Title: Winter Solstace

Genre: romance, drama

Rating: T for language

Pairings: BakuraXRyou

Summary: Bakura and Ryou have been friends since they were little. But when Ryou is chosen to be the King, Bakura is less than happy. Why? Because the King, in order to stay pure, must lose his memories of everyone who ever meant anything to him. And for Ryou, that means forgetting Bakura...

Me: This is a sad one!

Lucy: It really really is!

Me: Bakura and Ryou are really close friends (coughloverscough)...

Lucy: And Ryou becomes the King, which means that he has to forget everything he knew before he was King!

Me: Meaning, he has to forget that he ever knew Bakura!

Lucy: Please read on!

Chapter One: Winter Solstace

"Ha ha! You're kidding!"

"No, I'm serious!"

"Ha ha ha! Bakura, you're insane!"

The two silverettes, Bakura and Ryou, threw themselves to the ground and lay still. Both of them had been best friends since they were very little. Little enough to giggle, one village woman had told them.

Both Bakura and Ryou had silver hair, chopped into spikes that ended around their chests. Bakura's hair was more wild than Ryou's, and both had soft brown eyes. They were both pale skinned, like albinoes.

Bakura leaned his head against Ryous as they laid still.

"Ryou, thanks for staying with me today," Bakura whispered. Ryou smiled and gently took Bakura's hand within his own. He gave it a squeeze before closing his eyes and leaning his head back against Bakura's as they lay in the grassy field, right outside the village.

Round we go

The world is spinning

Bakura looked as Ryou started singing. He closed his eyes and looked away. "Ryou, enough of that. You don't have to sing that song," he said. Ryou grinned and shook his head before looking away and closing his eyes.

He inhaled, and Bakura knew that he was getting ready to start once again.

When it stops

It's just beginning

Sun comes out

We live and we cry

Bakura thought about that for a few moments. He was listening to this. He has heard it once before, and he had heard Ryou's mother sing it before she was killed. She told Ryou to sing it, and it would return memories long lost.

Sun goes down

And then we all die.

Bakura looked away and sighed. He gave Ryou's hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it, and then he looked to the bright sky. 'Lovely. But not nearly as much as Ryou is...' he thought before kissing the silverette's cheek.

Ryou blushed and clung to the silverette.

"Bakura..." he inhaled. The silverette clung to him and kissed Ryou's neck and his cheek as many times as he could before planting a small kiss on Ryou's lips. The two battled for dominance, in which Bakura won.

The taller male started removing Ryou's top, slowly lowering it. Ryou was dressed in brown rags, like a dress, so Bakura had to slide it down, exposing Ryou's pale shoulders. Ryou moaned into the kiss as he started to have his clothing removed.

After a few moments, a shadow loomed over them.

Bakura broke the kiss and looked up, seeing a man on a horse standing before he and Ryou.

The silverette climbed from Ryou and sat up, narrowing his eyes. Ryou sat up and started to fix his clothes. The man on the horse leaped off and took a single step forward. Bakura could see the fire in the man's eyes, and he knew that it meant business.

"Who are you?" the silverette snapped.

The man was silent, and he came forward. He kneeled down and took Ryou by the arm, dragging him upward. Ryou moaned in pain.

"We have been waiting, Your Majesty," the man said. He dragged Ryou to his feet and started taking him to the horse. Ryou struggled and bit, shouting and sobbing. He made a reach for Bakura, who was still behind.

"No! Let go of me! Bakura!!" he pleaded.

Bakura gasped. "No!!" he roared, making a dive for the armored man. The armored man turned and slammed his fist forward, catching Bakura by the throat.

He then brought the struggling boy closer, a smirk on his lips. "You're in way over your head," he said before hurling the silverette to the ground. Bakura hit it with a thud and moaned in pain.

Ryou gasped in horror and made a dash for Bakura, but the man placed him on the horse and climbed aboard. The man turned to Bakura and snickered evilly.

"I'll let you live today. But rest assured. If I meet you ever again messing up our plans, your death will occur," he said before running off. Ryou made one last readh for Bakura, tears pouring from his brown eyes.

"BAKURA!!!" he shouted.

Bakura waited hours before his strength returned. His eyes hadn't opened, but once his strength came, he was able to slowly open his eyes. The memories of previous events happened, and Bakura snarled before leaping to his feet.

He made a mad dash for the Castle.

Since the man was in armor that Bakura had seen men from the castle wearing, he knew exactly where to find Ryou. He would be at the castle, probably being tortured by those horrible men into giving them whatever they wanted.

And with Ryou's looks, it was probably his body they wanted.

'You won't lay a finger on him!' Bakura shouted in his mind.

