Last Stand

Marik's POV

Bakura was quiet the entire drive home. Could you blame him? He just found out his hikari's father was slowly poisoning him. I could tell from the movements of his lips that he was praying to Ra and Osiris to spare his hikari's life. I watched the buildings go by quickly as Seto's limo raced us back to KaibaCorp. Even I found myself quietly humming the ancient rites for Ryou. I looked up when I felt Bakura grabbed my hand. It didn't even look like he knew he did it. His eyes were fixed out of the window.

When we did reach KaibaCorp, I never saw anyone, dead or alive, run the way Bakura did. Bakura flew out of the car and ran up the steps with our bag of evidence. I followed after him and Kaiba's security let us run by as per his instructions. We took the elevator and he took off like a shot once the doors opened. We reached the room throwing the doors open quickly. Both of us stopped short when he saw the scene which lay before us.

My hikari and Ryou…….fast asleep, their arms wrapped around each other. My Malik had wrapped his leg around Ryou's. Neither of us took a breath. The only reaction we had was a mix of shock and relief. Bakura and I slowly advanced on our other halves too engrossed in each other to care about us. Upon closer inspection, Malik had his arms wrapped around Ryou's shoulder. Ryou's arms were wrapped around Malik's chest. We watched our mortal halves breathe, their bodies moving against each other in unison as their lungs inhaled. Both of our hikari's were shirtless and we were relieved to see they still were clothed beneath the sheets. They looked like sleeping angels completely content beside one another. Malik's eyes fluttered as he gripped onto Ryou tighter.

Bakura sat beside Ryou and leaned over him taking my hikari and his own in a light embrace. "I never should have let you go home, Ryou. I should have stopped you." His eyes opened and he looked at me, but somehow I could tell he looked right through me as if I wasn't even in the room. "I thought you could make amends! I was as foolish and naïve as you, Ryou."

I sat down beside Malik and gripped his shoulder. All he did was moan in his sleep.

The door opened and I gripped the Millenium Rod ready to pounce on whomever tried to hurt our sleeping lovers. Yami came in and slowly advanced on us. "Seto wanted to see you in his office…both of you."

Bakura grabbed our bad of evidence and we left for Seto's office. Yami asked questions all the way, but Bakura was distant, tight-lipped.

"Was the doctor here?" I asked. Yami nodded.

"What did he say?" Yami was silent.

I held my breath and I could tell Bakura was suppressing more than his breath.

In Seto's office, Joey was sitting on Seto's desk. Yugi was sitting on a couch by Seto's desk. Bakura's lip trembled as he looked around the room and his entire body slowly followed as he stood beside the mighty pharaoh.

"The doctor just left," Seto said flatly, nearly emotionless.

"What did the doctor say?" Bakura asked quickly.

"He took a blood sample from Ryou this morning. He will call us with the results tonight."

Bakura quickly opened the schoolbag and held the medicine bottle in his hand and gave it to Yami. "Smell this, Yami. Don't drink it, just sniff it." Yami sniffed it and his nose curled in disgust.

"That smells awful! If that is cough medicine, my aibou better not get sick."

Bakura took the bottle in his hand. "This is Ryou's "medicine"! A lethal combination of powdered insecticide, liquid rat poison, and vinegar!"

Yami grabbed the bottle, his eyes wide in disbelief. "It can't be!"

"Ryou's dad….did that?" Yugi stared wide eyed at me and Bakura.

"The doctor suspected something when he saw Ryou's eyes dilated. We wrote Ryou a prescription for some medication to bring down his fever. He wants to be cautious so once he's done the tests, he will call me up. He said there was a few things he could think of a few causes for Ryou's discomfort, but he wanted to test it out first."

"But Ryou needs help now!"

"I didn't want my doctor to prescribe something for Ryou that would hurt him. I think for us to help Ryou, we have to know exactly what is wrong. He will have the results for us soon."

Bakura grabbed Seto's phone in rage. Joey jumped off the desk. "What are ya' doin', Bakura?"

"I am not waiting here while my Ryou lies in that bed! I am calling 911 and if any of you stop me, you will regret it!"

Bakura grabbed the phone and dialed when he heard a commotion downstairs over the security system. Yugi and Yami ran to the screen before any of us could get there. I looked at the screen. There must have been at least fifty people fighting the security guards at the elevator doors.

