Omg. I FINALLY finished it! The last chapter! Well, second-to-last, really, because there'll be an epilogue after all of this... I can't believe its almost over..

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Bring!

"Door." The man muttered blearily, staring at the television screen. "Sanami, get the door!"

"You get it!" A voice shot back from the bedroom. "I'm getting dressed..."

Bring!

"But I'm watchin' this!" He complained, taking a sip of his beer. "Oh fine." He slowly dragged himself into a sitting position, and, setting his beer down on the coffee table, stood up, and headed to the front door. At this point, the person who wanted in was banging on the door loudly, shouting and swearing. "The hell..."

"Yes?" He muttered curtly as he pulled the door open, staring at the strange figure in the doorway with a raised eyebrow. "How may I-"

"Where is she." Bakura cut overtop of the man, and pushed past him, heading into the lounge. "Sanami!"

"Who the... What are you doing?" He shouted, incensed. "Who the hell who do you think you are?"

"Sanami!" Bakura screamed. In the bedroom, a pair of green eyes widened. No. "For Gods' sake, I-"

"What the... Bakura..." Sanami stood in the doorway to the bedroom, disbelieving. "What... Why are you here?"

"I..." Bakura's shoulders slowly slumped, and he looked down at his bare feet, heart thudding, feeling sick. "I..."

"Yeah?" Bakura clenched his trembling hands into fists, letting out a long breath. Strange as it was, the woman didn't actually seem angry to see him, regardless of their last encounter. Bakura brushed his hair out of his eyes as he lifted his head, unable to quell the viscous shakes that wracked his bony frame.

"I slept with Ryou." Bakura's voice was hoarse. With that, he just crumbled, sinking his head into his hands. He knew he must have looked so pathetic, but he didn't care. Besides, she'd seen him lower. Ugh. That is just sad...

"Oh... Oh..." Aware of her husbands' eye on her, she stepped forward to take Bakura's elbow, leading him over to the couch. Bakura followed blindly. "Shit... Okay, it's okay Bakura." She murmured soothingly, instantly realising the cause for Bakura's anguish. "... Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Why else would I be here." Bakura muttered in a hollow voice, staring blankly at the carpet. "I'm backed into a fucking corner. What the hell do I do?"

"... That's a hefty question." Sanami sat down beside Bakura, hands folded in her lap. "I can't exactly answer that for you." Bakura growled, a dangerous sound, and the woman winced. "I can't!"

"Just tell me what to do." Bakura muttered. "You apparently know everything. Tell me how to make Ryou and I both happy and stop all this pain. Just tell me and I'll do it."

"Simple." Sanami stood up, beginning to head towards the kitchen. "Marry Ryou."

"No!" Bakura's head snapped up, eyes wide in shock. "Fuck off! I-I can't..."

"I knew you would say that." Ignoring the glare her husband shot her, she flicked the switch on her electric kettle. "I'll make you a hot drink, and we can talk this out, okay?"

"What?" The older man spat, seething. "What the hell? Sanami, we've got dinner reservations! People are expecting us! Kick this junkie so we can go!"

"Excuse me?" Bakura rolled his eyes, forgetting how high Sanami's voice got when she was angry. "He's one of my patients!"

"You're not working!"

"Well, I'm sorry. Unlike you, I don't forget about work as soon as five o'clock rolls around!"

"I know! And you know how that pisses me off!"

"Hey, my long hours paid for this apartment!"

Bakura sighed, lolling his head against the back of the couch, rolling his eyes. Why the hell do I ask this woman for help when she has her own raging relationship problems... Heaving a sigh, Bakura slowly stood up, in case it turned nasty on his part, and he had to bail her out. He was actually still amazed that she still gave a shit, especially after what he did.

"Look, just go." Sanami rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "Go without me, and tell them that I can't show up."

"What? It's Muyoka's birthday-"

"This is more important than some stupid pretentious dinner!" Bakura rested a hand on the back of the couch, surveying Sanami closely. "God, just... Please."

"Is he the one that beat you up a few weeks ago?" Bakura bit his lip, taking a step back. Shit.

"Look, it doesn't matter." Sanami pleaded, shooting Bakura a fleeting glance. "Please, I need to do this..."

"Whatever." Sanami gasped as she was pushed aside roughly, the man yanking the door open, grabbing his coat and keys, and slamming the door so hard the walls shook. She let out a long, shaking breath.

