Disclaimer: I disclaim the pusedounantidisowning of Yu Gi Oh … if you can make any sense of that

City Lights
SidewalkChalk2718

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Yay! Chapter one is finally posted! This story is mostly told in Bakura's point of view, although there are a few sections where Yugi, Otogi, or Kaiba are the narrator. Occasionally it's also written in the third person. Don't worry; I've marked all the places where the POV switches take place (if it says SC, that means it's in the third person; SC is short for SidewalkChalk…for those of you who didn't catch that).

The fic begins in the gang's third year of college, four years after the end of the Egyptian arc. It's somewhat of an AU, because Yami no Yugi is still around, though he and Yugi did battle, and Yugi won. I'm planning a separate one shot to explain how that happened. Just trust me when I say I have a decent explanation for how it all worked out.

And most importantly, thank you Jessy-chan for Beta-ing this, and all the upcoming chapters. Even though I went and rewrote half this chapter after she fixed it -.- Sorry, Jessy-chan.

So, normally I'd answer reviewer's questions and comments here, but since this is the first chapter I'll just get going! Enjoy.

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Metaphor

n. Figurative language in which one idea or object is used to designate a dissimilar object or idea in order to suggest comparison.

.--Bakura--.

I've always wondered what Osaka must look like from above. Looking out from the large skyscrapers towering over the city at night, when all the neon lights are flashing brightly and car headlights form strange curving arcs through the streets, the view must be daunting. To stand above an ocean of light and shadow, and inevitably descend into the chaos, does it feel like drowning?

And if it were me standing there, would I acclimate myself to the impersonal silence of the cold glass window pane or would I find the courage to enter the sometimes suffocating living world beneath me, in hopes that someone in that crowd would hold my hand and tell me that it's okay, I'm alive?

"Hello? Sir? The library is closing in fifteen minutes." I was startled from my thoughts by the older woman at the desk behind me. "You'll need to leave now." She raised an eyebrow as I stared at her, confused. After a few seconds I finally understood what she meant and looked back at the pile of unread books on the table before me.

I groaned as I realized that I had wasted the past half an hour lost in thought instead of working on my term paper. A term paper which was already way past due, having been assigned a full three months ago. That and the term had just ended too.

"Go-gomensai (1)," I replied as I hastily shoved my notes into the pages of various textbooks, wrinkling the edges when I stuffed them into my backpack. The librarian looked annoyed at this blatant disregard for the condition of the aforementioned books, and I winced under her disapproving glare.

Quickly throwing the bag over my shoulder I practically ran out of the room mumbling a quiet thank you in response to her relieved "good evening."

My footsteps echoed emptily in the stairwell, and I slowed down as I reached the steps, not wanting to add tripping and falling to my embarrassment. With Christmas only a week away, most of the students had already returned home to their families or were as far from school as they could be. But due to an unfortunate accident involving otousan and an unreasonably cantankerous camel, I had to miss a full month of classes caring for him and his broken leg. This, of course, put me behind in my work, and now I was stuck making up a paper I should have finished back in October.

I readjusted my backpack as I reached the bottom of the stairs and shoved the door to the main floor open with my shoulder. It was almost one in the morning, I had been at the library since six, and all I had was a collection of miscellaneous sources that may or may not support my vague and entirely incomplete topic.

Yugi had offered to help me with my research, but ended up being dragged off at the last minute by Jonouchi and Honda instead to wait in line for tickets to a concert this Friday in Tokyo.

Jou and Honda had been waiting anxiously for the tickets to go on sale for two weeks now. And they were determined to stand in line, despite the unusually cold weather, until they got them. Yugi, of course, was commandeered as well, and Jou was about to bring me along too, had it not been for Yugi's insistence that I be allowed to study in peace.

I must remember to thank him the next time I see him. Jonouchi is very hard to refuse, once he has his mind set on something. Not that I was any more productive in the safe, warm confines of the library. However, I was safe and warm. That counts for something.

Somewhere between these musings I managed to make my way out of the university's library and out onto the sidewalk that led through the quad and into the city central beyond the campus.

The cold night air bit at my cheeks and I wrapped my scarf once more around my face, hunching over to further shield my neck and shoulders from the icy wind. I closed my eyes against the harsh air and continued to walk quickly towards the street.

It figures I forgot my coat at home, along with my cell phone and the memory stick that had all my previous research. I'd like to blame these details for my lack of progress, however the truth was that I just couldn't concentrate today. The hushed, almost threatening stillness of the library had driven my mind from the task at hand, and my focus had instead shifted out the window into the city.

Once again I had found myself contemplating the thin barrier between the busy world around me and myself. In so many ways I felt disconnected from the city goers I saw passing by, out doing their Christmas shopping and enjoying the holiday festivities that brought life to Osaka at this time of the year. I was not a part of that bustling crowd; I was indoors watching them. And even if I were among them, I would not be a part of them. I would still be an observer, regarding the life around me distantly, only half participating in the general hustle of the holiday season.

Shaking my head I quickened my pace and looked up at the night sky. These thoughts were depressing, yet I seemed to sink into them so often. I never felt quite connected to the world around me. Wait, that wasn't true; I don't always feel like this. When I'm with Yugi and the others I hardly think like this at all.

It's only when I'm alone, left to the silence of my mind, that I remember the isolation I endured due to the spirit in my sennen (2) ring, and indulge in the loneliness that haunted my childhood. And indeed it was an indulgence; I cannot deny that I felt safer in my solitude, distanced from the craziness of life that sometimes threatened to overwhelm me.

I had grown up alone, and now I was too used to my aloneness to adapt to anything else. Once again I blinked my eyes open, wondering if they had really been closed or if I had just not been seeing.

