Alright, here is the next chapter. I apologise for the delay, but I've had a bit of Betaing trouble. If anyone is willing to beta for me, I would be more than grateful. Also, there is a note down the bottom of the chapter that you MUST READ. Not even kidding. This chapter is unbeta-ed, so tell me if there are any mistakes. Again, sorry for the delay.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot :(

It had been a month since the arrival of the three yamis, and things had settled well. Alright, so well was a bit of a stretch, but it could have gone a lot worse. Bakura and Mariku were cautious of the Pharaoh and his friends, and the feeling was definitely mutual. Joey and Tristan had made this very clear when the gang were first introduced to the once-spirits in their own bodies by threatening them, before interrogating them as if they were criminals (Well, they were, but the act was unwarranted none the less.) The rest of the gang were also untrusting, and it had been a very tense meeting. After various bonding and trust exercises organised by Téa, which failed completely, Ryou had to have a stern talk with all of them. He lectured them on trust, and how Bakura and Mariku had changed, but they did not seem to believe him until Bakura saved Yugi from a bully when Atem had his back turned.

Each yami had gained a modern style when it came to clothes, usually by trial and error. Atem had quickly developed a leather theme, which seemingly stemmed from him sharing a body with Yugi. Mariku had developed a love for all things purple, which made him and Marik look like some sort of matching set. He also liked tight clothes, but he looked like any other teenager in the area aside from his hair. Bakura had a liking for clothes like he used to wear in his past life, which included very baggy sleeveless vests, as he wore no shirt back in Egypt. As he wore a wrap around skirt, he disliked things that were tight or restricting. That was why he tended to wear loose jeans. He also had a collection of trench coats, and Yugi later told Ryou that in his past life the Thief King had worn a red coat of similar length every time they had seen him, so it never occurred to his as out of the ordinary.

There was also a secondary problem. Yugi and his friends had always called him by his surname, Bakura, out of respect. No matter what Ryou tried, they never felt close enough to him to call him by his first name, which he found a little insulting but had ignored up until this point. Since both he and his yami shared the name Bakura, this caused a problem for the group. In the end, they had decided to give the thief a nickname of Thief King, which Bakura was more than happy with. Ryou had hoped that this would finally stop them from accidentally alienating him. After all, they called all of each other by their first names, why not him? Alas, this was not the case.

As well as this, there was a lot of mystery surrounding the trio's return. Atem knew why he came back, but the other two did not. Were they not in the Shadow Realm? How could they get back? More questions were raised when it was discovered that Bakura retained his shadow powers without a Millennium Item. It took a while for him to master them, since he had no means of controlling them, but it was soon discovered that they react to his emotions, and Marik and Ryou's flat seemed to remain mostly intact. Apart from his toaster and microwave, of course, which seemed to have angered Bakura t some stage. After all, he had never come into contact with electricity before in his life, so he did have an excuse.

A routine had also developed over the course of the month. Every morning, Ryou would wake up before his alarm and make breakfast. Then, he would complete the arduous task of getting Marik and the two yamis out of bed and into the kitchen (Ishizu and Odion were up and gone before he even awoke, which simplified things). After some cursing and grumbling, the foursome would walk to school and meet up with Yugi and Atem. They would greet the rest of the gang at the school gates before walking to class.

That's how Ryou liked it; simple.

Unfortunately, it was a Friday, which meant something was happening after school that day, and it made his stomach flutter. There was a party, hosted by the cheerleaders in his school. He wasn't invited, that was obvious, as he wasn't popular. However, Bakura had caught the head cheerleader's eye, and she had promised to let him invite one person of his choice. Of course, it had to be Ryou he chose.

"Why me, yami?" He whined to Bakura during lunch, "You know I don't do well at parties." He sighed. Every time he went, he somehow ended up embarrassing himself.

"Don't be a downer, Ryou." Bakura sneered. Seeing his light's upset face, he added "Nothing will go wrong. I'll be with you the entire time. Besides, isn't Marik going?" That was true. Marik and Mariku had both been invited, and although Marik had offered to stay with him instead, Ryou declined. After all, why shouldn't Marik be able to enjoy himself?

Another sigh from the younger. "But I don't want to go!" A frosty glare was aimed in his direction, which got no reply. Ryou sagged as he dropped himself onto a bench in the hall, his head cradled in his hands.

Bakura put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ryou. It'll be fine, just watch." Ryou shook his head. Bakura didn't get it. He wasn't afraid of the party itself, nor the people in it. Not enough to stop him from attending, at least. He was afraid of what might happen if he got drunk. After all, he had a secret.

He was starting to fall for the former Thief King.

He knew it was wrong, terribly so, but he couldn't help it. Who could? The thief was handsome, no question, and lately his relationship with Marik had taken a few turns for the worse. After Mariku came back, they spent so much time together that some days Ryou didn't see them at all. They began to fight more and more often, and even when they did see each other Marik would sometimes ignore him altogether. Ryou felt his jealousy flare up unintentionally. Was Mariku more important than him? He decided to dispel the myth before it started, hoping to avoid unpleasantness. Unfortunately, when Ryou went to confront them about it, a huge argument ensued.

