Just a quick intro to my "chapter" story ... It's a series of prequels to my one-shot Haunted. This is basically going to be a series of drabbles/more or less standalone one-shots that fit in with the post-series AU I created in Haunted. (And yes there is an OC involved.)

I own nothing. The characters are property of their respective owners. I'm not making any money off of this.

I'm risking everything

And that's alright with me

The Summer Set "Passenger Seat"

Ryou hadn't been able to sleep all night. This wasn't exceptionally strange. He was used to staying up late, cultivating the dark circles under his dark brown eyes. He was used to the abuse he – and his darkness – subjected his body to.

What was strange was that he was up because he was thinking about a girl.

Not just any girl, she was becoming something akin to his girl. (At least, she was in his imagination.)

The thought rolled through his brain, demolishing the dark thoughts that usually inhabited his mind at these unholy hours of the night.

She had signed off of AIM hours ago – three hours and sixteen minutes, but no one was counting. Ryou sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. He had been rereading their conversation since she signed out:

Rei27: Just keep practicing you're getting a lot better

Rei27: Your articles are very interesting, never would have taken that perspective!

Ryou13: Oh, well, thank you

Rei27: No prob, that's what copy editors are for

Ryou13: Right

Rei27: & friends

Ryou13: You're the best Reiko

Ryou13: I mean it

Rei27: Haha, you're making me blush again …

Ryou13: I doubt it, besides, it's true

Rei27: I'm not kidding … you know the effect you have on me :p

Ryou13: ?

Rei27: Never mind … I should go to bed.

Ryou13: Oh, it is getting late, isn't it?

Rei27: Yeah, you should come to bed

Ryou13: Come to bed? With you …?

Rei27: OMG, you should "go to bed"

Rei27: Good night Ryou … See you around at school!

Rei27 has signed off.

The thoughts that ran through his mind now were somewhere between mortification and elation. Had she noticed his attention?

Obviously.

He ignored the dark whisper and continued to mull over the last few lines of their conversation. She said that he had on "effect" on her – an effect that wasn't fear and revulsion? Was that even possible?

He played with one of the cold spikes of the Millennium Ring pensively. Had her slip up been on purpose? No, she wasn't forward like that.

"My response was so stupid."

He announced his conclusion to his empty bedroom, to no object in particular. It was true; he could have said something snappy, something that she would have found enticing. Not answer like a child who thought girls had cooties. Going to bed with Reiko Fujiyama wouldn't be that bad. His mind went on another tangent … how did she wear her beautiful red brown hair to bed?

You wouldn't know what to do in bed with her.

He ignored that comment, too. Bakura was being awfully pleasant tonight, so it was easy to do. Perhaps the dark spirit was quiet because he had been locking himself away in his soul room, scheming. Ryou wouldn't know for sure until Bakura filled him in on the details.

(Ryou had begun differentiating between himself and the darkness using his first and last name. His mother had always called him Ryou and so he kept that name sacred and to himself. Bakura was his surname, his father's name. Ryou shared some bad memories with his father. He shared some bad memories with the dark spirit. It made sense.)

He sighed and rubbed his eyes one last time, turning off his old desktop computer and moving over to the bed. He pushed some newspapers off of his covers and slid under the covers.

He liked her. There, he thought it. That wasn't so hard after all.

Maybe he like, liked her.

His fingers traced the outline of the Ring. It was a big risk. He could hurt her.

He closed his brown eyes and he could picture her deep brown eyes glowing with laughter.

It might be a risk he'd have to take; in the darkness of his room, he couldn't help but disregard the consequences.

The time for fretting was over. Now he had to get some sleep.

Thank you for reading ... Please review?