I assumed the latter as I promptly collided with the person crossing the path in front of me; not so gracefully slipping backwards and falling on my butt.

"Bakura?" A slightly familiar voice inquired above me. I looked up into the expressionless face of Kaiba Seto, who may have looked either amused or annoyed had he not been, as I just mentioned, expressionless. "What are you doing here?"

"I, ummm…" My mind went blank as I tried to process the question. I didn't quite know if Kaiba meant here as in outside, in this weather, at the campus, or in the snow on my butt, so I chose to shrug instead and unsteadily hoist myself and my backpack up. "I was just working on that term paper…" I trailed off.

"The one we wrote for Izawa-sensei's class? Wasn't that due a long time ago?" He raised one eyebrow in a slightly questioning manner. It's only been a few weeks, I whined to myself defensively.

"Hai (3)," I looked up at Kaiba nervously. I wasn't scared of him; but he had a way of making everyone feel just a little intimidated. "I was given an extension because of otousan's accident."

"I see." Kaiba looked off silently and I wondered if this meant I could leave. But before I could walk around him and escape he started talking again. "Do you need a ride?"

I blinked, wondering where that had come from. "I'm fine."

I wasn't used to Kaiba offering his assistance so randomly. But then again we had been in the same composition and cultural studies class for the entire semester, and we'd actually worked together quite a lot recently. Except for that month with otousan…

Kaiba eyed me skeptically, "it's not an inconvenience, Bakura." He looked at me as I continued to stare at him, tired, and still a little confused.

"Umm, okay." He started to walk off and I followed, slightly behind him with my hands stuffed in my pockets. Kaiba certainly wasn't warm and friendly, but I'd found that he wasn't the inhuman son of a … biscuit … that Jonouchi often accused him of being.

He was, er… is, actually quite intelligent, if not somewhat single-minded. And whenever we worked together, which seemed to be every time there was a partner assignment, he listened to my ideas with at least vague interest. He didn't immediately write me off as an inferior. I have a feeling I would have been quite annoyed if he had. Kaiba may be a child-genius, but I can at least hold my own in cultural studies; after all, it is my major.

Actually I'd enjoyed the times Kaiba and I had collaborated this semester. He was easy to work with once we got started. Kaiba was detail oriented and often caught my mistakes before they became disasters, and I had enough passion and interest in the subject for the both of us.

Granted, it was awkward at first. Kaiba couldn't always follow my rambling logic, and I was easily exasperated by his habit of pointing out all the faults. I thought conceptually and he thought realistically. But once we got used to each other's way of going about tasks, we were able to devise a system that worked.

"What was that assignment, again?" He asked abruptly. I paused a moment, not expecting to have to engage in a conversation. Then I recalled the actual directions we'd been given.

"The one where we had to 'write a persuasive essay on an aspect of cultural identification and how it affected the culture or people as individuals,'" I replied, lifting my hands to make quotation marks in the air with my index and middle fingers.

Kaiba nodded and we continued to walk in silence some ways before coming to the parking structure where the students were allowed to leave their vehicles. It was fairly obvious which car was Kaiba's – a bright red sports car. Mokuba had bragged once, during one of the few occasions when he'd dropped in on Yugi and us back in Domino, that his brother had paid 500,000 US dollars for the car (which Mokuba had picked out himself).

The car was probably worth somewhere around $100,000, but this was Kaiba, and I was not surprised that he had all that money to spare. I was surprised, however, to see Kaiba get in the driver's seat himself. I'd expected to find one of his many drivers waiting for him at the curb, since he always seemed to have them conveniently at hand.

I slid into the passenger seat, relieved to be out of the wind, and shoved my over-stuffed backpack between my feet on the floor.

"Where is your apartment?" Kaiba asked.

"Near the Nishikujo station," I answered automatically.

Leaning back against the expensive leather seats I realized just how tired I was. As Kaiba started up the car and pulled out of the structure I let the city signs blur before me and watched my reflection in the window fade and reappear with the various lights that flashed by.

"How long were you studying, you look exhausted." Again, I was startled by Kaiba's words, which seemed to come out of nowhere in the silence of the well soundproofed car.

"About six hours, I think." I looked to my left (the car was an American model and therefore the driver's side was reversed) and saw that Kaiba was still focused on the road.

"Hn," he answered, and we once again lapsed into silence.

"What were you doing at campus?" I asked, deciding that if Kaiba was going to keep asking questions I might as well continue the conversation. This way he wouldn't startle me again.

"I was just meeting with a counselor to correct my schedule for next semester. The counselor kept insisting that another humanities class would be beneficial but I hardly have the time or interest."

"Why were you in CCS then?" I blurted without thinking, using the acronym the students favored for the subject.

"They told me I had to take a writing intensive class to graduate, so I figured I might as well take something more advanced than introduction to writing. At least in that class I wasn't bored out of my mind." Kaiba kept his eyes on the road the whole time, and I sighed thinking about how I'd actually enjoyed the class, despite the loads of assignments we received each week.

But of course Kaiba wouldn't have much interest in any classes that didn't directly relate to business or technology. I found it odd, though, that he would take CCS. The course description said the class discussions would tend to be more abstract. Kaiba was not someone who liked to deal with abstractions.

However, I supposed that the subject might have been beneficial as it related to his interaction with foreign markets. And he hadn't seemed too bored in class. I'd found all of our discussions rather interesting, actually. Kaiba and I had different ways of looking at – well – everything. But it would be boring to sit and agree with someone for a whole hour.

As we got closer to my apartment I told Kaiba how to get to the complex, then drifted off again, wondering if the snow would last till Christmas. I hoped so.

