The other hikari took mine in his arms as gently as myself. Malik pulled Ryou to his chest and whimpered into his hair. Ryou smiled caressing Malik's arm with affection.

I ran over to Yami, Seto, and Marik. "Something is suspicious. Ryou's lips are bitter as if they were drenched with vinegar."

"Why would his dad give him vinegar?"

I shook my head. How would I know???!! Ra only knows what other demented things that man has done to his son!

"I've had some cough medicines that taste bitter, Bakura," Seto argued.

"Not this bitter, moneybags." I couldn't help pushing Seto to the limit. I needed a laugh, even though it was a bad joke poorly timed. "Considering what I just heard about his father, I think that man is capable of anything now."

Seto shot me a confused glance. "I'd rather not repeat it here. I don't want to upset Ryou anymore than he already is." Seto accepted my excuse. It's true. Ryou was already in a shocked state about his father. The last thing he needed now was me asking him too many questions. I didn't trust Steven. How could I? How could I now? I felt sorry for my sick little hikari. I am all he has. Ever since his father gave him the Millenium Ring, I am all he has ever had.

I returned to Ryou on the bed and felt Ryou's forehead again. I turned to Seto. "Call your doctor again."

Seto called his doctor on the phone. Seto appeared none too happy.

"The doctor will be here in one hour."

"Why not right now?" Yami asked.

"He said one hour. Ryou lasted this long. One more hour won't make much of a difference."

That was our Seto. It better not make a difference. I buried Marik when he died in ancient Egypt. I'll be damned if I had to bury my lover,too.

Normal POV

"So now we have to wait for that damn doctor while my Ryou lies in that bed?"

"It's the best I could manage. The man's tending to another emergency!"

"Mine takes priority!"

Malik covered Ryou's ears to drown out Bakura's echoing voice. "I have to check out that medicine Steven gave him."

"That means we have to go back to the house. That place has to be crawling with cops!" Marik said emphatically pointing the Rod at Bakura.

"We have to go. If you'd rather stay here, I guess I'll understand."

Yami clutched Yugi close to his hip and Yugi hugged his waist tightly. "I will stay here, Bakura. I will watch over our hikaris."

Bakura nodded and turned to Marik. "Are you coming? I could sure use that Rod right now. It could come in handy."

"You know, you are ruining this tender moment with more Rod jokes, Tomb Robber. Why don't we throw in a couple jokes about the Millenium Ring for good measure?" Yami said.

"You and your hentai mind, pharaoh! So it's settled."

Bakura sat beside Ryou and kissed his forehead. "Ryou, I will be right back. Malik is going to stay right here with you." Bakura looked at Marik, who kissed his hikari's cheek. "I promise we will be right back."

Ryou nodded and brought Bakura's head down to kiss his lips. Bakura's eyes squinted with the bitter taste of his lover's lips. No medicine could be this bitter.

"Will you still be with us when I come back?" Bakura asked grazing Ryou's cheek with his palm.

"Of course I will…….yami."

Marik put a hand on Malik's shoulder. "I'm going with Bakura. Watch over Ryou, Malik." Malik brought Marik down for a kiss. Yami and Yugi watch Bakura and Ryou and Malik and Marik kiss.

"I love you, aibou," Yami said.

Seto rolled his eyes as Joey winked at him from across the room. "That's it. I'm outta here. Why don't all of you get separate hotel rooms for God's sake! I'll be waiting downstairs for the doctor."

Ryou broke the kiss and Malik brought Ryou into his arms again. Marik and Bakura nodded to each other. "Let's do this," Bakura grinned grabbing the dagger connected to his belt. Marik gripped the Rod and smiled. This was just like old times in ancient Egypt. That old gleam of excitement and danger glowed in Bakura's eyes. Bakura delighted in doing what he did best.

Seto allowed Bakura and Marik to use his limo to get to the house. Seto's driver dropped them off a block away to avoid suspicion. Marik looked around nervously at the empty street. "No cops."

