Disclaimer: Must I really tell you again? I own nothing except the crap that isn't part of the Yu-gi–oh universe.

Thank you to those of you who took the time to review. It really means a lot to see that people actually do care about this story.

The next photo in the album showed Ryou and Bakura standing side by side in front of a helicopter. It was dark out, and the wind seemed to be swirling around them, sending their luscious white hair fluttering about. Ryou was smiling shyly at the camera, and for the first time in any of the album's pictures, the boy seemed genuinely happy. Beside him Bakura was gazing down at Ryou. He was in a pressed khaki uniform with all the pride of a soldier, but in his brown eyes there was a slight tenderness that could only be attributed to the boy standing so close beside him.

"Bakura hadn't meant to get so attached..."

XXX

When Bakura turned eighteen he was given two choices: join the military, or continue serving out his prison term. Nearly driven crazy by the mundane routine of prison life, Bakura hastily opted for the former. What did he care about fighting some pointless war in another country? Even being just another nameless soldier killed on the battlefield seemed better than rotting away in a cell. Life hadn't been going his way anyhow.

Born into a loving family, the first eleven years of Bakura's life had been storybook perfect. His parents had a great marriage; they took yearly family vacations, and they showered their only son with all the love and affection he could possibly want. Yes, for the first eleven years of his life Bakura couldn't have been happier. However the summer he turned twelve that all changed. They never did determine exactly what had started the fire, but in one night he lost both his family and his home. He was quickly sent off to live with his uncle, a man who was far more interested in finding his next bottle of beer than raising a child. By the time he was thirteen Bakura had joined a local gang, and by seventeen he was serving a sentence for armed robbery. Bakura joined the military because he didn't have anything left to lose except his life.

Now, two years later, Bakura was faced with a situation he couldn't understand. For the eighth time in the last five minutes Bakura thought about leaving. He'd gotten what his friends had paid for, and his lust was more than sated. But like each previous time he had wanted to walk out of the shadowed room, he felt something holding him back. No, not something, someone.

Why?

Turning away from the window, he watched the moonlight cascade over the frail form on the rusty bed. Ryou was curled up around one of the extra pillows, and the flimsy sheet was pulled back just enough to show the smooth contours of his torso.The boywas positively alluring.

"But he isn't just a boy," Bakura reminded himself. "He's nothing more than a common whore." Even as the words left his mouth, his mind rebelled against them. He'd known his fair share of whores, both back home and here in Alcutz, and this one was different. There was something about him, the softness of his skin, his spicy scent, the hesitant way he had touched Bakura in the dark. It was as if he didn't belong here. Bakura couldn't help but wonder how Ryou had gotten involved with a place like this.

Why him?

Ryou mumbled something in his sleep and hugged the pillow tighter. Stepping silently, Bakura moved back across the room. The hardened soldier lowered his weight back onto the bed until he was sitting beside the boy. He knew he should be leaving by now, but he felt drawn to this sixteen year old.

Bakura shook his head. That was just ridiculous. He didn't even know who he was. But when he'd held this boy in his arms earlier, as their bodies moved together as one, he'd felt something for the first time since he'd come to this war torn country. In the depths of those soft brown eyes he had seen a pain and loneliness that echoed his own. He remembered thinking that he wanted to protect the slender teen from such feelings. He hadn't done much good in his life, but could he perhaps save Ryou?

Why tonight?

He was scheduled for transfer early Monday morning. He'd only be here for twenty-four more hours. What could he possibly do for Ryou in that time? He was done here. He was moving on. So why did he have to spend the night with Ryou? Why did he have to feel this way? It didn't make sense. He'd have been perfectly happy to have left and forgotten all about this city, but now he'd leave with memories of Ryou.

A whimper came from the sleeping teen, and without even thinking Bakura began to run one of his calloused hands through the boy's soft snowy locks. Pulling back as through he had been burned, Bakura realized he had to leave now. Being in Ryou's presence was affecting him, and he couldn't afford that. He was a soldier.A killer. And he liked it that way.

