Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Wow...I don't think I've ever posted a chapter this long...ever.
This is a gift in exchange for bearing with me during these short chapters!
Within a month of the duel disk being debugged, the tournament was announced and set into motion. Kaiba himself came out to duel and Ryo followed him, wearing a light blue hoodie this time, since it was in the middle of the winter (they're by the ocean, so there's no snow). She shivered a little and watched her boyfriend walk along the streets like it was a summer day, save he was wearing long sleeves. She pouted as she felt the cat ears on the hoodie and complained, "Seto-kun, why cat ears?"
"Ever since I glued your hair into cat ears, I decided that they suit you best, Ryo-neko."
"'Neko' isn't an honorific, Seto-kun."
"It suits you."
She held herself as a wind blew through the alleyway they were walking through and moved closer to Kaiba. "How can you walk around in these temperatures with only a thin shirt and sleeveless trench coat on? I'm freezing."
"I told you to get a coat, but you didn't listen."
"The coat you got me isn't good for my image."
"And this hoodie is better?"
She blushed, which was hidden by the flush already in her cheeks. "At least it isn't purple."
"It isn't purple, it's indigo."
His lapel beeped and he pressed it. "Yes?"
"Kaiba-sama, we've located an Egyptian God Card being played."
"Excellent. I'll move to an open location so you can pick me up in the chopper."
"Yes, Kaiba-sama."
"Seto-kun, you know going up high makes me hurt."
"You'll have to endure it for now. Come on, we have to hurry or else the duel will be over and we'll lose the signal."
He took her by the wrist and they jogged to an open area, where a helicopter landed and they got in. She held her stomach as they went up in the air, wincing as she murmured in English, "I hate Braxton Hicks' Contractions…"
Kaiba turned to her and answered, "You should be fine," in perfect English.
Her eyes widened and she ducked her head. "I didn't know you could understand me."
He smirked. "Every word."
"I guess my habit of speaking English when I'm talking to myself won't work when you're listening."
"About as effective as speaking Japanese."
They landed to see Yami about to concede his defeat and Kaiba insisted that he not give up.
"Do you think there is a way to win against an Egyptian God Card?" Ryo asked in English, half-hidden behind Kaiba so her pregnant stomach wasn't visible. A chill ran down her spine at the sight of Yami's opponent.
/That man is a cold-blooded murderer,\\ Bakura surmised. /If his master ordered it, he would kill us all in an instant. Do you want me to come out?\\
/Yes.\
Bakura took over and didn't react as Kaiba replied in English, "There is, and we'll see if Yugi will figure it out before he's defeated."
For a fleeting moment, the puppet's eyes met Bakura's, but went to Yami again as the Puzzle spirit played the card that won the duel for him. He caused his opponent to draw out, and Yami took the Egyptian God Card, The Sky Dragon Osiris, and a locator card.
"You may have defeated me in this duel, Pharaoh, but I still have the upper hand! I'm in position to take your friends under my control. Who would be better? Jonouchi? Or Anzu-chan?"
"Leave my friends alone, Marik!" Yami shouted.
"No matter how fast you run, it will be too late for you to save them!"
With that, the nameless man fell over.
Yami shot up and began to run, but Kaiba called, "Yugi, now that the God Card is yours, I challenge you to a duel for it!"
"Now is not the time for a duel, Kaiba!" the spirit of the Puzzle argued. "My friends are in danger, and I won't abandon them!"
He sprinted out of sight, and Kaiba crossed his arms. "It's against tournament rules to run away from a challenge. If it had been anyone but Yugi, I would've disqualified them."
They began following Yami at a more sedate pace, Bakura aware that they were being watched. He spotted Ghouls spying on them and knew until they were back in the air, he couldn't let Ryo have control back. She was too fragile at this time and Kaiba would kill him if he allowed her to come to harm.
