A blanket of snow had fallen over Domino overnight, much to the shock of the citizens and the meteorologists anxiously tugging at their collars on the TV, awkwardly apologizing for the snow, as if they were the ones to cast a spell in the middle of the night for it to snow like it did.

As ridiculous as it sounded, Ryou had checked social media when he'd woken up, and people had, indeed, blamed the meteorologists for a natural phenomena.

He supposed it was better than he or his friends being blamed for any of the weird shit that had happened to the world over the past few years, even though the others swore up and down that it wasn't his fault, that he wasn't in control of the spirit of the ring, and couldn't help what he had done to the others, and to Ryou himself.

He flinched a little, gingerly brushing his fingers against the scar on his arm that had never fully healed after the spirit had stabbed him to get Marik into the others' good graces so he could do… whatever it had ended up being. Ryou hadn't asked many questions, even though he both wanted to know and desperately wanted to run away and prayed he forgot what he knew had transpired.

On the other hand, Ryou knew his friends, knew how they'd taken him in when he'd been a new transfer student, and really, earnestly wanted to be his friend, and had become his friends, and for whatever reason, they hadn't been willing to let him go, even after everything.

He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve friends like that, that didn't want to abandon him even though he was too weak to fight off a spirit that had been living in a necklace for three-thousand years. He didn't understand how, and he didn't understand why, but he also didn't want to dwell on it, as much as the recesses of his mind begged him to.

(Sometimes Ryou wondered if those thoughts were his own, or if the spirit had somehow managed to retain some of itself even after the items had been sealed away, and the spirit supposedly killed in the battle with Zorc.)

"Dammit, Ryou, pull yourself together," he muttered to himself, getting to his feet and switching the TV off. Given the weather outside, he doubted he needed to watch the news to realize things were going to be closed and the streets would be difficult to get through until the plows got to them.

It didn't matter though, because he would be spending the day decorating. It was his favorite part of the holiday season - decorating his apartment, and not even just for Christmas, but for every holiday. There was a need he had to make his apartment as decorated as possible.

Part of him wondered if it was a way to say fuck you to his father after being abandoned. Another part wondered if it was him overcompensating for Amanae's loss, as she too, had loved the holidays.

As he pulled out the boxes of decorations, he couldn't help but continue to think of his sister. He knew she would have loved Japan and the friends he'd made. He imagined she would have become particularly close with Serenity and Mokuba, the two youngest of the friendship group (even if it made Kaiba cringe that his brother was hanging out with them).

Ryou hung a row of snowflake lights across the ceiling and sighed softly. He missed Amanae so damn much, and being in Japan, so far from her resting place, was incredibly difficult on days like today.

But his friends helped him whenever he got into this sort of mindset, and it was the thought of his friends, and their eagerness to celebrate Christmas despite it not being huge in Japan like it was in England, that kept him going as he decorated.

A knock on the door broke him from his thoughts, the smooth tones of Andy Williams the only sound in the room. That was strange, he wasn't expecting anyone - and he doubted anyone would be able to get here so easily due to the snow.

"Wha - Marik?" he gasped when he pulled the door open. Of all the people he expected to see, Marik Ishtar - his friend that lived in Egypt - was the last on his list. "What are you doing here?"

"I walked," Marik said casually. "None of the buses or trains are working, so I walked."

It was then Ryou noticed the only "winter clothing" Marik was wearing was a hoodie and a pair of athletic shoes. He wasn't remotely dressed for the conditions!

"God, Marik, you must be freezing! Come inside, I'll make some tea."

"Hot chocolate," Marik countered. "I've read that hot chocolate is more of a traditional winter drink than tea is."

Ryou furrowed his brow in confusion and closed the door behind Marik. "Er, right, I suppose that makes sense. I'll make hot chocolate then."

Marik grinned and kicked off his shoes, then grimaced and peeled off his socks. "I've never been so cold before. It's kind of fun, really!"

"Marik," Ryou questioned as he switched the stove on. "Can you feel your feet? Or your arms?"

Marik flexed his toes, then patted his arms several times. "Er, kind of?"

Ryou sighed. "Come on, you can borrow some of my clothes. I'll dry yours."

He didn't know if his clothes would fit Marik, so he pulled out the baggiest hoodie and pair of sweatpants he had, and a fluffy pair of socks. "You can use the bathroom to change, Marik."

"Thanks, Ryou. I really didn't think I'd be so cold even after coming inside," Marik said as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

"So, what are you doing in Japan?" Ryou asked, sliding a mug of cocoa to Marik after he'd emerged, dry and warm.

"Ishizu got an invitation to the Domino Museum, for a new exhibition they're hosting. Her colleague put it together, and I guess she's pretty close to him, so I decided to join her and come to Japan early, and I'm glad I did, because everything looks so beautiful with the snow!"

