Ryou's eyes were closed, but not even thrum of the plane's engines or the random chatter around him could black out his thoughts. It was not often that he thought himself a coward, but he had fled. He had crawled under the covers and feigned sleep rather than face Bakura and what they had done. And that was the same as running away. He had still been awake when the thief had pushed on of his fingers into his mouth. And rather than feel disgusted by the velvet tongue teasing his fingers, he'd felt a pleasant jolt in his gut that might have been more welcome if it had not been followed up by guilt. And he'd felt the tenderness that his hand had been kissed with as the spirit tucked it under the sheet. That would have been more welcome without the confusion. Why the sudden tenderness? Bakura was not gentle. He was angry and sarcastic and cruel. Even the smile he'd given him when he'd returned with that towel to clean him off seemed to hide some hidden, smug intent. He'd done physically to Ryou what he had not been able to do to him spiritually in nearly a month – dominate him. And the worse shame of all was how much he'd liked it. Still, he wondered why the thief had not tried to take him all the way. Because it wasn't a victory to him unless he could make him acknowledge the pleasure? Was it kindness or just a subtler cruelty?

He had truly fallen asleep not much later. When he'd awoken Bakura was gone but everything on his list had been taken care of and packed. So even when he had woken up in a panic, disoriented, and wondering how long he'd slept he'd seen that it was only still that evening and even so the alarm clock had been set for him. The spirit of the ring must have taken care of it all while he slept. He remembered Bakura telling him that he could move freely in the apartment because it was so affected by his own energy. The thief really wanted this trip to Egypt to happen. He was not so sure that was a positive sign. Then again, who knew what Bakura really was thinking? Maybe he was actually homesick. Actually he was not sure if the tomb robber would be disappointed. The culture of modern Egypt was not the culture of the past. For one thing, Kemetisicm was likely just about instinct. The language, he was pretty sure was Arabic. The religion was most certainly not going to be anything like the one Bakura was used to – not that he was very worried that there was any chance the thief would actually be devout.

Then again, not all gods were well behaved. People respected them but they did not go out of their way to attract their attention. Look at Greek mythology. Or, look at what Set did to his own brother. Ryou thought. And Bakura is pretty cynical. I don't think he worships anybody but himself. The prat.

The thought almost made him smile. And speaking of his other half, the spirit had laid low since their last encounter and Ryou had not tried to talk to him. He'd usually be worried that the tomb robber was planning something, but honestly, he just felt too awkward about what had happened the previous night to try. He normally would face Bakura no matter how frightened he was. But this was different.

A sudden ding from the speaker preluded an announcement from the flight attendant that they were about to land. That distracted him momentarily from troubled thoughts. He braced himself. Ryou hated landings. No matter what he did, his ears always popped. And then there was the in evitable jet lag. It had been a twelve hour flight. And he still had to catch a cab from the Cairo airport to Luxor. He sighed. At least he was finally in Egypt.

"This is the second time you've been drawn to me in your sleep."

Ryou's eyes snapped open and he slid off of a cushion he had been propped against. Completely disoriented, he flailed for a second trying to figure out where he was and when Bakura had decided to appear. He was back in the sleeping dais is the section of the spirit's soul room that he and the thief had rested in after one of their training sessions with the daggers. He looked around in confusion. He must have drifted off on the cab ride.

His darker half was crouching beside him with a mischievous expression that was all too familiar now. He didn't find it reassuring.

"Is something troubling you again?" There might have been a flicker of sincerity behind that smirk. Or maybe he imagined it. Ryou was beginning to doubt his sanity as of late.

"No and I'm not 'drawn to you'." the teen huffed. "I don't know why I ended up here again. It's not like I try to on purpose."