"Hell." Bakura shoved his hands into his pockets, not knowing what to say. "... He's a prick."

"Just slightly." Sanami murmured, pulling two coffee mugs out of the kitchen cupboard.

"You told him what I did?" Bakura sank back down into the couch, staring at the blank TV screen. Sanami sighed, her hand stilling.

"Bakura, I still have bruises on my stomach." The woman murmured, keeping her eyes fixed on making the drinks. "They were black a couple of weeks ago. How could he not notice?"

"... Oh." The words I'm sorry hung in the air, expressed, but not vocally spoken.

"Yeah." Bakura looked up as a mug of herbal tea was placed on the coffee table in front of him. He raised a pale eyebrow. "What?"

"Herbal tea?" He shot the woman a deadpan look. "You've got to be kidding."

"It's relaxing." Sanami protested, sitting down with a long sigh. "Bakura, you're shaking. Calm down."

"Oh, yeah." Bakura snorted, crossing his arms and looking determinedly out the window, at the night sky, lit up by the bright lights of the city. "Like that'll happen."

"Not with that attitude-"

"How the hell am I supposed to be calm?" Bakura shot back, cutting over her. "How could I be so stupid? I slept with Ryou! How could I be so fucking stupid! Why did I do it?"

"... I was about to ask you that." Sanami murmured gently, taking a sip of her own drink. "Bakura, I want you to tell me everything that happened in the last twelve hours, okay?"

"Uhh... Okay." Bakura leaned back, and closed his eyes, trying to slow his erratic breathing. "Well... This morning... No, afternoon. I called Ryou and told him to meet me at the bridge cos he had to talk."

"And?" Sanami encouraged the yami, looking deep in thought. Bakura sighed.

"I was planning on leaving the country. Starting somewhere new. I broke it to him, and he just flipped out at me, saying that I couldn't leave him. He started clinging on to me, and I panicked and pushed him away..." Bakura trailed off, unable to continue. After a moment of still, awkward silence, he picked up the slowly cooling cup of tea, taking a tiny sip. He made a face at the taste, but settled back into the chair, wrapping both hands around the porcelain mug, crimson eyes surveying the way steam furled into the air.

"And?" Sanami pushed him gently, an unreadable expression in her wide green eyes. "Bakura, what happened?"

"He fell into the river." The yami muttered shortly, teeth gritted. Sanami blinked, taken aback.

"What?"

"Yep." Bakura closed his eyes for a moment, feeling quite sick with himself. "I pushed him over the edge. And he couldn't swim, and was screaming at me to help..." Bakura took another deep gulp of his drink.

"That would have been pretty rough." Sanami wished she had a piece of paper to write everything Bakura was saying down. The yami gave a derisive snort. "What exactly was going through your head?"

"What the fuck do you think." Bakura snarled, a hard edge to his voice. "I panicked. All I could think about was how Ryou was drowning, right in front of me. I just jumped in and tried to pull him out. It was hard work, too." Sanami narrowed her eyes, noticing how reluctant Bakura was to talk about his feelings.

"Bakura, are you still in love with Ryou?" Sanami dared to ask gently. She braced herself, preparing for an onslaught of abuse on Bakura's part. All the yami did, however, was hand his head, and, after a long sigh, nodded.

"Yeah." He sounded both glum and wistful. "I do love him. I love him so much, and seriously, I want nothing more than to be able to spend the rest of my life with him. But..."

"But what?" Sanami pressed, confused and surprised. She never expected to hear Bakura say those words again.

"I can't!" Bakura slammed his half-empty tea cup down on the coffee table with a low growl. "I want it so bad, but I know I can't!"

"Because you can't forgive him." Sanami nodded gently, drinking the last of her herbal tea. "I understand."

"No you don't." Bakura muttered, crossing his arms and looking away. Really, his childish mannerisms never failed to amuse Sanami- Or send her into despair. "You don't know how I feel."

"Yeah, I do." Sanami set her cup down on the coffee table. "It's called empathy Bakura. And as a psychiatrist, I have to express it alot."

"Sanami, I'm freaking out here!" Bakura looked up at the woman, his eyes flashing. "I just... I don't know what to do! Do you know how much trouble this has landed me in? I have someone ready to kill me if I don't take Ryou back! How the fuck do you think I feel with that hanging over my head? And he would do it. I know him. His father... Shit, he was the one that killed my parents." Bakura's voice caught, but he swallowed it back, taking a deep breath. "He could kill me if he wanted to. I don't wanna die, Sanami!"

