EDITED ON: September 26th, 2014

~ Chapter VII ~

Forgive and Forget?

"Mister Mutou!"

The entire class was shocked into full awareness by the teacher's shout, followed by the loud CLACK of a ruler meeting a desktop. Yuugi was started from his light doze at his desk with a choked yelp. Ryou winced slightly, sympathy pulling at his heartstrings.

"Would you mind it terribly, if I asked you to stay awake during my lessons?" Chono-sensei growled at his tired friend, "You're here to learn, not catch up on your sleep!"

Yuugi murmured a flustered apology, as Chono-sensei returned to her lecture with a threat of detention. Ryou glanced to the spike-haired teen from across the room, trying to catch his sight. He strummed his fingers lightly over the table of his false-wood desk, though he doubted the other would hear it. They were seated on opposite sides of the room, after all. But, whether it be from the patting of his fingertips, or the feeling of being watched, in the end, it only took about a minute to snag away the other male's waning attention.

The pale adolescent quirked a brow questioningly, eyes curious. Ryou offered a fleeting smile, before mouthing the words, "Are you okay?"

Yuugi shrugged meekly, shifting his eyes in a half-roll that meant something along the lines of, "Yeah, I guess."

The albino tapped a finger against his desk once more, drawing the other's undivided attention. He eyed the clock above the classroom door for a moment, before shifting his gaze meaningfully back to focus on his friend. Yuugi followed Ryou's gaze, face having a brief moment of dawning. "At lunch," he mouthed in understanding. The Brit nodded stiffly – a gesture which was returned.

Ryou allowed his attentions to remain pulled from his teacher – who was currently rambling on about some sort of math equation – and had it stay, rather, on his friend.

Yuugi was already fighting away his fatigue, eyelids gradually falling lower and lower. His right cheek was rested in the palm of one hand. Even from the opposite side of a room, Ryou could see the ever-darkening circles beneath dull amethyst eyes, and a certain lack of... perfection, almost, absent from his general appearance. There were small strands of flyaway hair in the crown of ebony and maroon, while canary bangs seemed less... spring-y, than usual. The healthy sheen it once held was now dulled, while the glow of naturally pale skin only made Yuugi look even more sickly.

Ryou frowned to himself, worry rising in his chest. The Game King's visual state had certainly decreased these past few months. He could only imagine what his close friend's mentality was like at the moment. Things had definitely gotten worse, however, since Sugoroku-san grounded Yuugi some few weeks ago. He had convinced his friends to recount the morning's mishaps when he'd arrived to school looking damn-near ready to beat the life from anything with a pulse. Of course, he had been upset – actually, 'disappointed' would be a better-fitted word – when he heard of the others' distrust towards him. But, he couldn't really say he blamed them.

Still...

Either way, Yuugi's "hostile and disrespectful behavior", as his grandfather had described it, had gotten him grounded to the Game Shop/home for an unknown period of time. Ryou couldn't help but feel guilty, as if was his insistence of staying over for the night that had led to the initial conflict. Yuugi had waved it off nonchalantly, saying it was "bound to happen sooner or later", and that the argument was "way overdue".

He glanced over to his friend yet again, shoulders sinking at the rather 'walking dead'-esque look the young dueling prodigy was sporting. He looked as if he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in days, maybe even weeks.

The young man had to admit... A solid night of rest was hard to come by for him, as well, after the pair's lack of contact. Nightmares were more frequent, reoccurring around four out of seven nights a week. And afterward, Ryou was often to shaken up to drop back into the mercy unconsciousness. He could only assume that it was the same for Yuugi. Or, as appearances suggested, even worse.

He was startled by the ring of a school bell, signifying the start of their forty-five minute lunch break. While most of the students basically flew from their seats, and down the hallways, Ryou took his sweet time packing up his supplies. Standing after a moment, he wandered to his spiky-haired companion as the boy lethargically collected his items into his schoolbag. Ryou offered an empathetic smile, a look Yuugi returned in the form of a wry smirk. The white-haired teen mentally flinched at the almost bitter glint to his friend's amethyst gaze.

They exited without a word, the halls now completely devoid of life. Ryou inhaled quietly, before speaking in a hushed voice. "Still not talking to them?"

Yuugi visibly stiffened in the set of his shoulders. "Them", being Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu. It had been over two weeks since the collective falling out between Yuugi and his loved ones at the gamer's house. Even though he'd made a (somewhat halfhearted) attempt to apologize, Jou and Honda still refused to talk to him. Therefore, Anzu, by default, had also left, claiming she was "tired of being a peacekeeper" for them, and that they had to work things out by themselves.

