I'm so sorry this took so long to be posted!!! A thousand sorry's!! I went on vacation, hehehe. Thank you SOOOOOO much for the great reviews guys!! Anyway, this chap is still angst, but due to a suggestion, (Hello Magician of Black Chaos!!) (and the fact I was missing him) Kaiba is in this chapter, yay!!! Oh yeah and I added something just for you Angel of Darkness ;) Oh and at the bottom I included some replies to reviews. Oh and Guardian, I'll explain it in this chap : )
Kaiba: Your dragging me into this!
LYB: Stop whining, you get to make a big scene.
Kaiba: *suspiciously* Over what?
LYB: ^_^ you'll see.
Ryou: Is this my chapter?
LYB: Yup, just like I promised.
Ryou: YAY!!
Cyris: the disclaimers are in the first chapter, I won't bother.
*song lyric's*
_Ryou's thoughs_
****************************************************************************
You Never Know…
****************************************************************************
It was a beautiful afternoon and Ryou Bakura stood in the park gazing at the rock bottomed pond that marked it's centre. It had been a week now since the incident at the club, and Ryou felt no closer to an answer. He looked at the water flashing in the sun, it was beautiful, the same colour as the ring he was holding in his hand, it's broke strap fell limply from it. Ryou sighed. To many things were going on.
His mind drifted back to that night: "Your everything to me, Ryou… my hikari…" that was what his Yami had said, after ripping the ring from his neck. Ryou shook his head, one minute he had been enraged, then, he said that. Was it hi stubborn pride again, or something more? God only knew. It was more then shock, Ryou felt, it was confusion plain and simple.
*You never know,
Some folks think the world just moves too slow;
But was it you
Told me I'm your everything?
You hit me like I never felt before…
(Hit me like I never felt before)
Hit me like a sucker punch,
You're rotten to the core. you know you,
Hit me like I never felt before,
I'm silly for the last time…*
Ryou felt an arm wrap around his waist and he looked down at the boy beside him. Yugi smiled up at him and Ryou smiled back, putting his arm around Yugi as well. "Hello Yugi-chan," Ryou smiled.
"I knew I'd find you here." Yugi smiled. Ryou bit back the misery inside him, forcing himself to look happy. He'd been staying with Yugi all this time and hadn't gone near his own home. He was sure Yami Bakura was there and he was to fed up with the whole mess to even look at the yami. Why couldn't he say those thing before, why did he have to go and do that instead. His dark other had lied, cheated, punched him, kicked him, adored him, loved him.
*You never take,
A promise from a man who sheds his skin.
You had to wait
For my aching heart to break.*
Ryou pulled the boy beside him closer. Yugi had been so good to him, patient and understanding. He'd been staying with him now for almost 7 days and Ryou did appreciate the help. He should move on, his yami wanted nothing to do with him and never showed him the compassion this boy did. _But you don't love him do you?_ Ryou thought to himself _You love your yami. YOUR yami… He's not your yami anymore, he took off the ring remember? He's his own being now and so are you. You'll get over what you feel Ryou, fight it back like before. You can have Yugi now._ His mother had always said listen to your heart, not your head. But Ryou's heart was a mess, it had shattered into pieces the second the string broke, so against his better judgement, he listened to his head.
"Hey Ryou," Yugi said, "Do you know what you want to do yet? You said you were going to stand here until you do."
Ryou smiled and nodded. "Yes, I think so. I…" he paused and sighed "It's no good for me to dwell in the past, I have to let go." He took Yugi's hand and opened Yugi's palm, then pressed the golden ring into it. "Do what you think is right with it." Ryou said, putting up a brave front, but inside, he felt his stomach turn. Yugi stared at the ring a moment, then at the rock bottom pool they stood beside. Ryou bit his lip as Yugi pulled back his arm and through the ring as far out into the lake as he could.
"That's what I think is right." Yugi said softly. Ryou felt himself tense when the trinket hit the water, as if something would consume him now that it was gone. But nothing happened and a miserable relief came over him. Moving on would be harder then he thought, but if Bakura could do it so easily, so could he, just out of plain spite.
*You hit me like I never felt before…
(Hit me like I never felt before)
Hit me like a sucker punch,
You're rotten to the core. you know you,
Hit me like I never felt before,
I'm silly for the last time…*
"There, it's gone." Yugi said looking at the lake, smiling in his cute way, "So you…" He was cut short by a hand taking hold of him by the back of the neck and pulling him into a powerful kiss on his lips, when the kiss was broken Yugi starred at the white haired boy in shock. "Nani? Ryou? Why did you do that?"