While Kaiba and Yami double-dueled the Ghouls Umbra and Lumis, Bakura sensed a Millennium Item and took out his Ring. Its pointers rose to the west, towards Domino Pier. He raised his eyebrows, then blocked Ryo out, which was his standard procedure for when he was on the hunt for an Item. He glanced back at Kaiba, who was distracted by the duel.
He might not get this chance again, so he headed in that direction.
It took him very little time to get there on foot, but when his Ring led him to a warehouse, he was cautious as he opened the large door. He peered into the darkness and stepped inside, his eyes adjusting almost instantly. He saw a boat inside and standing at the port side was a young man around Ryo's age. He held the Millennium Rod and was looking straight at Bakura.
"Well, well. It seems that you've sniffed me out."
"Child's play with my Millennium Ring."
"So you can speak Japanese."
Marik extended the gangplank from the boat and walked down. "What brings you here?"
"I want your Millennium Rod, so hand it over."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, and now that you're here, I can't let you leave, since I'm sure you're one of the Pharaoh's allies."
He pulled out a long gold knife from the end of the Millennium Rod and flipped it to a fighting position before lunging. Bakura drew out Ryo's pocketknife and flipped it open, only to see the disadvantage in length and sharpness.
/Ryo, if you could hear me right now, I curse you to the darkest depths of the Shadow Realm for not getting a better fighting knife. I might just lose this fight because you hate knives!\\
They dodged and weaved, both very skilled, but when Bakura connected with Marik's chin, it barely grazed the skin. Marik laughed and jumped, slashing at Bakura, who held up the knife as a shield, but it cut deep across his wrist. It instantly began to gush blood and he stumbled, holding a hand over the wound. Marik came over and grinned.
"Give up?"
"Curse you."
"I take that as a yes."
The blonde tomb keeper grasped Bakura's hair and dragged him over to the boat, dropping him on the deck. "Stay here while I kill the Pharaoh using his best friends against him. Kaiba also seemed riled when you weren't behind him anymore. How lucky for me that you decided to seek me out."
Bakura pulled out a handkerchief and tied it tightly around his injury. As Marik concentrated on the duel, he slipped away, staggering from the loss of blood. If he didn't hurry over, he'd have the trouble of having to deal with a miscarriage and he didn't want to expose Ryo to that. She'd just about die if he let her babies bleed out before she did. In his rush to escape, he opened back up to Ryo, who felt the pain right away.
/Ow! What happened, Bakura?\
/I can't speak with you at the time being, I'm escaping.\\
/From what?\
/Marik.\\
/I guess your hunt didn't go so well.\
He found the spot of Domino Pier that Kaiba was and a Ghoul holding Mokuba hostage. He rolled his eyes and pressed the "KC" on the cat hoodie's collar. "Kaiba, don't react, but I'm behind you. Once everything is under control, I'll need your help."
He saw Kaiba's back tense but he didn't react otherwise. He knew he'd be in for a tongue-lashing when Kaiba saw the bleeding. He tied a tourniquet around his upper arm to slow the blood flow, although it still dripped to the ground from his fingertips. He sat on pins and needles as the duel went on, and kept a wary eye on the Ghoul who still held Mokuba hostage. If he wasn't incapacitated, he would've dropped that Ghoul in a second, blunt knife or not.
The duel finally ended, and Kaiba took down the Ghoul. He then looked around, just as Bakura dropped to his knees. He ran to the white-haired boy and saw the blood dripping from his wrist. He lifted him and barked, "Mokuba! Call for a helicopter right away! We're going to the location of the finals!"
Jonouchi and Yugi saw the weak figure in Kaiba's arms and ran over. "Bakura!"
Bakura kept his wounded arm away from Ryo's concerned friends and grimaced as Kaiba carried him over to the helicopter.
"Hey Kaiba! Let us take care of Bakura! He should go to the hospital!" Jonouchi insisted.
Kaiba shook his head. "I have a better medical facility than the hospital. You losers can walk to the finals, I'm going there post haste."
