A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, as always. I know there was no update on Tuesday and the reason is that I had a really busy weekend. Don't be surprised if it happens from here on out once in a while. In the meantime, enjoy!

Yuugi was curled up into a small ball on the couch, her eyes focused on the flickering screen of the television, when Jou walked in. He looked at her for a long moment before he came over and sat down on the other end, keeping a healthy distance between them. He didn't say anything, and the tension built slowly until finally Yuugi couldn't take it anymore. She put the television on mute and said, "I didn't do it on purpose, you know. I couldn't help it."

"I know," Jou said gently, not having to ask what "it" was. "I know you wouldn't do that. But... you scared us, Yuugi."

"I'm sorry." The words felt painfully inadequate but she didn't know what else to say. How could she explain the feeling of pure panic that had engulfed her when Anzu touched her, like someone had set loose an electric itch underneath her skin? That feeling hadn't been present when she touched Yami, or Ryou or Malik, but she suspected that if she reached out and grabbed Jou's hand it would be come back and be worse than ever, and just remembering it was enough to make her shiver. What had Yami Malik done to her?

Jou must have caught the look of misery on her face because he grimaced. "I'm not trying to assign blame or anything. Hell, if I was it would be square on my shoulders. I never should have let you look for Yami by yourself. I know better than that. I should've stuck with you until you tracked him down."

"That's not your responsibility."

"Yes, it is. You're my friend. That makes your health and well-being my responsibility, regardless of whether or not Yami is around," he replied immediately. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Yuugi. I know we can't do much. Maybe if I had been there with you, Yami Malik might've taken you anyway. After all, we don't have shadow magic or anything like that. But please don't push us away. Honda, Anzu and I, we want to be there for you in whatever way possible, even if it means that we have to sit on the sidelines. So please promise me that you won't keep us out of the loop. Getting that phone call from Ryou saying that you were missing was bad enough. I don't ever want to get one telling me that you've died and not have any idea it was coming."

Guilt, hot and heavy, swept over her. She was half tempted to make some lame joke in an attempt to lighten the situation, but she could sense that it wasn't the time. Instead, she turned and looked at him. "I just don't want you to be hurt, Jou. Yami Malik is dangerous. You of all people should know that. And like you said, you guys don't have any way of protecting yourselves against him. He could do anything to you."

"Well, yes, that is true," he allowed. "Don't think I haven't been thinking about that ever since you admitted that he was back. But there are some things that are more important and you happen to be one of them. If it makes you feel any better, I promise that we'll stay back unless it's absolutely necessary. I won't put myself in danger needlessly."

She didn't know if he would be able to keep that promise, but it was satisfying to hear nevertheless. Yuugi smiled at him. "In that case, I promise to let you know what's going on as best I can," she replied. "But I hope you can understand that sometimes there will be things I can't tell you."

"I know," he said quietly, looking away. It still hurt, sometimes, to think of all the time he had missed out on, the years when he could've been Yuugi's best friend, his closest friend, and he'd been too stupid to at the time to realize it. Now there was Yami and no one would ever come between the two of them. Jou wouldn't even bother to try. "As long as you keep yourself safe, I can tolerate it." He smiled suddenly. "And don't think this doesn't mean I can't tease you about Yami."

"And don't think I won't reciprocate about anyone you might fall in love with," Yuugi said slyly. It hadn't escaped her notice that Jou and Seto had become marginally more friendly towards each other. They'd actually been civil in the kitchen while they were speaking to Malik and Isis. It seemed that with a common enemy the two of them could actually deign to get along sometimes. She'd always thought to herself that they might be good together, but she'd never dared to broach the subject considering that the passion between them had always run to hatred and not affection. Perhaps the tide was going to turn.

Jou was staring at her suspiciously. "Do you happen to have anyone in mind?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"No, not at all!" she said quickly, jumping off of the couch. In the past he might've put her in a headlock until she expressed what she'd been thinking about and she didn't want to go down that road, not now when they were finally warming up to each other again. Jou would only be upset if he remembered that he couldn't touch her without Yuugi going into a panic. "I think I'll go see if Bakura is awake yet. I don't want him tearing the mansion down because he discovered that Ryou is gone."