Ryou raised a brow. "Yet, you walked all the way from your hotel to my apartment with just a hoodie and athletic shoes. Why didn't you bring a parka and a pair of boots? You were wearing some during Battle City!"

Marik shrugged. "The athletic shoes seemed like they'd be more comfortable for a longer walk."

Given the amount of snow outside, Ryou highly doubted the walk was comfortable in any kind of shoes. But Marik was excited, and he didn't want to spoil his fun. "You'll still be able to make the party, right?"

"Of course! I've been reading up on Christmas parties, and I think my Secret Santa gift for Yugi is going to be the best gift there!" Marik said with a wide smile.

"Yeah? What'd you get him?"

"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be as fun, would it?" Marik asked, as he sipped the hot chocolate. "This is delicious."

"Would you believe it's powdered mix?" he laughed. "So what are you going to do this week before the party?"

Marik shrugged. "I was just going to explore Domino. I didn't get a lot of time to do so during Battle City, especially since I was so focused on… revenge." His face twisted into one of discomfort, before it brightened again. "Anyway, I also wanted to spend some time getting to know you, Ryou. The Bakura I met in Battle City wasn't… fully you, I know, and we didn't spend a lot of time together in Egypt, which is why I was so surprised to get the invitation to your party."

"Oh, well, you were so helpful to us when we got rid of the Millennium Items, so… and besides, I wanted to get to know you better too."

Well, now it was out. He tried to hide his flushed cheeks behind his mug, to no avail, and settled for clearing his throat. "Well, if you don't mind, I need some help decorating. And I still need to get my giftee a gift, if you want to help me."

"I'd be happy to."

Marik, as it turned out, was equally eager about decorating as Ryou was, and it made his heart flutter a little.

With cheerful carols in the background, the two discussed their dark pasts, with fathers obsessed with obtaining power or keeping order, of the trials both had been far too young to endure with those awful Millennium Items.

"Frankly, I'm glad they're gone and can't hurt anyone else," Ryou shivered. "They cost too many people too much."

"You're absolutely right. Hopefully the sands have buried them so far, not even Seto Kaiba's technology could find them."

"I'll drink to that."

After placing the last of the decorations on a table, they stepped back to look at the decorations. Twinkling snowflake lights were draped across the ceiling, garland carefully wrapped around the windows. Ryou's Christmas tree was proudly displayed in front of the main window.

"Is this what decorations always look like?" Marik asked.

Ryou shrugged. "In my experience, yeah."

"It's magical," Marik said. "The good kind of magic."

"You should see it when it's lit up at night," Ryou said before he glanced outside. "Looks like the streets are getting better. There's a store not too far from here that I know will have something for my giftee. Do you want to head there now?"

"Sounds good, but are you sure you can trust me to dress myself for the weather?" Marik teased.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Your athletic shoes should be dry, but I'm giving you one of my coats. Maybe you should buy yourself one while we're out."

Marik grinned. "Yeah, we'll see."

Walking through Domino felt post-apocalyptic as shopkeepers shoveled snow off the pathways in front of their stores and salted the ice to make it safer to walk. It was weird to see the stores and streets slowly come to life when they should be busy with people and vehicles.

"Hey Ryou, what are those kids doing?" Marik asked, pointing at the park, crowded with people sledding and having snowball fights. But what appeared to have gotten Marik's attention was -

"They're building a snowman, Marik," Ryou replied with a smile. "Do you want me to show you how?"

Marik nodded eagerly, and they dropped into the snow, slowly rolling the small ball into a larger and larger pile, then doing two more, and the snowman took shape.

"What now? He hardly resembles a man," Marik said with a frown.

Ryou laughed. "We need to find some sticks for arms and rocks for eyes and a smile."

It was difficult to do, but they managed to find a small collection of rocks that met Marik's surprisingly picky opinions.

"There. What do you think?" Ryou asked.

"I think it looks great! Let's have a snowball fight next!"

They didn't make it to the shop until the winter sun began to set on the city, and by the time they'd returned to his apartment, it was already growing dark.

"Wait," Ryou said when Marik reached for the light switch. "Let me show you something."

With practiced ease, Ryou moved through the apartment, switching the decorations on. When he turned to look at Marik, he was standing in the middle of the room, the only movement in his eyes, which were wide as they gazed at the lights in the room.

"It's… beautiful," he whispered. "Truly beautiful."

Ryou smiled. "Look outside, the lights in the snow."

A gentle snowfall had begun, the flakes twinkling like stars as they fell to the ground.

Marik was rendered speechless for a few moments, just watching the snow and the lights before he regained his composure. "I… suppose I should get back to the hotel. Ishizu and Odion will be back from the museum by now."

"You should… unless you want to spend the night here?"

Marik smiled. "Yeah… I'd like that a lot, Ryou."

As they stood in front of the window, watching the light snow begin to cover the roads, their fingers laced together, a quiet, mutual admittance of what had been building all day.