He shut the door and the helicopter lifted off, Bakura cussing in Egyptian as Ryo broke through the mental shield and took over. She gasped in agony as she held her arm, before she squeezed her eyes shut. "I do hope these are Braxton Hicks' Contractions again, because it sure hurts…"
/Ryo! Let me back out! You can't handle the pain you'll have to go through to fix that gash on your wrist!\\ Bakura yelled, struggling against Ryo's hold on her body.
/When it comes to this pain, women aren't babies compared to men,\ she answered.
/RYO!\\
/No,\ she deadpanned. /I'm doing this. I have to prove I can be strong too.\
She grabbed Kaiba's hand as she began sweating, the pain cresting before ebbing. She held back her tears, only for Kaiba to comment, "I think my hand just went numb."
She loosened her hold and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. That one hurt more than the others I've experienced whenever we flew in a helicopter."
He shook his head with a fond smile. "Squeeze my hand all you want, if it makes you feel even marginally better."
Mokuba, who was riding in the front seat with the pilot, turned back when he heard their conversation. "Nii-sama, you know what Bakura-kun's saying?"
"Yes Mokuba," Kaiba replied. "He's speaking British-English, so his accent is very different from American-English."
"Do you think I could learn how to speak it? I want to know what you two are talking about."
"No, we're speaking about something you don't need to know about right now. Besides, Bakura doesn't like it when he finds out someone understands him when most people here don't know much English, let alone the dialect the British speak."
"So he was surprised when you answered him the first time?"
"Yes."
Ryo lowered her head as she listened, her cheeks red. "I'd rather that Mokuba not learn, these are our private conversations about our babies, after all."
Kaiba nodded.
"Kaiba-sama," the pilot announced, "we're about to land in the location the finals are to be held."
"Good. Land carefully, we have a critical patient here."
Ryo hardly felt the bump before Kaiba lifted her again. He carried her promptly to a blimp that had just set down, showing his six locator cards to Roland. He handed both Kaiba and Mokuba key cards to their rooms, and Kaiba rushed inside, going to the infirmary, where the doctor looked up in alarm at the blood that ran down Ryo's hand. He assessed the damage and nodded, going to work, first numbing the area with painkillers then beginning to sew expertly. Ryo looked away and kept conscious this time. She clenched her uninjured hand as she felt the pain again, a single tear escaping her eye.
The doctor was confused when he saw her pained face and asked, "Are you feeling alright, Bakura-san? Do you still feel pain from your injury?"
She shook her head before looking to Kaiba in question. He cut off all the cameras in the room and answered, "You have the privilege of finding out Ryo-chan's secret. He's actually a she, and she might be in premature labor."
"Oh! I'm sorry, Bakura-san! I'll finish this promptly before checking to see if this is true!"
She nodded in thanks, and Kaiba sat next to her, holding her good hand. "You'll be alright, no matter what happens."
When her wrist was wrapped securely in bandages and she was given a blood transfusion, the doctor hooked her up to a monitor that beeped when she was having a labor pain. He also connected her to an ultrasound machine that was over her stomach so he wouldn't have to use a probe to monitor the fetus' condition. He looked at the picture just as the labor monitor beeped. When it stopped and Ryo relaxed, he nodded. "This is actual labor. How far along are you?"
Ryo looked at the ceiling as she counted. "Thirty-two weeks."
"That's safe enough to deliver the twins. Usually that's when they should be delivered in the first place, so you're lucky. Well, let's get this show on the road."
/You're going to have fun explaining to everyone, especially if they look like Kaiba.\\
/I'll get to that stepping stone after they're born. Now shush, I need to concentrate.\
/Have fun.\\
/Let's see you deliver twins and not pass out right after.\
/Unfortunately, I lack the anatomy to deliver them.\\
/I still think it's weird that I'm your reincarnation, yet I'm female while you're male. How did that happen?\
Bakura mentally shrugged. /Random chance. At least that didn't apply to the Pharaoh and his host.\\
/A female Yugi would've been funny.\
"Bakura-san, push!"
