[[A/N: This is my first chapter story, so apologies if it is slow to update.]]
Ryo pillowed his head in his palm as he stared blankly out the window. He took his pointer finger and doodled blindly on the condensation gathered on the cold panes. He was lost in thought; completely unaware of his surroundings. This made itself evident, as his attention was tugged at.
"Ry? Are you in there?" A hand was placed on his shoulder as Ryo jerked to abrupt consciousness. He shook his head quickly and his hand twitched.
"Hm? Oh! Hello, Yuugi, I appologise for zoning out there for a minute!" Ryo said, enthusiastically, smiling at the tri-coloured haired boy in front of him.
Concern flickered in Yuugi's eyes, as he looked hard at Ryo's. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes, yes I'm fine." Ryo looked away from him, focusing on the napkin in front of him, playing with it.
"You're too perky, I can tell something's wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"
Ryo furrowed his brow and continued to avert his eyes. He mumbled, "Yes I suppose I should... but not here, okay?" He glanced quickly around the crowded cafeteria of Domino High, looking at their group of friends.
Joey was engaged in a duel against Téa at a table, and losing. Gathered around them was Tristan, hunching over Joey and mocking his every move, Kaiba, who was glaring at the proceedings with a quiet sense of superiority, and Ryo could see the shadowy apparition of The Pharaoh behind Téa, watching her playing with a stony expression. He half-heartedly searched for his own Yami, holding the ring and playing with it absent-mindedly. He knew his Yami would not be there, but he still searched.
"Sure thing, Ryo. Do you want to come to the Game Shop after school today?" Yuugi said, smiling at him.
Ryo directed his attention back to Yuugi and smiled softly at him. "That would be nice, if I may."
"No problem! You're welcome whenever you like, you know that." Yuugi smiled at him more widely. Ryo's smile reached his eyes as he stood and hugged the smaller boy.
"Thank you." He said, sitting back down. Yuugi beamed at him.
Movement in his periphery caught his eye and Ryo looked behind Yuugi, to see his Yami moving around Téa to come stand by him. Yuugi sensed a presence behind him, and turned to face his partner. He smiled at him and Yami Yuugi wrapped his arms around Yuugi and held him protectively. Even if he wasn't corporeal at the moment, it was still evident that he would protect and be there for his partner no matter what.
Ryo sighed and went back to looking out the window.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The school bell rang signaling the end of classes. Ryo quietly and slowly gathered his belongings in a messenger bag slung across his body, and waited for his classmates to vacate the room. His face was glazed over; he tuned the world out. All he heard was his own breathing and heart beating against the cold metal he had tucked back under his shirt.
With every beat of his heart the metal seemed to grow colder, scorching him with coldness. The coldness he felt began to seep into his very chest, spreading through out his torso. It twirled around his heart and the organ skipped a beat.
Ryo closed his eyes and let the coldness spread further through him. He shuddered briefly, and reached a hand out blindly. The coldness spread to his arms and legs. Ryo felt as if he were drowning in ice water with only his head afloat, yet there was no wetness- only coldness and darkness.
The cold percolated into his head- trickling through to his mind. His arms and head began to tingle as he felt the last ounce of light and warmth vacate his body. His still outstretched arm shook slightly, and he felt a hand take his.
Ryo's sharp gasp brought him back to reality. His eyes wrenched open in thin hope, and quickly dimmed as he took in his surroundings. He stood alone in the classroom, his body temperature normal again. He sighed and shook his head briefly to clear his thoughts, and set off for the door.
Ryo's eyes were sad as he made his way to a locker where he kept his things, and gathered what he required for the weekend ahead. He placed his various books and possessions inside, and took what he needed. He shoved them into his bag, barely paying attention. Ryo grabbed the metal door of his small locker and looked at its contents. His fingers lightly brushed against the trading card he had tacked to the door with a magnet; the Change of Heart. He set his bag down at his feet and picked the card up. He ran his thumb along the smooth surface, tracing the line separating the two segments of the image. The light and the dark, making two halves of the whole. Like Yin and Yang, he thought. The cold tingled his chest again.
"Ryo!"
He jerked his head up and turned it in the direction of the voice calling out to him. He saw Yuugi wildly waving at him. Ryo smiled softly at him, and tacked the card back onto his locker. He slung his bag across himself once again and slammed the locker shut- the slam echoing through the empty hallway.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ryo met Yuugi outside and quickly fell into step next to him. He noticed that Yami Yuugi was not to be seen. "Where's your Yami?" He asked Yuugi as they strode on the sidewalk.
"Hm? Oh, he was going to give us some privacy for awhile," He said as he patted the puzzle in his hands. "He's in his soul room."
"Tell him thank you from me." Ryo said, smiling and looking straight ahead of him. "Thanks again for letting me come over for a little bit. I needed the break from my house."
"No problem, Ry!" They rounded the corner and soon the Game Shop was within eyesight. "We can talk inside, okay?"
Not long after, Yuugi pushed open the door to the Game Shop, and held it open as Ryo passed him. "No one should be home; let's go upstairs."
-
Yuugi sat on his bed and patted the space next to him on it. Ryo set down his bag on the chair by the door, and sat next to Yuugi. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, not looking at him.
"So what's wrong?" Yuugi asked, putting a hand on Ryo's shoulder, encouragingly.
"Ya-.. Bakura. He's.. Not been around."
"What do you mean?" Yuugi asked, looking at the spot where Ryo's ring was. Ryo crossed his legs instead and pulled the ring out over his sweater. It shined dully in the setting sun's light that shone through the skylight and windows. Ryo held it loosely in his hand.
"I'm not sure. I just.. haven't seen him. You know how you can see your Yami? I can't see mine. I don't hear him. But I feel him, he's there."
Yuugi stretched out a hand and felt the Millennium Ring that hung around his friend's neck. He touched the metal and quickly drew his hand back, hissing. "It's freezing!" He remarked, holding his wrist and peering at the object. Ryo nodded.
His bangs fell in his face, so Yuugi couldn't see his eyes or their expression. "I can tell he's in there. I can feel the darkness in it moving and touching me occasionally," he felt his hand that had been outstretched earlier that day. "I think he's angry with me or something."
Yuugi looked with concern at his friend, who dropped the ring as if it had electrocuted him. His hair fell in his face more; covered in shadow, save for his mouth, which was slightly parted. He exhaled slowly.
"Ry,.. Even if he is, it's not the end of the world. You lasted seventeen years without him, you can last more."
"No, I can't, Yuugi." Ryo said, drawing his legs to his chest again. "He's my other half. The other half of my soul. I... need him around. Even if he abuses me. I feel like a part of me is missing."
Yuugi held his puzzle in his hand and stared at it. "I know what you mean..."
"No you don't!" Ryo exclaimed, turning to face him. "Your Yami talks to you. Touches you. Loves you even! Mine won't even TALK to me! I'd be happy with that..." Ryo looked away again to the floor. "If he would just... say something... anything. An insult. Something."
He slumped against the wall behind him. Yuugi reached out to him and hugged him tight, murmuring that things would work out. Ryo clutched Yuugi to him and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Why won't you talk to me?" He whispered. The darkness inside the ring twitched.