A/N: So… Why is the spam report thingy right next to the review reply button anyway? I've almost reported several people just because of that… I'm just trying to distract you from the fact that it took me a month to update this again. "A moment of peace" is a title that promises a dull and boring chapter, right? Well, you won't be disappointed. I sort of ran out of steam near the end.

Shattered Crescent

Part Eleven

The painting in the paper bag was the one 'Evening Domino' had contributed to. Bakura was sure Ryou would like it. Maybe the gift would grant him some of the more involved kissing. If only they hadn't been interrupted the last time…

That person, what-was-his-name, Ryou's friend was nothing to worry about. Sure he seemed protective and he would probably have to answer to him if he ever even looked at Ryou the wrong way but he could handle it. He didn't plan to hurt Ryou but he wasn't delusional enough to think that he could avoid doing so. It was in his nature.

Bakura hummed a little as he walked. The sun had set behind the buildings and the streets were dimly lit against the darkness. Night was a good time to be out and about.

In the light of a flickering streetlamp, a figure stood by the front door of Ryou's building. The man lifted his hand to open the door only to shove the hand back into his pocket again. Walking closer and stopping behind the man, Bakura recognized him and after digging his brain for a name, he realized that this was the cop friend of Ryou's. The one whose name he had forgotten the moment it had been told to him. It had something to do with automobiles… And to think, he had just finished thinking about the guy.

Think of the devil and he shall block your path, apparently.

"If you're not going in, step aside so I can," Bakura addressed 'Ryou's friend' who snapped out of the indecisive state he had been in. He turned to face Bakura at top speed, startled, and his frown deepened.

"Oh it's you," 'Ryou's friend' said with poorly hid disdain. "Mikazuki, right? Here to see Bakura?"

"Ryou? Yup." Bakura shifted his weight and pocketed his free hand. It was his knife pocket but he swore it was accidental; he would have put his hand in his pocket even if the paper bag had been in his other hand. He played with the idea of blood spill while his thumb stroked the switch blade handle. The thought was stupid and reckless and easy to push aside.

"You know," 'Ryou's friend' started carefully, as though he had noticed some of the thought flash on Bakura's face. "It's better if you go in there." He jerked his head towards the door behind him. "He really likes you."

Bakura raised a brow at the reluctant confession. "What makes you think so?"

The other smiled. "He doesn't think you're nice." He laughed a few barks. Bakura felt like he had missed the connection between Ryou liking him and not thinking him nice but the other waved the whole thing off. "Never mind, it's just something… never mind."

When you're told to 'never mind' twice, you do as you're told.

'Ryou's friend' stepped away from the door, his face becoming harder again as Bakura moved to go in. "I punched the lights out of this one asshole he was unlucky to go out with once."

"Is that so?" Bakura faced the other to receive the threat he was sure would come.

"Ryou got mad at me, said he could've done it himself."

The small tale took a second to register as it wasn't what Bakura had been expecting. He chuckled, throwing the other a grin. "So, 'hurt him and he'll fuck you up', then?"

'Ryou's friend' smirked back. "Something like that, yeah."

Ryou padded to his door, rubbing the rest of the sleep from his eyes. He felt like he had gotten next to no sleep after getting home from work. The clock on the living room wall he glanced at told that he had hit the bunk about two hours ago.

He unlocked the door and peeked out. His first reaction was a blank stare, then he became very aware of his tangled up hair, wrinkled T-shirt and old pajama bottoms. His face heated up.

"Er… Bakura, what- What are you doing here?" He looked horrid and his apartment was a mess. Not a good time for visitors.

Bakura looked him up and down, raising a brow. "I'm here to see your ever-so gorgeous self, of course."

Ryou was sure he was blushing now, but whether it was out of embarrassment or anger, he couldn't tell. "If you're here just to make fun of me…"

"No, no," Bakura told. "I'm here to cheer you up, honest." He smirked and Ryou found himself smiling back. He was too tired to figure out why. "You looked so down the last time we parted."

"Um, well, I was… just…" What was he trying to say? "I'm sorry if I made you worry."

The other waved it off and Ryou noticed that he had something with him. "I can't say I was worried. I just don't want you to be miserable."

The blush never had the chance to fade. "I wasn't-"

"Shush, I have something for you," Bakura interrupted. The flash of irritation was forgotten as a painting was peeled from the brown bag. Ryou blinked at the painting, mouth falling slightly open. He recognized the painting from before; it was the forest one he had liked. Among the pretty brown, red had been added to bring out a form he hadn't noticed before. A skeleton figure reached out for a small, winged spot of light and as its fingers and hands entered the light's aura, flesh and skin began to grow on them to cover the pinkish white bone.

"Ah, well, I…" Once again, Ryou was unsure what to say. Nothing sensible came to mind. He wondered if it was just him or did Bakura have that effect on people.

"Do you like it?"

"I do… It's beautiful." Ryou reached out after a moment of hesitation, hands shaking despite his efforts to keep them steady. His fingers curled around the edges and he pulled the piece of art to him, holding it close. He offered Bakura a small smile, which was accepted and returned, the flash of a smile short and barely there, though.