She gasped and gritted her teeth. /Really, this time, shush.\
/I get it, unless you want to take hours and hours to deliver.\\
First she delivered a white-haired boy with cerulean eyes who looked more like Kaiba, then another boy who looked more like her with brown hair and sky blue eyes. Kaiba held them first, the look in his eyes positively smug. She smiled at him as the doctor washed her clean of all fluids and the gel from her sweaty hair. She relaxed as a machine worked her stomach until it was flat again. She was given a blue-and-white striped t-shirt and a light blue shirt over it, which matched her style better than the kitty hoodie. She still had a KC symbol below the fold of her collar, but she didn't care, she belonged to Kaiba and now that their babies had been born, their bond was even deeper.
"Welcome into the world, Kaiba Akio and Kaiba Fuyuki," he almost cooed, then grinned at Ryo, who's eyes widened.
"Does that mean we're going to get married soon?" she whispered.
"Of course. I wouldn't have my children not have both parents. How are you going to manage keeping your male persona going when we now have two children?"
"Bakura asked me the same thing. I'll get to that stepping stone when it happens. Until then, would you hide them in your room while I rest? I'm tired from all that."
"You're just lucky that there's a secret passageway to my room."
"Yep. Now get going, I can hear my friends coming."
"What about your hair?"
"Do you think Yugi's hair doesn't have gel in it?"
"Good point."
After that, Kaiba stood and walked the pair of newborns through the secret door, just as the other door opened. Her friends came running in, Yugi in front.
"Bakura!"
She smiled and waved with her good hand. "Hey guys."
Yugi sat at her bedside and stared at her hair. "It's flat…I've never seen your hair flat before."
"Don't tell me you don't put gel in your hair every morning too."
/He has to,\\ Bakura added. /We used different things in Ancient Egypt.\\
Yugi scratched his head. "Well…yeah…I do, but I didn't think your hair, being so complex, would be so flat when the gel was washed out."
"I'd bet your hair looks worse."
Jonouchi sniggered. "Of course! I've seen his hair when it gets wet!"
Honda grinned. "It's hilarious! It's just a mess of pink, black and blonde!"
Anzu smacked them both on the back of the head. "Like you two don't put gel in your hair!"
"You can't achieve this kind of volume without some mousse!" the blonde protested.
"Ow, Anzu! You don't have to hit me because of some argument over gel!" the brunette boy chimed.
Ryo smiled and asked, "So, who're the finalists?"
"Me, of course," Yugi began. "Jonouchi, Kaiba, Marik, some guy named Namu, Mai, and a mysterious duelist that arrived late."
Jonouchi ruffled Ryo's flat hair. "I'm surprised you didn't enter the tournament somehow and snuck into the finals."
Ryo shrugged. "I don't think that would go well. I don't even have a duel disk."
She suddenly was overtaken by a huge yawn and Anzu herded the boys out so Ryo could rest.
/That is an idea…\\
/Bakura, don't you dare. You saw what happened the last time you tried to have some fun.\
/It would just be a duel to challenge someone. I'm sure that everyone would be surprised when you show up tomorrow for the finals, and I duel against the Pharaoh.\\
/Not happening. I just gave birth, my wrist is stitched up and I've had a blood transfusion after bleeding heavily. I'm not letting you duel when I'm in such poor condition.\
/You're no fun at all.\\
/Now be quiet so I can sleep. I'll talk with you later.\
Ryo was suddenly forced into awakening by being thrust into her body, unaware she'd been pushed into her soul room in the first place. Her eyes widened as she realized she was on a dueling platform, freezing air blowing in her face, facing Yami and The Sky Dragon Osiris. She had no monsters on the field, only Ouija Board and Dark Sanctuary, and there was only one letter left of the word "DEATH" to be revealed, so she was open to a direct attack.
If that wasn't bad enough, her wrist and abdomen throbbed.