"Of course you don't." Sanami murmured, worried. "Bakura... tell the police. They can help-"

"No." Bakura snarled, shaking his head emphatically. "The police couldn't do shit. He could massacre him if he felt the need. But he wants me to be with Ryou and I cant! I can't because whenever I just look at him it brings up all of these awful feelings about him cheating on me, and it's like, I'm torn between hating his guts for what he's done and not wanting to touch him, but then I'm crazy in love with him and want more and I'm so fucking confused." He lowered his head into his hands, moaning. "I don't know what to do."

"Bakura..." Sanami sighed sympathetically, resting a hand on Bakura's shoulder for a moment. "You have to think about this. If Ryou repels you so much, then what made you sleep with him earlier tonight?"

"Because when I'm with him, none of that shit matters!" He snapped up, lashing out. "When I'm kissing and holding him, all I can think about is how fucking perfect he is and how much I want him and..." Bakura sighed deeply. "To... To tell you the truth... Malik and Ryou together is the very last thing on my mind."

"Your feelings of love and devotion override any anger that you hold towards Ryou." Sanami tried to explain to the yami. "But your conscious wont let you accept that, because you have this mentality, that's just so stubborn and unmoving, and once you have this idea in your head, you can't get it out."

"So what, now I'm a stubborn child?" Bakura spat, frowning. "Hownice of you." Sanami groaned, and tried again.

"Bakura, I've known you for quite a while, and I've seen how much you've matured and changed. You put a lot of your trust in Ryou when you proposed to him. You put all of your faith in him. And he broke that. He broke your heart, and you don't want to forgive him."

"No shit." Bakura drew his legs up to the seat of the sofa, his toes hanging over the edge. "Does this have a point?"

"Of course it does." Sanami murmured. "Bakura, you want to marry Ryou. You want to be with him and spend the rest of your life with him. I can see it. Because being with Ryou makes you happy. It makes you happier than you've ever been before, and you're so sure that you'll never recapture that happiness and love with anyone else."

"I wont." Bakura's hair fell into his eyes as he drooped his head slightly. The chamomile tea had had a little effect on him, and his shaking had stopped, but he didn't feel any better on the inside. "Ryou is so special to me. I've known him since he was a little kid, and just watching him grow up and being so close to him so much... I felt like he was the only guy in the world I could rely on. I can't ever get that again with anyone else."

"Well, I've said before that I believe in soulmates." Sanami said gently. "And I believe that you and Ryou are absolutely perfect for each other. But in order for you two to start a relationship again, you have to regain your trust with Ryou."

"I can't." Bakura muttered, his arms wrapped around his legs. He stared at his now-cold cup of tea. "I can't." Bakura's voice broke, and he rested his forehead against his knees, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, a sob rising in his chest. The white-haired male froze when he felt a hand on his shoulder, before slowly relaxing.

"What happened after you got Ryou out of the water?" Sanami waited a few minutes before attempting to talk to Ryou again. Bakura swallowed, and slowly raised his head, staring into space. Noticing his red-rimmed eyes, Sanami removed her hand from his shoulder, and slowly backed away.

"He was freezing." Bakura's voice was dull, and hollow. "I couldn't take him back to where he was staying. I took him back to my place, and tried to keep him as warm as possible."

"That would have been hard." Sanami sighed. "Caring for him, I mean."

"It was." Bakura's voice was thick. "And then... He still wasn't warming up, so we had to kinda be naked together to conserve body heat."

"... That would bring up a lot." Sanami said mildly, starting to blush.

"You're not kidding." Bakura sighed, rubbing at one eye. "And then... God, I kissed him. I don't even know why, but I did..." He looked dejected. "And then I said I couldn't ever be with Ryou, even though I love him so much, and he started crying and so did I and I just felt like shit about it."

"And then?" Sanami asked, her gaze never wavering from Bakura's face, watching every reaction that flickered in his dark eyes.

"Got a phone call." Bakura muttered. "But it wasn't important. And then Ryou asked to let him kiss me one more time, so I did, and then we just went further and further and neither of us wanted to stop and..."

"You slept with him." Sanami nodded. "Okay."