"So, can I come in?"

Ryou was hesitant because he wanted to go back to sleep but Bakura didn't wait for his answer. The other slipped past him into the apartment and Ryou was left staring into the empty hallway. The next door neighbor greeted him twice before he had the sense to close the door. He liked Bakura's company but this was a bit much. You didn't just walk right into someone's home, acting like you owned the place.

He located Bakura getting comfortable on his couch in the living room. The man must have seen his irritated expression. "Did I come at a bad time?"

Ryou's eyes narrowed to tinier slits. "Isn't that something you ask before marching right in?"

Bakura seemed to think it through before shrugging it off. He patted the spot next to him and sighed when Ryou didn't budge. "Come sit, you look ready to fall asleep standing."

"I don't sleep too well nowadays," Ryou admitted, standing on his spot a moment longer before giving in. He placed the painting he realized he still clung to leaning against the wall and sat next to Bakura, huffing away his irritation and leaning against the other's shoulder.

"You poor thing." Bakura's other hand, which rested on the backrest behind Ryou, started playing with his hair. "Would I be too far off if I said it has something to do with your job?"

Ryou closed his eyes, just for a bit he told himself. "You guess well…"

"Hm, I know."

The petting of his hair and the even sound of the other's breathing lulled him into a sense of peace that made his eyelids heavier. Bakura said something but Ryou could no longer hear it, too far gone. He snuggled into the other before sleep took over.

His mother's arms wrapped around him and kept him safe. Her soft words turned into a tune he didn't recognize but it was her voice all the same that soothed him deeper into the darkness. Any light would be too bright. Despite the calm, something was amiss. He couldn't remember why he had been sad. Everything was too perfect. He looked up to ask his mother but her eyes weren't hers anymore.

"Bakura…"

The obnoxious ring tone he had chosen in a moment of stupidity brought Ryou out of his dream. Someone huffed in annoyance against his neck and he found that he wasn't just being held, he was half lied on.

"Don't answer it," Bakura breathed into his ear and Ryou was tempted to take that advice but…

"It could be work, I have to." Whenever they called him after hours, the news was always bad. Ryou reached for his phone, making a couple of papers fall from the table before his fingers came to contact with the obnoxious ringing devise. "Hello? Bakura Ryou speaking." He felt more than heard Bakura sigh, the warm breath distracting him.

"Sorry to disturb you but the chief said to give you a heads-up."

Even though Bakura's body heat was still there, Ryou felt a chill. The other had gone still, too, and Ryou realized that he was listening. Whether or not that was inappropriate, Ryou couldn't decide on the spot so he let it go unmentioned.

"We found a new body. Some people from Evening Domino are here, asking for you so… don't come unless you want to be harassed."

"How come they know about the victim already?" He didn't mean to sound angry. Maybe Bakura shouldn't be listening on the call.

"Well, apparently the victim was one of their colleagues. He had missed a few days of work and a coworker… a photographer went for a visit and found… well, everyone will see it in tomorrow's issue."

Ryou closed his eyes to contain his frustration. Figures it would be a photographer… "Is it… I mean, the victim, is he… horrible to look at?" He just hoped the murderer hadn't been creative. The question caused a moment of hesitation.

"…Not much more horrible than the others."

Background noise from the other end interrupted any and all further questions he had. He couldn't really make out what the noise was saying but he thought he heard his name somewhere in the mix.

"Uh, listen, I have to go. The crazy bastards are on to me."

The caller hung up. Ryou let himself be held for a moment longer. It was a comfort he didn't think he deserved.

"I have to get up."

"Going to the station despite the warnings?"

Ryou shook his head. "Not yet. I need to look at my notes." He wasn't sure how would that help but he needed an excuse to get up and do something. He no longer remembered why he was tired in the first place, the reason had lost its meaning and been chased away by the call to get something done. Bakura's arm held him at place and as nice as it was to be held, right now Ryou wanted to get away. "Bakura, please."

"It'll do no good."

"I can't just lie around and do nothing!" Ryou snapped in a spout of anger. The coffee table was still a mess and as long as he was trapped against the couch he could do nothing about it.

"So you want to do something pointless instead," Bakura said, the condescending tone only agitating Ryou more. "I think I you need some more sleep."

"I don't care what you think. I need to- Let me up." It was useless to struggle; if Bakura didn't want him to move, he would stay right where he was. One more thing to his list of things he couldn't control.

Bakura was silent but didn't budge. From the corner of his eye, Ryou saw that the other looked serious, almost insulted. Had he said something wrong? A frustrated sigh escaped him and he closed his eyes to help him calm down. "Why are you so difficult?"

The other snorted. "I'm not the only one."

Ryou rolled his eyes because he knew Bakura couldn't see it. He wasn't difficult, ask anybody! Except maybe Honda since he would probably agree… The annoyed pause ended when Bakura continued. "You said My name while you slept. I thought you were awake but…" He rose to lean on his elbows so he could look Ryou in the eye. "Did you dream of Me?" he grinned, "Was it nice and dirty?"