/BAKURA! I'm going to kill you!\
/That's the first time I've ever heard such a threat from you. I'm proud, Ryo.\\
/I told you we needed rest! That we weren't going to risk ourselves in a duel! This looks risky to me!\ she shouted. /In fact, it looks deadly!\
/I had no choice in the matter. Marik told me that if I didn't get Osiris back for him, he'll kill you. I won't let that happen when you have a betrothed and two children. I'd rather go to the Shadow Realm for the rest of my miserable existence.\\
/How is this supposed to save me?! Yami-san's going to attack me directly and the blow will probably kill me, especially if this is a Shadow Game!\
/Osiris is powerful enough it doesn't need the Shadow Realm to be deadly. I can see the hesitation in his eyes now: he's reconsidering what would happen if he were to attack. You would be killed, and Kaiba would kill him for murdering the mother of his children. The twins would be left motherless, with an insane father to raise them, and he doesn't want that.\\
/But Yami-san's gotten so far in this tournament! He has to win! If Seto-kun murders Yami-san, I'll haunt him for the rest of his life! I can't stand in his way! I'm his friend!\ She held out her arms and called, "Yugi-kun! Attack! I'll be fine!"
She saw Kaiba's eyes widen. He knew the power of a God Card could kill an injured person, and was afraid she wouldn't survive. She strengthened her resolve and added, "Do it!"
Yami's eyes showed no more reluctance as he ordered, "Osiris, use your Thunderforce for a direct attack on Bakura!"
The dragon opened its mouth and a golden stream of lightning shot towards her. She kept her eyes open as she murmured silently, /So this is the end…\
/I won't let you die, Ryo!\\
She was shoved out of her body at the last second and she watched as Bakura took the attack, falling back and clinging to consciousness. He grinned at the spiky-haired pharaoh and nodded. Yami came over and helped him up, Bakura not missing the frustration on Marik's face. He smirked as he passed and limped to the infirmary. He sat on the bed and waved for Yami to leave.
"I'm only a bit singed. Good luck Yugi, Marik will be a dangerous opponent."
"Bakura, are you really alright?"
"Yes. Ryo is ready to take over again. You should concentrate on your next opponent: Kaiba."
"How do you know I'll be dueling Kaiba?"
"Let's just say it's been fated since three thousand years ago."
With that, he changed with Ryo.
"Bakura, come back out and explain that to me!"
Ryo shook her head. "I think he did that to mess with you, Yugi-kun. Go on, you need to watch the next match."
Yami nodded and walked out. As if on cue, Kaiba stepped through the secret passage and lifted her up.
"That's enough exercise for today."
"Okay, Seto-kun."
As soon as they left, Marik burst in, only to find nothing. He snarled, "I'll find you and kill you the next time we meet, Bakura Ryo!"
This continued as he was found out and changed to his darker half. His hatred was magnified a hundredfold, so Dark Marik interrogated everyone on the blimp as to where Ryo was, but those who did know weren't telling.
Ryo used this time to bond with Akio and Fuyuki. Bakura watched over them and spoke to himself.
/Is this revenge against the pharaoh so important that I'll sacrifice this? Ryo needs me, the girl would give up Akio-kun if the right persuasion was pressed on her. I want…to stay here with my other half.\\
He jerked when his metaphysical form suddenly became a real body. He looked down at his hands and then at Ryo. He grinned and put his hands over Ryo's eyes. "Guess who?"
The girl tensed and whispered, "Bakura? Is that you? How?"
He uncovered her eyes and sat on the couch next to her. "I don't know, but here I am." He looked at his bandaged wrist. "The injury I caused you is on me now." He then glanced at the twins nestled in their mother's arms. "May I hold one of them?"
Ryo beamed and handed Akio to him. He held the baby boy awkwardly, so she corrected him. "You helped me during this time, so I think you're their godfather."
"Do what you want."
"I will."
Bakura watched the newborn sleep and Ryo giggled at how her dark half was mesmerized by Akio. It was cute, even though she was sure he'd clip her upside the head for saying such a weak word. He poked the baby's cheek and Akio shuddered before relaxing again. When he was about to do it again, Ryo hissed, "Stop doing that. You'll wake him up."