The silence between Kaiba and I grew more protracted and awkward as we neared our destination.

The car pulled up to the apartments with a faint splash of tires on slushy pavement. I quickly opened the door, yelling a thank you, as I dashed towards the warmth of the building. The car pulled away as I reached the door, and I turned to see the taillights flashing at the corner.

I felt guilty for running out so quickly, but I was desperate to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere and retreat to my warm apartment as soon as possible.

As I made my way up the stairs to my second floor room, I wondered idly what Kaiba was thinking as he pulled off. The apartment complex wasn't too bad, though it was definitely far from anything Kaiba would be living in. The apartments were very small, as is typical of city housing. And my neighbors weren't exactly happy, settled families. I could only imagine Kaiba's reaction if he were to actually see my apartment. Not that it was messy, but it had the clutter that comes with having a very limited amount of space in which to live.

Unlike the regular students at Osaka University, Kaiba had opted out of the dorm life requisite for the freshman and sophomores, and thus had missed that wonderfully cramped lifestyle. Now, in our junior year, he no longer had to use his influence to get out of residential living. Although how he managed the previous two years I have no clue. Undoubtedly there was a great deal of money involved. That or Kaiba happened to own a significant portion of the University, which wouldn't surprise me.

The complex I currently lived in was inhabited mostly by college students like me, who were looking for a cheap place to live that was also close to the trains that encircled the metropolitan area. Walking down the hall I could hear some of the more unruly residents above, blasting a stereo and generally disturbing the relative peace of the apartment.

"I need to move," I sighed, and thought about how many times I'd come home ready to sleep only to be kept awake by the constant partying of my fellow students. Unfortunately, the landlord was younger himself and didn't enforce the regulations many other apartments enjoyed, such as being quiet at three in the morning!

At times like this I almost wished Yami no Yugi hadn't banished the evil spirit in the sennen ring to the shadow realm. I might have enjoyed seeing him terrify my fellow residents if it meant they would actually be quiet. Then again, whenever my other self got involved, things tended to get unnecessarily violent. I have a feeling I would be exchanging my current living for one with bars and cement walls if I set him loose on the unsuspecting neighbors. However, if I explained what happened I might get lucky and be put in solitary confinement due to insanity, then the walls would be padded and I wouldn't have to worry about the other inmates.

I unlocked the door to my apartment and walked inside, relieved to finally be back. That is, until I realized that my backpack was no longer on my back, nor even in my possession. Groaning, I remembered that I'd left it in Kaiba's car, which was probably halfway across town by now.

I grabbed my cell phone off the counter, but before I could open my contacts list I saw that I had four messages, three of which were from Otogi. I shook my head wondering what he was calling about this time. Otogi had a way of leaving entirely pointless messages on my phone at all times of the day and night. Sometimes I wondered if he was really that bored at work, or if he just couldn't stand entertaining himself for more than two hours at a time.

I dialed the voicemail and waited for the automated voice to repeat the familiar words, "you have four new messages. First message."

"Hey Bakura-kun," I recognized Otogi's voice. He never says who he is on the phone, much to the annoyance of his friends and family. "Just wanted to make sure I had the flight schedule right for next week. We're all meeting at the airport at 6:00 am, and the flight for New York leaves at 7:00, right? Oh, and I think I've finally found myself a new apartment. This one has two bedrooms, but it also has another room I could use as an office, and the kitchen is great. I'll tell you more when you call back." The message was rather concise for Otogi, and I found myself relieved as I deleted the message and moved on.

"Next message…"

"Bakura-kun? It's Yugi. Unfortunately we didn't get the tickets to the concert. Jonouchi-kun and Honda-kun are really disappointed. But we'll still be having the Christmas party over here next week, so make sure to come. It's been a while since we've all gotten together! I'll see you soon."

"Next message…"

"I think my left foot just fell asleep, Bakura-kun." It was Otogi again; I sighed and deleted the message, skipping to the next one.

"Okay Bakura, if you've forgotten your phone again I'm going to have to surgically attach it to you. Or are you just ignoring my phone calls? I'm sorry about making you buy me lunch the other day, but I forgot that I had left my wallet at work. Anyways, call me back, or I'll have to come over to your apartment… again. And you know the locks won't stop me."

I fell back onto the couch, my living room being directly adjacent to the small kitchenette that divided it from my bedroom. Looking at the clock on my phone, I saw that it was now almost 2:00 am. Kaiba was most likely asleep by this point, although I didn't really know if he ever slept at all. Either way, it was too late to call him, and quite frankly I was too tired to do anything other than close my eyes and let sleep overwhelm me.

The noises from upstairs had grown louder, so I grabbed an oversized pillow and stuffed it over my face. I realized I should get up and actually go to sleep in my bedroom, but by that point I didn't feel like moving at all. Besides my comforter and pillows were already out here, having spent the past two nights sleeping on the couch while working on this essay.

I rolled over onto my side, burying my face into the couch, and began to drift off into semi-consciousness. I vaguely noticed a strange smell coming from somewhere in the room, but I quickly forgot that and fell into a much-needed deep sleep.

.--SC--.

Kaiba was already halfway back to his own apartment when he noticed Bakura's books on the passenger side floor of his car. The bag slid forward with a thump as he pulled the car to a stop and prepared to turn around. He grabbed his cell phone from the charger and searched his contact list for Bakura's number. After searching through the vast array of numbers, mostly various business partners and corporations, he wondered if he'd deleted it after the project he and Bakura were working on together was over. Finally he found the entry "Bakura Ryou".

He turned into a small alley and turned himself around as he waited for Bakura to pick up the phone. Unfortunately he got the answering machine instead, and he hung up before the recording finished.

