rape, abuse, attempted suicide. Murder, mention of prostitution. Cross dressing, boy on boy in some scenes. rated for later chapters.

RyoXBakura, RyoXOC, TouzokoXOC, light AtemuXOC and BakuraXOC odd splash of OdionXMarik in there somewhere.

The ridiculous tragedy of a protector...

I wasn't always a protector... I preferred solitude over the company of any of the people I knew. My drunk mother, her drunken friends and the assholes at school were all I had to judge humanity. A little boy changed that... But then he died, and I no longer even had the drunkards to keep me company. I was alone for years after that, trapped by the lies my family had told.

When I was free I went to England with my uncle, he was a mortician there, but even he was ashamed of me and looked down on me with disdain. The dead were all I found solace in.

I would spend hours in the morgue, talking to freshly prepared corpses. If they could speak, they could tell my life story, however; their faces were almost always peaceful, gentle. The couldn't judge me, they couldn't hate me... They were the ideal. I found peace in talking to them, even if the behavior only drove the living farther away.

That's what I believed, however, another little boy would soon prove me wrong... Well, I suppose he was more of the exception that proved the rule.

I was talking to a corpse, one of a small girl dressed in pink, laid in a soft, silk lined casket, rose petals scattered about her. To be honest, I don't even remember what I was saying to her.

I was deep in conversation when I heard a small voice behind me, "Did you know my sister?"

I practically jumped out of my skin, it was safe to say I wasn't expecting a response. I turned, seeing a small boy behind me, "I'm sorry," I stammered out, "I didn't really know her... I just..."

"-Wanted someone to talk to?" the small albino finished the thought I had been unable to complete, with a soft, accepting smile. His British accent made the words sound even gentler, "It's okay, I'm glad you're giving her someone to talk to..."

Okay, so he was just as creepy as me.

The boy looked over at his sister, his eyes were watering, "She looks so peaceful... Almost as if she were asleep." he whispered.

I felt bad, like I had over stepped my boundaries by just speaking to the girl. I wanted to offer him some sort of comfort, "You really did love her, didn't you?"
"I still love her, I would give anything for her... Even if she can't give back." said the boy, placing his hand on her cheek.

"I'm sure she knew that," I said, coming closer, "When I was her age, I would have given everything I had to be so loved."

"Surely someone-"

I shook my head, "No, but that's okay," I smiled, the boy kind of stared at me with those big chocolate orbs, "I found my own way. I never needed anyone else."

The boy smiled a little wryly and looked back at his sister, "I've failed to introduce myself, my name is Bakura, Ryo."

"Ke-" I shook my head violently, "My name is Kairi, call me Kairi."

"Kairi," he said with a smile, "that's an unusual name for a guy."

"I'm not a guy."

Ryo fell over with shock and embarrassment, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

I only laughed, making a gesture of dismissal with my hand, "That's alright, I get it all the time."

He calmed down a little, "Well, Kairi," he said after her stood up and dusted himself off,"Would you mind if I joined you?"

I shook my head.

We talked for hours about nothing in particular. He was so sweet and innocent. I spent the whole time trying to get him to either laugh smile or just look, all were angelic. We talked about his father's archeology and the fact that he wouldn't be in attendance of this funeral. It saddened Ryo a bit, I offered to walk him home after the funeral. The funeral was depressing as all funerals are, I myself wasn't an actual attendant either, but I watched it from my window. I saw Ryo burst into tears and throw himself on his sister's coffin, "Don't leave me! Don't leave me!" he sobbed, the other attendants and officials grabbing him and pulling him off. He collapsed into the grass and sobbed into his hands as they lowered the coffin into the plot. Everyone ignored him in their own grief.

I couldn't take it anymore, I ran over to him. Hugged him close, "She's not gone, she isn't leaving you, not as long as you always remember her. She'll always be with you... It will just be like she left for school." It started to rain, all the others pulled out there umbrellas, but not us.