The mob swarmed the lobby like locusts. I've never seen such a mass of people since Yami's soldiers chased Bakura and I from Yami's father's tomb after we raided it. The guards were firing into the crowd, but not before the elevator doors closed. Bakura dialed the phone quickly for the cops who said they had just dispatched people to the scene. We could hear their sirens blare from the police cars. All of us ran to Ryou and Malik's room where we were amazed to find them still sleeping unaware of the impending danger. One of Seto's guards ran to him.

"Sir, we have to take you to a secure location! It isn't safe here for you!"

"Forget me, you moron! Get Mokuba somewhere safe!"

The guard ran into Mokuba's room as the elevator doors opened. I ran to Malik's side and shook him. Ryou startled awake at the sound of a shot from the hallway. I saw him clasp onto my hikari tightly. Bakura ran to the phone in the room and called the ambulance for Ryou. "The ambulance will be here shortly."

Banging on the door sent our hikari's curling up beside each other wrapping their arms around one another. Malik stroked Ryou's hair. Yugi stood behind Yami.

"RYOU! OPEN UP, BOY!"

"Daddy!" Genuine terror filled Ryou's eyes as he gripped onto Malik's skin. "Malik, don't let him get me!"

The crowd broke the lock with a blast from a gun. The crowd flooded inside the room making room for Steven who stepped to the front of the crowd. Seto, Yami, Bakura, Joey, and myself blocked their way to Malik and Ryou who stared at the weapons they held in their hands.

Bakura glared at Steven. "Steven, this is between you and me now! You are a cold blooded killer!" I heard Ryou begin to sob behind us.

One man in the crowd pointed to me. It was the man who had pinned my Malik against the wall in the alley. I growled at him.

"I remember you, punk! You're the one who kicked me in the b-."

"You deserved more than a kick, you perverted slime!" Malik yelled to the man, the nervousness in his voice already apparent.

The man slammed his golf club onto his open palm. "I'm gonna use your empty skull to break in my new golf club, blondie. How would you like that?"

"You'll have to get through me to get to him, jackass," I said gripping the Millenium Rod tightly by my hip.

Steven pointed an accusing finger at Bakura. "You killed Cinetti, didn't you, Bakura?"

"With any luck on my part, you will join him."

Steven lowered the bat in his hand. "Ryou, look at me." Ryou didn't move but curled up closer to Malik. "Ryou, look at me now," Steven ordered more sternly.

Ryou's eyes slowly appeared, but his face remained completely hidden behind the barricade of Malik's arm.

"You either go with me or Bakura. Who will it be?"

Ryou untangled himself from Malik. His eyes looked distant and his thin frame crawled out of bed slowly. His body gasped as he stood on his feet.

"Come to me, boy," Steven ordered. "I will take you home and give you your medicine. You will feel better again. I promise."

I felt bad for the boy who drew in sharp breaths with every step. Malik shook his head from the bed. "No, Ryou! Don't go!" Ryou stopped at the foot of the bed.

"I am your father, Ryou. You belong with me," his father said trying to sound convincing.

The boy grabbed his stomach again and leaned on the bed post. I heard Ryou whimper as he extended his hand to grab Bakura's trembling hand. "I….love you…..yami." Ryou fell into Bakura's arms completely limp. Bakura's arm wrapped around Ryou's back and another held Ryou's chin up. Ryou's legs dangled under him as Ryou buried his face in Bakura's chest. My Bakura began to cry as he held onto Ryou in his arms. The ambulance sirens roared from down the block.

Ryou smiled up at Bakura who clutched him tightly. "I love you, my angel," Ryou said burying his face into Bakura's shoulder.

Steven shook his head. "If I can't have you, Ryou….." Steven broke from the crowd and raised his bat.

"I love you, Ryou."

"If I can't have you, Ryou, then no one will!"

It was then that the group armed with sharp and dangerous objects advanced on us. This fight was not going to be easy.

Normal POV

Seto grabbed a metal pipe that was swung at his head and punched its owner. Seto found someone pick Yugi up as if he were a rag doll and began carrying him away under his arm. Yugi screamed as Seto tried to push through the crowd of struggling men. Seto ran for the abductor and tackled him making Yugi fly across the floor of feet. Seto kicked the abductor and helped Yugi to his feet.

"You alright?"

"Thank you, Kaiba."

Seto helped Yugi to his feet and ran to help Joey fight the crowd out of the door.

Marik dived into a crowd wielding bats and chains and used the Rod as a club. Some managed to grab his arms and holding them back. Marik quickly brought his head back into the face of his captors and kicked his legs into the men in front of him. Someone tried to tear the Rod away from him and he scooped his leg under the thief knocking him out with a kick.