"Oh, it's not okay." Bakura tensed. "It can never be okay. Goddamn, look at the mess that we're both in! And I can't fix it! I want to, so badly. I want to forgive Ryou and be happy with him and live with him but I just fucking can't and it hurts so much!" He moaned, fingers twisted in his hair. "Tell me the right things."

"Like what?" Sanami asked. "I thought I was condescending and patronizing." Bakura shot her a filthy look. "What?"

"That is being patronizing." He muttered, glowering. Sanami sighed, and roller her eyes.

"Fine then. I'm patronizing about being patronizing. Bakura, the point is, there is a beautiful guy out there begging for your forgiveness. He's stuck around so much more than he should have. Geez Bakura, if I was him I would have told you to leave years ago. Can't you think about that when you try to forgive him?"

"I don't care about his years of dedication." A nasty tone has sparked in Bakura's voice. "It doesn't matter. He destroyed it. If I meant so much to him, he wouldn't have done this to me, Sanami."

"Bakura..." Sanami slowly stood up, looking extremely thoughtful. "Ryou thinks so highly of you. You're the most important person in the world to him. He wants your forgiveness so much. And you know what? You do have every right to be angry at him. I would be angry at him too, Bakura. But I would still forgive him, over time. You have to learn forgiveness and empathy. I know it's totally unlike your character, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you never want to see him again. In fact, I would kinda expect it."

"So you want me to reject him." Bakura muttered, glaring determinedly at the floor. Sanami frowned, shaking her head.

"No way. I want you to go back to him, marry him, and spend the rest of your life in sweet wedded bliss, silly." Sanami sat back down. "You have to make up your mind. You can't keep doing this to the both of you Bakura. I know you were willing to let Ryou go before, but do you really think you could now? After what's happened this evening, do you actually think you could throw the love of your life away?"

"... Well..." Bakura slowly started, his head starting to hurt. "I-"

"Don't." Sanami cut him off gently. "Don't say. I know the answer. We both do."

"... Yeah." Bakura's eyes glistened with tears.

"You're such a stubborn bastard." Sanami collected the coffee cups, taking them over to the kitchen sink. "I've been in this business for almost twenty years, and I've never met anyone like you Bakura. You're so..."

"What?" Bakura was glad to change the subject- Onto him, no less. "What am I?"

"... The most twisted, screwed up person I've had the pleasure to meet." She finished, unable to hide a wry smile. "And by far my most interesting patient." The woman leaned into the couch with a long sigh.

"Thanks." Bakura muttered, standing up from the couch. "I mean it. Thanks for not getting pissed and chucking me out."

"That's okay." Sanami smiled warmly. "I'm gad you came to me, Bakura. The fact that you're willing to come here and talk about things just proves how much you've changed from that angry, despising young man that joined my counselling group over a year ago. You wouldn't have done that. You wouldn't have the maturity to do any of this."

"I'm not immature." Bakura protested, arms crossed, snarling. "I'm older than I look. A lot older."

"Oh, yes, twenty five is just ancient." Sanami grinned. "I'm thirteen years older than you still." Bakura smirked. Oh, you are not. "Look... are you gonna be okay to leave? I don't want you doing anything stupid."

"I wont." Bakura turned away, swallowing. "I... I guess I've made my choice."

"And... I think it is for the best." Sanami nodded. "In the long run. It'll seem so hard at the start, especially after what's happened to you. But I promise, when time wears on, it'll seem like the right thing."

"Doubt it." Bakura walked to the front door, pulling it open. "Deep down, I don't think it'll ever seem right. But thanks for listening. And sorry you missed your dinner."

"Ugh, I didn't even want to go." Sanami grimaced. "Tell you the truth, I was glad to have a reason to bail out on it. Good luck Bakura."

"Thanks." Bakura's expression was unreadable as he closed the front door behind himself, leaning heavily against it. The wooden floorboards were cold beneath his bare feet, the lights buzzing annoyingly. This is going to be so hard... I'm not even sure if I can do this. But I have to. I know I have to.

Ryou and I can't stay like this. I have to end all of the pain.

"Bakura, where are you..."

Ryou sank onto the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped. He should have seen this coming, really. Of course Bakura was going to take the opportunity and run. What a coward. No. He's not. He's scared and confused and upset. Just like I am. It was hard to comprehend, really, everything that had happened that day. Ryou felt exhausted, drained. He wanted nothing more than to sleep, but his wide awake mind would never let that happened. Besides, he wanted to stay up for when Bakura finally came home.