Ryou smiled slightly, still holding the boy, "Because I wanted too. You've been so good to me, you've given me a place to stay and saved me in so many ways since we first met… I just… kinda, wanted to repay you, I suppose."
Yugi smiled sweetly and stood on his tip toes to plant a kiss on Ryou's cheek. "You don't owe me a thing. You were the one who had your arms around me the whole time after I lost that fight with Kaiba and almost killed him."
"I suppose so." Ryou blushed slightly. "So, what happens now?"
Yugi looked thoughtful a minute. "You want to go see a movie?"
"Um, sure."
"As more then friends?" Yugi smiled at him shyly. _Bury your past_ Ryou thought to himself and he brought a smile to his lips.
"I'd love to."
Further down the paths of the park, Yami Yugi sat on a bench, glaring at the new couple as they walked off. "It's to soon for this." He hissed, now glaring at the ground in front of him. "This whole thing will only end in disaster."
"I know you love Yugi, But I think you're taking this to seriously." a smooth voice said beside him.
"And this is coming from a guy who it's a miracle to see him outside of work because he's so serious?" Yami said sharply, looking up at the icy eyes brown haired boy standing beside him. Kaiba never was patient enough to sit anywhere for long periods of time.
"I'm here now." Seto answered, crossing his arms.
"Only because Joey dragged you," Yami retorted. "I never thought I'd see the day when you and Joey would be together. Where is Joey anyway?"
"He had to go pick up Serenity, but he should be getting back any minute now." Kaiba scanned the path as he spoke for the brazen blonde. "And just for the record, I never thought I'd see the day that you were jealous of Ryou."
"I'm not jealous." Yami replied, "I'm worried. About Ryou, and about Yugi. This is to soon. Way to soon. I know what Ryou feels, he's confused, alone and he's trying to bury that by taking on Yugi. He's still totally in love with his yami, I have no doubt about that. And Yugi loved Ryou so blindly, when he find's out it will devastate him. This can only end in disaster."
Kaiba nodded. "I'd hate to say it, but I think your right. This is to soon. How's Yami Bakura taking this anyway, has Malik talked to him?"
Yami allowed himself to show how tired he felt, he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "No, Malik hasn't been able to. Yami Bakura shut himself up in the house, he won't answer the phone or the door. And when he does leave the house, he wanders off alone where no one can find him."
"How can he be alive without the ring anyway?" Kaiba asked glancing at the lake that now contained the accursed ring. "I thought without the ring, he would die."
"He's not without the ring," Yami stated, "He has the power to come in and out of it as he pleases, just as I can go in and out of my puzzle. All he did was break the strap from Ryou's neck, breaking any access they had to each others soul rooms."
"So Yami Bakura's soul room is still in Ryou's mind, he just can't go back to it."
"He can go back to it, he just can't get it out of it, he wouldn't be able to go into Ryou's soul room. Nor can Ryou enter his."
"In that case, their minds are now totally independent of each other. They can't read each others thoughts or emotions or talk in their mind."
"Yes, for the most part, they're their own people. Yami Bakura will still live in the physical world until the ring itself is broken."
"But, what if Ryou dies?" Kaiba said absently, "Does Yami Bakura die too?"
"I don't think so." Yami said slowly, "He sealed a bit of his soul in my puzzle remember, so he'll probably end up living in my soul room. Not that it bothers me much anymore. I have to admit there's more to him then there appears, he took this just about as hard as Ryou. But I'm not worried about him, he can handle pain pretty well."
"But you are worried." Kaiba said, looking down at the ancient, "What's on your mind?"
Yami sighed and shook his head sorrowfully. "I'm afraid for Yugi, I'm afraid of what will happen when he learns the truth, it will break his heart."
"Yugi can handle it, he has you."
"No he doesn't." Yami said softly, "He's changing, he's distancing himself from me, locks me out of his soul room at times too. He hides things from me."
Kaiba stifled a cry of shock, swallowing in his throat. "Hiding? Hiding what?"
Yami dug into his pocket and produced a small crumpled brown piece of paper. "Maybe you can tell me. I don't fully understand this modern world, maybe you can tell me why he hides these packages."
