Chapter Two: Divine Intervention…?

/It's not fair! / cried the petite adolescent mournfully, tears running freely off of his face. /Why can't he understand my feelings for him? I've tried so very hard to get him to notice me, but all he does is trap himself within the confines of absurd philosophy! How can I get someone like that to see my true intentions? /

In the mists of his romantic despair, the purple-eyed child didn't even detect someone gathering him up in a warm embrace. Delicate fingers wiped away the rivers of sadness pouring down his cheeks, hooking stray strands of blond tresses behind his ears.

"You just take as much time as you need there." a soft-spoken voice soothed, the tone completely serene. "Let it all out now, no one is stopping you."

Uncovering his face with his tiny hands, the younger version of the King of Games peered at who was talking to him. One of his best friends, Ryou Bakura, gave him a loving smile as he cradled the upset child. Gentle green orbs viewed him in a loving manner, and the silvery-haired teenager continued to hold him affectionately. Grateful for the companionship, the magenta-eyed boy gripped his close comrade tightly.

"Why doesn't he love me?" cried Yugi, depression weighing his normally vibrant features down.

Taken aback by his classmate's sob, Ryou's eyebrows went up. "Excuse me?"

"Yugioh!" sobbed the distraught adolescent, his face a mask of pain. "He doesn't even know I exist most of the time! Why can't he be more fond of me? I don't deserve this kind of cold, detached treatment!"

"You mean to tell me that you like the pharaoh?"

Nodding slowly, the small boy said, "Yes, but only the gods know why. "

"Why?"

Laughing softly, Yugi replied, "It's like I've stated before, only the gods know. I can't really say why I do, I just do."

"That's how it all starts, though." added the green-eyed teen knowingly. "One minute, you see them as nothing more than a friend, the next you are ready to exchange vows with them. Feelings aren't really meant to be explained, anyways. They're matters of the heart that even the greatest minds in the world have trouble deciphering."

"I suppose so." agreed the tri hair colored adolescent, sniffling back his sadness. "I just wish he felt the same way I did."

"Doesn't he?"

"Nope, not one bit."

"Have you asked him yet?"

"What good does that do? He'll only ramble on about his latest philosophical discoveries." said the purple-eyed boy bitterly, troubled with mixed emotions.

"Well, isn't it worth a try?" asked Ryou, brushing some more honey colored tresses out of his friend's eyes.

"No. He won't listen to me."

"Defeatist language for someone who claims to really like Yami."

"But it's the truth!" protested the amethyst-eyed boy, feeling a fresh batch of tears form under his lids. "He'll never pay attention to me, and--"

"Never even know what you're saying now because you are refusing to give him the benefit of the doubt." finished the snowy-haired teen, mercifully putting an end to his classmate's depressing language. "Look, Yugi…you can either keep on dreaming about you and him being together, or you can confront him with your feelings. He probably doesn't even know why you left the living room in such a traumatized fashion, does he?"

"No, he doesn't."

"So why on earth would you accuse him of not caring about you when he doesn't even know you like him that way?"

"You're right." sighed Yugi, beginning to regret throwing such harsh words at Yami. "I need to trust him and myself to confront him with what I'm thinking. If I don't, then I deserve to be alone and by myself."

"See? That's the way to go about it all!" smiled Ryou encouragingly, helping his friend to his feet. "It's not that bad or hard at all!"

Inspired by his classmate's hopeful phrases, the magenta-eyed teen started for the door. Just as he was about to vanish into the hallway, he grinned and thanked his comrade for his speech.

"Anytime, Yugi." said the silvery-haired boy, pleased that he had a good influence over his peer. "and remember, it's not that tough to accomplish. Be confident, okay?"

"All right, I'll give him the most romantic speech ever!" promised the petite adolescent, taking off down the hall. "Thanks again!"

Smiling to himself, the green-eyed child shook his head and fell back onto the mattress. "The poor thing is going to take one look at his counterpart and turn tail."

"You mean like you did?" a harsh voice inquired, its quality a bit mocking.

Turning his head, Ryou caught a glimpse of Yami Bakura, who was leaning up against the frame of the door. His classic smirk was plastered on his mouth, making him appear scarier than what the silvery-haired child was used to seeing. Used to his Yami's snide remarks, the emerald-eyed child heaved a great sigh.

"I finally told you how I felt, didn't I?"

"True, very true indeed." agreed the millennium spirit, entering the room in a forbidding fashion. Finding a spare place on the bed, the old soul plopped himself next to his hikari. "It took you long enough to do it, though."