Picking his pants up from where he had discarded them earlier, the Getesary Sergeant slid the fabric up his strong legs. He turned around to retrieve his shirt, and noticed a pair of sleepy brown eyes watching him. He'd been hoping to sneak out and avoid this somewhat awkward moment, but it seemed his luck had run out.

"I was just leaving." He tried to keep his voice steady, the tone detached. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Ryou sat up, stretching slightly as he continued to watch Bakura dress. The white-haired soldier was such a mystery to him. He looked so cold and calculating, as if he would kill you just because he felt like it, and yet in bed he had been so gentle. Bakura had seen to his partner's pleasure as well as his own, which from the stories Ryou heard from the other's was a rare thing indeed. The soldier presented a mix of masculine strength and genuine concern that Ryou just felt drawn to. Even just moments before he had witnessed the man comforting him during his nightmare; the reassuring touch to his hair coaxing him out of the vision of his parent's death.

Finally back in his clothes there was nothing left for Bakura to do but walk out the door, yet still he hesitated. It just didn't seem right to leave it like this. Not understanding this strange new feeling, Bakura figured it might be guilt over the fact that his friend's had paid for this boy to be here with him. In an attempt to assuage that guilt and in turn rid himself of what was holding him back, he pulled out his wallet and offered a large sum of money to Ryou.

"Here," he gestured. "Take this."

Ryou looked shocked. "Your friends already paid Bakura."

Entranced by the way the teen said his name, Bakura once more offered him the money. "I know that, but I want you to have this."

Ryou shook his head. "I don't want it," he said, looking hurt.

"Is it not enough? I can get some more."

"I said I didn't want it!" This time Ryou's voice was angry. He had enjoyed his time with Bakura, had pretended that they weren't in a dusty room above a strip club, but were just two teenagers acting upon a mutual attraction. The handful of money just reminded him that he had sold his body and cheapened the whole experience.

"Why the hell not?" Bakura shot back just as angrily. "Most times your lot would rob a man in his sleep to make a few extra dollars." He realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth, but by then it was too late to take them back. His temper was always getting him in trouble, but it was hard to have such an immense rage always sitting just beneath the surface. His anger seemed to appear at even the slightest provocation,

The words cut into Ryou like a red-hot knife. He truly was just another whore to Bakura and as the thought made his heart ache, he realized just how much he had been hoping that wasn't true. His eyes filled with tears, but as the initial hurt of the words left him, it was replaced by an overpowering anger. Anger at himself for foolishly getting his hopes up, and anger at Bakura for not feeling the same way.

"Get. Out." Ryou's voice was low and dangerous, his hands clenched and shaking with rage. When Bakura didn't move, he only got angrier. "Didn't you hear me, I said get out!"

Bakura did the exact opposite and moved closer. The older boy forced himself to resist the urge to continue the fight until he had won. "I know your not like the rest of them," he said as he took a seat on the bed beside Ryou. He turned his full attention to the boy before him, the money in his hand forgotten. "But I don't really know anything about you."

He didn't actually say that he was sorry, but the meaning was clear. Feeling his anger ebb a little bit, Ryou turned to regard him. "My story is the same as everyone else's here," he snapped.

"I'd still like to hear it."

Moved by the sincerity of the words, Ryou began to relate his troubled past. Although he glossed over some of the darker parts, his hardships were still rather clear. An arranged marriage he wanted no part of, the death of his parents, the separation from his friends. By the time he had finished, he was exposed for the scared, lonely boy that he was, and he couldn't stop his tears. Instead of being repulsed by the display of weakness though as Ryou would have thought, Bakura simply gathered him in his arms and let him cry. Ryou didn't know it at the time, but Bakura felt as though the boy were crying for both of them.

Even after the tears stopped, Bakura didn't let go. He knew now that it was fate that had brought him to this boy. They came from different worlds, but somehow they had been brought together for this. He'd never known anyone from Alcutz before the war, and even since he'd come here he had basically just ignored the civilians. But if the people of this war-torn country were anything like the gentle boy in his arms, it was a cause worth fighting for after all. He couldn't pass up the chance he had been given.

