Summary: Bakura isn't too happy about Ryou inviting the gang over for a Christmas Party! Nevertheless, he agreed. But then… there's always a catch. Would Ryou agree to it? Knowing that it can maybe take out his freedom? [RXB]
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"Lunch is ready!" Ryou called as he came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. "No wonder it took you so long to come out!" Tea said, acting as nothing happened at all. "What did you think I was doing then?" Ryou asked with a smile, everyone always melts in his beautiful smile.
~ Flashback ~
/"You guys can come out now!" Yugi called.
"It's about time!" Bakura muttered and left Ryou in the kitchen to reflect about everything. Ryou lowered his head, he thought his Yami changed…/
Yami smirked as Bakura came back to the living room, but his smirk turned into a frown when Bakura turned on his tracks and went upstairs instead, stomping his way up. Yami and Yugi exchanged worried glances as Yami stood up. He went to the kitchen only to find Ryou facing the kitchen window, his body trembling. Something must've happened… and Ryou didn't like it one bit.
He saw something flash from the rays of the sun, and noticed that tears were trickling down Ryou's cheeks. He knew Bakura had said something… and this showed that Ryou loved his Yami very much. Slowly and quickly, he left the boy to crouch on the ground in his own privacy.
~ Flashback ends ~
"N- nothing." Tristan stuttered. "Meshi!!!" Joey yelled and ran to the kitchen. Everyone sweat dropped. "Doesn't he ever think about anything else other than food and games?" Seto murmured. Ryou laughed. Yugi knew that Joey was just trying to change the topic to prevent any more heart damages and for that, he was really thankful.
"I'll call Bakura." Yami whispered to Yugi. Yugi nodded.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Tomb Robber, lunch is ready." Yami knocked on the door as he noticed it was opening slightly, "Tomb Robber." He called again. "I'm not hungry!" Bakura replied from behind the bed, he was sitting there with his knees to his chest and was staring out the window.
"And I thought you were a person who had fast metabolism!" Yami joked. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Pharaoh!" Bakura grumbled wearily. "Then what's bothering you?" Yami asked.
"It's. None. Of. Your. Business." Bakura snapped.
"Then, will you tell Ryou? It is his business, after all… it has something to do with half of his life, ne?"
"It is about him, you-" Bakura cupped his mouth quickly and faced away, "Thought so." Yami said, "You love him, don't you?"
"No! No! No! Not in a millennia!" Bakura yelled. "Oh! Come on! We all know you do!" Yami insisted, "The way you looked at Ryou was with pure love!"
"What do you know about love? It's not just some mere Hikari like what you had with yours! Especially with that kiss!" Bakura mocked. "You might not understand it, Bakura… but you will, when the person you love the most will disappear from you forever!" Yami said as he left the room. Leaving Bakura with furrowed eyebrows.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"This- twastes- gwood!" Joey muffled from all the food he stuffed inside his mouth. "Joey! Will you eat it all slowly? It's not like the food is going to run out, right?" Tea suggested. "Ooh… look who's so concerned!" Tristan teased, remembering Tea and Joey's 'dirty sessions'.
"Tristan!!!" Tea blushed madly. Ryou giggled once again.
"Joey's right, Ryou! Your cooking tastes good!" Mokuba smiled as he held up the spoon and fork cheerfully. "Arigatou…" Ryou blushed. "What do you guys plan on doing next?" Yami asked, after digging in from his mushroom soup. "Snowball Fight!" Mokuba was the first one to suggest.
"Yeah!" Joey agreed. "I- I think I'll pass that!" Ryou smiled wearily.
"Why's that?" Seto asked. "It's just that… I've got chest problems." Ryou said, holding his chest in pain.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm alright. It's been with me for quite awhile now!" Ryou smiled. "Who did it?" Yami glared. "Did what?" Ryou asked. "You know what I meant." Yami raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "It's not physically. It's just that I feel something inside me being crushed!" Ryou explained without hesitation.
But Yami's face didn't had the look of satisfaction, "My Yami didn't do anything to me, I swear!" Ryou said with a smile, which made Yami calm down. "Alright, Ryou! If you say so!" He sat down.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Oh! It's cold!" Ryou shivered as he came out of the house with the snow reaching almost up to his knees, "I can't even walk properly at this!"
"It's a miracle we even got out of the house at this rate!" Yami snapped.
"Well… this is not going to ruin my time!" Joey smiled widely as he scooped some of the snow and started rolling it into a ball, "Anybody want to be my first victim? ACK! Hey! Who hit me?" He winced as a snowball made its way to the back of his head.
"Stop talking! Start throwing!" It was Seto. "Kaiba!!!" Joey growled as he threw the snowball to the CEO but missed a few inches away. "What a bad aimer!" Tristan laughed out loud, and was soon followed by everyone.
"SHUT. UP." Smoke came out of Joey's nose.
The gang was having the time of their life! Well, Ryou could see that. Literally. He was just sitting by the now shoveled porch and was leaning against his palms and elbows on his knees. He had that smile on his face, while trying to keep himself from laughing by all of Joey and Tristan's actions.
Mokuba, Tea and Yugi weren't making that much of a good fight, so they decided to build a snowman.
When suddenly, a snowball hit Mokuba right in the shoulder, "Hey!" he yelped at the sudden contact. Seto was smiling further away from his little brother and was tossing a snowball up and down. "You still haven't hit me since last year, ottoto-kun!" Seto smirked. "K'so." Mokuba smiled evilly, while he too, joined the snowball fight.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Bakura awoken to the sound of shrieking and laughing out in the front lawn. He buried his head in his pillows irritably, but noticed it was of no use… now that he's fully awake. He sighed out loud as he made his way to the window to shout at them from below, but stopped.