Kaiba took the crumpled paper and semi-unfolded it. He couldn't see anything unusual about it, but the cracks and fold could hide something. He shook it and he could hear a soft scrapping noise, so he raised it to his lip to see if it had any smell. Abruptly a shock went threw his system. It felt like a thousand small knives were dragging on the inside of his noise and his head felt like it was going to explode. He grabbed a tissue from his pocket and bent over, blowing his noise several times. "Oh Bloody HELL!" he shrieked, trying to get the stuff out of him as well as relieve his head rush.
"Blessed Ra! Kaiba, what is it?" Yami was up on his feet, rubbing Kaiba's back and handing him more tissues. "What's wrong?"
Kaiba continued to choke and sneeze for a moment, before satisfied that the substance was out of him before really effecting him. He rocked back on his heels then sat down on the ground. "Oh Christ," he muttered, laying his aching he on his knees, "That's cocaine Yami," he muttered, "The boy's on crack." Yami stepped back and froze, he didn't dare breath, he didn't dare move, he didn't dare think.
Later that night, Ryou sat alone in the bedroom he and Yugi shared, strumming absently on his guitar. His misery was back once more. Downstairs voice screamed at each other:
"You're being foolish! Do you think that he'll give you the world? What the hell is going on! You'll kill yourself with the shit!"
"Stop treating me like a goddamn child!!"
"Give me a reason not too!!"
Ryou sighed. Yami and Yugi had always been to well together, now they were fighting, fighting over him. He was in over his head and he knew it. The pain nipped at his eyes again and he bit it back. It had always been his yami who had come to the rescue, had forced him to stand on his own two feet, given him the ambition to go after his dreams. In an odd way, it was his yami who kept his strong, how ironic.
*Now everyone gets angry…
And I feel it when you're holding me.
In the right place,
At the right time,
To the right degree,
It's a breeding ground for the pain I've found
From dealing with your scene.
You know that it ain't easy…
(That ain't easy)
(That ain't easy)
(that ain't easy)*
Ryou gazed out the window, looking past the large tree that wound it's way up past it and up at the moon. It was beautiful. He sighed deeply, he wondered if his yami was looking at it too, wondered if his yami was thinking about him. Misery came over him, it was to late to turn back now: the record deal, Yugi, Ryou was in over his head and he knew it…
*You hit me like I never felt before…
(Hit me like I never felt before)
Hit me like I never felt before…
(Hit me like I never felt before)
I'm silly for the last time…*
**********************************************************************
Ryou: *starts to sob and sulks off*
LYB: Oh, poor Ryou!
Yugi: I'm a druggy!!??
Yami: You're a druggy!!??
LYB: *blushes* Um yeah, about that…
Yami: _
Kaiba: Your dragging me into this!
LYB: Stop whining, you get to make a big scene.
Kaiba: *suspiciously* Over what?
LYB: ^_^ you'll see.
Ryou: Is this my chapter?
LYB: Yup, just like I promised.
Ryou: YAY!!
Cyris: the disclaimers are in the first chapter, I won't bother.
*song lyric's*
_Ryou's thoughs_
****************************************************************************
You Never Know…
****************************************************************************
It was a beautiful afternoon and Ryou Bakura stood in the park gazing at the rock bottomed pond that marked it's centre. It had been a week now since the incident at the club, and Ryou felt no closer to an answer. He looked at the water flashing in the sun, it was beautiful, the same colour as the ring he was holding in his hand, it's broke strap fell limply from it. Ryou sighed. To many things were going on.
His mind drifted back to that night: "Your everything to me, Ryou… my hikari…" that was what his Yami had said, after ripping the ring from his neck. Ryou shook his head, one minute he had been enraged, then, he said that. Was it hi stubborn pride again, or something more? God only knew. It was more then shock, Ryou felt, it was confusion plain and simple.
*You never know,
Some folks think the world just moves too slow;
But was it you
Told me I'm your everything?
You hit me like I never felt before…
(Hit me like I never felt before)
Hit me like a sucker punch,
You're rotten to the core. you know you,
Hit me like I never felt before,
I'm silly for the last time…*
Ryou felt an arm wrap around his waist and he looked down at the boy beside him. Yugi smiled up at him and Ryou smiled back, putting his arm around Yugi as well. "Hello Yugi-chan," Ryou smiled.
"I knew I'd find you here." Yugi smiled. Ryou bit back the misery inside him, forcing himself to look happy. He'd been staying with Yugi all this time and hadn't gone near his own home. He was sure Yami Bakura was there and he was to fed up with the whole mess to even look at the yami. Why couldn't he say those thing before, why did he have to go and do that instead. His dark other had lied, cheated, punched him, kicked him, adored him, loved him.
