Notes: So, um, gomen for my disappearing act and leaving this story at a rather inopportune time. Quite honestly, I had this update finished long ago, but then end of the chapter didn't sit right with me until had the time to focus on some revision. Hope you enjoy the finished product, nyah.

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own 'em, partly because I'm pretty fucking sure slavery is illegal in the US and partly because I'm just not that lucky... I own Earl, though (Earl has an actual part in this chapter, I'm kind of jazzed).

Warnings: Nothing racy really happens in this chapter... Except for Malik's naked in a bath tub, but I don't think anyone's going to have a real big problem with that, though. -wink, wink-

Thoughts.

Previously: Everything was going great in Ry-chanLand and then stupid Honda and conniving Anzu went and tore it all down. (it's been a while so you might want to skim the previous chapter to refresh your memory)

Bleed Like Me --- Chapter 9

Anzu swept the last shards of glass into the dust pan and discarded them in the trash. For hours she had just sat and looked at the way they reflected the brilliant light, shimmering and twinkling like miniature stars, without really moving. She felt bad about what she had done to Ryou, but he's a smart kid. Right? She asked, futilely trying to reassure herself. He'll find somewhere to stay.

As of late Anzu had been noticing how much closer Honda was to Ryou, than she was and that was problematic. Not specifically mentally or emotionally closer, but... Physically. Honda would go out of his way to place his hand on Ryou's arm or shoulder and sometimes he would even go as far as to gently stroke the small albino's snowy locks. Other times Honda's hand would wander over the other's wrists, rubbing over the dark leather cuffs Ryou was never seen without.

Simply put; Anzu had gotten jealous.

She was comfortable in her position in Honda's life. They had a nice apartment as paid for by a pair of barely there parents. He gave her a ride to dance class and gave her a kiss on the cheek before entering the high school each morning. Theirs was a relationship of habit, centered on a comfortable pattern of ins and outs and Ryou, Ry-chan, as Domino High's one true blond had called him, was fucking with the pattern! This was not okay in the book of Anzu Mazaki.

She felt a wave of anger course over her. It was the same brand of anger which had led her to lie in such a drastic manner. But once that wave had crested and folded in upon itself, all Anzu could feel was shame, and guilt. Tears burned behind her eyelids.

Lately she had felt control of the situation slipping away and had panicked. And when Ryou had come home that eve, smiling like he'd just gotten lucky, Anzu had seen her opportunity. "It was justified!" She cried at her reflection in the silver, shinning teapot which sat innocently on the stove. Her palm slammed downwards and she made a face of disgust before turning from her reflection, throwing down the broom and stalking towards the door.

Before she had the time to figure out whether or not she was just going on a walk to calm her nerves, or if she was going to find the young albino, or even to put on her jacket, the door swung open to reveal Honda leaning against the frame.

"Where you going?" He asked, his speech slurred slightly, but other than that there were no other telltale signs of drunkenness.

Anzu patted her coat where it hung and backed away. "Nowhere." She smiled as he took a loping step forward and threw his arms around her neck. He kissed her carefully on the cheek, and then on the lips. She slipped her arms around his waist. Her grin only widened as he lay his head on her shoulder and whispered soft, drunken words of love.

She didn't know how he got a hold of the liquor he drank or who else was there while he consumed it. But she loved the way he acted towards her while he was inebriated.

The moment was ruined however when Honda looked up and scanned the front hall and what he could see of the adjoining rooms. A slight frown marred his face. "Where's Ryou?"

Anzu's face fell and her heart seemed to drop into her stomach, where the acid began working away at it. "I don't know. Probably off to play with his new boy toys."

Honda took a deep breath and within moments he was back to the appearance of a sloppy drunk rather than that of a jilted lover. With a sweet, leer, Honda took her hand and led her further into the recesses of their appato, to their bedroom.

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The morning light hit Ryou like a slap in the face. He squinted up at the white ceiling as the memories of the previous evening flashed through his memory, much like a slide show one's grandparents would give after coming home from a satisfying vacation. Except this slide show didn't give Ryou any shadow of content that would come from humoring one's elders. Instead he felt a knot of dread tighten deep in his gut.