Frowning he sped up towards the apartment, more preoccupied with the traffic than the inconvenience of making the same trip twice. Bakura interested him, or at least he interested Kaiba more than Yugi and his group of cheerleaders. Granted, Bakura had at one time seemed to him a part of that group. But since they began attending the same university, and class, he had started to see Bakura as a separate entity from the general classification of "Yugi's groupies". Actually, he realized that Bakura was far more intelligent than most of Yugi's friends, in his own way. Even a little-

Kaiba's thoughts were interrupted when a smaller car cut him off at the intersection and he glared at the other driver's bumper, not that the other driver cared, or noticed. Kaiba did not drive often; he found the whole experience entirely too aggravating. But at times he grew sick of the blind obedience of his lackeys and decided to give himself some time alone.

As Kaiba pulled around the corner near Bakura's apartment he was surprised to hear sirens blaring down the street. He looked back to see a fire truck and an ambulance racing down the road towards him.

He pulled off to the side and let them pass, curious for a moment before he realized that the building they turned into was Bakura's apartment complex, now a wall of smoke and growing yellow-orange flames.

Kaiba jumped out of his car and dashed across the street to the front of the burning building, which was quickly dissolving into the hazy fire. Civilians were standing about anxiously, getting in the way of the firemen who shoved whole crowds aside to maneuver their gear towards the edifice.

"Move it people," the chief yelled at a group of bystanders, and the teens clumsily backed off from the larger man. Kaiba grabbed one of the teens by the arm and caught the smell of beer as the teen protested his rough handling.

"Did everyone get out of the apartments?" Kaiba asked coldly. His icy voice seemed to startle the kid, and he shrank under Kaiba's fierce glare.

"Uhhh, I … uh … dunno?" Kaiba nearly threw him backwards as he let go, and the kid fell back into his group of friends, each as drunk as their fellow, or more so.

Kaiba felt his frustration mounting as he turned to an elderly woman. "Did you see a student with white hair, about this tall," he snapped, holding out his hand to mark Bakura's relative height. The woman looked offended for a moment and Kaiba softened his glare a touch. "He's my classmate," he offered by way of apology.

The woman's eyes widened as she realized whom Kaiba meant, then shook her head, "no, I haven't seen Bakura-san yet. Was he even at home today?"

"What room did he live in?" Kaiba hoped that since the woman knew Bakura's name she'd know where he lived.

"One zero two, I think…" Kaiba was running towards the building before she could finish her sentence. The firemen yelled at him to stop, but he ignored their shouts and ducked in through the open doorway, the door having fallen off its hinges at some point.

The staircase was quickly filling with smoke, and Kaiba held his jacket sleeve up to his mouth so he could breathe as he ascended the steps. At the top he pushed open the door, wincing as the hot metal stung his palm.

The hallway was just beginning to catch fire, and he could see an orange glow at the far end. Kaiba looked around quickly at the room numbers, searching for Bakura's.

He blinked to clear the smoke from his eyes and saw the numbers 102 on a plaque by a thin brown door near him. He grabbed the knob, but the metal was too hot this time, and he hastily drew his hand back, stumbling away a few steps.

He muttered a curse as he felt his hand throbbing slightly, and looked around anxiously for something to break down the door with. Not seeing anything he stepped back and kicked the door in instead, wincing as the door slammed backwards into the wall and a few splinters flew off.

Then he saw Bakura. He was on the floor coughing, struggling to push himself up onto his feet. Kaiba ran towards his figure in the smoke and bent down to help him stand. He looped one arm under his shoulders and hoisted Bakura onto his feet, nearly dragging him out into the hallway.

Kaiba realized that the fire had spread to the second floor, and looked up to see flames eating away at the ceiling beams.

Bakura began to cough again, and Kaiba staggered under his weight as the smaller man began to lose consciousness. Suddenly a loud crack sounded above the two, and Kaiba pulled himself and Bakura to the side just in time to avoid a falling beam that had come crashing down through the ceiling.

Bakura let out a yelp as the burning wood smashed against his right shoulder, and gasped, whimpering, as the pain spread down his arm to his elbow.

Kaiba pulled Bakura back up to his feet and began to run towards the stairs, slowed by the disorienting, hazy light of the hallway.

Once they reached the staircase Kaiba kicked the door open again and nearly dragged Bakura down the passageway, constantly looking down at the stumbling figure to make sure he was still somewhat conscious.

After what seemed like an eternity they staggered out of the building into the cold winter air, and Bakura slumped in Kaiba's arms, overcome by the smoke. Kaiba felt his sweat turn ice cold in the air, and held out his other arm to catch Bakura as he fell forward towards the snow.

The paramedics were by his side instantly, lifting the unconscious Bakura out of his arms and carrying him carefully over to a stretcher. Before Kaiba could blink Bakura was loaded into the ambulance, and the driver sped off, sirens blaring.

Kaiba watched the van for a few moments before numbly walking away from the collapsing building back towards the street. He frowned, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose wondering what the hell had just happened. Suddenly, a familiar light green convertible pulled screeching into the parking lot and Otogi Ryuuji leapt out of the car frantically.

He saw Kaiba watching him stoically and raced up to the billionaire, grabbing him by the collar. Kaiba didn't even bother to disengage the shorter game inventor's grip as he started to scream in Kaiba's face.

"What the hell happened to Bakura-kun? Is he still inside there?" Otogi's voice was high pitched with worry and he looked like he was about to start foaming at the mouth. Then he noticed the entirely uncharacteristic look of hesitation on Kaiba's face. "What the hell is going on?"