It was boredom that made Ryou stand up, and walk towards the wardrobe. Well, boredom and curiosity. He pulled the door open with slightly trembling hands, staring at the contents inside. There wasn't really much. Ryou's old school uniform that didn't fit him, a few jackets and shits, and a white clothes back at the end. Oh... His heart thudding, Ryou slowly pushed the other clothes aside, and pulled the bag along the railing to the centre of the wardrobe, zipping it open. His mothers wedding dress peeked out at him, still as white and pristine and perfect as ever. Ryou's heart sank another notch as he stared, tears welling in his eyes. His gaze lowered down to the ring on his left hand, the diamond winking up at him in the light. Funny, how Bakura hadn't noticed and criticized that Ryou was still wearing his engagement ring. Maybe he just didn't care...

I suppose when you look at it, it is pretty pathetic. We've been over for almost a year, I still shouldn't be wearing this ring, it makes it seem like we're still engaged. I wish I was though... Of course. Ryou closed the bag again with a long sigh. He was still, and quiet for a moment, before sorting through the wardrobe again, wondering what else of his was still there. He'd left a lot of his things when he loved to Yugi's, simply because he thought he was only going to be gone for a few weeks, maybe a month or two. Ryou thought that he was going to allow Ryou to come back. But I was wrong... Again. The whitenette's hand closed around a slim black case, that he pulled out from the wardrobe with a small smile.

His flute. Ryou set it down on the bed, and gently lifted the lid, staring down at the silver flute amongst the royal blue velvet. He still remembered the morning when Bakura had given him that flute as a simple gift, in an expression of love. But that was a lie that time, to make me fall deeper under his spell... He ran a finger over the cool silver, his heart heavy. This wasn't given to me with the best of intentions, but it's still one of my favourite possessions, even if I haven't played it in months... He remembered how Bakura used to admire his music skills, which he himself didn't have, and Ryou had to admit, that made him feel great. Shrugging slightly, he picked up the flute pieces, and slotted them together, angling the mouth piece carefully. Ryou stood up as he raised the flute to his lips, getting as much air into his lungs as he could. He played a simple scale, just to test out his own lung power, and winced. Ugh. The high notes squeaked, and the low notes sounded breathy and fuzzy. I suck! Ryou raised his eyes to the ceiling, and tried again, pushing the air from his stomachlike he should have the first time. That sounded better.

After a few minutes, however, he had to lower the flute, starting to feel dizzy. Wow. I suck at this... My lung power's nowhere near as it used to be. I supposed if I kept up practise, it would be okay. But I'm not sure if I could keep it up again. I mean, it's kinda really low on my list of priorities. Ryou sighed, put the flute back into the case, which he clicked shut. I'll keep it though... Wherever I'm going... He set it down on the dressing table, catching himself in the mirror. Ugh. I look like crap right now. He trued to smooth down his white fluffy hair, which had naturally dried thick and full, but failed. He was wearing a simple oversized t-shirt and boxers that he had pulled on, knowing –well, hoping- that Bakura would forgive him. He looked and felt as though he were only ninety pounds. It wasn't remotely healthy. But Bakura looks just as bad. So he couldn't say that there was no physical attraction between us, could he?

I don't know. Despite his mental alertness, Ryou's body was screaming for sleep, and he couldn't ignore it any longer. He stumbled over to the bed, as though in a daze, and pulled back the rumpled covers, sniffing the sheets carefully. They were okay –barely. Ryou would have replaced them, were he less tired. As it was, he just crawled under the blankets, which he replaced around himself, on his side of the bed, and nuzzled the pillow. Lying in his old bed again felt like being reunited with a very old friend. It was just so soft and comfortable, and adjusted exactly to his weight and size, like it always had...

Although his mind was whirling around with everything that had happened that day, Ryou was passed out, exhausted and drained, within moments.

"Hello?" Bakura's voice rang out somewhat nervously as he stepped inside the quiet house. "Ryou? Hello?" He threw his car keys on the table, frowning. "You still here?" He ducked his head to look into the lounge. Nothing. "Ryou?" He started down the hall, heading towards his room. "I... Oh." He paused in the doorway as he stared at the teenager, who had fallen asleep on his bed. He was fast asleep, dead to the world. Bakura's shoulder slumped in a long sigh, and he walked towards the bed. Ryou lay on his back, his hair all over his face, and blankets strewn about the bed. Silently, he straightened the blankets, laying them over Ryou's still form, before bending down to brush Ryou's soft white hair out if his eyes. Bakura's fingertips paused on the side of Ryou's face, and he couldn't stop a smile spreading across his face. He looked so sweet and innocent, tucked in the blankets, sound asleep, and it made Bakura's stomach go soft.