"What, so I can't have friends now?"

"That's not what I meant. I just-"

"Save it, Ryou. Just stop."

"But Marik-"

"I said SHUT UP! Sometimes I wonder what I ever see in you."

That had been that. He had run out the front door, bowling down Bakura on the way out, and ran all the way to the park with only Marik's frustrated screams behind him. He had sat under his favourite Sakura tree in the park, crying in the rain, until he felt himself being pulled into a warm pair of arms. Bakura cradled him and made his smile until he couldn't remember why he was ever upset, and continued to do so for every fight since. Was it wrong to fall for the man who cares for you? Probably, but it didn't matter. Ryou was most afraid of getting accidentally drunk at this party and somehow betraying Marik or, worse still, losing Bakura. The thought of it was terrifying.

The school day passed by in a flash, and before he knew it Ryou was standing to the gates outside a mansion where he assumed the party was being held. The sun had already set, and shadows could be seen moving inside from the windows. Music was pumping so loud that the base line shook the house to its foundations, the throbbing making Ryou's head spin even though he wasn't even inside. The stench of alcohol filled his nostrils, and Ryou had an ominous feeling, but one reassuring smile from Bakura made him thing that everything, maybe, could be alright.

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

He was wrong. As soon as he had dragged himself through the door, a cheerleader had latched herself onto Bakura's arm and pulled him away, leaving Ryou all alone in the crowds. Pushing his way past strangers in order to find his way around, somehow in the mix of things he ended up stumbling into what seemed to be the kitchen. A crowd had gathered and were cheering on some guy in the year above who was desperately chugging down what seemed to be vodka in order to prove himself. By now, Ryou was panicking and wading through crowds in a desperate attempt to find a familiar face. All of a sudden, one found him.

"Ryou!" Marik slurred, elongating the vowels and distorting his name completely. "I thought that you were *hic* gonna chicken out or something but *hic* looks like I owe Mariku ten quid. Thanks, babe." Marik sneered the final words, but Ryou was too happy to realise that.

"Oh, Marik! I'm so glad to see you. Do you have any idea where Bakura is?" He knew he sounded pathetic, but he was too caught up to care now. Marik smiled, genuinely. It almost seemed condescending.

"No, Ryou." He shook his head violently like a child would, his words almost non-understandable. "Relax, babe. Have a drink." Marik handed him a glass bottle of beer. Ryou sniffed it nervously, before turning his gaze to his boyfriend. Why was he looking at him so expectantly? "Bakura is gone with that cheerleader." Ryou thought. "I guess one sip couldn't hurt, could it?" One sip turned to two, then a few, until the entire bottle was empty. Ryou felt sick, and rushed upstairs in the vain hope of finding an empty bathroom, with his boyfriend's manic laugh echoing behind him.

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

Ryou retched into the toilet bowl in front of him. The taste of bile filled his mouth and its acidity burnt the inside of his throat. His eyes were filled with tears with slowly dribbled down his face, internally cursing himself for drinking, and after he gained his composure he stumbled out the door to continue his vain search for his yami.

Ryou found him earlier than he expected.

The bathroom that Ryou was in happened to be the en suite to the master bedroom. Just as he was about to leave, Bakura crashed in with the head cheerleader firmly gripped onto his arms, her lips sealed against his. Bakura had lost his shirt before he entered the room, and the two of them crashed into Ryou during their attempt to reach the bed. Ryou's cry of pain snapped the former thief to attention.

"Ryou? What are you doing up here?" Before he could check to see if the boy he had unwittingly abandoned was alright, the girl interrupted.

"Yeah, you freak, what are you doing here?" She screeched. "I didn't even invite you, crasher! I bet you were trying to steal from me, weren't you! Bakura, baby, get rid of him!" She yelled, clinging onto the yami as if to stake her claim. Before she could say anymore, she was violently thrown off and out of the door, Bakura moving to stand protectively in front of his light.

"I'll have you know I invited him." He said calmly. His voice was so steady it seemed haunting. "And, for the record, I am not your baby. Come on, Ryou, we're leaving."

Ryou wasn't paying the slightest attention to what was going on in front of him, and had completely shut down when he saw the man he thought he loved snogging some girl. He only returned to the real world when Bakura picked him up bridal style and proceeded to carry him out the front door of the house, with the newly-rejected girl screaming after them how the party was better without them anyway. Ryou, although still depressed, suddenly realised something.

"Bakura?"

"Hmm?"

"How are we gonna get home? We drove, and we can't drive now."

Bakura's head snapped up. Ryou was right, he always was, and they were stuck. Bakura then remembered a conversation he had with the girl beforehand.

"Don't worry, baby. If this party gets too big for us, there's a motel down the road."