"So what? I didn't see you being brave by waltzing up to me and revealing your feelings, either." Ryou pointed out, trying to shut the spirit of the ring up.

"That's because I didn't know what to say." admitted Bakura, the nasty edge in his accent gone. "I didn't want you to reject me or something like that."

"Reject you?" said the snowy-haired adolescent incredulously, "I love you!"

"Yeah, but I didn't know that."

"You do now."

"Uh-huh." replied Yami, snuggling up by his koi's arm. Tenderly, the school boy gave the spirit a long embrace. "It's going to take Yugi longer to tell his significant other than you told him it would. He's not that assertive."

"That's what I'm worried about." confessed the green-eyed adolescent, stroking the millennium spirit's hair. "It may take another five thousand years before those two make their move."

"What a shame." commented the old soul, enjoying the affection he was receiving from his hikari. "He'll never know what it's like to lose his virginity."

"Yami!" scolded Ryou, playfully swatting his counterpart. "That's flat-out disgusting!"

"Yep, I know. I've got more evil thoughts like that in my head if you want to know them."

"No, thank-you for offering to turn me into a twisted hentai, though. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated."

Throwing his head back against the mattress, the spirit of the ring laughed loudly. "You don't have to sound so tortured about it. My mind isn't that full of tarnished subject matter."

"I know how you operate, Spirit." retorted the high school teenager, raising a contradictory eyebrow. "Don't dare try to tell me any different. No one knows you better than I do."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Sometimes. It just depends on how much you try my patience."

"You're too touchy, you know. Loosen up."

"Can we just focus on the situation at hand?" questioned Ryou, worried about the progress his other friend would make with the ruler of all duels.

Yami shrugged indifferently, trying ever so hard not to fall asleep. "Okay, so how are you going to get them to fall in love and live happily ever after?"

"You're going to help me."

"You can't be serious--" Seeing the expression of icy determination on his face, the millennium spirit sighed. "I'm not exactly the most ideal person to fulfill the role of matchmaker, Ryou."

"Says who?"

"Oh, come one! You know I'm not Mr. Sensitivity!"

"I don't need you to be like cupid for this one."

"Then what do you want me to do?" questioned the spirit of the ring, clearly confused.

"Just be yourself."

Grinning, the old soul pushed some of his silver tresses back. "If I get involved with them, I may end up destroying any chances they have of getting together."

"If you reveal to Yugioh how we got together, that may bring out his soft side. You can appeal to his logic because you understand how he thinks." explained the snowy-haired child, spelling out the details of his latest plan. "Yugi's millennium spirit is tough to crack, but I have full faith that he'll listen to you."

"Why me?" whined the spirit of the ring, aggravated with the task being presented to him.

"All you have to do is appeal to the pharaoh's mind. Do what you do best: challenge him to a duel of word play. I'm sure he'll be up for a good philosophical debate."

"That's it?"

Ryou nodded, patting his Yami on the head. "That's all I want you to do."

"And what are you going to be doing while I try to convince Yugioh he should be thinking about a long-term relationship?"

Sitting upright on the bed, the silvery-haired teen stretched his arms out over his head. "I'm going to be helping Yugi out in the confidence department."

Bakura emitted a low whistle, getting off of the mattress himself. "You've got your work cut out for you there."

"Too true, but it will be worth it in the end, right?"

"If you say so." said the millennium spirit, exiting the room. "Let's hope you know what you're doing."

"I do." smiled Ryou with a surge of self-assurance. "I know they'll be very happy together once we get both of them to come around a bit."

"You know, all it's going to take is one royal slip-up and they could hate each other for eternity, Hikari. I suggest you watch every move you make."

Waving the old soul off, the green-eyed child replied, "Don't worry, I know true love when I see it. Besides, I have everything under control, which means no one will get hurt or have any regrets."

"Hope you're right, Ryou."

"Like I said, it'll all work out. Trust me on this one."

Shaking his head, the spirit of the ring got away while he could, before his young counterpart could make him do anything else. He took his time going down the corridor, trying to organize his thoughts before he got to the king of games. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried to concentrate on what he was about to do, a strange sensation of unease kept eating away at his insides.

/Oh, what am I so concerned about? / Bakura chastised himself, gliding across the redwood floor soundlessly. /When it comes to relationships and lovey-dovey circumstances, he always knows how to handle the situation. And he does it well, too. Still, though…Yugi and his yami are going to take a lot of work to bring together. I guess Ryou really does have everything in order, and there's no need to be prepared for failure. /

There was no possible way that Yami Bakura would know how wrong he was, nor could he have foretold the messy events that were about to pass.