Deathbystorm: I know I know. Everyone's pissed off because I left it so late but what're you gonna do about it?

Alex: I'm sorry. She hasn't had her medication yet and she is starting to have internet withdrawls. This being said, I'm doing the review replies today.

Deathbystorm: Only four reviews? Come on people, that's just pathetic.

To yugirules: I am very delighted that you find my fic to be something good to read.

To YaoiFiendEm: Sorry. I don't have a beta and I don't usually proofread my own work. In fact, I absolutely hate proofreading. Again, I am very sorry about that.

To Kikyo's killer: Yeah umm…I accidently crashed the internet so I couldn't update when I had this chappie written three days ago.

To Ryou Lover 4235: Well….you will just have to read and find out then. Ha!

Disclaimer: Thanks to some failed lawsuits, not only do I not own Harry Potter and co, I also am 3 million dollars in debt hehe…

Chapter 9

Bakura Pov

The thief whipped around the moment he heard the scream. Somehow he knew that Ryou was in the direction where it came from. Not wanting to waste any time, he shoved his way through a croud of people and raced off down the street. He saw a croud of people surrounding someone off about half a block away.

Bakura willed himself to go even faster. Again he found himself shoving his way through a croud. "Ryou!" he gasped as he saw the boy fall to his knees and admit that he was a witch. He ran over to the teen and pulled him up. "Come on, I'm taking you back to the inn."

Before the crowd could react, Bakura had pushed his way through and was already running with Ryou's hand held securely in his.

The white-haired witch stumbled after the thief as they pushed farther on past the inn. "Can't let them know where it is," Bakura panted.

They pushed on harder until Ryou collapsed just outside of town with exhaustion. His friend was pulled down beside him. Bakura allowed him to rest for a few minutes before getting up and running again. They finally came to a stop just a kilometer into the forest.

"We'll stop here for the night and go back before the sunrises tomorrow morning," the thief said.

"I'll take first watch," Ryou responded. Neither of them however, got so much as a minute of sleep. The hours dragged on slowly.

Meanwhile back at Dragon Inn…

Yugi paced around his room impatiently. "Where are they?" he muttered worriedly.

Yami got up from the chair that he was lounging around on and walked over to the amethyst-eyed teen. He put a hand on the smaller teen's shoulder "I'm sure that they're fine," the Storm-Bringer replied quietly. The Empath shuddered suddenly. "What is it?" Yami asked.

"I feel a lot of rage, fear and hatred nearby," Yugi replied and shuddered again.

The Storm-Bringer looked to the window from where they stood. "I hear a lot of shouting. Do you hear it?"

The yells were getting louder now. "Yes, I do," Yugi said and walked over to the window just in time to see Ryou and Bakura race by. "We have to do something."

"Yugi, we can't," Yami replied. "They'll think that your friends are the ones that are causing it. We could be risking all out war!"

The amethyst-eyed teen whipped around. "What is it now Yami?" he cried out. "When people with magic are burned at the stake for being evil. For being different than what those fools think that God intended us to be. What is it?"

With that, the Empath ran past his shocked friend and down out of the Inn. He slipped into the shadows nearby where the mob was now passing. Yugi closed his eyes and concentrated on that reaching out his mental tendrils until they were hooked inside each person. The amethyst-eyed teen concentrated on soothing the rage, hatred and fear in the souls of the people. They stopped dazed as they began to feel happiness and love instead.

Yugi hadn't banked on a second mob though. He frowned in confusion as the rage and hatred began to grow again. He couldn't seem to locate the source. The one thing that the Empath didn't notice was that the rage and hatred that he felt coming from a different direction began to magnify through him to the confused mob in front of him. They began shouting again. It was too late by the time that Yugi realized what had happened. The newly enraged crowd began to run after his two friends with new vigor.

At least I bought them some time, Yugi thought unhappily as he detached his mental tendrils from the minds and souls of the mob as they ran. He went back into Dragon Inn as soon as the last of the large mob had passed.

Yami met him at the door. "What did you do?" he asked angrily. His crimson eyes flashed and began to glow. The sky outside began to glow ominously.

"I just calmed them down and then another crowd from the eastside of town…they had the same emotions and they went through me almost like a piece of glass in a beam of sunlight," Yugi said really fast. "I bought them some time though."

"And in doing that, you may have started a war," the Storm-Bringer said angrily. Cold wind began to whip past the Inn.

"Yami. Please calm down. You're going to start a storm if you're not careful," the Empath pleaded. I don't want to manipulate him. I really don't. Now what else used to calm him down when we were younger…As he thought this, a memory came to mind. It was in fact a memory of the day that they met.

Flashback

"Please don't hurt me," a small 7-year-old version of Yugi whimpered as the three largest children in his class surrounded him..

"How did such a shrimp get in this school anyway?" the first one asked.

"Yeah give us all your food before we pound you!" the second one continued.

The third and largest of the group lifted up the very small boy up by his shirt collar and drew back his fist.

"Put him down!" another voice called angrily. The bullies turned to see a young version of Yami stomp toward them.