Bakura then took out her wallet from his pocket and checked it. "Wow," he thought "She has enough in here to last for weeks!" He then caught the gaze of the curious boy in his arms and smirked. "Don't worry, Ryou, there's a motel down the road. Hopefully it isn't full." The rest of the walk was completed in silence, with Ryou too lost in his own thoughts to hold a conversation.

"O.K., so he doesn't love me. That's alright, isn't it? I mean, I have a boyfriend, for God's sake! I know we're having a rough patch, but that doesn't give me the right to go thinking about other guys, does it? Ugh, I'm so confused" Ryou frowned. How did they already reach the motel? Was he really that out of it?

Bakura talked to the man at the desk and got the cheapest room available. Poor Ryou looked like he was about to pass out at any minute, and Bakura had a sneaking suspicion that alcohol had caused it. He carried his light up to the rented room and set him down on the bed, before leaning against the wall and saying "So, what's the matter, then?"

Ryou's head snapped up."What?" Bakura repeated the question. "Nothing is wrong with me."

Bakura frowned. They may not have a mind link anymore, but he could still read Ryou like an open book. "Don't lie to me, Ryou. Something is bothering you."

Ryou then got angry. How dare Bakura expect him to be alright! He stumbled away from him as best he could, but the alcohol got to him first, and his knees buckled under him. Bakura caught him, but Ryou immediately started weakly beating his fists against his chest. "Let me go! Let go!"

Bakura picked him up with ease, before pinning him to the bed. He held down his hands on either side of his head, and used his weight to hold his still. Ryou, realising their position, stopped struggling. He looked around the room for a means to escape, but noticed that the shadows around the room were getting edgy, shifting every so often. Bakura was angry. "Look," he stated, obviously trying to stay in control, "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Ryou pushed him away with all his might and turned around, screaming "You're what's wrong! I've had a crush on you for ages, and then I see you snogging some... some whore! What do you expect me to do?" Suddenly, he stopped and realised what he said. Covering his mouth, he shifted his watery gaze to his yami's face, expecting to see disgust. He didn't manage to take his gaze off the floor before lips crashed onto his and he was forced into a desperate kiss. He felt dizzy, and he could taste the alcohol in Bakura's breath. He pulled away, and stuttered "But...what...I don't-"

Bakura chuckled, manoeuvring Ryou and pressing him down onto the bed. "I've liked you for ages, silly." He whispered. Pinning Ryou's arms to his sides, Bakura kissed him again without complaint. Sheets crinkled under their combined weight, and the sounds of moans and the squeaking of the broken mattress underneath them filled the room. Ryou was lost. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol talking, but he never wanted this to end. Only when he felt a hand under his shirt, did he change his mind. A voice entered his thoughts.

"You know I love you, right, babe?"

Marik's voice.

Oh, god, Marik! His boyfriend! He couldn't do this to him, even if he liked Bakura. Even if they were going through a rough patch, that was no excuse! No, he couldn't do that to him. No.

"No!"

Bakura pulled away "What?"

"I can't do this, Yami!" Ryou cried. "I won't!"

"Why not?"

"Because! I have a boyfriend!" Ryou was panicking now, verging on hyperventilating. "God, how could I do this to him? Marik will never forgive me!" Ryou was too lost in his ramblings to see the shadows swirling dangerously around them.

"You've got to be kidding me. You're rejecting me for Marik?" This upset Ryou greatly, who immediately went to his absent lover's defence. A shouting match ensued, with the shadows around them getting more and more restless. Eventually, Bakura exploded. "For RA's sake, Ryou, Marik's cheating on you!"

An awkward silence filled the air. Ryou looked horrified, but Bakura wasn't going to take it back. He had to know. Ryou then went into denial. "No, he isn't. He wouldn't."

All of the previous anger and tension came back at full force. "All the signs are there, Ryou! He's always angry, you never see him, and you argue constantly! What more evidence do you need?"

Ryou glared at his yami. He may not be strong, but Ryou was a loyal person. "Get out. Now."

"Ryou-"

"Get out!" He seethed, panting. Only when Bakura stormed out and slammed the door behind him did Ryou realise exactly what he'd done. The small motel room seemed twice as empty, with the shadows slowly settling back to normality. Ryou curled up on the old mattress, hugging his knees.

He could only hope that he wouldn't regret his decisions in the morning.

So, this is where the plot kicks in. I had been previously setting the scene so I did not do this earlier, but here are he warnings:

I hate how Ryou is always portrayed as a doormat, so this story is about his character development. Everything will get worse before it gets any better, and he WILL hit rock bottom. Do not fear, however, because there is no canon character death, but I will kill off some OCs. Ryou will also start to get more OOC as the story goes on, but it will be character development. Please do not ask why he is so out of character, because it should make sense.

The pairings in this are Puzzleshipping, Bronzeshipping, Puppyshipping and Tendershipping (eventually). If you don't like, don't read. Sorry. The story is more about Ryou's character development than shippings anyway.

There is no bashing except from Ryou's point of view, so don't worry about that.

Read and Review, please.