"What will you be doing tonight?" The morning light was just coming in through the window as he asked the question.

Ryou pulled back slightly. "I be working at the club." He didn't smile.

"No." Then Bakura said it again with more conviction. "No, you won't."

Ryou was confused. "You don't understand,"he tried to explain. "I have to. I owe them money."

"Look Ryou. I'm being transferred tomorrow and if you want I'll take you with me. Would you like that?"

For one moment, Ryou looked absolutely ecstatic, and Bakura couldn't keep himself for smiling too. Ryou was positively stunning. But then the boy's face fell. "I can't, I owe them money. He'd never let me leave."

"I'll take care of all that," Bakurapromised him. In the two years he had been in the army he hadn't spent hardly a penny of his own money and had more than enough set aside. If that was the cost of keeping Ryou at his side, he was more then happy to pay it. He was going to take advantage this opportunity the world had seen fit to give him. "Just say you'll come to the new base with me, and then back to Getesary when the war is over."

Ryou couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was it possible he wasn't imagining all of this? Could he trust Bakura? "But why?" he asked trying not to get his hopes up.

The question seemed to catch the soldier off-guard. Even he didn't completely understand what was happening. He just knew that he couldn't leave Ryou behind. "I like the way you make me feel."

Ryou understood what he meant. When he was with this Sergeant he felt like he could get through anything. It was a feeling he wanted to hang on to. Bakura made him feel safe, and he would trust him to take care of the situation. "Yes. Yes, of course I'll go with you."

Bakura kissed him then. A strong overpowering kiss that was filled with all the as of yet unspoken emotions building up within them. They may have been nothing more than a farmer's son turned bar boy and a foreign soldier selected from the prison, but at that moment they were just two young men caught up in the beginnings of a love affair.

XXX

"Are you crazy Ryou? You hardly know this guy." Rebecca had been expecting to hear a lot of things from Ryou after his first time- that he was running off with the soldier to play house was not one of them.

Ryou looked up from the bag he was packing. "I know it's a little rushed, but he's being transferred tomorrow. It was now or never and I've never felt this way about anyone."

"Still," Rebecca said trying to remain reasonable. She had come over first thing in the morning, but was surprised to find that Ryou wasn't home yet. She waited on the front steps of the apartment building for almost an hour before wandering off to find some breakfast. When she returned ninety minutes later, Ryou was just stepping out of a cab. The teen was practically beaming, but refused to tell her anything until he had gotten some food and a few more hours of sleep. "Are you sure you don't just feel overly attached to him because he was your first? He was rather good-looking as I recall and it's only logical that you would feel attached to him after such an intimate act."

"It's not like that," Ryou gently corrected her. "It so much more. Besides, it's not just me. Bakura feels it too. Why else would he have asked me to go with him?"

"I suppose," the blonde conceded. "But to ask you to go back to Getesary when he's done here, I mean that's practically like a marriage proposal!"

Ryou blushed rather brightly at that, but couldn't keep the beaming smile off his face. "It is isn't it?"

Seeing Ryou so genuinely pleased, she couldn't help but be happy for him. If anyone deserved a chance it was Ryou. "Of course you do realize you've gone and stolen my dream don't you? Being whisked away by a handsome soldier to a better life. It really isn't fair."

Ryou remembered the conversation he'd had with Rebecca months ago at the café and suddenly felt rather guilty about his own happiness. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever for?" Rebecca asked. "I was only teasing. If you really are as happy as you seem, then I am too. Besides, seeing it happen for you only proves that it can happen which just gives me more hope."

Ryou moved to hug her. "Any man who doesn't want you is crazy."

"Or gay," she joked. "So where is the handsome Sergeant anyway?"

"He said he was going to go square things away with Bradley and Ken. He said he had a few other things he needed to take care of after that and that I should meet him outside the base at four-thirty."

