Of Christmas and Ancient Spirits

A/N: For my purposes, Ryou can drive. So sue me. Actually, don't.

Anyway, I know it's really early for Christmas, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to get it out on paper and post it here for everyone to enjoy. XD I'm strange, I know. Moving on. Enjoy, and reviews are much appreciated. Thanks to all who do review, and if you don't, no cookies for you.

Oh, this is chapter one of my first multi-chapter story~ I hope you enjoy it, cause I know I had fun writing it.

Disclaimer: There was a knock at the door last night, and when I opened it, I learned that I had been given all rights to YGO! Then I woke up and it was all a dream. I don't own, you no sue. Works for both of us, yeah?

Bakura was curled up on the sofa, a book open in front of him, though he wasn't really reading. He was more focused on what Ryou was doing - the British teen was hanging colorful lights around the living room, which puzzled the ancient spirit. Why was he doing that? The room already had lights in the ceiling and by the sofas. They supplied enough illumination for the entire place, so why was he adding more?

He observed his lighter half's antics for a few more minutes before he spoke. "Ryou," he said. "What in the name of Ra are you doing?"

Ryou paused, halfway through pinning another string of lights on the wall above the TV. "Putting up lights," he said, sounding puzzled. Wasn't it obvious what he was doing?

"I can see that," Bakura snapped irritably. He hated feeling out of the loop. He liked to know exactly what was going on at all times and why it was happing. "But why are you doing it? What purpose does it serve? There's already enough light in here."

Ryou began to laugh, shaking so much that he fell off the chair that he had been standing on. Landing on the ground with a thud, he lay on the carpet a moment longer before regaining control of himself. Sitting up, mirth still shining in his dark eyes, he grinned at his darker half. "It's for Christmas, silly."

Bakura stared at him. Was the word supposed to mean something to the former spirit? "Care to elaborate?" he asked the British teen. "What's this Chris-whatever-you-said?"

Ryou gaped at him. "Are you serious, Bakura? You don't know about the food, the trees, the presents, the lights, everything?" All he got in response was a blank stare. "Wow," Ryou said softly. "You really don't know."

Bakura glowered at his white haired companion, feeling slightly embarrassed. Should he know what the strange word meant? "Yeah," he mumbled.

Ryou shook his head sadly. "Poor you," he said quietly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bakura questioned roughly, temper flaring.

Ryou ignored the ill-tempered spirit before him. "I guess you'll just have to see for yourself. C'mon, 'Kura, help me finish putting these lights up, then we'll go get a tree."

Bakura felt more lost than ever. What did a tree have to do with any of this?

Half an hour later, the two were downtown eating lunch at a small diner. Ryou was going on about the best place to buy a tree, as he had been for the last twenty minutes, and it was grating on Bakura's nerves. He could feel his right eye twitching as it did whenever he got annoyed or angry. Didn't this kid know anything? He decided that he'd had enough. He was going to voice his opinion. "Ryou," he said carefully. "Why do we have to buy a tree? I mean, there's plenty in the forest..."

Ryou laughed at the ancient spirit. He seemed to be doing that a lot today, Bakura noticed. "It's a special tree, 'Kura," Ryou explained, as if that made everything clear. "You put presents under it."

Bakura looked baffled. "So it's a tree you sacrifice things to in some sort of ritual. Why would you want one of those? Will it kill you if you don't get one?"

Ryou stared at the white haired young man in front of him, not sure if he was serious or not. After a moment, he saw that the thief was, in fact, truly confused. "No, Bakura," he sighed. "You don't sacrifice things to it. You put lights and decorations on it and place presents under it."

"OK, then..." Bakura said, shaking his head. "More lights. I though you had enough around the house already."

Ryou grinned. "Half the fun at Christmas is the lights and decorations."

An hour and twenty minutes later found Bakura and Ryou out at a Christmas tree farm, bundled up against the cold. The weather was bitter, promising the years first snow to fall very soon. Ryou wondered how Baukra would react to that; if his theories that the thief had never seen snow before were correct, then things promised to get interesting...

"Why on earth do we have to do this?" Bakura mumbled. "It's so cold out here."

"It's for Christmas, Bakura," Ryou insisted. "It'll be fun!"

"Because freezing to death is definitely my idea of a good time," Bakura deadpanned. "Can't we just go home now, Ryou?"

Ryou shook his head. "No, not until we get a tree."

"Look around you! We're surrounded by trees!" Bakura motioned around them as he spoke. Ryou had dragged him out to this stupid place against his will, and he wasn't pleased. "Just pick one so we can leave already!" He paused as a thought struck him. "Where are we, anyway?"

Ryou turned to look at the pale young man who was scowling at him. "We're at a Christmas tree farm," he answered happily. "Now, the sooner we get a tree the sooner we can leave. If you want to get home that badly, you should start helping me. And bring the axe with you, please? It's in the car."

Bakura stared at him. Only the first part had really reached him. "A Christmas tree farm," he breathed. "They have farms for them. This has to be some sort of cult."