The next thing to register was the rustle from inside the upstairs apartment as Yugi and his grandfather began their day. It was Sunday, so within a few minutes Yugi would be coming downstairs to open the shop. Ryou sat up too quickly and the room began to spin. But, he didn't have the time to pause and wait for his surroundings to settle. He staggered to his feet, barely remembering to grab Bakura's jacket from where it had served as his pillow for the night. With that he sprinted around the edge of the counter and tore open the door.

He looked backwards towards the cozy shop. He had spent so many afternoons gossiping with Yugi behind the counter, avoiding work, and now he wasn't sure if he would ever return. Or if he would even share another such frivolous moments with his friend again any time soon... I highly doubt it, he thought sadly before pulling the door shut and locking it carefully behind him.

Stepping down to the sidewalk, Ryou shook out Bakura's jacket and slung it around his shoulders. As he forced his arms down the overly long sleeves, Ryou briefly considered going to the other's house. But then he remembered the pact he'd made with himself the night before.

No, I won't burden him with my presence, he thought bitterly as he hugged the jacket tighter around himself and began his trek down the street, joining the throng of other pedestrians.

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Ryou pressed up against the brick of the building, hoping it would shield him from the wind. He stood outside Blood Tears, waiting for Earl to arrive, he had knocked but no answer had come.

He slid down to sit on the step that led up to the hard oak door. The club really was a hole in the wall. And it's not that it was in the worst part of town, it was just close. So to avoid any trouble, Ryou was trying to make himself as small a target as possible for any passersby's with violent potential.

Pulling his knees up to the chest, Ryou rested his forehead against them and allowed his hair to fall as a curtain around his face. He started as a hand gently shook him awake. Panicked eyes flew open to meet those of Earl.

In turn, Earl's eyes softened at the fear he saw in the small teen. "What's up kid?" He asked, bringing the other to his feet.

"I want a job." Ryou explained in a rush. "I'll work hard and I don't care what hours. Not even if they interfere with school."

For a moment, the older Caucasian man was silent. Then he reached behind Ryou, unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Go on inside." After a moment the teen, who had begun trembling slightly, slid within the confines of the bar.

"Wait a second while I bring this stuff upstairs." Earl said, as he picked up the bag of groceries which he'd gone out for and jogged up the stairs.

When Earl came downstairs from putting away the various contents of the bag, he saw Ryou perched on one of the revolving bar stools.

"You live here?" Ryou asked quietly, running an absent finger across the length of the bar.

"In the upstairs apartment." Earl said, sliding behind the bar.

Ryou nodded, as though he'd heard the answer but it failed to truly register. "Does that mean you own this place, too?"

"Not quite. I just run the place for the owner. He doesn't mind that I crash upstairs, though." The two sat in silence for a long moment. "Do you want something to eat?" The kid looked half starved, but Earl was reluctant to push it. The kid was already spooked, he didn't want the kid to go running before Earl figured out what was wrong and if there was anything he could do.

Earl was the bar tender, yes. But it was more than that. He understood the patrons, he had been there; In the dark, treading about in the murky water, unable to go much of anywhere and just waiting for somebody to throw him a life preserver. The bar had been his life preserver and now, when he saw one of its patrons just as lost as he had been, he did his damndest to help in whatever way he could -that still fell within the bounds of propriety-.

Ryou chewed his bottom lip and nodded slowly.

"Alright then, come back here." Earl said before disappearing behind a black cloth curtain that hung where one would expect the door to be, and into the kitchen behind the bar. "Pancakes okay with you? I'm having a bit of a craving." Earl admitted, slightly sheepish.

Ryou nodded again, some of the tension began to ease from his shoulders. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked in a tiny voice.