"No..." was the eventual reply, quietly sighed under a dismal breath. Yuugi ran a hand through his untamed hair in an obvious sign of distress. Ryou, on instinct, reached out and placed a consoling hand on his friend's shoulder. Yuugi stopped, throwing the Brit a look mixed between gratitude and sorrow. Ryou frowned.

"You shouldn't let me get between the friendship you all share," he murmured quietly, brown eyes dimming. Yuugi's, however, sparked and flared with something that could almost be referred to as... passion.

"I'm not going to sit back and let them insult you like that, Ryou!" he growled, "Just because you made mistakes... I-It doesn't mean that they have any right or justification to the treat you." The angered tone softened as the pale teen spoke.

Ryou blinked.

Was Yuugi... blushing?

"You... You mean a lot to me, Ryou..."

Heat unwillingly blossomed over Ryou's pale cheeks, and a bashful smile crossed his lips. That had almost sounded... It almost sounded like a confession. Ra, help me, he thought with a mental sigh. "Thank you, Yuugi..." he murmured shyly, "You... You mean a lot to me, too."

The other boy blinked widely, before giving a sheepish grin. "U-Uhm..." he paused to clear his throat, "M-Meet me out by the sakura tree?" Ryou beamed, and nodded with enthusiasm and a sound of affirmation. They parted ways upon entering the Commons, where most of the school's population ate their lunch. Yuugi headed outside with his bento, Ryou to a short line of students ordering school-food.

Moving with the slow, robotic pace of the line, Ryou fell into light musings.

Yuugi had said he 'meant a lot' to him. No-one, aside from... from Akefia, had ever told him that.

"It may not seem like it, Yadonushi, but you are very important to me."

But would Yuugi mean it in the same way?

Ryou sighed, grabbing a cheap Styrofoam tray, and shuffled wordlessly along. He took a simple, boxed sandwich and juice box, before paying for the meager meal and heading outdoors.

He definitely had to admit, he found time spent around Yuugi to be much more enjoyable. He would smile more, laugh more. Actually enjoy himself. But was that all? There was certainly... some sort of attraction held for the other male. After all, Yuugi was very kind, and understanding, and an empathetic, down-to-earth person. And, not to seem conceded, he mentally added... the fact that he had a nice body and looks was also a nice addition.

But, though this attraction was definitely strong, Ryou's guilt towards the situation nearly outweighed it. It had been five, almost six months since the Shadow Games had been sealed away, and with that, their Yamis had returned to the 'other side', so to speak. And though he wanted to act on his emotions towards the other boy, he also felt... ashamed.

Shouldn't he wait, spend more time to grieve, before even considering on trying to focus on a new romantic relationship? Akefia was his lover. And now he was gone. Would it be right of him to seek out a new object of affections so soon?

Ryou's singular mind was swimming with emotion and doubt, making his vision fuzz, his head throb, and his heart hammer against his ribcage. Another, tiny sigh worked its way from his lips, eyes becoming lidded in his slight gaze. Akefia, Atem, Ra... Anyone, he made a silent prayer for guidance, Please, I just need some sort of sign that this is the right choice... That I can move on without worry of regrets.

Within a second's span of time, Ryou felt it. It was strange, foreign, yet oh-so familiar, all at the same time. A reminiscent warmth flooded his mind, and Ryou felt his eyesight almost unwillingly tugged to the direction of many, enlarging figures in the distance. They were none other than Yuugi, Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu, only they were surrounded by a small crowd of other Domino High students. They all seemed very tense. Jou and Yuugi were yelling. The crowd that had slowly began to cluster around them shifted with the tension that rolled from the apparent friends in large waves. Ryou heard a comment from a certain Brooklyn-accented blonde about his being an "untrustworthy home-wrecker". Ryou involuntarily flinched, and Yuugi made a sound akin to that of a snarl. His eyes glowered with contempt, and hostility crackled like electricity in the air.

But Ryou heard none of this exchange.

Because the presence was back. If only for a fleeting moment.

Yadonushi...

Ryou gasped quietly.

In the next second, Yuugi and Jounouchi faced one another with fists raised. There were shouts of surprise and cries of fury as two with a bond like that of brotherhood turned on each other like territorial dogs. It broke the white-haired Englishman from his stupor. As a few ran off to fetch a teacher, he and Honda flew forward to break off the conflict.

Hiroto grabbed Katsuya's arm as he flung in for a punch. His other hand caught the blonde's remaining wrist, and held them behind his back, yanking his pal almost violently away from the King of Games. "Jou, c'mon, quit it, man!"