He scowled. "How is it that such a weak little creature as he can hold my entire attention?"
"Maybe because you've never seen a baby up close so you're curious?"
"Perhaps. I don't like that he has such a strong hold over me."
"If you don't like him, give him back."
"No."
"Then quit complaining."
They sat in silence for a while until Kaiba came in, the two white-haired teens looking up to see he was staring in disbelief.
"What's Bakura doing in physical form?"
Bakura shrugged.
Ryo copied him with an, "I don't know."
"Why is he holding our son?!"
By this time, Bakura and Ryo had traded, so the former spirit held Fuyuki now. The brown-haired newborn was fast asleep, quite content in his godfather's arms. Ryo smiled and replied, "He asked and I've made him the twins' godfather. If he tries to hurt them, I won't be happy about it."
Bakura snorted. "Such a feminine display would not move me."
"I doubt it, Bakura. I know you too well."
"Shut up."
As the thief pouted, Seto came over and sat in an armchair that faced his fiancée, from which he kept a wary eye on Bakura while he watched Ryo with fondness. He murmured, "I defeated Ishizu today. She seemed happy because of the loss."
"I wonder why," Ryo questioned, while Bakura answered, "Cursed woman can see the future and predicted her victory."
"Huh?"
"The Millennium Necklace shows its wielder the future. With her sight proved wrong, she has a better outlook that the future can be changed."
Kaiba nodded. "So that's why. I hope that things will keep going well. If not, I'm going to swear off dueling forever."
At that, both the pale teens snickered. Things would go well, or else Kaiba would be in torture forever. Duel Monsters was his life, since Yami was an irreplaceable rival in the game he was best at.
After the final battle with Dark Marik, Bakura stepped out of the shadows, Ryo right behind him. Everyone stared, Jonouchi asking, "Am I seeing double?"
Bakura laughed and put a hand on Ryo's head. "This is Ryo. I'm his other half, Bakura."
Yami's eyes widened while Honda, Anzu and Jonouchi tensed. Ryo sighed and closed her eyes. "Bakura, you're just scaring them. Stop it."
Bakura grinned. "Make me."
"If you want me to mention the bunny incident—"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Okay. I just think you shouldn't be so difficult."
Kaiba came up to Bakura and punched him in the arm. Bakura's eyes narrowed and he grinned when he saw the challenging look.
"You asked for it, Kaiba."
It ended up in a major fight, both of them bruised. Ryo didn't bother trying to stop them, because they'd been at each other's throats ever since Bakura had first held Fuyuki.
Yugi winced as Bakura nailed Kaiba in the chin. "Aren't you going to stop them?"
"No, they've wanted to do this a long time."
"I hope Kaiba gets a beating," Jonouchi stated with a grin.
Honda nodded in agreement. "Jerk deserves it."
After several long minutes of brawling, the two stopped and gave each other respectful nods. They then separated, as Marik came up to Ryo. He gave her a remorseful look and murmured, "I'm sorry I sought to end your life. Is there any way I can be forgiven for this?"
Ryo opened her mouth to answer, but Bakura warned, "Don't be lenient on him, Ryo. He almost killed us."
She frowned and knew that he'd have to do something big for her forgiveness. "Marik-san, you owe me a life-debt. Until that is repaid, you must never fail to contact me whenever I have a need, and that's every day, for now."
He nodded and Kaiba smirked. "I'll stay in Japan until you feel I've cleared the debt, Ryo-san."
"Now that the Battle City Tournament is finished, you can all go home," Kaiba announced, shooing them away.
Ryo moved to follow her fiancé, but the brunette murmured, "I'll meet you back at the mainland."
She nodded, but felt unsure as the duelists (and non-duelists) were herded into an emergency helicopter and they took off. She looked back at the Kaiba Tower and her eyes widened as it exploded.