Kaiba pulled back out of the frantic man's grip and stared down at him calmly, letting his normal mask of indifference fall down over his features. "Bakura's apartment is on fire."

"Well I can see that!" Otogi screeched.

Kaiba glared a bit and continued. "I got him out, he fainted, the paramedics took him away in an ambulance." Kaiba, still slightly in shock, answered the other man bluntly.

"What!" Otogi shouted and Kaiba winced as Otogi's voice started to give him a headache.

"Like I said. Bakura's in the hospital."

Otogi clenched his fingers into a fist and slammed it against his side. "Damn it! I knew I should have come sooner when he wasn't answering his cell. God…" He couldn't finish the curse as he choked on his words and looked down angrily at the snowy sidewalk.

A paramedic approached the pair and looked uncertainly at Kaiba, who probably had a ferocious glare on his face as well, despite his attempt to mask his frustration. "Uh, sir? How do you know the white haired boy? We need some information on his identity so we can begin to operate."

The word operate twisted both of the young men's stomachs, but Kaiba replied calmly. "Bakura Ryou, he and I are students at Osaka University. We also attended the same high school."

"Okay, thank you." The paramedic began to write the name down on a piece of paper.

"Shit, I need to call Yugi." Otogi grabbed his cell out of his pocket and began to dial the number. Kaiba looked back at the paramedic as he finished writing out Bakura's name.

"We'll need you to come to the hospital with us, in case we need anymore information. Do you need a ride-"

"I can drive myself." Kaiba muttered and walked off to his car.

"Hey wait! Just where do you think you're going?" Otogi yelled after him, obviously still on the phone with a most likely very confused Yugi.

"To the hospital, you idiot." And with that Kaiba slammed his car door and sped off in the same direction the ambulance had left in.

"Otogi-kun, what's wrong?" Yugi asked over the phone. His voice was still slurred with sleep.

"Bakura-kun's in the hospital, his apartment caught fire. We need to get over there, now!" Otogi was shouting over the roar of the firemen's hoses and the increasing noise of the gathering crowd.

"Nani?" (4) Yugi yelped, "O-okay, we'll all be over there shortly." Yugi hung up and Otogi hopped back into his car, driving off towards the hospital.

.--Otogi--.

I charged up to the woman at the counter as soon as I got through the hospital doors, demanding Bakura's room number in a voice that I'm sure was shrill enough to be a girl's. I couldn't help it; I was almost out of my mind with worry.

Kaiba's condescending explanation had hardly helped. That guy didn't seem to care about the situation at all. Frankly, I was surprised when he announced that he was heading off to the hospital himself. Most likely he was just avoiding a lawsuit.

"Bakura-san is currently in the burn wing, he's being treated for second degree burns on his shoulder and upper arm. He should be out of surgery soon, so please have a seat over there and we'll tell you when you can visit him." The nurse was polite, despite the fact that I'd probably broken her eardrums, and she slowly gestured to a section of chairs where I saw a familiar CEO talking to some doctors in long white coats.

As I approached I heard Kaiba explaining the situation to them. "…down the staircase and outside, then he fell over and the paramedics took him away." The doctors nodded, one of them was scribbling notes on a clipboard, and Kaiba had his arms crossed tensely, looking ready to punch at least one of them if they didn't leave him soon.

"Arigatou (5), Kaiba-sama. We'll let you know as soon as there are any changes." The doctors walked away as I approached, and I glared at the CEO for lack of other people to glare at.

"Well, how is he?" Kaiba just shrugged and looked at a spot on the wall past me. This made me even more frustrated, but before I could threaten to shove his head into the nearest concrete floor, Yugi, Jou, Honda, and Shizuka came running up to me.

"What's going on Otogi-kun?" Yugi asked, breathless. "Is Bakura-kun alright?"

I looked down at Yugi and the others, relieved to have them there. "He's in surgery right now, he has second degree burns on his arm and shoulder, that's all I know right now." I turned towards Kaiba to see if he had anything to add but he continued to stare off in the distance, silently.

"The nurse told us to wait here until there's further news." The group let out a collective sigh and slowly settled into the chairs, pulling them into a semi-circle. I sat down myself and leaned back, looking up exhausted at the ceiling.

I was too tired to even think. This rarely happened. In fact, it was unusual for me to not be off on one of my random tangents. However, right now, all I could think about was the smoking orange blaze that was Bakura's apartment and how his hair matched the hospital ceiling tiles.

That was random enough, I guess.

"Don't worry, guys, Bakura-kun's been through much worse than this, right?" Yugi tried to smile as he said this, but the expression looked more like a cringe, and the group just remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Honda laughed pitifully.

"Why is Kaiba here?" Jonouchi looked over at Kaiba, frowning slightly.

I watched Kaiba, waiting for him to explain, but the guy just sat there silently ignoring Jonouchi's comment. Jonouchi looked like he was about to jump on top of Kaiba and strangle him when Kaiba finally replied.

"I got Bakura out of the apartment. The doctors asked me to stay and give them some more details on his condition. Not that I needed to explain myself to a pathetic dog like you." Kaiba glared at the blonde, and Jonouchi in turn started to stand up, hands clenched in fists. Honda jumped up and grabbed Jonouchi by the shoulder, pulling him back into the seat.

"Not in a hospital, Jonouchi." Jonouchi growled at Honda then looked back over at Kaiba. Surprisingly, he wasn't smirking.

"You don't need to stick around." He muttered, but Kaiba had gone back to ignoring him in favor of a window, and Jonouchi mumbled something vulgar under his breath.

"Thank you, Kaiba, for getting Bakura-kun out alive." Yugi offered, and then sighed, as Kaiba shrugged off the comment.