"And what if we don't?" the bully number three sneered.

A young boy that looked almost identical to Yugi stepped right in front of the third one. "Then you will have me to deal with," he growled as best as a 7-year-old could. His crimson eyes began to glow dangerously and the air grew cold.

The three bullies dropped Yugi and ran off terrified.

"Thank you," the small Empath replied.

"They don't deserve to live ganging up on someone like that," the crimson-eyed boy snarled angrily and the air grew colder still.

Yugi felt the anger in his own chest and knew what the boy who saved him was capable of as well as what he would do later. The little Empath did the one thing that he could think of. He came up to Yami and gave him a hug. "They're not worth it," he mumbled.

The crimson-eyed boy returned the hug cautiously and then let go as the air warmed up to its original temperature.

"My name's Yami. What's yours?" the young Storm-Bringer asked.

"Yugi," the little amethyst-eyed teen replied.

End Flashback

That was what Yugi did now. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his oldest friend's waist. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Yami calmed down and nodded. "Maybe they didn't notice," he said desperately.

Bakura's and Ryou's pov

It was late into the night when they finally heard the citizens go back to their houses. Ryou relaxed against the thief in relief. They were sitting back to back to reduce the chances of getting snuck up on.

"We'll head back in about an hour," Bakura said looking up at the moon. He felt the witch nod in agreement. There was a rustling sound and a twig snapped. The thief whipped around and pulled Ryou up with him as he stood up. When no more sounds came, they cautiously sat down again.

It was just before dawn when the two friends dared to move again. Slowly, they crept back to town. At this pace, it took them an hour to get back to Dragon Inn. Ryou sighed in relief as he and Bakura entered their temporary home.

General Pov

It had been three days since Bakura and Ryou had returned to the Inn. There had been a huge uproar throughout the town about the two witches that had escaped. Ryou had begun to work in the kitchens to earn his, Bakura and Ryou's room. The thief himself had taken it upon himself to help also. He had taken Yami's position in the front of the Inn to welcome guests. (A/N Hah! As if! More like terrorize them.)

The door to the Inn opened. "Hi," Bakura said shortly. "How may I help you?"

"Hello," said the man who was panting hard. "I have to deliver this to the owner of this Inn."

"I'll take it to him right after my shift," the thief replied.

"I would rather that it reached him now," the runner said. "I have traveled a long way to deliver this message and it is important that Solomun Mouto receive it right now."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "My shift ends in half an hour. I'm sure you can wait that long. Now do you need a room or are you just passing through?"

"Just passing through," the man replied and took off out the door. The thief shrugged and hung around the front for the rest of his shift before going to find Solomun.

Bakura walked into Solomun's room without knocking. "Solomun. Some creepy little man left this letter for you," he announced as he stepped into the room.

"Oh I was expecting something like that," the old man replied.distractedly. "Just leave it here and I'll deal with it."

The thief did as he was told and went looking for Ryou who was getting off shift in about fifteen minutes. Bakura was already bored out of his mind at Dragon Inn. It was so peaceful and that was what made it so monotonous. But there is one thing that never ceases to entertain me and I need to finally admit that I may have feelings of more than friendship towards him.

He leaned against the wall just outside the kitchens and waited patiently. He could here the laughter of the witch inside as well as the clatter of dishes.

"Yeah, I'll see you guys tomorrow," Ryou called as he walked out of the kitchens.

Finally, Bakura thought.

"Hey Bakura," the witch said quietly. "What're you doing here?"

"We need to talk," the thief replied quietly.

"What about?" came the innocent question.

"I'll tell you when we get back to our room," Bakura answered with a half smile half smirk. "But I really want to talk to you."

Ryou frowned. What's going on? He wondered. "Okay 'Kura I'll come with you." The witch smirked when he saw the deathglare the thief shot him when he used the nickname that he had come up with.

They walked back to their room. Bakura brushed hands with the other as he reached for the doorknob. Both jumped back with a shiver as a small shock went through each. Man I've got it bad Bakura thought bluntly as he pulled the door closed behind them.

The thief gently pushed Ryou into a chair. "I think that this might come as a shock to you but I don't like you as a friend. I-I mean I like you as more than a friend," He babbled. The witch looked at him with an odd look on his face. Finally Bakura sighed exasperately. "Screw this," he muttered

The thief lifted Ryou's chin with one hand and crushed his lips against the other's. The witch froze before relaxing into the kiss and responding too before pulling gently away.

"I thought that you didn't like me in that way," Ryou breathed.

"Well you thought wrong," Bakura replied with a smirk.

Deathbystorm: Oh my god! It wasn't a cliffie! I think I'm gonna faint! Any way that was a very

boring chappie in my opinion. (Mostly because my internet died so I couldn't update and began to add stuff to it)

Alex: Might I remind you who disconnected the internet?

Deathbystorm: Hey! It doesn't count if you don't even know how you did it now does it?

Alex: It does so!

Deathbystorm: Does not!

Alex: Does too.

Deathbystorm: Does not.

Alex: While we are arguing, why don't you pay us a kindness and press the pretty purple button?