The thief only gave him a pensive look that clearly said he thought the boy was full of it. And with a start, he realized he was looking at Bakura for the first time after they had done…..that. His gaze lingered on the spirit's dark eyes and chiseled features and suddenly he was bombarded by memories that gave his insides a searing jolt that made him want to curl in on himself. He blushed and quickly dropped his gaze. It was so wrong. So messed up. Feeling that way for a guy – and not only a guy but a person who was the last person he should let himself feel lust for. Because that was what it was, right? His sanity really was slipping. It had to be. And if he couldn't even look at him how was the rest of this trip going to go?

Ryou's reaction was better than he expected it would be and it delighted him. Oh his host was going to be so much more fun to play with now. He had finally found a chink in the youth's armor and he was going to exploit it. He relaxed his posture and moved uncomfortably close to the tense figure.

"Of the two of us you should really leave the lying to me – you're terrible at it." he stated bluntly.

Predictably, Ryou's head snapped up and their eyes met just long enough for the boy to glare at the thief until they swiftly slid to a point past his ear. Some of his amusement faded. As fun as teasing the boy was, he liked that Ryou was one of the only people gutsy enough to hold his gaze.

And as for the lighter half, he really wished he could stop being so overly aware of how close Bakura was to him right now. Should he bring up last evening? Or should he ignore it and go back their usual banter? Would the thief even bring it up at all? The first time Bakura had stolen a kiss he had never mentioned it again.

"Of course, it's not like I mind that you dropped in for a visit, little host." said a velvety voice by his ear. Ryou jerked his head back up, heart starting to pound and found himself looking right into his counterpart's face. He would have jumped away just from the sultry gleam in those dark eyes and the slow little smile growing on the thief's face , but the hand that had started to trace his thigh sealed the deal. Stumbling to his feet he backed away. Bakura didn't change much in his expression except to raise one eyebrow slightly.

"It's not like you to back down, Ryou."

"That's not what this is." the teen retorted.

The white haired tomb robber chuckled deeply. "Oh? Then come back over here."

"No! ….last night. I…"Ryou stumbled on his words and even though his blush was spreading furiously he made himself stare the other down. "We can't do that again."

The smile faded into a frown as Bakura considered his light. He should have expected something like this. He was halfway prepared for it. He was sure Ryou would have some ridiculous moralizing reason not to see sense in coming back to something he so obviously derived enjoyment from. However, he wanted to hear what it was from the landlord himself.

"Last night when I had you pinned underneath me almost sobbing from pleasure…" he began slyly.

Ryou's face may as well melt off. "I didn't…"

The rest of that stammered sentence died as the spirit of the ring crossed the distance between them in two strides. And it was not a sneering, sarcastic face that found he was gazing up into. It was a solemn, dark look.

"You will not deny that it happened." he hissed. "I held you and you let me. I touched you and you loved it. You may not like it, but you belong with me. My ring belongs to you for a reason. Why can't you accept it?"

Ryou's heart was thudding against his rib cage as though he were readying for a fight. Everything Bakura was saying was true, so what could he say in to any of that? And as the thief had so generously pointed out, he was not good with deceit.

"Even if I admit to everything you say, the whole reason I'm in Egypt right now doesn't change." he countered flatly.

"You're so naïve." the spirit snorted giving him a dubious look.

Ryou just blinked at that statement and gave his Dark a questioning look. That wasn't the answer he had been expecting.

"People can be on opposing sides…" Bakura began coyly, leaning in and grazing Ryou's forehead with his lips. "….and still enjoy each other's flesh. "Here he kissed the teen's forehead smiling in satisfaction at the tremor that passed through his vessel. " Why don't we just consider this space neutral territory, my light?" He grabbed Ryou by the wrist when he started to pull away and planted another kiss there. "I'll make it good for you. Better than last time. I didn't show you everything that I can do."

The heat burning up the white haired boy's face would have made him wonder at how ridiculous he probably looked to the older boy and just how much ground he was probably loosing from it but the predatory look that the thief was giving him was too distracting. He had to get out of this soul room. He couldn't do this again. Bakura might be too depraved to care, but messing around with someone who could backstab you at any time could not be healthy. The sennen spirit could twist things all he wanted. This was not a good idea and if he'd fallen asleep he needed to wake up.

