A/N – I can't remember exactly what honorifics everyone uses in relation to Ryou Bakura, and how he refers to other people, so I just went with no honorifics.

Anzu runs down the hall, panting for breath. She has a minute, last she checked, to get to class. If there is one thing that Nakamuri-sensei hates above all, it's lateness. He'd been in a bad mood recently. Student gossip had attributed it to martial problems. Well, it wasn't really her problem. A quick glance at her watch tells her she has thirty seconds. She curses, a gasp more than anything else, and picks up speed. Anzu slams into a warm body and falls to the ground winded.

"I'm so sorry!" rushes out from her lips. In the background, the bell rings. There's no point in rushing now. Anzu pushes herself up, and blinks. It's Bakura Ryou she's crashed into. She doesn't think that she's crashed into him hard enough for any lasting damage, but upon second glance, Anzu thinks she should take him to the nurse. He's pale, far more than usual, and he's trembling slightly. His eyes are red and watery, and… He… Doesn't look well. Anzu kneels beside him, and helps him into a sitting position.

"Ryou, are you alright?"

No response.

"Ryou?"

He looks up at her, eyes wide, startled, and in a low, raspy voice croaks, "I'm fine."

Anzu blinks. She has the sudden urge to give him a hug. He reminds her of a kicked puppy, huge watery eyes and fluffy white hair and a general air of dejection. She curbs the urge and helps him steady himself into a standing position, noting that he sways as he attempts to keep upright.

"You don't sound fine. Come on, I'll take you to the nurse."

"What about class?"

She shrugs. "I'm already late, and you know how Nakamuri-sensei is."

Anzu smiles slightly as she sees the grimace on his face.

"I'm fine," he protests.

Anzu presses a hand to his forehead, and pulls it back a moment later. She raises her eyebrows, and gives him a Look, born from the need to deal with idiots like Jounouchi and Honda. "Ryou, you've got a fever. You're not well." Her tones bears no room for argument, and Ryou seems to realise this, closing his mouth before he says anything. He slumps forward, the fight gone out of him. Anzu doesn't really want to see him like this, but he's sick, and she really doesn't think he's in any position to be going to school like this.

She leaves him at the Nurse's office, and obtains a late pass from the nurse, which she is grateful for. Nakamuri-sensei still glowers at her, but as he has no excuse to give her a detention, continues on with the lesson.

Anzu is distracted and jumpy for the rest of the day. She answers a question incorrectly in maths, responding with "Emperor Ishikawa". She can't keep her mind off Ryou. When was the last time was any of them had seen him, she wonders. She rarely has class with him, but surely Jounouchi, Honda or Yuugi would have seen him?

Right?

"Bakura?" Jounouchi gives her a strange look. "Only once or twice during gym."

Yuugi simply shakes his head, a sad look on his face. It reminds her of the time before, when he didn't have Jounouchi or Honda as his friends. When they were the ones who bullied him. "He's even quieter than before, and he always tells me he's fine." He looks worried. Anzu thanks him, and promptly switches the topic, not wanting to see him sad like this.

She feels guilty, because as far as she knows, none of them have bothered to talk to him after Duelist Kingdom.

This is why she finds herself outside his apartment, afterschool. She's only been here once before, and that had included the disastrous game of Monster World. She rings the doorbell and realises a moment after that Ryou's probably in bed. Should be in bed. She stands outside the door anxiously, and wonders if this is a mistake.

The door opens a crack.

For a moment, she sees the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, come back to haunt Ryou. She blinks, and the image is gone, and there is only Ryou, pale and haggard. There's a vacuum handle in his hand.

"Anzu?"

"Ryou!" They stare at each other for a moment in silence. Anzu clears her throat. "I was worried, so I came over to check up on you," she says and smiles. "Yuugi said hi." She steps forward a little. "May I come in?"

He blinks, shakes his head and opens the door, gesturing for her to come in.

"You should be in bed," she says with a frown when she sees the cleaning equipment around the house.

"I can't sleep."

She frowns. "You go to bed. Where do you keep your cold medicine?&rdquo

He stares at her.

"You don't have any?"

He mutely shakes his head no.

"I'll get some," she declares. She passed by a pharmacy on her way here, and she's certain she can get some there.

Before he can protest, she places her arms on his shoulders and steers him away from the living room. "You'll have to show me the way to your room, because I don't know where it is," she says with a grin, not really feeling it. One things for certain, she's not leaving until he's in bed.

Before Anzu leaves his room, he gives her a key. She blinks, puzzled, until he says, "It's for the front door. You'll need it to get in."

Anzu nods and takes it. Before she leaves, she packs up the cleaning equipment in a neat pile in living room, not sure where they were meant to go. She leaves the house quietly, and locks the front door.

Later, she lets herself back into the small apartment, slowly pushing the door closed, so as not to make a sound. Anzu leaves the food in the kitchen, and tip toes over to Ryou's room, pushing the door open slightly. He's whimpering and making small noises of protest, and she thinks she can hear words, jumbled between gasps. She tip toes over to his bed and kneels next to him, unsure of what to do. Weren't you not meant to wake people who were having nightmares? She brushes sweat covered locks of hair off his forehead, and takes his hand, wincing when he grips it. If she leaves it there for too long, then he'll cut off the blood eventually.

"It's alright," she says softly. "You'll be alright, Ryou."

His eyes open slowly, brown eyes wide. "Anzu…?"

She moves to stand. "I'll get you some medicine."

"No." He looks at her, eyes wide, beseeching her. "Stay. Please."

It stops her.

She sits down on the edge of his bed, and brushes his hair out of his eyes.

"Go back to sleep."

She sits there in silence, watching Ryou and occasionally pets his hair. His eyelids flicker intermittently, glancing up to check if she's still there. He falls asleep this time, sleeping peacefully. Anzu gets up, careful not to disturb him, and walk out to the kitchen. Her eyes blur at the sudden light, but she ignores it in favour of her self-appointed mission. She puts together something edible with her mediocre culinary skills, and leaves it in the fridge. She fills a glass with water, and fills it with a few ice cubes. She leaves that, and the cold medicine on the table next to Ryou's bed, along with a note.

Get better soon. I've left cold medicine for you, and food in the fridge. :)

杏

That done, she leaves.

Possible continuation to this in the works.