(Authoress' Note): I have been working on this one little story forever. I should have been done weeks ago, but with school just starting and everything, I haven't really been able to write anything. I know it probably seemed like I was dead or something, but I'm in an AP Biology class this year and that is going to take up most of my time. I've only been back in school for about a week and I've already had four projects, not including all the summer work I had.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this little story. Believe it or not, I put a lot of work into this thing.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, although I do own hundreds of Yu-Gi-Oh cards.

WARNINGS: There is a little cussing and some implied violence towards a tent…and Ryou.

Camping Trip

Bakura glared at the back of Ryou's head. He couldn't believe he had let the smaller boy talk him into this. He shifted the heavy backpack he was carrying so that it sat more comfortably on his shoulders. This thing was really killing his back. His glare intensified. Here he was carrying what felt like an eighty pound backpack and an almost equally heavy cooler up this mountain, and there was Ryou, skipping daintily along in front of him with nothing but a two ounce sleeping bag tucked under his arm and a half empty water bottle in his hand.

Ryou continued to bound merrily along the trail, completely oblivious to the metaphorical daggers that were currently being shot at his head.

"This is sooo exciting! Are you excited?" Ryou asked in a happy sing-song voice. "I've never been camping before! I bet it's sooo much fun! I'm excited. Don't you think this is exciting, 'Kura?"

"I didn't think it was exciting when my father forced me to come with him as a child and I don't think it's exciting now that you've forced me to come with you as an adult," Bakura grumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his unoccupied hand.

"Oh, don't be like that," Ryou said, turning to pout at the older man. "I bet we will have a bunch of fun! Don't you think so?" he questioned as he resumed his trek up the steep path.

"I thought I had made it blatantly obvious that I didn't think camping was fun. What possessed you to decide that this little outing was necessary anyway?" Bakura asked, shifting the cooler to his other hand.

"Well, when Yugi told me how much fun he and Yami had on their trip to the beach, I decided that it was about time me and you did something fun together. And since I've never been camping before, I wanted to try something new."

"Again, I thought I made it clear that camping is NOT fun. Didn't you listen to a word I said? Ryou, we live in the city. We aren't equipped for things like this. I learned that when I was a child. Every camping trip I have ever been on has been disastrous." Bakura said, cursing softly as he tripped over a root.

"Oh, I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad you big baby," Ryou giggled, skittering around a fallen log.

"Really now?" Bakura asked darkly. "Have you ever had poison ivy before?"

"Of course," Ryou countered and rolled his eyes. Bakura narrowed his eyes and initiated a more forceful glare that didn't even faze Ryou, who had slowed down to walk beside the older man.

"Well, have you ever accidentally used a poison ivy leaf as toilet paper and spent an entire week in the wilderness with a very itchy rash in a very unpleasant place?"

"Um, no…"

"Well, I have. And it didn't make my childhood camping escapades very memorable," Bakura scowled. All was silent for a moment before Ryou broke out into an uncontrollable bought of laughter.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. You won't think it's funny when it happens to you." the taller male growled, wanting desperately to just drop everything his was carrying, turn around and go home.

"Oh, but it won't happen to me!" Ryou chirped cheerily. "Cause I brought real toilet paper."

And then he was gone from Bakura's side, skipping along the path and humming a very annoying tune that just grated on Bakura's nerves.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"That hike was exhausting!" Ryou cried when they reached the clearing they would be camping in. He dropped his sleeping bag and the now empty water bottle on the ground and flopped down onto a tree stump.

"You think it was exhausting?" Bakura called from his position on the ground. He had made it no further that four feet into the clearing before dropping everything he was carrying and face planting into the dirt.

"I'm thirsty again," Ryou whined from where he was sitting on the tree stump. "Stop being lazy and bring the cooler over here."

If Bakura had possessed even a single ounce of strength at that moment, he would have used it to murder the younger boy. Fortunately for Ryou, Bakura couldn't even find it in himself to lift his face from the ground and glare at him. Ryou, realizing that Bakura was not going to be moving any time soon, rolled his eyes and stomped over to the cooler. He yanked the lid open and thrust his hand inside, searching through the mixture of water and ice to find something suitable to drink. His brow furrowed into a glare when all he felt inside was beer bottles. He yanked his hand from the cold confines and peered down into the watery box. He huffed slightly and used both hands to push the offending bottles out of way and dig deeper towards the bottom.