"Sure." Earl dove into the pantry and came out with an armful of paper bags, one of sugar, one of salt and one of flour and a couple other appropriate canisters. "Can you measure out the dry stuff for me?" He asked. After seeing Ryou's nod, he moved off to the giant, industrial sized refrigerator to retrieve egg and milk and grabbing the bottle of oil on the way back to the counter.

For a moment the two worked at their given tasks. Ryou went carefully through the practiced tasks of measuring out the correct amounts of the different powders and pouring them into a large mixing bowl which Earl had provided. Earl on the other hand scrambled the eggs and other wet parts. Silence once more reigned. When the ingredients were finally prepared and combined. Earl poured the batter onto the griddle.

"So kid, you want a job?" Earl asked over the sizzling sound of the cooking pancakes.

"Yes." Ryou said definitively as he handed Earl a spatula with which to flip.

"Are you even old enough to be within three feet of a bar?" Earl paused momentarily. "Scratch that, I don't want to know. You're hired -there was never really a question about that-. But there is something else I would like to ask you." Earl slid some of the completed pancakes onto a plate and shoved them towards Ryou. Then indicated to the fridge as a source of toppings.

Ryou shrugged as he went to the fridge in a quest to procure syrup. Knowing that he would have some source of income, if not a place to live seemed to take a tiny bit of weight off his shoulders. "Shoot."

"Why are you so desperate for a job?"

"W-what do you mean?" Ryou began to stutter, stopping mid-pour to stare at Earl. "I'm not desperate. I just decided it was time to start pulling my own weight."

"You can't be more than eighteen." Earl insisted. "No one that young should have to worry about 'pulling their own weight'."

Ryou chewed his lip for a long moment. "Should is the key word there."

Earl wasn't about to let that topic of conversation rest in peace, though, no matter how final the tone in Ryou's voice was. "Ryou, Bakura didn't do anything stupid, did he?" Earl wasn't really sure how Ryou's asking for a job could be remotely connected to the other teen, but it was really the only ammo he had.

Ryou looked stricken at the question. "No! Bakura's great and he's been great to me. Not that it really matters now."

"What do you mean by that?" Earl asked, damning his curiosity.

The waif like albino took a fork and knife in hand and began to brutally saw away at his stack of pancakes -even though his gaze never really left the shinny counter top- as Earl finally turned off the stove and sat down with his own short stack. "I'm not going to be seeing Bakura anymore."

Well that was short lived, Earl thought, setting down his own silverware to better focus on the troubled teen. "I'm sorry to hear that. He really likes you, ya know." Earl pointed out after a moment. But then it was his turn to be stricken as Ryou looked as though he were about to cry. He immediately regretted prodding the teen.

"H-he deserves better than me." Ryou admitted softly, his gaze fell lower to his hands, folded in his lap. "Everyone ends up miserable and worried when I'm around and I just" Ryou paused and took in a shaky breath, regaining his fragile mask of composure. "I just want him to be happy. That's all. Even if that means that he's not with me. He'll be better off without having to take care of some homeless tramp like me."

Earl paused, soaking in Ryou's confession. "Wait- homeless?" he asked. "Ryou?"

The teen's doe eyes leveled him with the deep sadness there. "If you need a place to stay, there's a couch in the corner and you're welcome to put it to use." Earl offered, not really knowing what else to say.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Ryou nodded. "But I think you've done enough for today."

Earl nodded and the pair finished their pancakes in peace.

He didn't want to let the kid go out into the cold, hard streets again, but saw no real way around it. It wasn't like he could keep the kid hostage. Well he could, but that would be outside the bounds of propriety. "You'll start tomorrow after school. The bar won't be open then, but it'll need some tidying up. Maybe then you'll be more willing to accept my offer of the couch." Earl said upon completion of their task, as Ryou was preparing to leave. He reached out and shook Ryou's much smaller hand.

"Maybe." Ryou gave him another small, heartbreakingly sad smile. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Ryou said, slipping from to the school and putting Bakura's jacket back on. With that he slipped from the bar.

Earl didn't know where the kid was off to and had the sneaking suspicion that the kid was just as clueless.