"You're shaking."

He hadn't noticed. But he could see that the wrist that the thief still had locked in his grip was twitching on its own accord.

"Because I want to get away from you!" Ryou spat, trying to free his wrist. "I don't want you to touch me anymore. I don't want to play whatever game it is you want to play!"

His tormentor barked at a laugh in response. "Oh is that what it is? You can lie to me all you want and lie to yourself as well, yes, but I still have my ways little Ryou ,of getting the truth. We'll see what it is you really want. "

With that the younger boy's back hit the wall and he was trapped between it and Bakura. He didn't have time to protest or strike out before his head was yanked forward and he was locked in a bruising kiss. Despite the roughness, the body pressing against him lit up his nerve endings. It was worse, a thousand times worse than before because his body remembered what the thief had done to him the last time they were like this and it was betraying him.

And you lest you forget, landlord we ARE connected. I can reach into your mind and feel everything you're feeling. You can't fool me.

He was shaking his head trying to jerk away – partly to get free of the kiss that was turning his veins into hot liquid and partly to get that taunting sound out of his head. Bakura obliged him but only to latch onto that sensitive patch of skin he had exploited before on his host's neck and Ryou keened before he could bite down on his lip.

That's right…good little light. Things are better when we tell each other the truth. Forget this silly mission you're on to 'banish' me. The way we are now is how it was always meant to be!

Chuckling, the thief hummed against the soft flesh on the boy's neck and began teasing licks on the same spot. He heard Ryou gasp, freezing his struggles momentarily and he had to suppress a chuckle. The feelings flowing through their link right now was amazing. Denial and confusion and guilt but pleasure so much pleasure…. and was that a little lust he was picking up? It only more served to point out the obvious falsity of Ryou's claim that he didn't want this. Sure, the damage that had been done to him by that frankly ridiculously suppressed culture the boy was living in would have to be seen to, but they could work on that. He wondered if Ryou would be more pliable had he been born in ancient Egypt and circumstances a little different.

The boys legs buckled and he caught him. He smirked as Ryou fell heavily against him. Getting weak in the knees alread-

The thiefabruptly at that thought and gave a start when he noticed the change in his host's physical state. Ryou had gone from arousal to what felt like pure exhaustion.

At first it was a slow, pounding headache and Ryou felt what he thought was nausea coming on. It came up so quickly that at first he thought his real instincts were finally kicking in and he would not succumb to what the thief was doing to him so easily this time. But this had nothing to do with Bakura. This was being caused by something else. But what? He let out a frightened noise as he collided dizzily against the tomb robber's sinewy frame.

"Ryou!"

He looked up into the thief's eyes and saw that alarm had taken place of the crafty, seductive demeanor the thief had been wearing before. Normally he would have tried to scramble away from Bakura, but he was too frightened by whatever was happening. The spirit's eyes narrowed.

"Light… what's wrong?" When he saw the boy's eyelids droop he shook him. "Don't close your eyes! Tell me when the last time you rested properly was? Have you fed yourself at all today?"

The 180 in his other half's behavior had Ryou blinking. He….he actually did seem worried. He was being guided into a sitting position on the pillowed dais. He sighed in relief at being off of his feet. He didn't understand what was happening himself. Unless his jet lag was worse than he thought. His head pounded again and he leaned back.

He was jerked up roughly by the shoulders. "Don't you dare fall asleep!"

"Hurts….my head." Ryou whimpered. "I don't know what's wrong. Please, I just need to close my eyes…"

"No."the thief snapped giving him another shake. "You keep them open and on mine. Ryou…"

His name was uttered in a warning growl and he unwilling let his eyes settle on the spirits. He could feel his other tapping into his mind and sub consciousness and he squirmed hard, trying to break his shoulders out of his darker halves grasp.

The spirit of the ring was honestly stumped and that disturbed him. He could sense the pain from his lights headache and sense his exhaustion. But why? Was this change in their relationship taking that much a toll on Ryou's psyche? He doubted it. He was pretty sure the teen was stronger than that for one and for another he was quite sure that Ryou had rested well.