He soared through the large, gothic city, looking for any sign of where Ryou was. There was a chance that Ryou was still in the city, though it was more likely that he was in the castle. He gave up and raced to the castle.

Somehow escaping the sight of the guards, Bakura went and raced to the highest balcony in the kingdom. He could sense Ryou in there. He wasn't sure of how or why, but he could tell that Ryou was in the high tower.

Once Bakura reached it, he threw the door open.

"Ryou!" he shouted in horror.

A figure standing near the window slowly turned. Bakura saw that the figure had a crown on his head, made of gold, and he was dressed in very royal clothes. He wore poofy sleeves, and Bakura could see that the man had long hair.

Once the figure came into sight, Bakura's heart stopped.

"R-Ryou..."

Ryou blinked a few times at the sight of the man before him.

"Do I.... know you?" he asked.

Bakura felt his heart skip, and then Ryou narrowed his eyes before stepping forward. The light was bad, so he wasn't able to see. Once he got closer, his eyes widened, and tears filled the brim of his eyes.

"B-Bakura!!" he sobbed, throwing himself against the silverette.

Bakura gasped before lacing his arms around Ryou's waist, drawing him close. The silverette held Ryou in his arms, whispering calming words to him. Ryou cried his eyes out onto the shirt that Bakura wore, ruining it, but Bakura didn't care.

Ryou was safe.

"I see you've found the king," a voice called.

Bakura looked up and spotted two egyptian males, no bigger than ten inches tall, floating before him. Both males had orange butterfly wings, and they were both dressed in white and black clothing. Both had lavender eyes and platinum blonde hair.

"Who are you?" Bakura asked.

"I am Marik," the wilder of the two faeries said. He pointed to the tamer one. "And this is my light side, Malik. We are the servants of the previous King," Marik said. Bakura tilted his head in confusion.

"Previous King?" he asked. Malik nodded.

"Aye. You see, our King has died, due to his ancient age. His death was recent, as you know," he said. Bakura nodded. "Which is why we needed a new King. However, we saw your friend Ryou, and he is very pure. He will make a great King."

Bakura was shocked.

They wanted to make Ryou into the King. Bakura thought that Ryou would be honored to become a ruler, and Bakura thought it would be interesting if he became that way. To be in love with a King would be strange.

But he didn't see a downside yet.

"However," Malik started. "If Ryou is to become the King, and he has already been chosen, he will have to be pure. And to stay pure, there are... prices that must be paid and given up to the gods," the egyptian faeries said.

Bakura tilted his head in confusion. None of this was getting through to him.

"It means," Malik started. "That Ryou will have to surrender his memories. All the happy times he's had with you, gone. He will forget you and never remember who you are," he said. The silverette gasped in horror.

Ryou was going to lose his memories? No! He wouldn't let that happen!

"But, he will get them back when he retires as the King," Marik explained.

Bakura shook his head violently. "No! You can't force him to do this! You can't just... seal away his memories and make him forget all the happiness that he has! I won't allow it!" the silverette shouted. He laced his arms around Ryou and yanked him closer.

Bakura took Ryou's crown from his head and hurled it to the ground. It skittered until it stopped before the small faeries.

"Tell your 'King' that we'll have nothing to do with him," Bakura snapped before turning and bringing Ryou down the tower stairs. He heard Malik and Marik sigh before picking up the crown, using both their strengths.

Bakura heard Malik's last words before they vanished down the tower.

"You can run. But fate has been decided. We are so sorry."

Ryou still clung to Bakura, as the sun started setting.

They were far within the city, and Bakura had no plan of letting Ryou go anytime soon. He had clung to him since the moment they escaped the palace and went past the guards.

They hadn't been spotted, but it had been close.

Ryou leaned back and looked up to Bakura.

"'Kura? What will I do? I don't want to forget you," Ryou whispered. Bakura frowned and wrapped his arms around Ryou's waist, drawing him as close as he could. Ryou blushed and leaned into the embrace.

"I won't let them," Bakura said before letting Ryou go. He smiled.

"I'll come back tomorrow, okay?" he said. Ryou nodded and beamed. He kissed Bakura good night before turning and going into the hut where he lived. Once he was inside, Bakura turned and started heading for his own hut.

But he couldn't stop thinking about Ryou.

'No matter what, no one will take away his memories,' he thought before vanishing inside the hut.

The Next Morning...

Bakura stormed through the city, snarling angrily, fists clenched.

He had found Ryou's hut torn and slashed, with notes from the castle guards. Most were threats to Bakura, but the silverette ignored them and stormed for the palace. He had to get there before Ryou's mind was wiped.

And then he would vanish.

"Ryou!" Bakura shouted as he kicked down the door to the Coronation room. Several guards whirled around in anger, their hands flying to their spears and swords.

