Ryou struggled to sleep, but when he finally managed he woke at near noon
the next day. He was greeted by a tray next to his bed. It had fresh
pancakes and eggs on it, with a cold glass of milk. He stared at it for a
long time. "yami loved pancakes..." He said picking up the tray and
eating.
Bakura wandered around the labyrinth for hours, until his feet were sore and his vision blurred the stone walls together. He followed his feet aimlessly, until he stopped in his chamber. "Oh..." He muttered going in. "Theres no point in waiting up...I've lost him..." He said kicking at the floor. He wished that one of the stones on the floor were loose. Just one would do...something, anything to throw or break.
Ryou had been given new clothes, and he had long since gathered his things, save the ring which was now in Seto's safe, and put them in a bag. He had called for a taxi to take him home.
Yami shook his head. Bakura simply wasn't fast enough to beat Seto's plan. 'looks like you met a fate worse than any sentance I could have given you in days past...' Yugi looked at his yami. "whats wrong?" He said popping a few aspirin and rubbing his head. "Ohhh...I'll never have a drinking contest with you and Jono and Honda ever again...." Yami sighed. "Its just a problem that will resolve itself, one way....or the other." Yugi blinked. "What kinda problem?" Yami shook his head smiling. "Its nothing Yugi, its just a little problem that will resolve itself...dont you worry." Yugi hugged Yami. "You dont have to make up excuses not to tell me things Yami, I understand if you have secrets..." Yami laughed. "Secrets? After all this time?" Yugi shook his head. "Everyone has them...I know you do..knowingly or not." Yami laughed slightly. "You're every bit as mysterious as I am...I now see why it is annoying."
Ryou wandered to his room and shook his head at the splintered door and scratched floors. "How will I ever explain such a mess to father..?" He said pushing the desk back to its place of origin. "I guess its a good thing I keep emergency funds...for things Yami might break..." Ryou frowned. "For...things he used to break..." he corrected himself.
Bakura laid on his bed and stared at the stone celing. "4....5...6.." He counted each individual stone. Each one making him think of Ryou more and more. He sighed as the image of Ryou standing sadly in the snow...and talking about how much he tried to get along with his yami. "...Oh Ryou...I'm so sorry...I wish I could have told you..." He muttered to the dank walls. "I was so angry at the world....the only REAL weak one was me..." He said sighing. "I was weak...and you were strong enough to endure everything I did to you...and STILL try to be friends with me...I'm such an ass..."
Ryou poked at his lunch dully. He just couldn't force himself to eat. He looked to the empty chair across from him, and remembered eating the same meal only a few weeks before.
"This stuff sucks! How can you eat this? Its still breathing!"
"What do you MEAN playing with my food?! I'm not playing with food...I'm PLAYING with some THING you clubbed and drug in from the backyard!"
"You're so useless...you cant even COOK!"
Ryou smiled a little...as an image of Bakura tasting his first hot pepper flooded into his mind.
"RA!! where is the water!!"
"My mouth is on fire!!"
"H-how can you FEED someone that stuff?! You're likely to kill someone! That stuff is hotter than the Sahara!"
He sighed and picked up his plate, resigned to the fact...that he just couldn't eat. Yami, even when he was a pain...still had the emotion of endearment...and try as he had to hide it...it shone through to Ryou many times...many more had become obvious to Ryou...now that he was gone... Ryou remembered a situation a few months back when he had been stuck outside on the ledge of his school. He didn't even really remember how he had gotten there...it was so frightening.
"Y-yami! I'm going to fall!"
"No you wont you whiner...its just a narrow ledge...you're fine ok? Just stay close to the wall and you'll be fine."
"I'll FALL!"
"Ryou...I promise you wont fall...you're such a baby sometimes..."
"Its so high...I hate heights!"
"Its only high if you look down...set your sights higher and you wont be scared of falling. Focus on a cloud and think of how nice it will be when you're off this ledge, instead of the ground...and how horrible it will be when you fall."
"...ok..."
Ryou sighed. His yami had saved him that day...he would have surely fallen had Bakura not been there to coax him to stop thinking of what would happen if he fell...what would happen if he gave up... Ryou felt tears welling up in his eyes. "...If I gave up...Like I gave up on you..." He said as tears began their journey down his face. "You cared all along...and just didn't know how to show it...and when I was in doubt...you always knew the way..."
Yami sighed as he watched the news. Yugi was curled up next to him napping against him.
//Come on Bakura...I know you're smarter than that...have you given up already?//
Bakura sighed. //So what if I have? ...It doesn't matter anymore...//
//So what if you have? Then you truly have grown old and feeble. The Bakura I 'vaguely' remember would never have given up.//
Bakura scowled. //Vaguely?// he scoffed. //You remember it all damn well you liar.//
Yami smirked. //Pharaohs dont lie Bakura.//
//Cheeky bratish unruly pharaoh princes do.// Bakura said sitting up.
Yami chuckled a little. //Fine fine, I remember just fine. I also know you never gave up, through all the punishments I laid on your head, all the tortures I gave you in the past, you made it your duty to be a pain through it all.//
Bakura rolled his eyes. //shouldn't have tried to make ME your little slave boy then, you did that just to spite me.//
Yami smiled. //No, I did it because I couldn't bring myself to have you killed. You have a good heart...even if its sometimes on the end of sticky fingers. Which by the way, you still haven't outgrown.//
Bakura sighed. //what do you know...you're just a pharaoh who had it all on a silver platter...still do.//
Yami shook his head. //You had a silver platter too Bakura, but you were too busy seeing its flaws to see the true value of that platter.//
Bakura growled. //If you taunt me pharaoh, I WILL kill you someday.//
Yami shook his head again. //You aren't listening to me thief. Go to him...you still can, for a moment...your link is very weak...but you can still tell him you are sorry...at least you wont spend the rest of your existance in misery.//
Bakura nodded. //Thank you...again...//
Bakura wandered around the labyrinth for hours, until his feet were sore and his vision blurred the stone walls together. He followed his feet aimlessly, until he stopped in his chamber. "Oh..." He muttered going in. "Theres no point in waiting up...I've lost him..." He said kicking at the floor. He wished that one of the stones on the floor were loose. Just one would do...something, anything to throw or break.