"Could you be getting sick?" he finally asked, releasing his vessel. It was easier to just let Ryou lie back if that was what he wished than to put up with his squirming.

The teen let out a sound of relief as his head touched the pillowed ground they were on. He tried to focus on the question lest Bakura pull him back up. "I hope not. "

Something else might be going on but the thief doubted that even if something was putting more stress on the teen's mind than usual that he would pour his heart out to him anyway. Well there were other ways to comfort someone than talking.

Ryou was only barely aware of being moved. He gave a start when he felt his back hit something solid and warm. He looked up in alarm to see that the warmth cradling his body was Bakura. He was lying back, positioned in between the spirit's legs. The thief tightened his hold around the boy's middle when he gave a frightened squeak.

"Wh- what…?"

"You can stop your wriggling." the Egyptian admonished, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm not going to molest you in your sleep. I'm not that type." Bakura leaned in closer to his ear and the boy could swear he felt the smile behind the next words. "When I do the other things I want to do to you, I want you awake and aware that it's me doing it to you. So relax and take your rest."

"I don't need you to hold…" Ryou protested weakly as another painful throb went through his head.

"Yes you do." For emphasis the thief took his lighter half's head gently in his hands and began to massage his temples. He watched with satisfaction as the tension went out of Ryou's body and his eyes closed. He leaned over his light taking in his content features. He didn't use words like 'cute.' But he didn't feel things like 'affection' for anyone else either. He was not sure what it was about this boy that was different. Wanting to possess Ryou, he was familiar with that. The boy was his. That was his right. But there was something else. He'd always looked after his host but there was some kind of warmth that wasn't there before.

I haven't had anyone in my bed for a long time. He mused to himself. It could be that I missed it more than I thought I would. That he's absolutely exquisite to look at doesn't hurt either.

He was also the first person that had warmed his bed that the thief had actually bothered to get to know. He frowned. He was probably over thinking it.

When Ryou's eyes fluttered open sunlight was on his face. He rolled over, disoriented. He had been having a dream where he was being held. He was warm and safe and comfortable. It was almost a shame to wake up. He was in a bed that was covered with a heavy decorative quilt. He heard a knock on the door.

"Are you awake?" came a heavily accented female voice.

"Ah – yes." he stammered sitting up.

A middle aged woman with a long, dark braid bustled in. She was wearing a midnight blue tunic. "You don't have to get up. I am only bringing you your breakfast tray."

She laid down a platter of flat bread, cheese and fruit. "Are you feeling better today, Ryou?"

He blinked at her, still disoriented. "I don't remember arriving at the inn."

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Saeeda . I'm the owner of Neeraja House. You weren't well. Your twin had to carry you inside. He gave the taxi driver quite a fright. The man seemed to believe he had originally only picked up one of you. At any rate, you are very lucky to have such a caring brother. He stayed by your side most of the night and insisted I made sure you get breakfast when you woke up."

She chuckled good naturedly seeming amused by the memory of it all. "So I must insist you get some food into you or your very protective sibling might scold me. Such a serious young man. He seemed a bit low in spirits this morning – melancholy, you know? I think he was worried about you. He is the common room next door. I'll let him know you are awake."

Ryou frowned at that as she bustled away. The tomb robber seemed 'low in spirits?' He certainly hadn't seemed that way last night. He blushed slightly remembering that he had fallen asleep in the spirits arms. Not that he had been given much a choice. He was practically falling unconscious against his will. He was relieved that whatever it was seemed to have passed. It probably was a twenty four hour sickness. His stomach growled. He didn't need Bakura to remind him to eat. He reached for a piece of flat bread and dipped it into what he supposed was hummus and ate ravenously.

He tensed a little when the door opened and the spirit appeared not sure what to expect. He didn't think Bakura would try anything in public, but…..well, at a close glance he didn't seem interested trying to seduce him this morning. The spirit looked a bit dazed actually.