The room now filled with fighting men descended into chaos.

Marik never noticed Mike run to Malik on the bed. Mike pounced onto Malik who elbowed him and kicked him in the stomach. Mike wrapped his arm around Malik's neck. "Ok, Pretty boy, It's time you and I have a little fun, what do ya' say?"

Mike tugged at the hem of Malik's jeans.

"MARIK! MARIK! LITTLE HELP!"

"MALIK! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"WHERE YOU LEFT ME!"

Mike pulled Malik to him closer when Malik saw Yami come behind him. Yami grabbed Mike's hair and Malik quivered. Yami threw Mike into the corner. "I won't let you harm my friend! MIND CRUSH!" Mike screamed loudly and fell in a soulless heap onto the floor. Malik wrapped his arms around Yami.

"Thank you, Yami! Thank you!"

People coughing were heard outside the room. Bakura put Ryou on the bed and pulled Yugi beside him. "Please watch over him! I have a score to settle with Steven!"

Bakura turned to see Steven a short distance away holding the wooden bat.

"You cold blooded killer. You spilled the blood of your own."

Steven raised the bat at Bakura who grabbed it and grabbed Steven's throat and squeezed. "How does this feel? This is what you are doing to Ryou, you pathetic excuse for a parent! Not a pleasant feeling, is it?"

Steven kicked Bakura. Bakura pulled out his dagger and cut Steven's forehead. Bakura's face and Steven's shirt were now dotted red. The blood from Steven's forehead dripped into his eyes stinging him and blocking out his vision. Steven began swinging the bat blindly at anyone around him.

Bakura returned to Ryou jabbing anyone who tried to reach for his hikari. The police burst into the room. Steven wiped his eyes and saw Bakura holding shaking and gasping Ryou. "I'm here, Ryou…shh….darling, I'm here."

Steven growled. Steven walked behind Bakura with the bat.

Yugi tried to scream to Bakura, but the sound of fighting men in the room drowned out his voice.

"If I can't have you," he cried raising the weapon above Bakura's head, "No one will!" Steven brought the bat down only for Seto Kaiba to grab it an inch above Bakura's head. Bakura turned around with Ryou in his arm. Seto growled and punched Steven's face. Steven staggered back and pulled out a pistol.

"Say goodbye to Bakura, Ryou! You will be mine!" Ryou buried his face into Bakura's chest. Bakura turned to protect Ryou from the blast of the weapon.

"IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou, yami."

"I love you, Ryou."

The cops grabbed Steven and wrestled the weapon from his hand. The cops wrestled Marik from his attackers. Malik ran to Marik hugging him tightly.

Bakura turned to Steven who struggled against the cops. "Wait, fools! You can't take my son from me! These boys kidnapped him! You can't arrest me!"

Bakura growled and jumped onto Steven in the group of police biting, kicking and punching Steven. Bakura pulled out the dagger and sliced through Steven's shoulder. The cops handcuffed Steven and Bakura. Ryou stood up and called to Bakura.

"Wait! Don't take Bakura!" Ryou stood off of the bed and staggered to Bakura. "Please don't take him from me! I need him! Don't take him from me too! He's all I have!" Ryou fell to his knees. "Don't take him."

The paramedics came into the room. "Who needs medical attention?"

"Me first! I was cut by Bakura! He assaulted me! I demand to talk to my lawyer!"

Yami approached the doctors. "Ryou needs you more."

The police removed the handcuffs from Bakura and he kneeled down to Ryou. Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura weakly and began to whine.

"I don't feel too…." Ryou fainted on Bakura's shoulder. Bakura looked over at Ryou and clutched onto him.

"Ryou? Ryou!"

Steven stopped struggling with the cops. "My work is done," Steven said calmly.

The paramedics went to Ryou and took his vital signs. Bakura stood up angrily. "If you go into Seto Kaiba's office, you will find a schoolbag with a bottle of medicine inside. That's what Steven's been using to poison Ryou."

One cop radioed to others to check into it. The medics also wanted a sample of the mixture.

Bakura's POV

When they were ready to rush Ryou to the hospital, I pleaded to be placed into the ambulance with him. I refused to leave him. Seto said he would drive the others to the hospital. As we rode in the ambulance, I was relieved to discover that Ryou's signs were at least stabilized after they injected him with some real medicine. I watched the other ambulance put Steven inside the ambulance. With a snarl, I watched Steven's face from the window. All I saw behind that glass was a smile.

Next Chappie: Ryou in the hospital and gets released.