*You never take,
A promise from a man who sheds his skin.
You had to wait
For my aching heart to break.*
Ryou pulled the boy beside him closer. Yugi had been so good to him, patient and understanding. He'd been staying with him now for almost 7 days and Ryou did appreciate the help. He should move on, his yami wanted nothing to do with him and never showed him the compassion this boy did. _But you don't love him do you?_ Ryou thought to himself _You love your yami. YOUR yami… He's not your yami anymore, he took off the ring remember? He's his own being now and so are you. You'll get over what you feel Ryou, fight it back like before. You can have Yugi now._ His mother had always said listen to your heart, not your head. But Ryou's heart was a mess, it had shattered into pieces the second the string broke, so against his better judgement, he listened to his head.
"Hey Ryou," Yugi said, "Do you know what you want to do yet? You said you were going to stand here until you do."
Ryou smiled and nodded. "Yes, I think so. I…" he paused and sighed "It's no good for me to dwell in the past, I have to let go." He took Yugi's hand and opened Yugi's palm, then pressed the golden ring into it. "Do what you think is right with it." Ryou said, putting up a brave front, but inside, he felt his stomach turn. Yugi stared at the ring a moment, then at the rock bottom pool they stood beside. Ryou bit his lip as Yugi pulled back his arm and through the ring as far out into the lake as he could.
"That's what I think is right." Yugi said softly. Ryou felt himself tense when the trinket hit the water, as if something would consume him now that it was gone. But nothing happened and a miserable relief came over him. Moving on would be harder then he thought, but if Bakura could do it so easily, so could he, just out of plain spite.
*You hit me like I never felt before…
(Hit me like I never felt before)
Hit me like a sucker punch,
You're rotten to the core. you know you,
Hit me like I never felt before,
I'm silly for the last time…*
"There, it's gone." Yugi said looking at the lake, smiling in his cute way, "So you…" He was cut short by a hand taking hold of him by the back of the neck and pulling him into a powerful kiss on his lips, when the kiss was broken Yugi starred at the white haired boy in shock. "Nani? Ryou? Why did you do that?"
Ryou smiled slightly, still holding the boy, "Because I wanted too. You've been so good to me, you've given me a place to stay and saved me in so many ways since we first met… I just… kinda, wanted to repay you, I suppose."
Yugi smiled sweetly and stood on his tip toes to plant a kiss on Ryou's cheek. "You don't owe me a thing. You were the one who had your arms around me the whole time after I lost that fight with Kaiba and almost killed him."
"I suppose so." Ryou blushed slightly. "So, what happens now?"
Yugi looked thoughtful a minute. "You want to go see a movie?"
"Um, sure."
"As more then friends?" Yugi smiled at him shyly. _Bury your past_ Ryou thought to himself and he brought a smile to his lips.
"I'd love to."
Further down the paths of the park, Yami Yugi sat on a bench, glaring at the new couple as they walked off. "It's to soon for this." He hissed, now glaring at the ground in front of him. "This whole thing will only end in disaster."
"I know you love Yugi, But I think you're taking this to seriously." a smooth voice said beside him.
"And this is coming from a guy who it's a miracle to see him outside of work because he's so serious?" Yami said sharply, looking up at the icy eyes brown haired boy standing beside him. Kaiba never was patient enough to sit anywhere for long periods of time.
"I'm here now." Seto answered, crossing his arms.
"Only because Joey dragged you," Yami retorted. "I never thought I'd see the day when you and Joey would be together. Where is Joey anyway?"
"He had to go pick up Serenity, but he should be getting back any minute now." Kaiba scanned the path as he spoke for the brazen blonde. "And just for the record, I never thought I'd see the day that you were jealous of Ryou."
"I'm not jealous." Yami replied, "I'm worried. About Ryou, and about Yugi. This is to soon. Way to soon. I know what Ryou feels, he's confused, alone and he's trying to bury that by taking on Yugi. He's still totally in love with his yami, I have no doubt about that. And Yugi loved Ryou so blindly, when he find's out it will devastate him. This can only end in disaster."
Kaiba nodded. "I'd hate to say it, but I think your right. This is to soon. How's Yami Bakura taking this anyway, has Malik talked to him?"
Yami allowed himself to show how tired he felt, he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "No, Malik hasn't been able to. Yami Bakura shut himself up in the house, he won't answer the phone or the door. And when he does leave the house, he wanders off alone where no one can find him."