He observed Ryou as the boy bit into a piece of fruit. "The color's back in your face." he observed, woodenly.

Something was definitely wrong. The thief looked distracted. Ryou hesitated before asking, "Are you…well today?"

The Egyptian didn't speak for a long pause looking something in between resentful and confused. Finally he simply said, "It's all different."

"What is?" the teen asked.

"All of it." Bakura said flatly. "The roads…and there are buildings that are almost like home. I mean, your home."

Slowly it came together what his darker half must be trying to get at. "Oh, the town? Well of course. It's been thousands of years. Things are modern now, Bakura. You can't have thought it would be exactly the same."

The spirit looked up sharply. "The language is different too. And I don't see any temples to the gods."

"Hardly anyone worships them anymore." Ryou explained. "The main religion here is Islam and the language is Arabic. I mean a few people still study Kemeticism , but….."

He stopped. That blank expression was enough to tell him that not a word of that meant anything to Bakura. He couldn't help but feel a wave of pity seeing the expression of loss and even anger on the other boy's face. It must be like finding an ancient samurai and dumping him in modern day Tokyo. It was probably overwhelming.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Bakura began to laugh. Oh no. This was so not the time for him to become creepy.

"Bakura?" he ventured, nervously.

The spirit threw back his head and howled in laughter. Ryou's eyes widened in alarm.

"Will you stop?" The boy sat up looking for any signs of someone coming to ask him why he'd brought an insane person to their inn. "The people here are not used to your kind of crazy!"

That only made the thief laugh harder. He actually began wiping moisture away from his eyes. Crazy? Was that what he said? Maybe Ryou was right. Maybe he'd really snapped. As indifferent as he had been about his home when he was alive, the first time he actually wanted to see it again….it was all gone. Again. He bowled over and clutched his stomach.

"What, you don't see the comedy in this situation, my light?" he sneered. "I come home and it's not home. Nothing is the same. But the joke is on you too. You try finding something in this place that will help you! It ought to be fun to watch."

And with that Bakura was back in the ring leaving a stunned Ryou behind. He suddenly was not that interested in his breakfast anymore. Sighing, he made his way out the door. He'd actually chosen this town because it was not part of the usual tourist trap area. He could have had his pick of any Hilton in Luxor just like any other place. He had stayed at some when he was younger. But he wanted to be exposed to real Egyptian life. So he had chosen this quiet town with this small inn that had their own market place (it was called a Sook,) and even local butcher.

He frowned. At least with Bakura in complete culture shock he might get some quiet time to himself. But the thief had a point: this was not going to be easy. He needed to stick to places that still catered to the ancient Egyptian culture. He'd have to find these places and hit as many a day as he possibly could.

He stepped out into the sunlight and made his way towards the Sook. Some of the best information could probably be gotten from the locals. He had chosen Luxor because it was closest to the Valley of the Kings. Someone here had to know something about the sennen items. Yesterday's sickness was a fluke and despite Bakura's manic episode, he felt strangely at peace with the situation.

A few yards away young women with long, dark hair turned as she sensed someone's energy moving towards her purposely. Their eyes met at the same time and Ryou stopped in his tracks. He felt like he would have noticed this young woman even if the market had been overflowing with tourists. His eyes fell on a piece of gold jewelry at her neck. A familiarly shaped eye glinted at him.

Those serene, violet-blue eyes settled on startled chocolate ones. Her manner was polite and her voice perfectly calm as she murmured a simple. "So you came."

Author's Corner:

Done and done! Finally. I can't believe it. I finished this on my last day in Austin. I need to get away more often. Apparently, it's very good for the creative juices. And I'm so glad I finished it today. I have so much to do when I get home. I think this chapter shall stand in honor of the friend I visited even though she doesn't really care about YGO. This was long, but I'm fine with that and I doubt anyone will complain.

I actually did try hummus and middle eastern food yesterday. I ate like a wolf. It was so good.