"Hey, you can't be in here!" they shouted.

Bakura raced up and shoved them aside, stamping up to the throne, where the elders of the village were sitting. There was a figure near them, on the throne, and then the figure stood.

Bakura saw the figure and recognized him.

It was Ryou.

He was decked out more than he had been the day before, but it was definately Ryou. He seemed a little confused however, and he hadn't seen Bakura yet. He was looking towards the elders, who talked to him in foreign languages.

Ryou nodded slowly as he listened to the words. Bakura smiled, happy that Ryou was still okay.

"Ryou!" he called.

The king glanced up and then looked down at Bakura. He stood up and walked down, looking cheerful and happy. He wasn't smiling, but there was something about his face that seemed very calming, as if he was happy.

Once he stopped before Bakura, he peered into the taller man's eyes. Bakura gulped. Something wasn't right.

Ryou examined Bakura's face a bit more before he tilted his head and gave Bakura an innocent look that reminded the village boy of a small kitten begging for milk. It was too cute, but then Ryou's mouth opened and he spoke.

"Who are you?"

The words were like thousands of daggers in Bakura's heart.

He stumbled back a few inches, breath coming in ragged gasps. His brown eyes widened, and he looked into Ryou's eyes. He gasped when he found that they were pitch black instead of doe brown, the color Bakura had fallen in love with.

Bakura reached forward and caught Ryou's shoulders, squeezing them roughly. Since Ryou's memories had been wiped, he didn't know of pain.

"Ryou..." Bakura breathed in horror. Ryou stared into his eyes again. The souless black abyss mixing with wide brown eyes.

"Who are you?" Ryou asked again.

"D-don't say that! Please don't say it!" Bakura begged, dropping to his knees, his hands sliding to the hem of Ryou's waist.

Ryou tilted his head in confusion and looked down at Bakura. Something in his mind was clicking, but nothing added together. This man seemed so familiar, yet the new King was not able to place the name of him.

His memories were too far gone.

Bakura shuddered, tears threatening to fall within any moment. His body shook, and he hugged Ryou around the waist, crying hard.

"Please don't say that, Ryou..." he whispered.

If Ryou was scared or freaked out, he showed nothing. Not an emotion crossed his soulless eyes. He reached down and touched Bakura's shoulder, then tilted his chin up so that Bakura's tear-stained face was looking into his.

Ryou breathed gently.

"Who are you?" he whispered. Bakura moaned in sorrow and dropped to his knees, sobbing into his hands. He had never felt this broken before, and he didn't know why. He knew that it was about Ryou, but he never imagined these words to hurt like this.

One of the servants slowly went near Bakura. "Sir, he is our new king. His memories were erased," he said. Bakura sobbed harder at those horrible words. "But, he will get his memories back once he retires as the King. In about forty years, his memories will be returned to him," the servant said.

Bakura frowned and stood up. He wiped his eyes and went to Ryou.

Ryou felt Bakura's hand slide up his shoulder and then go to his cheek. The silverette glanced up, and saw Bakura's solemn face.

"Ryou, do you really not-" Bakura choked back a sob. "-recognize me?" he whispered. Ryou tilted his head in confusion and opened up his lips once again.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Bakura frowned and shook his head. "That answers it," he said.

The silverette leaned forward and looked into Ryou's eyes. They held no emotion. He knew that Ryou had forgotten everything. His emotions, the moments he and Bakura had spent, their love.

It was all gone.

Bakura frowned and leaned forward, placing his lips against Ryou's. The king didn't know what he was feeling, but he felt like this was right. He waited a few moments before Bakura drew back. The silverette stepped back slowly.

He looked to Ryou and frowned. "Ryou, I love you. So much more than I've loved anyone before. You mean the world to me, and even if you don't remember, I will love you for eternity," he whispered.

Bakura then turned his back and looked to the sky.

"I wish you the best of luck. Because I can't promise I will be here when your memories return," he whispered again. The silverette stepped towards the palace exit, and then he turned and frowned, tears burning his eyes.

The servants were silent, and Ryou, who was still confused, didn't speak a word. Bakura sobbed softly.

"I love you, Ryou. Farewell," he said.

And with that, the silverette village boy vanished from the castle and into the city.

The servants were silent, and then they turned to Ryou, who was staring at the door. Once of the servants went up and placed a hand on Ryou's shoulder, a false grin on his face. He didn't want the King to know there was something wrong.

"Not to worry, Your Majesty. That man will never bother you aga- Your Majesty!?"

At the sound of the servant shouting, the others turned and gasped at what they saw. In all their years, no king had ever done what Ryou was doing. They all lost their emotions, it was not possible to do what he was doing.