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Bakura stretched awake, only to feel loving arms tighten around his torso. As awareness swamped his person Bakura groaned and moved to sit up. Marik's arms only tightened around him further, though, obstructing his range of motion. "Leggo you jackass." he said, pushing at Marik's wayward limbs.

"Luffle you to, Babe." Marik said, letting go and turning on his side.

Bakura smiled and gave the other's ass an affectionate squeeze before sitting up and surveying the room. Malik was conspicuously absent.

He got to his feet and as he walked across the floor, picked up a random pair of gray sweats. He pulled them on as he opened the door to the adjoining bathroom. He smiled as he saw the other blond lounging in a tub of bubbles.

One of Malik's feet stuck out of the water and he was slowly turning it in circles, watching the polish on his toes through the tiny suds. "Hey Cutie." Bakura said his voice hoarse.

Malik looked at him briefly, but other than that, made no other motions to recognize Bakura's presence.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just... thinking."

Bakura grew closer, "About?"

"Ryou." Malik said, not giving away any specifics.

Bakura sighed heavily and pulled up a bathroom stool to the edge of the tub. He absently began to pet Malik's blond hair. As predicted, the other began to purr deep in his throat. So, he hadn't been the only one thinking about Ryou. There was something oddly satisfying about how much his boyfriends seemed to like Ryou. And he also appreciated how well Ryou had gotten along with them. His miniature was already almost like one of the family now and Bakura couldn't what until he was an honorary member. "What about Ryou?"

"How much I like him. He's nice, and certainly pretty. And he likes you."

"He likes you, too."

"He hardly knows me. We brought him home and I fell asleep." Malik said evenly without a hint of whining, and dipping his head backwards to wet his locks. His purring started up again as Bakura plunged his hands into the hot water and began massaging his scalp.

"He likes you, too." Bakura repeated definitively. "How could he not. I'm going to go and bring something. Something that says 'I really like you, thanks for coming over yesterday, let's do it again as soon as possible'. Any suggestions?"

Malik grinned, some of his usual blond self showing through this more serious side of him. "What boy doesn't like to receive a bouquet of flowers?"

"What kind?"

Malik put a finger to his lips, after a moment a goofy grin formed on his bow string lips. "Orchids. They're not clichéd like roses or tulips, but not to terribly obscure. And very pretty, just like him."

"Perfect." Bakura smiled and stood to relieve himself of his sweats. He climbed into the tub at the opposite end of the tub as Malik.

Bakura leered at him. "Lean forward and I'll scrub your chest."

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Hours later, Bakura stood on Honda's doorstep, a bouquet of purple-ish blue orchids wrapped in dark tissue paper. He had had someone on their way hold the door for him, alleviating the need to be buzzed in. He knocked hard on the door in the hopes that Honda would be out.

Apparently his luck had run out, for when the door opened, it was not Ryou who beamed at him, it was Honda. And apparently Honda's thoughts echoed that sentiment, for when he realized who was behind door number one his grin dropped into a sallow sort of scowl.

"Is Ryou around?" Bakura asked gruffly.

Honda rolled his eyes dramatically. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? What with you spending the night with him, and all."

Bakura's gaze narrowed. "What the fuck do you mean? Ryou did not spend the night with me, I brought him back here."

"Well he hasn't been here. Anzu was here all night, she would have seen him." Honda looked behind him. "Anzu? You're sure you didn't see Ryou around last night?"

Anzu came up behind Honda. "N-no. I didn't see him at all. I assumed he was with you?" she said, as nastily as possible, sneering in Bakura's direction.

Bakura glared as her words sunk in. She was lying, the stench of deceit was all over her and he was hard pressed not try and beat Ryou's location out of her. He inhaled and then exhaled slowly. Then he looked back to Honda, who had also paled considerably as the implication of their words fell into place.

Ryou was gone.

End Notes::cues the dramatic music:: ... I don't know about you guys, but I really want pancakes now. Reviews? Ya? ... I hear crickets, did all the people that liked this story leave while I was on hiatus???