"Oh Ryou..." Bakura bent down, lightly kissing Ryou's forehead. How was it that right then, at that moment, Bakura wasn't angry at Ryou? His chest was just full of love and compassion towards his sleeping lighter half. It was just like when he was making love to Ryou. He totally forgot about what Ryou had done to him. Because it didn't matter as much. Bakura stared down at his sleeping face, noticing his thin, worn features, dark circles under his eyes, and the downward droop of his lips. He looked unhealthy and miserable, yes, but still so sweet and beautiful... He was perfect.

"Fuck." Bakura groaned as he stood up, and turned away. He couldn't hang around Ryou anymore- he wasn't thinking straight. Instead, he headed back into the lounge, where he collapsed on he couch, groping for the remote and turning on the television. He would wait for Ryou to wake up. And then... Oh God. Bakura's stomach churned with nerves, just thinking about what he was going to do to Ryou. I'm not even sure if I have the nerve after all this...

But I gotta do it. I got to. Bakura made a face, and shifted his gaze to the window, the curtains drawn back. Because the light was going, it all just looked dark. And creepy. But Bakura loved dark and creepy, of course.

I'll let Ryou have a bit of a nap first. Bakura sighed. If he's not awake in an hour, then I'll wake him up and talk to him... If I can. Maybe I could do this without talking to him. I fucking hope so, because I just don't think that I could speak to him.

I can't bring myself to say anything to him.

"Hey."

Ryou was awake at eleven o'clock. Bakura's gaze flicked from the TV and to the clock for a second, and he inclined his head in a nod, noting Ryou's presence.

"Hey." He replied, his voice hollow and dull. He clenched his hands into fists, in a bid to stop them shaking, and took a deep breath, his heart thudding. Oh God, he's gonna wanna talk... But I have to do this, I have to...

"You... You said we had to talk." Ryou murmured gently, crossing the room to stand in front of Bakura. The yami was still, his eyes fixated on Ryou's hand, as the whitenette started twisting his engagement ring around his finger, nerves setting him on edge. "I-"

"There's nothing to talk about." Bakura's voice cut over Ryou's, in a low growl. Ryou froze, eyes widening.

"Wh-What-"

"There's nothing to talk about." Bakura repeated, his voice a little louder. He was starting to feel sick.

"Y-Yes..." Ryou protested weakly, tears welling in his eyes. "B-Bakura... I-I... We... This can't..." His words stumbled over each other, as he tried to speak, his heart sinking in dread.

"Ryou, no!" Bakura stood up, his voice loud, and angry. But not full of hate. "There's nothing to say!" Ryou's lower lip trembled, and a tear trickled down his cheek as he looked Bakura in the eye. He felt sick with disappointment. And rejection. How can he say that? I though this changed things, I thought he cared! Bakura stared as Ryou slowly bowed his head, starting to cry. Bakura closed his eyes for a moment, teeth gritted. Ryou sniffed, the sound filling the air.

"Th-then..." Ryou's voice shook. Bakura opened his eyes. "I-I suppose that..." Bakura lowered his gaze back down to Ryou's hands, where the teenager was pulling at the ring on his left hand, screwing it over his first knuckle, and yanking at it until it came away in his palm. "This... This is yours..." Ryou's voice broke, and he turned and fled, dropping his engagement ring on the table. It clanged and banged, spinning around a few times, before stopping. A door slammed.

"Shit." Bakura blinked rapidly as he slowly bent down, and picked up the huge diamond ring. "Ryou no..." It wasn't supposed to go like this at all! Ryou, you don't get what I mean!

Well, fix it, idiot!

Filled with resolve, and still terrified, Bakura's hand closed and tightened around the ring, and he ran towards the guest room, noticing that the door to his own room was still open. He stilled, and pressed his ear against the wood, sighing as the sound of sobbing met his ears.

"Ryou..." Bakura slowly opened the door with his free hand, something in his chest rising as Ryou sniffed, sobbing on the bed with his face pressed into a pillow. His heart was just broken. "Please..."