"S—" She was instantly cut off by Bakura's hand over her mouth, so she screamed through their link, which they'd rediscovered during their flight to the island. /SETO-KUN! SETO-KUN, NO! MOKUBA-SAN!\
/RYO! SHUT UP! THEY'RE NOT SUCH IMBECILES THAT THEY WOULD BLOW UP THE TOWER WHILE THEY'RE STILL ON THE ISLAND!\\
She shrieked as she broke into silent tears, Bakura holding his head. He hit her over the head and snarled, /I'll tell you again: Shut. Up. You're hurting my head.\\
Suddenly, out of the smoke rose a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Her eyes widened in hope, before she recognized it wasn't an illusion. The Blue-Eyes White Jet flew by, Mokuba waving as Kaiba laughed, triumphant that they'd escaped unscathed. Only the two white-haired individuals noticed Akio and Fuyuki strapped in behind the pilot's seat.
/I told you they were alive.\\
/I wonder what Seto-kun will do with the time it takes between his landing and ours with the twins? It's not like he's spent much time with them.\
/He'll adjust.\\
/What's he going to tell Mokuba-san?\
/…that, I don't know.\\
As soon as they landed in the airport, Ryo and Bakura made a beeline to the nearest taxi, Yami not far behind. This left their friends, old and new, very confused.
Once they reached the Kaiba Mansion, Ryo was in the lead as she opened the front doors, hearing Fuyuki wailing in hunger from the living room.
"Come on, Nii-sama!" Mokuba begged. "I want to hold Fuyuki! I'm his uncle, after all!"
"No one holds them during feeding time except myself and their mother," Kaiba insisted.
"Can I meet her, then? It's the same girl you were with before Duelist Kingdom, right?"
"How did you make that connection?"
"I'm not stupid, you haven't slept well since then, so you miss her. She calms you and I can tell you love her by how protective you are of Akio and Fuyuki both."
/Now is not the time to make an entrance.\\
/Yeah, I figured.\
Bakura suddenly chuckled.
/What?\
/How about we play a trick on Kaiba?\\
She giggled as she heard his plan and he tiptoed upstairs.
Kaiba put Fuyuki and Akio to bed, only to hear high-heeled feet come into the room. He smiled and turned, only to jerk back when he saw who it was.
"Hello darling," the person purred. "How are you?"
"What the hell are you doing here?! Get out of those clothes and then my house!"
Bakura looked hurt. "But Seto-kun, I dressed up just for you. We can't let that go to waste, can we?"
"What did you do to your voice?! You sound like a woman!"
"Now, now, Seto-kun, we should be nice around the children."
"No one calls me that except—"
"Nii-sama, who's in there with you?" Mokuba called, only to stop dead when he saw the position they were in, plus the bunny girl outfit Bakura was clad in. "Nii-sama? Are you…making out with Bakura?"
Bakura put icing on the cake by hugging Kaiba and drawling, "Your brother and I have been going out for two years, and we're in love."
Mokuba paled and squeaked, "Nii-sama, you're…gay?"
At that, Kaiba turned red in anger and shame. "I'm not! How else would you be an uncle twice?!"
"Bakura knows magic that lets guys have babies? They do look like him, you know."
Bakura had the last words by adding in English, "Oh Seto, how you've cared for Fuyuki and Akio well in my absence."
Mokuba recognized the exact cadence of the British-English Bakura spoke and fled the room, traumatized that his brother had had a homosexual relationship behind his back.
Kaiba shoved Bakura off him and shouted, "You just scarred Mokuba for life! What possessed you to act like that?!"
Bakura grinned. "Let's just say it's payback in spades for bruising my face and scaring Ryo half to death. A few minutes can sure destroy your flawless reputation."
He got up and began to walk towards the first floor, when the brunette CEO ran down and caught his arm. "Don't you dare walk any further with that on!"
"And here I thought you liked it on me."
"Not you!"
"You could've told Mokuba the truth instead of hiding it."
"You know that the less people who know, the better!"
"You don't trust him? I find that an insult to him."
"He doesn't need to get involved! I don't want him to!"
"Is it because he keeps getting kidnapped for being your weakness?"
"Exactly."