Rebecca glanced at her watch. "Then you better hurry up. It's already two- fourty and the base is all the way on the other side of town."

Recognizing this to be the truth, Ryou's packing became frantic. Rebecca stepped in to give him a hand and the two friends laughed their way through the chore and got Ryou out the door and into a cab just in the nick of time.

XXX

It had taken a few more threats than he was expecting, but Bakura had finally reached an agreement with the owner of The Wishing Well and the man Ryou initially owed the money to. He'd seen their type before, taking advantage of teens that were going through hard times and then exploiting them. The whole idea of it made him sick. The fact that they'd used such tactics on Ryou merely invited his fury. He had agreed to pay off what Ryou owed plus an excessive amount of interest just to see the matter go away. With the exuberant expense, Bakura became very thankful that he was so good at poker and usually cleaned up when he played against his comrades. He might not have been able to afford it if it weren't for his winnings. As far as the two men were concerned, they were just lucky they had caught him in a good mood.

Those business dealings taken care of, the soldier had returned to base and went about procuring the proper papers and approvals to be able to take Ryou along with him. Of course he would house the teen in an apartment off base where he could visit him often, so it wasn't really much of the military's business. He only thought it would be easier if Ryou could ride along side him in the chopper later that night rather than having to catch his own ride. The less time they had to spend apart the better.

When he came across Pegasus sipping wine and watching what appeared to be some sort of children's cartoon in the recreation center he was more than a little surprised. It was a Sunday afternoon and other than those on duty, most soldiers were off-base today.

"That's an interesting combination you have there Crawford, but aren't you worried you'll be caught drinking?"

Pegasus looked up at his friend and smiled. "You're not planning to report me are you friend?"

"There's nothing in it for me."

"Ah, then I needn't worry." He turned his attention back to the TV where an animated rabbit was hopping along. "I used to watch this show all the time back home when I was growing up. I can't believe they still air it here."

"I can't believe you still watch it." Bakura shook his head in disapproval.

"What can I say? It reminds me of a simpler time." Bakura had already started to walk away before he called out to him again. "Aren't you going to tell me about your night?"

Bakura flinched at the question. He really did not feel like being teased right now. But this was Pegasus, the one soldier he trusted to watch his back. If Bakura had been the type to have friends, he supposed he would have counted the one-eyed man among them.

"I'm taking him with me."

"So I take it you enjoyed yourself?" Pegasus asked. Then as if just processing what Bakura had said, "You're what!"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, but do you really think that's such a good idea?"

Bakura glared at him. "You introduced us."

"I got the guys to chip in and buy you a night with him. I didn't think you'd fall in love with the kid." Pegasus was taken a little aback by this sudden change in Bakura. What had happened to his solemn friend who didn't care about anything or anyone?

"I don't love him," Bakura quickly corrected. "I just don't want to be without him. I don't want to leave him behind."

"So this is what, some sort of rescue mission? You think you can just come in here and make his life better? We can't even help them win the war."

"I just want to be with him." Bakura's patience was reaching it's limit. "If you're my friend, you'll understand that."

Pegasus regarded him for a second. The whole situation felt too good to be true. He was just about to try and talk some sense into his fellow soldier, when he thought back to how he had met Bakura. They both had desk jobs now, but two years ago they had been right in the heat of things. They greeted every morning not knowing if it would be their last. They were the Reds- an elite group of Getesary soldiers trained to sneak up on enemy camps and take out the officers and try to sneak back out. They had a few snipers among them, but most of their killing had been done by hand or with the ten inch daggers they all carried. It was far from honorable work, but someone had needed to do it.

And damn if Bakura hadn't been good at it. They could go in under cover of night and Bakura would snap men's necks before they even made a sound. He was a valuable asset, but the cold detachment to other's lives and the twisted grin he wore when killing scared most of his fellow soldiers. They often called him a demon behind his back, saying that his bloodlust would never be sated.