She escaped the room before Jou could respond and ran lightly up the back staircase to avoid going into the kitchen, where she could hear that Seto, Isis and Malik were still talking. Yami had shown her where Bakura and Ryou were staying on their way down to the kitchen earlier that morning. The door was still firmly closed but as Yuugi approached and pressed an ear against the wood, she could hear the sound of a shower going. It had to Bakura because she couldn't imagine anyone else getting inside without his knowledge or permission, which he was unlikely to grant to anyone but Ryou. Still, she took a deep breath, hoping she wasn't about to catch him naked or something like that, and then put her hand on the doorknob and pushed it open.

The room was empty, fortunately, and the bathroom door was shut. On this side of the door, the sound of the shower was even clearer than before. Yuugi closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed, perching gingerly on the edge and trying very hard not to think about what Ryou and Bakura had done in the bed the night before. She stared down at her hands, realizing that something that had been wound up tight in her chest, a hollow knot that she hadn't even noticed until it started to disappear, was dissolving just from the proximity to a yami, even if it wasn't hers. Interesting.

The shower shut off and then a moment later the door opened. Bakura was standing there clad only in a towel, beads of water still visible on his chest and shoulders. He didn't seem to be very surprised to see her sitting there. "I don't recall extending an open door policy to any midgets," he said."

"You didn't. I let myself in," Yuugi said, blushing slightly. He might have a bad attitude a lot of the time but Bakura was surprisingly attractive. No wonder Ryou had gotten herself in so deep. "I needed to talk to you."

Bakura sighed. "So talk," he said, wandering across the room towards the closet. His damp hair had turned a cloudy grey and was sticking to his back. Yuugi turned away quickly when she heard his towel hit the floor, sternly forbidding herself from looking. She started speaking fast.

"Ryou told me what happened between you guys last night. She was concerned that she might end up pregnant. All it takes is one time, you know, and we're too young for that kind of thing." She paused, twisting her fingers together, and remembered that in Ancient Egypt girls as young as twelve or thirteen were expected to be raising families. She added, "That's just how it is in this time. So… so Anzu and Mai took her to get something that would make sure that didn't happen. Yami went with them."

There was a pause and she dared to look. Fortunately, Bakura was now wearing a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips. He looked curious. "You can do that?"

Yuugi blinked. "I can't, not personally, no. But they have special medications to make sure that girls don't pregnant until they want to. It's something like 95% effective. I don't know the specifics. I've never needed to know that much about it before." She suspected that would soon change.

"The wonder of the modern age," Bakura muttered, a remark that may have been sarcastic. He grabbed a shirt from the closet and pulled it over. "Why are you still here?"

"What?"

"You came to deliver a message. I received it." He gestured to the door.

"Oh, right." She no longer had an excuse, but she didn't want to leave. She felt safe here. Bakura wouldn't lift a hand to save her if Yami Malik attacked, but his very presence would be enough to keep Yami Malik away, and it was worth putting up with him just for that. She pulled at the hem of her shirt, showing him the collar, and his arms dropped to his sides as his eyes widened. In a handful of long steps he was looming over her, a position that should have been threatening but somehow wasn't when he reached for the collar with brisk but gentle hands. Yuugi closed her eyes and let him turn her head this way and that.

"The Pharaoh couldn't get it off?" It didn't sound like a question that needed to be answered. Bakura placed his hand over the back of her neck and his magic tingled in the collar, drawn into it just like Yami's. After a moment he swore and stepped back, rubbing the tips of his fingers together. His brow was furrowed and he was staring at it like it had just done him a personal slight.

"You can't get it off either, can you?" Yuugi bit her lip tightly, fear mingling with alarm until she didn't know which emotion was making her heart pound. The thought of being stuck with something that had come from Yami Malik was utterly horrifying. "I can't feel Yami because of it. Please get it off!"

"Calm down!" he barked, and she sucked in a quivery breath. "There's a way to get it off. I've seen them before. But I won't risk doing it by myself. Wait until the Pharaoh and the Priest return."

Yuugi swallowed hard and nodded silently, not liking the sound of that. There wasn't much that would make Bakura apprehensive, and now that he was done looking at the collar there was really no reason for her to stay. She went to stand and was surprised when his hand came out, lightly pushing her back down onto the bed. He didn't look at her but the implication was clear: she wasn't to leave the room. She stayed there on the edge of the bed while he went back into the bathroom, but this time he left the door open so that she could see him, and even if they didn't speak again she felt secure.

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