"Yuugi, stop!" Ryou exclaimed, quickly leaping forward to tug the other from the fray. Before the duelist could get away, the albino adolescent linked his arms over the other male's torso, effectively pinning his arms at his sides. "Please, stop it! This isn't like you!" He felt Yuugi somehow manage to both stiffen and relax simultaneously. He glanced at his developing crush from beneath a hood of unique powder-white bangs, chocolate orbs pleading. Maybe even a bit scared. Heliotrope pools widened, and met with the rich earth-tone gaze belonging to the one who held him so firmly.

Yadonushi, Akefia's gravelly voice murmured into his mind, once again, making the Hikari's breath hitch. Live...

If that wasn't his 'sign', he didn't know what was. It could have, however, been delivered in a less... violent way.

Then again, he mused absently, You never really were one to abstain from conflict, were you, my Yami?

He felt a mental smirk, before, for a second time, his Darkness' secondary consciousness faded into Oblivion. He expected it to hurt more than it did. Maybe... that was a good thing?

The accented teen's eyes narrowed with annoyance as Yuugi's and Jou once again combated with a hostile leer at one another. They did not, however, try to exchange blows a second time. Something Ryou thanked the Gods for. His arms squeezed over Yuugi's sides tighter, an irritated, rather Akefia-like growl leaving his form.

"Are you two morons all finished?" he demanded icily. "It's bloody ridiculous, the two of you!" He released his grip, but stepped in the space between them as a precaution. He shot their peers a look that sent them scrambling. Waiting until all were out of earshot, Ryou glared at the two boys.

"Look, we're all affected by the Pharaoh's passing, and we're all still trying to get over what happened back then," a pointed look to the group of three to his left, "But those times have come and gone. In the past. The Shadow Games are gone. Magic is gone. Atemu and Akefia are gone. Everything we knew, everything that we did back then, and that we were familiar with from back then are gone. There's no more Shadow magic, no more life-threatening duels, or soul-stealing cults, or ancient spirits!" His arms crossed, sending a disapproving glare to the four friends. "You lot aren't stuck with trying to save the world, and I'm not being controlled by a spirit influenced by a demon to destroy it. It's in. the. Past."

Jounouchi glared holes at the ground, shrugging off Honda's restraining grip.

"And, to be honest," the albino added, eyes closing with restrained emotion, hands clenching into strained fists, "I'm pretty damn tired of all this nonsense. Gods above, I'm so tired of it all..."

He heard Yuugi scuff a shoe at the dirt.

"Our Yamis are gone. And it hurts. It hurts worse than you three could ever know. It's far beyond any torture we were all faced with through the Shadow Games. Don't get me wrong, I know you were all friends with Yuugi's Darkness, and you hated mine, but our dark side are not us. We may seem to be similar in every aspect of the phrase, but we're different people, who can make our own choices on what we do, or who we spend time with." The last sentence was slightly bitter and reproachful. "Katsuya... Yuugi... You two aren't just friends. You're brothers. I don't want to be the one to get between the two of you. I... I just want to move on, already. I'm just... so bloody tired... I'm sick of it." His voice trailed, breath shaking slightly.

He looked to the three, brown gaze stern and serious. "Look, we don't have to be friends, or even acquaintances, but that's not going to stop me from being with Yuugi." Purposely, Ryou failed to mention specifically on how he'd "be with"Yuugi. "But I'm willing to forgive, and maybe even forget. Only if you all are. I want to move on, and get past our pasts together, and start fresh. As a group of normal teenaged kids, rather than a bunch of magic-wielding freaks."

Unable to resist, small, amused smirks spread over each face. Ryou smiled softly at them.

"So..." he murmured, stepping towards Jou. "Let's start over, shall we?" He extended a hand.

"Hello," he greeted formally, "I'm Bakura, Ryou."

Jounouchi gave the offered hand a look. He sighed, and a mixture of doubt and distaste was rather visible within his amber eyes. Ryou thought, for a moment, he saw Yuugi tense with something akin to outrage. But the whitenette looked beyond that. Jounouchi, after a pregnant pause, relented with a sigh. He reach out, and shook Ryou's hand.

"Hey, Bakura-kun. The name's Jounouchi Katsuya." He huffed again, and Ryou wasn't quite sure, but he could have sworn that he had seen the beginnings of a smirk on the blonde's face. "Nice ta' meet cha'." Ryou returned the gesture with a grin, eyes flashing briefly with both mirth and relief.

"Believe me, Jounouchi-kun," he giggled, "The pleasure's all mine."