A nurse walked up a few minutes later and placed her hand softly on Yugi's shoulder. "Are you Bakura Ryou's friends?" She asked quietly. We all nodded, even Kaiba moved his head slightly as she glanced his way. "Bakura-san's out of surgery now, his wounds are fine and should heal properly within two weeks. Unfortunately he's still unconscious, which isn't good. We'll be monitoring his condition until he wakes up. You can stay if you want, we'll let you know when he regains consciousness." The nurse walked away, looking back at us as we all stared blankly around the room.

The group was silent except for Yugi who just looked down at his hands. "Bakura…" Yami no Yugi appeared next to Yugi, something he rarely did in public, and took Yugi's hand in his own.

The two had been a couple for almost three years now, since we all graduated and went to college. The group was not surprised at all when they hooked up; we all knew how close the two were. But moments like this were rare. The spirit could still form his own physical body, even though he no longer possessed the sennen puzzle. But from what I understood he couldn't maintain it very long, and he normally separated from Yugi when there weren't so many strangers around to see.

The group had changed a lot since high school, and the crazy events surrounding the Battle City Tournament including their trip to ancient Egypt. Anzu had moved to New York as soon as she graduated, having met someone with connections to a dance company there and passing the auditions. Then Honda and Jonouchi went off to local colleges for two years, preferring to stay in Domino. Yugi, Bakura, and I were all accepted to Osaka University, as was Kaiba, which was no surprise. For a while we dormed together, but then Yugi got an apartment with Jonouchi and Honda, who moved to Osaka out of boredom, and Bakura and I found our own apartments.

Since then we'd all managed to maintain the friendship, even with Anzu, who kept in touch with us regularly through e-mail. However, we didn't see each other as often, busy with our work and school. That and Jonouchi and Honda both got girlfriends, who took up even more of their time. Jonouchi, of course, finally confessed his feelings to Mai, and the two were enjoying a steady, though crazy relationship. Honda on the other hand had found it much more difficult to tell Shizuka how he felt. The two might as well have been dating, but Honda claimed they weren't official yet.

That was an up, down, and sideways roller coaster of a relationship, as far as everyone could tell – at least for Honda. He never could decide if he was happily in love or still shyly pursuing unrequited feelings.

I just laughed, thinking about the small crush I had on the girl back in high school. I still liked to tease Honda and threaten to steal her away if he didn't get his guts up to ask her out, but I lost interest in her years ago.

I looked over once more at Kaiba, wondering why he was still sticking around if the nurse said he could go. His face was cold and stony, yet I couldn't help but notice the slight frown about his eyes that looked more worried than annoyed.

Perhaps Kaiba was just as concerned about Bakura as the rest of us. I decided not to push the subject; after all, he'd hardly admit that he considered us his friends.

We were all just as quiet when the nurse returned. Honda had his arm wrapped comfortingly over Shizuka's shoulders, Yami no Yugi had returned to his soul room, and Yugi's gaze was distant indicating that he was also there. Jonouchi had gone off to find some "real food" as he put it, and I was busy staring into space.

"Bakura-san has woken up now, you may go and see him, but only for a few minutes. He's still in critical condition so we can't over tax him. Do you understand?" Yugi nodded quickly and we all stood up, following the nurse eagerly through the maze of hallways to the correct wing.

It seemed to take forever to get to the room. Normally my sense of direction isn't so bad, but I swear the hospital was built solely to confuse anyone who tried to navigate it. Perhaps that was their way of making sure idiots like Jonouchi didn't manage to find anything that they could – and would – destroy. Like someone's liver. I could just see him mistaking it for some sort of food, or at least a toy of sorts.

We probably shouldn't have let him leave by himself. Who knows what kind of body parts he'd be bringing back for Bakura.

As we entered the room Bakura sat up in the bed and smiled at us weakly. His hand was hooked up to an IV, and all the way down from his shoulder to his elbow was wrapped in white gauze that almost matched his hair. Other various wires were attached under his clothes, and the cords hung from a large machine that made eerie beeping noises every so often. I hated those.

Unable to hold in our concern after seeing Bakura is this shape, we all began to talk at once. "Bakura-kun are you alright?" "Hey Bakura, you don't look so good." "What are those wires for?" "Bakura, you look really pale, are you sure you should be sitting up?" Bakura laughed softly as we crowded around his bed, bombarding him with our concerns.

"I'm fine, you guys." He spoke quietly, and everyone seemed to calm down a bit.

Just then Jonouchi burst into the room with a big grin plastered across his face. Oh dear, here come the kidneys…"Bakura, you're awake! Look, I brought you food!" He dumped a pile of snacks onto Bakura's lap and looked sternly at Bakura.

Thank God, they were real snacks. I think I saw some Oreos in there.

"You should be taking it easy, Bakura. Now just lean back and let me hide these. Hospital food sucks, and you look sick enough as it is. We don't need them to starve you too." Yugi laughed as Jonouchi began to find creative places in the pillows and bedside table to hide the various packages of food he had collected.

"Jonouchi, I think I'll be fine… Eep!" Jonouchi glared at Bakura.

"Now don't go saying you're fine. We all know you'll never admit to being not okay." We all collectively shook our heads at his grammar as Jonouchi continued to lecture Bakura on telling him if he felt unwell at all.

Bakura just sat there, smiling slightly, letting Jonouchi continue his rant.

Just then I saw Bakura look over at Kaiba, who was standing off to the side a ways. He looked confused for a moment and I opened my mouth to explain but was cut off by the nurse coming back into the room. Kaiba saw Bakura's glance and looked the other direction, focusing distantly at the wall. I wondered about this as the nurse began to speak.