He was met with nothing but the white plastic that was the bottom of the cooler. This did not deter him however, and he continued his search. Bakura, who had been listening to his younger counterpart's struggles, used the little energy he had recovered to lift his head and see what the other boy was doing.

"Ryou, the thing isn't Narnia. It's not going to open up to a different dimension. If you haven't found what you're looking for by now, it obviously isn't in there."

Ryou turned his glare to the older male. "You forgot to put my water in here."

"What? No I didn't." Bakura pushed himself up off the ground and looked into the cooler. Sure enough, the only thing in there were beer bottles. "I was sure I put the water in here," he grumbled, sticking his hands in and digging around, much like Ryou had been doing moments before. Ryou crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at Bakura.

"The thing isn't Narnia," he mocked. "If you don't see it, then obviously you forgot to put it in there! Now I have nothing to drink. I hope you're happy Bakura. This is all your fault. I'm going to thirst to death now. Thank you Bakura, thank you."

"Maybe you should have put the water in there if you wanted something to drink," Bakura countered, pulling out a beer and twisting the top off. "I have no use for water. I'm very content living off alcohol." He took a small sip of his drink and smirked when Ryou huffed and turned away.

"I hate you," the smaller boy muttered, turning his glare towards the ground. "I hope you choke to death on your alcohol." Bakura chuckled lightly. It was so cute when Ryou tried to be angry. He sat the bottle on the top of the cooler and wrapped his arms around the other man.

"You don't hate me," he whispered, kissing Ryou's neck softly. "You love me too much to even consider hating me." He laughed again when Ryou pouted and tried to wiggle out of Bakura's arms.

"Shut up," the littler white haired boy growled, although it came out as more of a whining squeal. "Just let me go and put up the stupid tent. It's going to be dark soon." Bakura rolled his eyes and let go of the struggling boy.

"Yes, your highness." He turned back to the backpack laying on the ground and pulled out the bag containing the tent. He unzipped it and began pulling out various stakes and poles, placing them in a pile on the ground. He picked up two long poles, inspecting the ends of each, before trying to force them together. Ryou, having given up on being angry, giggled from the sidelines as he watched to older man try to fit the two poles together.

"'Kura, that's obviously not going to work. Both of those poles are the same size."

"You know what, Ryou? Why don't you go get some fire wood while I put the tent up," Bakura ordered, dropping the offending poles and picking up two different ones.

"Ok 'Kura, whatever. Just don't hurt yourself while I'm gone," Ryou chirped, scampering off in the direction of the woods. Bakura resisted the urge to pelt him in the back of the head with a rock.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ryou meandered merrily back into the campsite with his armful of wood, only to be met with the sight of Bakura sitting amongst a pile of bent poles and shredded tent material.

"What the heck happened!" Ryou demanded, dropping the wood and gaping at the mess that should have been a tent.

"I hope you like the stars, Ryou," Bakura muttered darkly from his position in the ruins, "because we're gonna be sleeping under them tonight."

"I cannot believe I was gone for thirty minutes to go get firewood only to have you completely destroy the tent!" Ryou fumed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation.

"Well, I can't believe you were gone for thirty minutes to go get firewood only to come back with five sticks!" Bakura yelled back, crossing his harms and pouting like a little kid.

Ryou sighed softly, knowing that it wasn't even worth arguing with Bakura, and wandered over to sit on the ground beside the other man. He leaned his head on Bakura's shoulder and looked up at the sky.

"I guess it will be okay to sleep outside tonight," he smiled.

"Yeah, and I guess it will be okay to go without a fire tonight too," Bakura replied, returning the smile. He laughed as Ryou gave an indignant cry and punched him in the shoulder.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"The stars are so pretty." Ryou whispered to Bakura. "I wish we could see them in the city."

"Yeah," Bakura agreed, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. Ryou laid his head on Bakura's chest, snuggling deeper into their connected sleeping bags and gazing up at the sky. He was slightly grateful that Bakura had destroyed the tent; it would have been a shame to miss this beautiful sight.

"Maybe this won't be such a bad trip after all," Bakura admitted, pulling Ryou closer. The littler boy smiled up at him and nuzzled his face into Bakura's chest. They laid there in a content silence, both of them happy to be here under the stars together…

…until it started to rain.

(Authoress' Note): Well, there you have it. I may continue this story, depending on whether or not I come up with anymore ideas. It's a possibility, but don't count on it. I hope you enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing it J Please review!

-Any review is a good review! I don't mind flames. They will amuse me. I'm a major pyromaniac.-

Thanks,

-Raven