"Go away!" Ryou lifted his head, eyes red-rimmed and face blotchy. "Leave me alone!"

"Ryou, I-"

"You don't want me!" Ryou was starting to hyperventilate, miserable. "A-And I... I-I dared to hope."Stop this now. A voice in Bakura's head commanded. Just do it. Sanami's right, it'll be for the best.

"Ryou, there's nothing to say to you because I don't know how to say it." Bakura started walking towards the bed, an expression in his face that made Ryou freeze, before slowly sitting up, eyes wide, a glimmer of hope still in his deep chocolatey depths. "I wanna but my head, my mouth, it won't let me say it." Bakura was standing in front of Ryou. The teenager stood up, eyes still wide, looking concerned, and thoughtful.

"Wh-What did you want to say?" Ryou took a step to the side, and Bakura followed, his eyes trained on Ryou's face. "Please... Don't reject me..."

"No." Ryou blinked, and stared at Bakura, his heart skipping a beat. What... "Gimme your hand."

"M-My what?" Ryou asked, confused. "I-I don't-"

"Oh bloody hell." Visibly shaking with nerves, Bakura grabbed Ryou's wrist, and held it out, holding Ryou's engagement ring with two fingers. Ryou's heart stopped.

"No..." Ryou gasped, fresh tears pooling in his eyes as Bakura started to slide the ring on Ryou's finger. Both of them were crying. "No..." When he had pushed it onto Ryou's finger as far as it could go, Bakura released his hold on Ryou's hand, and took a step back, towards the bed. Ryou stood absolutely still, disbelieving, trying to understand what was going on. Bakura said there was nothing to say...

And he was right.

Because putting that ring back on Ryou's finger, replacing that symbol of promise, of love and trust, spoke volumes.

With a choked sob, Ryou absolutely flew at Bakura, tackling him in a vicious hug, as soon as he realised what the whole thing meant. Oof! Bakura, who was taken aback, was pushed onto the bed. Ryou's arms were wrapped around his neck with a strangling force, his nose buried in his collarbone, as he started crying in pure joy, laughing and sobbing all at once. And Bakura felt the same way. It was like he'd swallowed a bucket of sunshine. He just felt so warm, and overjoyed, and happy. And more than all that, he was overcome with pure love for Ryou, the one who had pushed him into the bed, and was now lying in his arms, crying. Bakura wrapped his arms around Ryou's shoulders, and softly placed a kiss to the crown of his head, shedding a few tears himself.

He wasn't sure if he'd forgiven Ryou a hundred percent yet. And he was sure that he would never be able to let go of the pain that he felt towards Ryou's betrayal. But there was no doubt about it- Although it wasn't the easy thing, rekindling his broken relationship with Ryou was most definitely the right thing.

"You okay..." Bakura murmured softly, as Ryou slowly drew his head back, brown eyes looking up at him, wide and shining. He gently stroked Ryou's cheek with a thumb, his heart racing.

"Y-Yeah." Ryou's face broke into a wide smile, and he tightened his hold around Bakura's neck. "I'm great." He didn't think he had ever felt happier than he had at that moment. All he could think about was the wonderful, euphoric sensation, of just knowing that he and Bakura were a couple again. That he would never have to endure Bakura yelling at him, being angry to him, hurting him or being nasty to him at all ever again. They were actually getting married again.

"Mmmm." Bakura nodded in assent, slowly sitting up. Ryou leaned against his chest, curled up in his lap with his legs stretching out across the bed. Bakura had his arms wrapped around Ryou so tightly he could barely breathe, but he didn't mind. Ryou was clinging to Bakura just as tight. Neither wanted to let the other go. He was still crying, and Bakura gently rocked the whitenette from side to side. "Shhhh..."

"I-I'm okay." Ryou sniffed, nuzzling Bakura's collarbone. "I-I'm more than okay... I just... So many emotions are all rolling around, I-I just can't..." Bakura, if it was possible, managed to hug Ryou even tighter, burying his nose in Ryou's hair and inhaling deeply. He'd used his old shampoo that Bakura had never bothered to take out of the shower...

That was when it really hit him, that he had his sweet, gorgeous little Ryou back. When the most important person in his life, the one he loved most, was with him again. Holding him tightly in his arms, smelling his hair and hearing his voice... It felt almost like the whole nightmare of the past year was just that- A nightmare. A bad dream and they had both finally woken up...