"Maybe they were already here."

"That was quick timing if they were already here," Marik said covering his eyes to block out the sun's rays. They ran down the block waiting to hear sirens to speed down the block. Arriving at the house, entry was gained by the kitchen window. Steven had locked the front door. They crawled in cautiously and stood quietly listening for sounds of movement in the house. On the countertop stood a hazy bottle labeled "vinegar."

Bakura went over to it and poured some into the cap. Marik grabbed his hand. "You're not going to drink that, are you? How do you know that's not vinegar?"

Bakura held the cap in his fingers. "I have to know, Marik." Bakura ingested the liquid with a cough. "Pure…vinegar."

Marik looked at the countertop and found a green pellet. "I didn't know you had a rat problem here, Bakura."

Bakura's eyes opened wide. "R-R-R-Rats?"

"You can't be afraid of rats, Bakura."

Bakura opened up the cupboards shifting boxes and cans frantically.

"What in Ra's name are you looking for?" Marik asked moving to the stove.

"We don't have rats in this house! Look in the trash! Under the sink! The bag has to be around here!"

Marik sniffed the soup on the stove. "Check this out. Vegetable soup."

"Taste it, Marik."

"But it's cold soup!"

Bakura took Marik's collar shaking him. "Taste it!"

Marik took a spoonful. "It's not very bitter, but it tastes bad."

Bakura tasted the broth and squinted his eyes. "OH THAT IS HORRIBLE! NASTY! DISGUSTING!" Bakura went to spit it out in the trash when he stopped looking down at the trash. His mouth gaped wide and his shoulders dropped. "Marik, go to Ryou's room. Look for a medicine bottle."

"What did you find?"

Bakura reached into the garbage and read the label. "Liqua-Tox…..kills rats and mice."

Marik looked inside the trashbag and pulled out a dark bag. "Demon WP…..wettable powder, low odor…long lasting insectic-." Marik stopped reading and sniffed the bag. No odor. Bakura smelled the bottle. "Bitter."

Bakura and Marik stared at the empty bottle in disbelief. Bakura ran upstairs to Ryou's bedroom. A pool of blood was all that remained of Cinetti. Cinetti's body was gone.

Bakura's POV

It felt like my heart stopped to contemplate this…attempted murder? Who would be this cruel….to their own son? For the first time in five thousand years, I realized mortals have never changed. Fathers still spited their own flesh and blood like my father had done to me. I fell to my knees beside Ryou's bed where red dots covered the white sheets. Murder…he tried to kill his own son…because of me. Ryou was sick….his father was right all long….I was responsible for him being sick. We saw a full bottle of Ryou's "medicine" beside his bed. We both sniffed it. It was bitter.

Marik grabbed my arm as I fell to my knees.

"This is no time to be dramatic, Bakura! We can't get caught!"

"Ryou….My Ryou's gonna…leave me! Ra, no!"

"We need to take these as evidence! Ryou needs your help, Bakura. If we can take these back to the doctor, we can show him what was making Ryou sick!"

I couldn't lose my angel. My angel of the Nile couldn't leave me! I don't know how I rose to my feet, but I did. I wanted nothing but to find his father and leave him a soulless, skinless corpse on the floor!

"Bakura, what are you doing? We can't get caught here!"

"How can I do it, Marik? How can I tell Ryou his own father tried to exterminate him like a common cockroach or a rat?"

Grabbing onto my friend, I buried my face in his chest. "I can't keep this from him!"

Marik sighed and took my chin in his soft hand. "Don't tell Ryou. This would devastate him."

I was torn. Seto's doctor should be at KaibaCorp by now. We packed the bloody sheets, medicine bottle, and the empty bag of poison and put it in one of Ryou's spare schoolbags. The evidence in this bag says it all. Steven won't get away with this…he will pay dearly.

Next chappie: Last Stand