He hugged me back, "I can't live without her," he whispered, sobbing into my chest.

"You don't have to."

We stayed like that for hours, long after all the others had left, by then the rain had stopped but we were both soaked. Ryo no longer had no tears to shed, he started to stand up, and I let him.

I walked him home, staring into those sad eyes the whole time. I couldn't help but blush when he wrapped his arms around my own

In all honesty, when he said good night to me and closed the front door I believed that would be the end of it. He had said he would come back, but I didn't believe him. I would bring back bad memories. Despite all odds, he proved me wrong again, he came back to visit me the very next day. We talked some and were close friends for a long time after that... It even got to the point where I wasn't relying on the acceptance of the dead.

Then it happened. His father died, leaving him the millennium ring.

We became more and more distant after that. He avoided me, ran away from me. It got worse and worse with every day that passed. Until he left completely, he went to Japan.

When my own uncle died that was the end of my own family- my real family anyway. I went to Japan myself, not to look for him or anything, but I was after someone. I don't want to get into that.

I was down in Domino city park, staring into the water over the bridge I was standing on, I had had no luck finding a lead. I was sulking.

Suddenly, I saw a white haired boy out of the corner of my eye, running down the road. I bolted around, I saw deep chocolate eyes, a striped shirt.

"Ryo?" I went after him, when I caught up, I saw that he was in the middle of a duel.

He played ruthlessly, and as I watched him my stomach churned.

"You'll have to do better then that," he growled as he activated his trap card. His voice was as cruel as his eyes.

Was that really Ryo? He was... so different.. When he beat them I saw him force them to give him the cards they got from the Kiba tournament.. He left them on the cold concrete, groaning. He chuckled.

He was too different, that wasn't Ryo, not my Ryo.

It was a couple months later when I saw him again, he was running down the streets of Domino city the same as before. But this time was different, there was fear on his face, and it was a gentle one. I grabbed him by his arm as he rushed by me, pulling him against my chest.

"Please, wait." he begged softly, tears on his face.

"Ryo, it's me." I said just as softly, wiping them away.

He opened his beautiful chocolate orbs and looked up at me, his voice was totally shocked, "Kairi?"

I nodded, letting him pull away a little, "Do you have some time to talk? Let me buy you a cup of coffee."

"This is sort of a bad time..." he said nervously, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead.

"Please, Ryo. It's been such a long time since I last spoke with you."

"Later."

"Now, please."

He sighed in submission, "Alright, but I can't stay too long."

I lead him to a cheep, outdoor cafe. I had probably given this place thousands over the past month or so.

We sat down together, he was shaking the whole time.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" he asked with a shaky smile, spilling some coffee onto his chest as lifted the cup.

Instinctively, I grabbed the cup and lowered it, "That's what, Ryo," I picked a napkin up and began to wipe off his chest, "I'm worried about you. I didn't tell you this before, last time I saw you you did some things... Some bad things. Why?"

Ryo's eyes widened, then he bowed his head, "I can't tell you." he whispered.

"You can trust me."

"I know, the person I can't trust is myself." he closed his eyes.

"I trust you..." I said softly, absentmindedly stroking those soft white locks.

"I destroy everything I get close to." he said, a tear slowly making it's way down his face, "I don't deserve your trust."

"I'm willing to take that risk, Ryo," without thinking, I planted a gentle kiss on his lips, running my tongue along his upper lip. For a moment he was shocked, but soon melted into the kiss, opening his mouth and kissing back. I ran my hands gently up and down his coffee dampened torso. He moaned. Then out of no where, his eyes shot open and he screamed. He jerked back out of his chair breaking the kiss as he fell back. I tried to help him up but he screamed again.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! NEVER TOUCH ME!" he shouted with tears on his face and fear in his eyes as he picked himself up and ran away.

I stood there... Ryo. I ran after him.

I was going to find him, I needed to find out what was wrong, I needed to apologize for what I did.

"I'm so sorry."

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