He stared at the his 'friends' for a while, looking for someone… His Hikari. He wasn't with them. Slowly, he trailed his eyes to the porch and found his Hikari sitting there with weary eyes. "Aibou…" he whispered. And as if Ryou could hear him, Ryou flinched and shivered. Ryou was holding his chest and suddenly stood up, entering the house.
Bakura blinked and decided to have a little 'chat' with his Hikari below.
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Bakura came down the stairs, seeing Ryou enter the kitchen. He went in the kitchen too, hoping to catch his Hikari's attention. Pretending like he just came in, Bakura yawned in purpose and rubbed his eye. "Hn." He muttered.
He was replied with silence.
He opened the fridge and took out a milk carton. He quickly took a sip out of it and out of the corner of his eyes, saw that Ryou was in pain. "Oi, doushita no?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Ryou shook his head as if saying "Nothing…"
Bakura went closer to his Hikari and stared at him in the eye fiercely.
"Are you alright?" He asked, anger still present in his voice.
"Hai… you don't need to worry about me…" Ryou whispered, still holding his chest.
"Am I even worried?" Bakura mocked as he turned around and sat on a chair. Silence filled the room again as Ryou sat right across his Yami. "Do you want to lie down or something? You look pale!" It was more of like a demand.
"No thanks."
Silence once again. Bakura sighed as he threw the carton in the trash bin and started to leave the kitchen. He stopped abruptly from his tracks, "Is it still from the kick I gave you?" There was guilt and calmness from this tone of his voice, which made Ryou's eyes widened.
"N- no… it's not that. It's just that…" Ryou paused as he looked down, "This hurts even more."
Bakura didn't react to that as he silently made his way up the stairs again. He was stopped again when he felt a tug behind him. "Are you hungry? You didn't join us for lunch."
"…" He felt Ryou leaning his head on Bakura's back, as Bakura melted at the boy's gentle touch, "No… I drank milk already, as you already saw." Bakura said emotionlessly and left Ryou at the bottom of the stairs. But before he could enter the room, he turned back.
"Thanks, Ryou…"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Daijoubu desu ka?" Seto asked Ryou in the middle of dinner. Bakura glared daggers at him as the CEO drew closer to his Hikari, flirting. "Ch." Bakura mumbled. Ryou raised his head. "What's wrong, Yami?" Ryou asked.
"Nothing." Bakura grumbled as he swallowed his half-chewed meatloaf.
"You're gonna choke on that!" Seto warned.
//Yeah, whatever!//
/Yami? Is something bothering you?/
//Oh no!// Bakura had the sarcastic tone, //Despite how that eye-bag-jerk beside you is flirting over you doesn't mind me at all!!! Not at all, Aibou!// He sighed irritably in the inside. Ryou laughed in the outside, which made everyone aside from Bakura look at him. "It's nothing…" Ryou quickly said with a smile.
/You amuse me sometimes, Bakura!/
Bakura's eyes widened as he stopped from his meal. //What did you call me?//
/E- eh? Did- did I say something wrong?/ Ryou tensed.
//What did you call me just now?// Bakura repeated.
/Umm… I c- called you by y- your name!/
//Say it!!!//
/Bakura…/
Bakura instantly stood up from his seat, "Excuse me…" he mumbled as he left the room and went to his room. Ryou looked at his Yami nervously, "Did- did I say something wrong?" Ryou whispered. "What's with him?" Joey asked, and as usual, muffled by the amount of food inside his mouth.
Ryou lowered his head. Yugi and Yami noticed this as the both of them looked nervously at each other. //Must've had a chat through mental link, ne?//
/Yeah…/ Yugi agreed.
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Bakura closed the door with a slam. He had his back on the door as he slowly slid to the floor, his hands on his head. It was dark inside his room, the way he liked it. Everything was in darkness aside from the light outside the streets that reflected through Bakura's bedroom window.
Somehow, he was trembling all over by the darkness and loneliness. He clutched some of his hair and banged his head on his knees. Sadness and fear spreading all over him. "He hardly ever does that…" He whispered. Slowly, he resulted to rocking himself back and forth.
"He hardly ever calls me by my name…"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Are you sure you don't want any help?" Yugi asked for the last time. Yami, Seto and Mokuba behind him. "I'm sure. Besides, you guys still have families to go, right?" Ryou asked.
"Father really doesn't mind." Seto mocked. Mokuba nodded. "I'm sure Grandpa is fine with that." Yugi insisted.
"Nah! Really… I can handle this by myself!" Ryou waved, "Thanks for the offer anyway!"
"Okay! Good night. And Merry Christmas, Ryou!" Yugi greeted, "To Bakura too!"
"And a Merry Christmas to you too!" Ryou answered. With that, Yugi and Yami left.
"Are you sure about this, Ryou?" Seto asked. "Hai…" Ryou nodded with weary eyes. "You don't look so good, you know!" Mokuba added. "Don't worry… I'm just exhausted from all of the things!" Ryou laughed. "Then you shouldn't clean up then!" Seto insisted.
"Really, Seto… I'm not a child anymore! I can take care of this… besides, I'll ask my Yami to help me!"
"Okay… Take Care." Seto leaned and kissed Ryou in the cheek. Ryou blushed as Mokuba giggled. "Umm… h- hai. Merry Christmas!" Ryou stuttered.
"Merry Christmas." Seto replied.
"Bye-bye, Ryou-chan!" Mokuba waved as the Kaiba brothers disappeared in the Limousine and left. Ryou closed the door behind him, "If Yami's going to help me, that is…" he whispered, "I- I think I may be coming down with something!"
To be continued…