Ryou had been given new clothes, and he had long since gathered his things, save the ring which was now in Seto's safe, and put them in a bag. He had called for a taxi to take him home.
Yami shook his head. Bakura simply wasn't fast enough to beat Seto's plan. 'looks like you met a fate worse than any sentance I could have given you in days past...' Yugi looked at his yami. "whats wrong?" He said popping a few aspirin and rubbing his head. "Ohhh...I'll never have a drinking contest with you and Jono and Honda ever again...." Yami sighed. "Its just a problem that will resolve itself, one way....or the other." Yugi blinked. "What kinda problem?" Yami shook his head smiling. "Its nothing Yugi, its just a little problem that will resolve itself...dont you worry." Yugi hugged Yami. "You dont have to make up excuses not to tell me things Yami, I understand if you have secrets..." Yami laughed. "Secrets? After all this time?" Yugi shook his head. "Everyone has them...I know you do..knowingly or not." Yami laughed slightly. "You're every bit as mysterious as I am...I now see why it is annoying."
Ryou wandered to his room and shook his head at the splintered door and scratched floors. "How will I ever explain such a mess to father..?" He said pushing the desk back to its place of origin. "I guess its a good thing I keep emergency funds...for things Yami might break..." Ryou frowned. "For...things he used to break..." he corrected himself.
Bakura laid on his bed and stared at the stone celing. "4....5...6.." He counted each individual stone. Each one making him think of Ryou more and more. He sighed as the image of Ryou standing sadly in the snow...and talking about how much he tried to get along with his yami. "...Oh Ryou...I'm so sorry...I wish I could have told you..." He muttered to the dank walls. "I was so angry at the world....the only REAL weak one was me..." He said sighing. "I was weak...and you were strong enough to endure everything I did to you...and STILL try to be friends with me...I'm such an ass..."
Ryou poked at his lunch dully. He just couldn't force himself to eat. He looked to the empty chair across from him, and remembered eating the same meal only a few weeks before.
"This stuff sucks! How can you eat this? Its still breathing!"
"What do you MEAN playing with my food?! I'm not playing with food...I'm PLAYING with some THING you clubbed and drug in from the backyard!"
"You're so useless...you cant even COOK!"
Ryou smiled a little...as an image of Bakura tasting his first hot pepper flooded into his mind.
"RA!! where is the water!!"
"My mouth is on fire!!"
"H-how can you FEED someone that stuff?! You're likely to kill someone! That stuff is hotter than the Sahara!"
He sighed and picked up his plate, resigned to the fact...that he just couldn't eat. Yami, even when he was a pain...still had the emotion of endearment...and try as he had to hide it...it shone through to Ryou many times...many more had become obvious to Ryou...now that he was gone... Ryou remembered a situation a few months back when he had been stuck outside on the ledge of his school. He didn't even really remember how he had gotten there...it was so frightening.
"Y-yami! I'm going to fall!"
"No you wont you whiner...its just a narrow ledge...you're fine ok? Just stay close to the wall and you'll be fine."
"I'll FALL!"
"Ryou...I promise you wont fall...you're such a baby sometimes..."
"Its so high...I hate heights!"
"Its only high if you look down...set your sights higher and you wont be scared of falling. Focus on a cloud and think of how nice it will be when you're off this ledge, instead of the ground...and how horrible it will be when you fall."
"...ok..."
Ryou sighed. His yami had saved him that day...he would have surely fallen had Bakura not been there to coax him to stop thinking of what would happen if he fell...what would happen if he gave up... Ryou felt tears welling up in his eyes. "...If I gave up...Like I gave up on you..." He said as tears began their journey down his face. "You cared all along...and just didn't know how to show it...and when I was in doubt...you always knew the way..."
Yami sighed as he watched the news. Yugi was curled up next to him napping against him.
//Come on Bakura...I know you're smarter than that...have you given up already?//
Bakura sighed. //So what if I have? ...It doesn't matter anymore...//
//So what if you have? Then you truly have grown old and feeble. The Bakura I 'vaguely' remember would never have given up.//
Bakura scowled. //Vaguely?// he scoffed. //You remember it all damn well you liar.//
Yami smirked. //Pharaohs dont lie Bakura.//
//Cheeky bratish unruly pharaoh princes do.// Bakura said sitting up.
Yami chuckled a little. //Fine fine, I remember just fine. I also know you never gave up, through all the punishments I laid on your head, all the tortures I gave you in the past, you made it your duty to be a pain through it all.//
Bakura rolled his eyes. //shouldn't have tried to make ME your little slave boy then, you did that just to spite me.//
Yami smiled. //No, I did it because I couldn't bring myself to have you killed. You have a good heart...even if its sometimes on the end of sticky fingers. Which by the way, you still haven't outgrown.//
Bakura sighed. //what do you know...you're just a pharaoh who had it all on a silver platter...still do.//
Yami shook his head. //You had a silver platter too Bakura, but you were too busy seeing its flaws to see the true value of that platter.//
Bakura growled. //If you taunt me pharaoh, I WILL kill you someday.//
Yami shook his head again. //You aren't listening to me thief. Go to him...you still can, for a moment...your link is very weak...but you can still tell him you are sorry...at least you wont spend the rest of your existance in misery.//
Bakura nodded. //Thank you...again...//