Despite how the dream had been anything but, Ryou felt his face grow warm. "Nice and dirty…?"

"Yeah. Just out of curiosity, who was on top?"

Ryou swatted at the other from his compromising position. "You're horrible!"

Bakura grinned further. "Oh yes, quite. But that's what you're falling for, isn't it? I'm not nice at all." And then he kissed him, sudden and none too gentle. Ryou didn't have much time to think about his words but he was quite sure he wasn't falling. He was melting.

Hiroto wondered if letting Mikazuki comfort Ryou had been a good idea. Judging from the short glimpse he had of Ryou that morning… It could be just stress, caused by the latest turn of events, but Ryou looked so worn. If Mikazuki had anything to do with it, Hiroto might just have to strangle him.

He had heard about the new victim, someone had told that he had his hand nailed to a wall. Not a pretty sight. The picture had been on the front page of a special issue of 'Evening Domino'. The police weren't happy about it and the city folk were scared shitless. Hiroto didn't know how Ryou had reacted. He had seen more horrible things but trouble was piling up on him. Ryou didn't react too well to things piling up, Hiroto knew from experience. He felt it his duty to prevent the other from reaching his breaking point but Ryou didn't agree. He dealt with things on his own because that was how it had always been.

Lunch time was ticking by and since his troublesome friend hadn't emerged to go and get something to eat yet, Hiroto decided that he would bring something for him. If he went and asked what Ryou wanted, the other would just say that he wasn't that hungry so the best plan of action was to barge right in and drop the food under his nose. Ryou would eat it because Hiroto had already gone through the trouble of getting it for him.

He passed the missing persons wall and wouldn't have noticed a fallen paper hadn't he stepped on it. The name rang a bell even before he remembered Ryou mentioning it. That Ishtar lady's brother stared at him from the picture. All the Ishtars he had seen had an eerie eye color it seemed but he didn't like the expression in those eyes either. He stuck the ad back onto the wall, making sure it would stay there so he wouldn't run into it again.

Pondering what would Ryou like for lunch, Hiroto headed out. The closest lunch spot wasn't far, which was a good thing that afternoon as the sky threatened with rain. He sighed, watching the heavy clouds roll ahead. Hadn't the weather been bad enough already?

"Are you Bakura Ryou?"

Ryou's eyes rose from his stuff and found a young man standing by the door with a brown envelope.

"Um, yes… Yes, I am."

"Right, sign here," the man held out a pen and clipboard.

Ryou had no idea who the delivery could be from. The sender was printed on the corner of the envelope. KaibaCorp. Ryou frowned and made sure the package was for him, that there hadn't been some mistake. His own name was printed on the brown surface so it was safe to rip open and to pull out the thin file inside. A letter fell out with the file. It was neutral, computer typed and to-the-point.

Bakura Ryou,

The KaibaCorp inner investigation team looked into the case of the murdered employee. The file contains the gathered facts and speculations we want to share with the Domino City Police. We wish You to look through them first. KaibaCorp does not wish to interfere with the police investigation and this information is meant to back up any and all information the police has gathered.

KaibaCorp management

Ryou read the letter a couple of times to decide what it meant. Why would they want him to see it first? The "KaibaCorp management", whatever that meant, claimed they didn't want to interfere with the investigation but this was interfering. Just the knowledge that KaibaCorp was interested in the case would have an effect. No one said it out loud but KaibaCorp more or less owned Domino. Many living in the city worked for the company, and the ones who didn't work directly under KaibaCorp, worked for someone who relied on the steady flow of currency KC brought for Domino.

The rest of the contents of the envelope were less formal. The notes were more organized than his and a tad bit more professional. A quick glance over the material didn't reveal anything shocking and Ryou wondered if there was some hidden point in this he couldn't see.

"I don't see the point in us meddling with the police affairs," Seto informed his brother who had come into the office waving around some papers and told that he had formed something called "KaibaCorp inner investigation team". The fact that even his brother was working behind his back didn't make him too happy.

"I'm not meddling," Mokuba told, sitting down and leaning over the desk like they were involved in a conspiracy. "Listen, some evidence pointed at a couple of guys and their tracks led to an establishment called 'Devil's Lair'."

An eyebrow rose but otherwise Seto made sure to appear as uninterested as he could. "And?"

"I've head of it from Bakura. Not a place for small, unarmed children, his words not mine."

Seto picked up the documents Mokuba threw at his poor defenseless desk. It didn't surprise him that Mikazuki knew something about this. The annoyance said he knew everything and Seto had long ago stopped wasting his energy on doubting him.

"I'm just disappointed that the Domino City Police hasn't figured this out yet," Mokuba continued when his brother didn't comment. "That's why I sent the info to that Bakura Ryou guy first."

Seto 'hmph'ed, not looking up from the papers. "The funny coincidence is that he's also Mikazuki's new play thing."

This was new information to Mokuba, judging by his surprised expression. "You think that has something to do with all this?"

"Wouldn't that be interesting." Though, if Bakura Ryou was the same person he had met at the art exhibition a while back, he couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. If he ever found the time, Seto decided to go see for himself what was so special about the boy.

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