Small one-shot, written on the prompt "missed call" and fast. Jury's out on when exactly this takes place, sometime after the end.
Honda's dog makes an appearance, because I could and I love dogs. Her name is canon and that's honestly priceless.
It was storming that night.
Rain came pouring down in waves across the roof with such a noise that was only rivaled by the howling of the wind. The storm had only surface in the afternoon and there was no indication in the morning that things would get this bad. The news suggested something more than a thunderstorm, but Ryou didn't hear much more before he lost the signal, and that didn't make him feel any better. Had he known ahead of time, he would have called to ask Honda to finish his errands early and get indoors before the rain started, but Ryou was never really the type to pay attention to weather reports. Weather, in general, seemed to favor him, passing him over instead of leaving the young man scrambling for an umbrella unexpectedly.
Honda had no such luck; nature almost aimed to spite him, and he was rarely inclined to laugh off his soggy misfortune like Jounouchi and Yugi could. But storms like this were more rare, and worrying. The large, furry dog that was more or less glued to the front door whined off and on, apparently sharing his opinion. Blankey wuffled quietly and pawed at the door, unable to do anything else for her master's situation.
And above all was the phone in Ryou's hand, silent and unresponsive, even after almost half a dozen calls.
Honda was as prompt as he could be, which meant that not answering meant he couldn't–either because he was driving or…something else.
Ryou snapped the phone shut; he couldn't just wait around like this, he had to do something. He stood from his chair and marched into his room, pulling a case of carefully maintained books from under his bed, free of dust and cool to the touch. He scanned until he came across a specific line that mentioned a teru* charm inscribed with a prayer of protection to Tatsu** that seemed legitimate (at least in his eyes).
Most of the creations Ryou built had considerable time and effort poured into them, as a testament to his own creativity, but he was rushed and anything would do now so long as it worked.
He used some left-over modeling clay from the last few figures he'd built, inscribing the prayer into the soft surface with the narrow end of his smallest sculpting knives. Making sure the marks were deep enough to be visible, Ryou wrapped a thin sheet of cotton around the rough charm, and secured it as quickly as possible without ruining his work. And the last ingredient…something Honda owned, that was important to him. Ryou moved to the front door immediately, one hand wrapped around his charm and the other burying it self into the dog's fur, still unmoved from the entrance.
Blankey sniffed at his hand, but did nothing more, waiting. Ryou held the spell in his mind, willing his own luck of nature to aid him.
It could have been a few minutes or twenty before the rumbling of an unforgettable engine broke him from his concentration and the dog rolled to her feet, barking excitedly. Ryou didn't know whether it was the prayer or simply good luck that saved him, but he hid the charm behind his back as Honda opened the door only to be attacked by a very relieved German Shepard. But when the other boy, dripping wet from head to toe, confusedly mentioned how the weather seemed to improve, Ryou couldn't keep the smile from his face.
It could have easily been a coincidence, but with an array of knowledge at his disposal, it was always fun to keep someone guessing.
*teru teru bōzu: a japanese doll-like charm believed to prevent rain.
**tatsu: a japanese eastern dragon, usually strongly associated with water, oceans, rain, rivers, ect.
I'm strongly of the mind that Ryou Bakura "collects" spellbooks, charms and other things associated with the supernatural, regardless of their purpose, and that he takes good care of them too.