"Okay everyone," the nurse said and began to usher us all out. Jonouchi quickly hid the rest of the snacks as the nurse grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room. "That's enough now, let Bakura-san rest."

As I left the room, I gently patted Bakura on the head. "Don't worry about anything, Bakura, we'll take care of it all. You just stay here and rest a bit, okay." I grinned and gave Bakura a thumb's up.

Bakura smiled, "thanks." Then I stepped out and the nurse closed the door quietly behind her.

.--Yugi--.

Mou hitori no boku? (6) I called out to the far reaches of my mind waiting for the familiar presence to surface.

Yes, aibou? The spirit replied; I could tell he was as concerned as I was. What's wrong?

I'm still worried about Bakura-kun. He says he's okay, but he always says that. What do you think?

The spirit paused, then reached out, taking my hand with his own, invisible one. I could feel the gentle pressure of his touch and I let this small action reassure me.

Bakura will be fine, aibou, however what we need to concern ourselves with now is where he is going to stay while he recovers.

You're right, I completely forgot about that.

"Hey guys," I looked at the group, which was slowly walking back down the hall from which we came. They all stopped and looked back at me. "Where is Bakura going to stay now? He can't go back to Domino, he still needs to go to school after break."

The realization hit them all suddenly, and I could see it in their faces. In a way it was a relief for us to have something more concrete to worry about. This, at least, was a problem we could solve.

"Why doesn't he stay with us?" Jonouchi offered. I winced at the idea of Bakura living in our already crowded apartment, not to mention with Jonouchi and Honda. They were certainly not what I had in mind when I thought of restful recovery.

Plus that would make it even harder for you and I to be alone, my other self added convincingly.

I laughed uncomfortably, "I don't think that would be good for Bakura." Jonouchi looked at me puzzled, and I sighed. "He's supposed to get rest."

"My apartment is too small," Otogi added apologetically. "But I finally found a bigger one, and I'll be moving in after I finalize the arrangements. That'll take about a week. Bakura can stay with me after that."

Everyone seemed to agree with this, and I was relieved to see that Jonouchi wasn't going to argue.

"What about until then?" I asked, bringing them back to the issue.

"We can't just leave him here! These doctors are going to kill him if they make him eat the food they serve here. Have you guys seen it yet? It's gross! It's all slimy, and it moves!" We all watched as Jonouchi pretended to gag. Otogi got a strange look on his face halfway between worry and disgust. He looked like Jonouchi had mistakenly eaten someone's kidney.

"He could stay with me."

The silence was immense. It filled the whole hallway as we all turned to stare at Kaiba. I'd forgotten that he was even here, and judging by the looks on everyone's faces, they were in a similar situation. That or the idea of Kaiba offering to help someone was just too much to handle.

Well remember the last time we asked Kaiba to help Bakura. He flat out refused to land the airship, even though Bakura was wounded and unconscious.

That's not fair, I replied. Kaiba had his own doctors onboard; they were just as well trained as any hospital doctors.

It's the fact that he could have cared less about Bakura that worried me. Why is he offering now, what has changed?

I shook my head at the spirit then faced Kaiba. "Are you sure?"

"I have a spare bedroom, and it wouldn't be any trouble for him to stay seeing as it's just for a week." I looked Kaiba in the eyes and was surprised to see that he was genuine.

"I suppose that would work." Looking around I could see that Honda and Otogi agreed, though they both looked hesitant as they nodded. Jonouchi, on the other hand, looked furious.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Kaiba! Bakura's our friend, and there's no way we're going to leave him with the likes of you. I don't even know why you bothered to stick around at all, no one asked you to be here."

"Jonouchi-kun!" I exclaimed. I could tell Jonouchi was anxious about Bakura. He rarely spoke this harshly to Kaiba unless Kaiba insulted him first. "Kaiba-kun is offering to help Bakura-kun, we should be grateful."

"I'll never be grateful to that selfish bastard. If he was so damn helpful, how did Bakura get injured in the first place? Kaiba should have taken better care of him."

"Jonouchi that's just absurd." Honda whacked him on the back of the head.

"What was that for!?" Jonouchi yelped.

Honda rubbed his ears to get rid of the echo of Jonouchi's voice in his head. "Stop being such an idiot. Yugi's right, Kaiba is just trying to be helpful. Plus he saved Bakura's life. If he hadn't been there Bakura wouldn't have just injured his arm." Honda and Jonouchi both glared at one another, but much to everyone's relief Jonouchi's glare soon lost its ferocity and he stepped back to face Kaiba.

"Honda-kun is right, Jonouchi," Shizuka looked up at her brother with big puppy dog eyes. I could see Jonouchi's resolve crumble under her gaze.

"Fine then, he can stay with you. But you'd better take care of him this time, Kaiba!"

Kaiba glared at Jonouchi in response, but fortunately left it at that and held back any further insults.

"I can bring Bakura over after he's rested a while," Otogi offered.

"I'll be home tomorrow evening. He can come over then, if that works." Kaiba pulled out a business card and wrote an address on the back. He handed it curtly to Otogi then began to walk off. "See you losers later," he called back.

I sighed, typical Kaiba Seto.

Yes, but this whole situation is anything but typical. Why did Kaiba offer to let Bakura stay with him?

Don't tell me you agree with Jonouchi? I would think you would have more faith in Kaiba.

I do, and I agree that this is the best option for Bakura, but I can't help but feeling like there's something missing from this explanation. Kaiba isn't helpful unless it benefits him in some way. Even when he came to Egypt to help us defeat the spirit in the sennen ring, I think he came for peace of mind. He never liked the idea that fate had him under its control.