"The boy is fourteen years of age. I believe he deserves to be treated less like a child and more like an adolescent."
With that, he left, Kaiba in a thoughtful daze.
Ryo looked up from playing Parcheesi with Marik when Bakura entered, wearing the blue bunny suit. Marik burst out laughing, unable to greet the white-haired thief. Bakura kicked off the high heels and pointed at his light half. "Ryo, the things I do for our amusement. I'm never walking home in those again. How you do that is beyond me."
The disguised girl hid a smile. "I'll wear them next time. Did Seto-kun look thoroughly shocked?"
Bakura shared the memory and both cracked up.
"You sure told him off for not trusting Mokuba-san. You should change before Seto-kun comes and pounds you," she suggested, and her dark half strolled into the bedroom.
Marik recovered and asked, "Why was he wearing that in the first place?"
"We played a joke on Seto-kun. I already told you my circumstances, so the whole prospect of Mokuba walking in on them while Bakura was attired so was utterly hilarious."
"I'll say."
The doorbell chimed and Ryo sighed. "He's here already? I would've thought he'd give it a day or two."
She walked to the door and pressed the button. "Yes?"
"Ryo, I've come to talk," Yami's voice answered.
She ran her fingers through her hair and nodded. "Okay."
She unlocked the door and let him in. Marik waved as the tri-colored "teen" took off his shoes and greeted, "Hey, Pharaoh. What do you want with the local transvestite?"
Ryo blushed and Bakura shouted from the bedroom, "Don't make me shave your head while you're sleeping, Marik!"
"It was a joke!"
"No teasing Ryo! Only I do that!"
"Okay, okay!"
Yami shook his head and replied, "I only wish to congratulate you on the birth of your child, Ryo. Where is it?"
"Not here, Yami-san. Seto-kun is keeping the twins for now, so I'm…not put in the public eye because of their likeness to me."
"Twins? I thought you were only carrying one."
"I was surprised too, as was Seto-kun. Bakura knew all along, because their souls matured in my soul room. Is there anything else you wanted?"
"I'm here to offer my support, for as long as I'm here. I'll protect you from whatever threatens you, whenever Kaiba or Bakura isn't around."
"What am I? Chopped liver?" Marik demanded petulantly.
"Is that what you're here for?" Yami asked.
"Of course. If I have to save her life from what's endangering her safety, I will. I made a promise."
Ryo tilted her head. "You're going somewhere?"
"As soon as I can, I'll initiate the ritual that will bring back my memories. Once I'm whole again, I should take my proper place in the afterlife."
"Why?"
That caused him to waver. "What do you mean?"
"Bakura's staying here, why shouldn't you stay as well? Who else is going to keep him from doing anything too insane?"
"I HEARD THAT!" Bakura shouted as he threw open the bedroom door. "Are you talking bad about me, Ryo?"
Ryo playfully ducked her head. "Don't hurt me! I didn't mean anything!"
Bakura faked hitting her across the crown of it. "Then quit." He then turned to Yami. "You should stay here with Yugi and your friends. I made my choice to stay here, and you see the results. I no longer have to go into the World of Memory to get my memories back. I am quite content to stay in the present."
"Do you think the trade was worth it?"
"I know who I am: Bakura the Tomb Robber. That's all I need to know to exist and live, which isn't something you can do in the afterlife."
"I'll have to think on this."
"You can go to the World of Memory, but you will find that you might not want to cross over, even with your memories intact. But if you choose to go, I'm not going to be the one who'll pick up the pieces when Yugi's heart is shattered."
"My partner will be fine without me."
"But will you be fine without him?"
Yami turned and left without another word.
Wow, I did the entire Battle City arc in one enormous chapter! What could I possibly cook up next, since it seems that Bakura is content with the life he has and won't participate in the Battle of Memory?
Well, that ought to be a short battle, with no opposing force... *giggles*
And those images of Bakura in a cat-eared hoodie and bunny girl costume... *hits closest surface repeatedly as uncontrolled guffaws escape*
Please review!