"'Kura, I love you." Ryou's voice was thick, and muffled through his shirt and skin. Bakura smiled, his heart full to bursting.

"I love you too." Bakura loosely threaded his long bony fingers through Ryou's hair, stroking the white softness. "A-And... About yelling at you before..."

"It's okay." Ryou sniffed. "I understand. It took a lot of courage to do this..." Bakura smiled, and nodded, his lips and hands in Ryou's hair.

"It was Sanami that convinced me the right thing was to come back to you." He murmured softly. "I knew the answer all along, but you know me. My stupid pride got in the way."

"I knew you would come around eventually." Ryou sniffed. "All along... I just kept that tiny hope... I knew you would forgive me."

"What." The tone in Bakura's voice was such a shock, that Ryou drew his head back, looking confused and frightened. "Who said anything about forgiving you?"

"B-But..." Ryou blinked, panic setting in. "W-We're getting married again...We're a couple... Aren't we?" What if I got the wrong end of the stick? It felt like a lump of ice was sticking in his stomach.

"'Course we are." Bakura stared into Ryou's eyes. "Look. Just... Don't ever mention the whole unpleasant fucking incident, and we'll be okay." Ryou opened his mouth, eyebrows set in a frown, ready to protest. To explain that building such an intense relationship on such fragile foundations, and that it was going to cause major problems down the line. That Bakura was kidding himself if he could just simply forget about the past year and think that it was going to be all perfect. He said himself a few hours ago that it was so hard we could never be together...

"I won't." Ryou caved, and nuzzled Bakura's chest again, enjoying their intense closeness. He decided that he wouldn't jeopardize their brand new –kinda- relationship over something that was at that moment pretty trivial. Because he had Bakura again. And that was all that mattered. Oh God... We're going to get married! And spend the rest of our lives together... Ryou was so excited at the prospect of waking up every morning to Bakura's face, and going to sleep in the arms of the man he loved so much, he thought he might burst with joy.

"You tired?" Bakura asked, still holding Ryou, rocking him gently. Ryou shook his head, a permanent grin fixed on his face.

"No, I'm wide awake." The smile widened. "But you know what..." Bakura blinked as Ryou looked up, love in his eyes. "I'm starving." Bakura chuckled, unable to really help himself.

"Yeah, me too." He sighed, ruffling Ryou's hair. The brown-eyed boy giggled. "Look at us. We haven't eaten properly in weeks..."

"Yeah..." Ryou sat up a little straighter, his eyes shining. "Lets go out. Get some great big greasy cheeseburgers."

"It's like, past eleven." Bakura smirked. "I thought it was too late to go out." Ryou only grinned, shaking his head. "What the... What are you high on?"

"You." Bakura blinked as Ryou kissed him deeply, his hands trailing over his face. "Why. You got a problem with this?"

"... Hell no." Ryou shrieked as Bakura pushed him onto the bed, assaulting his mouth with a rough kiss. "Mmmm..." He sighed, pulling away just a few seconds later, leaving Ryou cloudy-eyed and gasping. "Come on." Ryou squeaked as Bakura stood up, pulling him along, invigorated, and –dare he say it- excited. "Come on. You get dressed, and then we'll hit the town. Lets' make a night of it."

"Our first date again." Ryou squeezed Bakura's hand tightly turning to him to flash a smile. He was nervous, but still so euphoric and excited. Bakura merely nodded cheekily, and pulled Ryou out of the room, his own heart thudding.

There was little doubt that he maybe wasn't ready to enter a full-blown relationship with Ryou. There was still so much hurt and betrayal, and deep down, Bakura knew that burying it would only cause more pain later on. But maybe a few (dozen) intense therapy sessions could teach Bakura the forgiveness he knew he needed to show Ryou. And besides, Bakura also knew that, more than ever, him and Ryou just needed to be happy. And when he was with Ryou, being intimate and close with him, not thinking about anything but the little beauty he laid with... He was happy. And Ryou was happy. Not only that, it just felt so right. He felt as though Ryou belonged in his arms. And Ryou obviously felt the same way. His chest hurt –in a good way- just looking at Ryou, overcome with joy...

They were together.

They were in love.

They were happy.

And that was all that mattered.

AAAAaaaaaaaaawwwwwhhhhhhhh, fluffy times will be had by all. xD

Only one to go... o.0 Hell.

R&R!!!