Yes well, maybe he's changed.

If he has, then that would only confirm my suspicions.

What do you mean?

I think you know the answer to that, Aibou.

"So, I guess everything's all settled then." Otogi let out the breath he must have been holding since Kaiba first spoke, and the whole group seemed to relax more now that the billionaire had left.

"Well, Bakura's going to need a change of clothes, and some other things too." Honda added.

"I can take care of that, I'll ask my assistant to grab whatever he left back at home with his dad. She's out that way on a business trip, she can bring the clothes with her on her way back."

"Thanks Otogi," I replied. "The rest of us can go back to the apartment and see what they saved." Everyone agreed to meet the next day and we all set off for the front doors, except for Otogi, who said he would fill Bakura in on the situation.

I stepped outside unable to shake the ominous feeling my other's words had left in my mind.

.--Bakura--.

"You only have a few minutes, Bakura-san needs to rest now." I turned to look at Otogi as he stepped by the nurse who watched him with her arms crossed, stubbornly. Otogi rolled his eyes then grinned and walked over to the bed.

"You okay?" He looked down, concerned.

"I'm fine." I could tell he didn't believe me, but then again he rarely did whenever he asked. "I'm still pretty tired, and I can't really feel my arm."

"Ah, yeah, that might be a good thing. Thank God for pain killers." He answered.

Silence fell between us and I began to think back to what I remembered. At first all I could think of was the horrible feeling of gasping and swallowing smoke. It was like a scratchy fuzzy blanket being shoved down my throat. Then I began to remember what happened afterwards. I didn't realize that the building was on fire until I woke up to a bunch of sirens outside. When I tried to sit upright I ended up choking on the smoke that had filled my room, and then I blacked out for a moment or so.

The next thing I could remember was kneeling on the floor, coughing. I could barely open my eyes, and no matter how hard I tried to pull myself towards the door I couldn't move. The room began to spin as my brain rebelled against the lack of oxygen, then I saw someone standing in front of me.

It was Kaiba. He had pulled me up and helped me out of the room, even though there were pieces of apartment falling all around us. Then there was a blinding white pain, and I remember feeling as though I was once again being consumed by the Winged Dragon of Ra.

The roar of the flames was deafening, and I don't remember how we got out, except that Kaiba had to hold me up most of the way. Then, suddenly, everything was cold and black. That must have been when I lost consciousness.

"Why was Kaiba-kun here, Otogi-kun?" I looked at him as he searched for the words.

"Kaiba-kun was the one who rescued you, actually." Otogi ran a hand through his long bangs and looked out the window. "The doctors needed your name and some more information on what happened, so they brought him here. After that he just stuck around, I guess. He offered to let you stay in his apartment until I move into my new one. After that you can come and live with me until you finish the school year. Actually, you could just stay however long you want, it doesn't matter to me." Otogi looked back at me and I could see how worried he was.

Otogi seemed to worry about me more than anyone else in the group. I think it was because we both felt a similar awkwardness among the others. While everyone accepted us as part of the group, and never treated us like outsiders, I think we both still felt guilty for our respective actions against Yugi.

That and we'd dormed together the first two years in college. We both knew too much about each other's idiosyncrasies to not worry. Of course, I worried more about Otogi's sanity, whereas Otogi was always entreating me to stand up for myself and speak my mind.

But why was he worried now? Besides the obvious fact that I was in a hospital. The idea of me staying with Kaiba seemed to bother him.

"Why did Kaiba-kun do that?" There were a lot of questions storming about in my mind, but that one was the first to make its way out.

"Why did he offer to let you stay?" Otogi asked to clarify my meaning.

"Well, that too… But why did he come back to the apartment after he dropped me off? And why did he run in to get me out? And why was he here when you guys came in? He didn't say a word, he just stood there." I thought about the expression I saw on Kaiba's face, just for a moment, before he turned away. He almost looked embarrassed.

Otogi just shrugged, and I returned my gaze to the window. My mind was racing with questions, but none of them made any sense, and any attempt to organize my thoughts ended in failure.

I sighed and leaned back onto the pillows. "None of this makes any sense, I can't think about it right now."

"Yugi and the others are going to take care of going through what's left of your apartment, I'm having your old clothes brought over until we can get you some new ones, and I still have your father's number. I'll let him know what's going on. So don't worry about anything, okay Bakura. We'll do all the thinking for you. Except for Jonouchi, we won't let him do any thinking."

I smiled, and he returned with his usual grin. Then the nurse walked in and told Otogi he had to leave now.

"I'll be back tomorrow to take you over to Kaiba's. So go to sleep!" Otogi waved as he walked out and I closed my eyes, letting my mind slow down and manage each thought individually.

Otogi said not to worry, but I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen now. Yet the more I tried to think about what was going on, the more tired and sluggish my thoughts became. Eventually I gave up and told myself I'd think about it later, then fell into blissful unconsciousness.

.------.

Notes…

(1) Gomenasai (Gomen for short) means sorry

(2) The millenium ring

(3) Yes

(4) What?

(5) Thank you

(6) Literally, my other self, this is how Yugi refers to Yami no Yugi. Yami no Yugi, however, calls Yugi "aibou", meaning partner.

Ah! My brain! Too much research has gone into this fic, due to my obsessive perfectionism… This fic is actually quite short compared to what it used to be. Originally I had fourteen chapters planned, now that has been reduced to eight. But most of that was random subplots or outings that did nothing to develop any of the characters or their relationships.

I'll try to post chapter two within a week or so, depending on what kind of response I get. I plan on updating this story at least once a week, maybe twice if I get ahead. I'd love to hear your comments and ideas about this chapter, so please review.

--SC