"How can he be alive without the ring anyway?" Kaiba asked glancing at the lake that now contained the accursed ring. "I thought without the ring, he would die."
"He's not without the ring," Yami stated, "He has the power to come in and out of it as he pleases, just as I can go in and out of my puzzle. All he did was break the strap from Ryou's neck, breaking any access they had to each others soul rooms."
"So Yami Bakura's soul room is still in Ryou's mind, he just can't go back to it."
"He can go back to it, he just can't get it out of it, he wouldn't be able to go into Ryou's soul room. Nor can Ryou enter his."
"In that case, their minds are now totally independent of each other. They can't read each others thoughts or emotions or talk in their mind."
"Yes, for the most part, they're their own people. Yami Bakura will still live in the physical world until the ring itself is broken."
"But, what if Ryou dies?" Kaiba said absently, "Does Yami Bakura die too?"
"I don't think so." Yami said slowly, "He sealed a bit of his soul in my puzzle remember, so he'll probably end up living in my soul room. Not that it bothers me much anymore. I have to admit there's more to him then there appears, he took this just about as hard as Ryou. But I'm not worried about him, he can handle pain pretty well."
"But you are worried." Kaiba said, looking down at the ancient, "What's on your mind?"
Yami sighed and shook his head sorrowfully. "I'm afraid for Yugi, I'm afraid of what will happen when he learns the truth, it will break his heart."
"Yugi can handle it, he has you."
"No he doesn't." Yami said softly, "He's changing, he's distancing himself from me, locks me out of his soul room at times too. He hides things from me."
Kaiba stifled a cry of shock, swallowing in his throat. "Hiding? Hiding what?"
Yami dug into his pocket and produced a small crumpled brown piece of paper. "Maybe you can tell me. I don't fully understand this modern world, maybe you can tell me why he hides these packages."
Kaiba took the crumpled paper and semi-unfolded it. He couldn't see anything unusual about it, but the cracks and fold could hide something. He shook it and he could hear a soft scrapping noise, so he raised it to his lip to see if it had any smell. Abruptly a shock went threw his system. It felt like a thousand small knives were dragging on the inside of his noise and his head felt like it was going to explode. He grabbed a tissue from his pocket and bent over, blowing his noise several times. "Oh Bloody HELL!" he shrieked, trying to get the stuff out of him as well as relieve his head rush.
"Blessed Ra! Kaiba, what is it?" Yami was up on his feet, rubbing Kaiba's back and handing him more tissues. "What's wrong?"
Kaiba continued to choke and sneeze for a moment, before satisfied that the substance was out of him before really effecting him. He rocked back on his heels then sat down on the ground. "Oh Christ," he muttered, laying his aching he on his knees, "That's cocaine Yami," he muttered, "The boy's on crack." Yami stepped back and froze, he didn't dare breath, he didn't dare move, he didn't dare think.
Later that night, Ryou sat alone in the bedroom he and Yugi shared, strumming absently on his guitar. His misery was back once more. Downstairs voice screamed at each other:
"You're being foolish! Do you think that he'll give you the world? What the hell is going on! You'll kill yourself with the shit!"
"Stop treating me like a goddamn child!!"
"Give me a reason not too!!"
Ryou sighed. Yami and Yugi had always been to well together, now they were fighting, fighting over him. He was in over his head and he knew it. The pain nipped at his eyes again and he bit it back. It had always been his yami who had come to the rescue, had forced him to stand on his own two feet, given him the ambition to go after his dreams. In an odd way, it was his yami who kept his strong, how ironic.
*Now everyone gets angry…
And I feel it when you're holding me.
In the right place,
At the right time,
To the right degree,
It's a breeding ground for the pain I've found
From dealing with your scene.
You know that it ain't easy…
(That ain't easy)
(That ain't easy)
(that ain't easy)*
Ryou gazed out the window, looking past the large tree that wound it's way up past it and up at the moon. It was beautiful. He sighed deeply, he wondered if his yami was looking at it too, wondered if his yami was thinking about him. Misery came over him, it was to late to turn back now: the record deal, Yugi, Ryou was in over his head and he knew it…
*You hit me like I never felt before…
(Hit me like I never felt before)
Hit me like I never felt before…
(Hit me like I never felt before)
I'm silly for the last time…*
**********************************************************************
Ryou: *starts to sob and sulks off*
LYB: Oh, poor Ryou!
Yugi: I'm a druggy!!??
Yami: You're a druggy!!??
LYB: *blushes* Um yeah, about that…
Yami: _