Tears were sliding down Ryou's cheeks.

He didn't know why, but his heart was hurting. After that man had left, Ryou's heart hurt. As if it had just been stabbed. He didn't know why, but all he could so was allow the tears to pour from his black-colored eyes and stream down his cheeks. And left himself to mourn the lover he could not remember.

Three Years Later....

"Make way for the royal guards!"

The sky was dark, threatening rain. The message rang through the town, clear as day, despite the thick clouds.

Many citizens started bawling as the guards brought something to the center of town and set it down. They moved aside so that everyone could see what it was. Many women screamed and cried, while children mourned.

Elders bowed their heads in respect. Men took off their hats and held their heads down, tears snaking from their eyes.

Bakura, now nineteen years old, came from the crowd, covered in a cloak. He was a mess. His hair was messy (he hadn't brushed it ever since), and he had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. His face was also tear-stained.

'What's going on?' he wondered as he made his way to the front of the crowd. Once he saw what had happened, his heart skipped several beats, and his eyes went wide. He could have sworn that he died and then came back to life in an instant.

Laying before him, on a casket, was Ryou.

The king had his arms folded over his chest, his eyes closed weakly. His skin was pale, as if he were covered in dust, and his lips parted slightly. Bakura expected him to leap up and shout 'Boo!', and that this was all a cruel joke.

But the lack of breath disproved his denial.

Ryou had died.

Bakura flung himself to the ground before the casket and screamed. Tears poured from his eyes, and he continued screaming. The rain came and soaked everyone, and some people held him in their arms, trying to calm Bakura down.

It took hours for him to stop crying.

When he heard the guards speaking, he caught one part that talked about why Ryou died.

"He died because of a broekn heart. He didn't remember why, but... Not being with his lover killed him inside and eventually, he lost his will to live," the guard said. Bakura gasped and covered his eyes, remembering what he ahd said to Ryou.

'Oh, Ra, it's all my fault...' he sobbed.

Once again, his screams restarted.

Bakura hadn't left his hut.

He left once or twice a month to get fresh food, but mostly, he sat in the hut and hummed the song that Ryou sang often. The silverette went once or twice to Ryou's grave, where he would sink to his knees and shout.

He'd always ask why Ryou died, or why he didn't come to Bakura earlier. He would shout things that weren't Ryou's fault, but mostly, he'd say how much he loved him. He also said that he would not die, since he knew Ryou would want him to live long.

But it was so hard to do.

Bakura sat in the hut and closed his eyes, feeling tears form again.

He was shocked that he had any left, since he had thought he cried them all in the last sixteen years. He was a young thirty-five year old man, and he was amazed that he could still cry the way that he was able to.

"Ryou..." he whispered.

Suddenly, a soft knock came to his door.

Bakura weakly stood and wobbled towards the door. His hand snaked to the handle, and he gently opened the door. The sun burned his eyes, but once he got used to it, he gasped at what he saw right before him.

Ryou.

Bakura gasped and backed up, covering his eyes. Ryou followed him with a kind smile. "Bakura..." he breathed, reaching out towards the elder silverette.

Bakura shook his head and covered his ears, sinking to his knees. He cried and held his head.

"No, it's an illusion. G-go away! You've cause me enough pain! Lord, take this apparition from me! Don't torture me anymore! I'm begging!" the silverette sobbed.

Ryou frowned and went to Bakura's side and hugged him.

Ryou drew back softly and smiled. "I'm no apparition. I'm a reincarnation. I just have all my previous memories. And I mean all of them," he said. Bakura gasped and gently held Ryou.

"T-then sing the song you sang," he said.

He had to be certain. Ryou grinned and held Bakura in an embrace. He closed his eyes and gently rocked them both back and forth, his eyes closed softly ad gently.

Round we go

The world is spinning

Bakura's eyes widened. It sounded exactly like Ryou when he would lay in the fields and sing to Bakura. He felt his heart skipping, and he wanted to hold the silverette, but he had to be certain that it was Ryou.

When it stops

It's just beginning

Sun comes out

We live and we cry

Sun goes down

And then we all die.

Bakura cried out in happiness and joy. He cried and held Ryou close. "It is you!" he sobbed. Ryou smiled and held his close, closing his eyes and rocking him gently back and forth. He smiled and then whispered.

"Yes. And this time.... I'm not going anywhere."

Me: Ryou came back! (The song Ryou sang was what Samara from the Ring sang)

Lucy: And when he started crying after Bakura left, even if he didn't remember him, that means that he still loved him, even if he didn't remember!

Me: Oh, that's so sweet XD

Lucy: Please tell us what your favorite parts in this were. We love hearing them!

Me: Please comment nicely, everyone!

Lucy: Please review and we'll update soon!