Then on a hot night in July something had gone wrong. Somehow the enemy had been alerted of their presence and they had walked right into an ambush. A grenade had exploded somewhere near Pegasus, and a piece of shrapnel had gone into his right eye. The pain was immediate and intense. He became disoriented, and as other soldiers rushed right past him in their retreat, Bakura had taken his arm around his shoulder and half-walked/half-dragged him to safety. He'd never really come to understand Bakura as a person, but he'd never doubted him after that.

If Bakura thought there was something special about the snowy-haired kid from The Wishing Well, then there had to be something to it.

"Did you manage to get him clearance?"

"Just about," Bakura informed him. "I just have to get the Lieutenant Colonel's permission."

Standing up, Pegasus took the paper's right out of Bakura's hand. "Let me take care of that. James owes me a favor."

"Does he now?" Bakura raised a questioning brow.

"Yep. I introduced him to his wife." Laughing Pegasus took off down the hall, with Bakura following at a steady walk.

XXX

"We'll have to get you a passport once we get to Catogor." Bakura told Ryou as they walked hand in hand along the dimly lit streets of the city. Dinner had gone better than expected and now they were just enjoying each other's company before they returned to the military base to catch their chopper.

Ryou moved closer and thanked his lucky stars that he had found Bakura. Suddenly happiness didn't seem so out of reach anymore. "How much longer do you have to serve?"

"I enlisted for three, so I still have one year left."

"Oh." Ryou sounded a little disappointed at hearing that, not realizing that as long as they were together the time would fly by.

"And when that year is up, I'm going to take you to the greatest country in the world." Bakura stopped walking and brought Ryou into a fierce hug. "A country where there is no war, and no arranged marriages, and where freedom isn't just a state of mind." He placed an affectionate kiss on the boy's forehead. "I'm going to show you a place where you no longer have to dream of a better life."

Ryou's face lit up as he smiled. He'd spent his whole life living off dreams. Dreams that he wouldn't be forced into marrying Keith, dreams that his family would be happy, dreams that he could have caring friends, and most of all dreams that someday someone wonderful would love him. And here Bakura was promising to make all those dreams come true.

"You're amazing you know that."

"No," Bakura corrected. He knew the darkness that lay in his soul. "But you are."

Stopping their conversation, he leaned in to press his lips to Ryou's. He still couldn't believe such a wonderful person was willing to follow him out east and closer to the center of the fighting. When he had told Ryou about his past and his imprisonment over dinner, he had expected the little fantasy they were living out to come to a screeching halt. Instead, Ryou had just smiled softly and told him that the past no longer mattered- that they were starting a new life as of today. The gentle teenager had such a kind heart that it touched even Bakura.

"My friend Rebecca thinks I must be crazy for running off with someone I barely even know," Ryou said as he finally pulled away from the kiss. "But I know I would always regret it if I let you slip away from me now."

Bakura wanted to say that he felt the same, but he'd never been good with expressing his emotions through words. His mother had always assured him that when the time came he would be able to, and yet even here with Ryou, who had awakened feelings in him he'd thought buried forever, the words still eluded him.

Unable to verbally express his feelings, Bakura once again kissed his companion allowing the action to speak for itself. Ryou's soft lips parted beneath his own, and he deepened their connection. The warmth he felt just being around Ryou intensified at the intimate embrace. He had taken Ryou into bed last night, but as he stood in the middle of the sidewalk kissing the boy, he knew that he wanted to take things slowly from this point on. If what he felt for Ryou was as real as it seemed, there was no need to rush. They would have all the time in the world to enjoy the pleasures of each other.

XXX

"He's late," the soldier overseeing Bakura's departure for Catogor told Pegasus. The chopper had arrived precisely at midnight, but the Sergeant it was meant to transfer was no where to be found.

Pegasus gave the soldier a stern look. "He'll be here." He held in his hand the papers Bakura would need to get Ryou past the overly eager uniformed guard, as well as a disposable camera he was planning to use.

"It's been forty minutes, the chopper isn't going to wait all night." The expensive piece of machinery had already been shut off so as not to waste fuel. The pilot, a short redheaded man, was now patiently reading a magazine to pass the time.