An hour later, a numb and ticked off Bakura was still at the Tree Farm of Death, as he had come to call it. Ryou was still as chipper as ever, still running around as if he had endless energy reserves. Bakura wondered how much coffee the British teen had ingested that morning.

"Oh, oh, how about this one?" Ryou asked Bakura excitedly, pointing at yet another tree. To Bakura, it looked exactly the same as all the other trees he had been forced to look at. He merely grunted in response, making Ryou pout. "Come on, 'Kura, it's the holidays! Try and have a little fun, at least!"

Bakura the pale boy his best flat stare. "I'm going to freeze to death and you want me to have fun."

Ryou sighed, rolling his eyes. "We'll get this tree, then we'll go hime. Sound good?"

Bakura smiled, relieved. "Sound excellent."

An hour later, the two finally arrived home, much to Bakura's pleasure. He was still cold, despite having sat in a warm car for the thirty minute drive to get home. It seemed that the bitter weather had seeped into his very bones, leaving a dull ache. This icy weather disagreed with the ancient being who was accustomed to the hot weather of Egypt.

The minute he walked through the door to the house, he made his way directly to the heating system on the wall, not even bothering to remove his coat. He turned it up thirty degrees Celsius, smiling to himself though he knew Ryou would complain about it later.

"Hey, Bakura," the white haired teen called, walking through the door. "I'm going to the basement to get the tree stand, OK?"

Bakura nodded, feeling the house beginning to heat up. "Whatever," he said. "I'm going to make some tea or something. You want some?"

"Sure," Ryou answered, opening the door to the basement.

Five minutes later, Bakura was sprawled out on the sofa, a mug of tea clasped in his hands as he tried to keep the puppy, Max, from getting at it. He heard Ryou walking up behind him, and, turning to tell the boy that his hot drink was in the kitchen, saw a very strange sight. Ryou had sort of red material draped over his head, lights around his neck, and was carrying what looked to be a giant green bowl of sorts. He looked quite pleased with himself, dark eyes shining with joy. Placing the bowl like thing down in an empty corner, instantly attracting the ever curious dog, he turned to look at Bakura. "Look, 'Kura," he said, removing the red fabric from his head. "I found the tree skirt!"

Bakura choked on a mouthful of tea. "The tree what?"

"The tree skirt!"

"Now we're dressing the tree. This has to be come kind of cult."

Ryou laughed. "It's to keep the tree's needles from getting on the floor, not to dress it."

"The why is it called a skirt?" Bakura asked.

Ryou tilted his head to the left. "I really don't know."

Finishing his tea, Bakura stood. "Your tea's in the kitchen, Ryou," he said over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

"Hey, Bakura," Ryou called to his darker half. "Do you think you could help me get the tree inside?"

Bakura paused, sighing. "Fine, I guess."

"Thanks!" He could hear the grin in his lighter self's voice. It was so easy to make him smile, so very easy.

Placing his cup in the sink, he grabbed Ryou's tea, then, removing his jacket as he went, walked back into the now incredibly warm living room. "Here," he said, handing Ryou his mug.

Ryou glanced up at his darker self. "Thanks," he said, smiling softly. Bakura merely grunted in response.

A few minutes later, after Ryou finished his mug of tea, the two braved the cold to get the Christmas tree. Bakura helped Ryou get it down from the top of the car and carry it inside, which took a few tries, seeing as the door seemed to be a lot smaller than they thought it was.

After the third try, Bakura dropped his end of the tree, leaving Ryou to carry all the weight. The slim boy promptly dropped it, the burden too much for him to carry alone. "Bakura," he complained. "Why did you do that?"

Bakura sighed. "I'm cold. My hands are numb."

"Then help me get it inside!"

Twenty minutes and much bickering later, the tree was inside and set up in the green bowl, which Bakura learned was really a tree stand. Ryou placed the tree skirt around the tree, much to Bakura's amusement. The British kid had apparently forgotten that it was supposed to go first, not the tree, so he was lying on his stomach under the tree, trying to fit the tree skirt around the base of the tree. Max wasn't helping any, seeing as he was scared of the tree and kept trying to bite it.

When Ryou finally accomplished his task, he slid out from under the tree, mindful of the terrified puppy, and climbed to his feet. Turning, he grinned at Bakura. "Well, what do you think?" he asked. "I think it looks good."

"I think it looks like a tree in our living room," Bakura answered truthfully, picking up the scared puppy.

Ryou sighed. "Bakura, you're impossible."

The rest of the day passed quietly, Ryou making many trips from the basement to the living room, always bringing at least a box or two up with him. Bakura spent his time watching his lighter half do this, absently petting the dog and occasionally talking to Ryou or getting him something to drink.

When evening finally fell, Bakura persuaded Ryou to take a break at get something to eat. They ended up ordering a pizza as Bakura refused to cook and Ryou was too tired. The young Brit didn't eat much, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with him. He fell asleep on the couch, leaning up against Bakura.

"Idiot," Bakura whispered, smiling softly down at his lighter self. He gently picked the slim boy up and carried him to his room, where he placed him carefully on the bed, covering him with a blanket. Taking one last glance at the sleeping teen, Bakura then went to his own room to get some sleep.