Just as the other soldier was about to launch into his fifth tirade on the importance of being punctual, Pegasus spotted his white-haired figures coming their way. Relieved to be spared any further interaction with the man beside him, the tall Sergeant made his way towards his friend and his companion.

Recognizing Pegasus, Ryou waved in friendly greeting. If it weren't for him, Ryou might never have met Bakura.

"Hey kid," Pegasus welcomed him. Then, turning his attention to Bakura, he asked, "Where the hell have you been? I thought your escort here was going to wet himself."

"I had to finish packing, and I needed to change." Bakura motioned to the pressed khaki uniform he was now wearing.

"Late?" Ryou questioned. "Oh I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I wanted to see the park one last time before we left. Oh I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault Ryou," Bakura tried to assure him. He hated to see Ryou blaming such a minor incident on himself. "I could have told you we didn't have time. Besides, it's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" The soldier overseeing the transfer screeched. He had finally made his way over to the small group. "You've held us up for over forty minutes!" He finally seemed to notice Ryou. "And who might you be?" He asked none to kindly.

"Ryou Bakura," the teen shyly answered.

"Civilians aren't allowed on base, now if you'll just follow me," the soldier reached out to grab Ryou by the arm, but Bakura had placed himself between them before he got a hold of him.

"Don't touch him," he warned.

"Civilians aren't allowed on base," the man repeated.

"He's with me."

"Now, now boys," Pegasus wisely interrupted before things could escalate. He'd seen that look in Bakura's eyes before. "I believe these papers should clear this little matter right up." He handed over the little stack of files in his hands. "As you can see, Ryou here has clearance to accompany Bakura this morning." It seemed weird to be saying morning when it was still so dark out, but as it was after midnight, it was technically Monday morning.

The soldier read over the forms quickly, and unable to find even an un-dottedi to invalidate them, he accepted their validity with a frown. "May I suggest that you actually get on the chopper now."

"Yes of course," Pegasus answered for them. "Why don't you be so kind as to put their bags on."

Bakura grinned wickedly as he held out the bags for the soldier to take. Muttering under his breath, the man went about taking them to the chopper.Noticing that his passengers had finally arrived, the pilot once again started the blades spinning.

Seeing that Ryou was somewhat mesmerized by the sudden uptake of wind and noise, Bakura gently took his hand and began to guide him across the lighted landing strip towards their ride.

"Wait!" Pegasus called out over the buzz of the blades and the two lovers turned back to look at him. "I want to get a picture before you go."

Not to thrilled with the idea, Bakura opened his mouth to tell the other man to go to hell, when he felt Ryou's slender arm wrap around his waist. Looking down at him he saw the teen was smiling happily at Pegasus and he felt an immense amount of pride knowing that Ryou had chosen him of all the countless people who surely found the fragile teen desirable.

There was a subtle warmth in Bakura's eyes as he regarded his companion, and it was at exactly that moment that Pegasus snapped the photo.

"Good luck you two," he called out as they climbed aboard. He stayed where he was as the chopper took to the air, amused to see Ryou waving excitedly to him from the window, amazement visible on his face. Pegasus waved back and continued to watch until the chopper was lost among the black sky. Turning to head back inside, Pegasus said a silent prayer that those two could hold onto their happiness.

Author's Note: Ah, what to say, what to say. I kind of like the idea of these two having a whirlwind sort of romance. I mean how could Bakura not fall for Ryou at first sight? Plus everyone else seems to be so angst ridden that it's nice to have a bit of a happy couple for a change. I had to take the liberty of toning Bakura's personality down a little bit because it simply wouldn't have worked for him to be a psychotic thief here. I did however try to let him retain a bit of his darker side. At least that was the intent.

Also, I thought it would be a refreshing change to have Pegasus not be a bad guy. Sure he kind of got demoted to sidekick, but at least he's not plotting anyone's downfall. Please leave a review to let me know that my effort hasn't been in vain. Even just simple comments are really appreciated.