Hey out there! Here's track 3- "Big Mistake". This one was actually pretty hard for me to write… I kept getting distracted and then I had no idea what I wanted it to turn out to be like… and well like… yeah. Anyway- hopefully the song makes sense. I actually intended for Ryou to be meaner and everything, but it's hard with a character like him. He's just so nice! But, hopefully there are no real problems… I didn't want Ryou to be angry at Bakura because of the cuts or anything, but I wanted him to be defensive because of jealousy and everything- you know- jealousy because of Yami and Yuugi, and he figures maybe taking Yami's advice, Bakura and himself can finally be equals.
And quick comment on Malik… I really don't know his character that well- but I'm doing the best I can! HAPPY READING!

Disclaimer: READ THE FIRST TRACK!

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*…*: song lyrics   '…': thoughts

Left of the Middle: Big Mistake
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*There's no sign on the gate…
And there's mud on your face.
Don't ya think it's time we re-investigate the situation?
Put some fruit on your plate… *


The young man sighed as he stepped out of his house, almost shaking his head in disappointment. Bakura hadn't woken up early in the morning as usual- and it wasn't that Ryou looked forward to being yelled at before he made his way to school- but it was that if he received even a glance of his yami before he left, he believed he might be at least a little stronger and therefore able to continue with his day. But Bakura had definitely shut himself in his room when the young man woke up.

'He must have stayed out late…' The words flashed through his mind as he slowly walked on his way to school. Who knew where he stayed out? With Tea probably. But Ryou didn't want to think of her right then; school seemed pretty important at the time. Ever since he realized what he felt- no more than a few months- did Ryou's grades begin to slip and slide. He couldn't concentrate, he barely did his homework anymore- and tests were really only a reminder of how little the young man even tried. Ryou didn't even want to imagine how much harder it would be on him once he had to start preparing for the college entrance exams. The prospect of it frightened him.

"Hey, Ryou!" A voice called to him; the young man instantly recognized it as being Yuugi's. Sighing deeply, Ryou stood straight, a plastered smile spreading over his face. Pretending to be a normal and happy person really made sure to fool everyone.

"Konnichiwa, minna!" He waved, a group of 5 familiar faces walking towards him.  "Ohayo!"

"Ohayo!" The group repeated in unison when they finally caught up, starting to walk once again.

"So can you come over to my Grandpa's place tonight, then?" Yuugi stood next to him, Yami Yuugi behind in a sort of protective way.

"Um…"

"And don't give us that excuse that you'll be cooking for Bakura, either." Joey chimed in, putting an arm around the white-haired boy. Ryou was starring at the ground. He couldn't deny them anymore- but he knew as well that if he didn't arrive home early, his yami would certainly find a new way of punishment.

"I'm not so sure…" Ryou mumbled.

"It's alright, Ryou. Go to the game shop- I'll make sure nothing happens with Bakura." Yami finally spoke up. Everyone nodded except Tea who wasn't even paying attention.

"Okay then… if you guys really want me to go…" The group rounded a corner, almost directly in front of their school; fellow classmates were walking around, talking and laughing, but the young man felt a pit in his stomach. Wasn't he supposed to be trying to avoid any type of confrontation?

It seemed that as usual, Yami picked up on this. Taking hold of the young man's shoulder, he slowed down both of their paces. Yuugi looked behind at Ryou, then looked at Yami's face- the two were obviously talking through their minds. To some extent, Ryou was jealous.

"I know you don't want me to talk to Bakura." Yami was serious, but Ryou starred straight ahead. "And I understand that even you have a deep connection with him. But it seems that you two are almost completely…. Bipolar… I mean that in no sort of denouncement of you, Ryou… but I really do not want to allow such treatment of a hikari."

At this, Ryou looked up, eyebrows contorted. "Allow such treatment of a hikari?"

"There are certain obligations that must be followed for a yami… and it seems that he has done nothing but the opposite. Yami and hikari are supposed to be at complete balance- but the darkness is being overbearing right now. Either he intends to harm you much more deeply than he ever has before, or he's holding something important back from you." With his final words, Yami nodded and sped up his step to rejoin the group, Ryou left behind by several feet.

'Obligations..? Balance? Holding something back…?'

*You forgotten how it started…
Think about all the bubbles of love we made… *


Sitting through school seemed nothing like a waste of time as Ryou stared with a blank expression straight ahead. What Yami had said all day seemed to completely stick to him; the words made sure to conjure up logical feelings instead of all the emotional ones Ryou carried around all the time.

What DID Bakura do to him? How was he different than Yami? Well- of course Yami had been a pharaoh with a good upbringing who believed in nothing but good for people and the future of dueling monsters… and yes, Bakura had come from unmentionable places in the lowest classes of ancient Egypt, turning to tomb robbing… but Ryou didn't want to look at the obvious: what REALLY made the two different?

Yami was kind and gentle- most of the time patient with those around him, and would never lay a finger on anyone… yet Bakura was hard and unforgiving, and he ALWAYS hit him… Ryou didn't want to have the thoughts resurface of why he even had feelings for his other self- he knew that the chain of thoughts would continue forever and would only end up with him crying. But it was unavoidable. Why did he love him?

But then again… that wasn't the point, was it? If he even loved Bakura or not. It was how he was being treated. Obligations… balance… holding something back… For some reason it made sense. Bakura never did anything to help- he was always trying to push him around- he definitely wanted to hurt him more…  Was that the connection Yami was talking about?

*And you're down on your knees-
It's too late… oh don't come crawlin'…
And you lie by my feet- what a big mistake…
I see you fallin'…

The young man sat alone, slowly opening his backpack; his lunch consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich, a bottle of water, and an orange. Ryou sighed, almost the same thing every day- the routine. He usually tried to sit alone but somehow, Yuugi and the rest always found a way to try and accompany him.  Looking down, he started eating; it seemed that he still couldn't get away from what Yami said. And now he almost hated the pharaoh because of it.

Why did he have to say that right before he got to school? Thinking of it too much was going to give the young man a headache- and no amount of aspirin would make that go away.

A tapping on his shoulder made him look up; Malik had apparently decided to show up at school. He sat next to him on the grass, crossing his legs and looking around. 

"Why are you sitting over here all alone?" He spoke without looking at Ryou who was downing some of the water.

He gulped and then sighed. "I usually try and sit by myself."

"Oh." Malik ran his fingers through his hair, finally turning to the young man. "Yami told me what he told you this morning." Ryou's eyebrows rose. Yami told him?

"Why did he tell you?"

"He wanted me to talk you to on behalf of Bakura. At least until he can talk to you himself." Ryou smirked, taking another drink from his water bottle. Malik frowned, shaking his head. "Really, I want to help." The young man stopped, staring at Malik for a second.

"Help? How can you possibly help?" He talked as if he was surprised, almost amused.

"How can I? Well- maybe it is true that there's a lot you don't know." Malik sighed, looking up at the sky.

"I would really want that to be the case… but considering how Bakura hates me so much, it's so hard to believe…"

"He doesn't hate you."

"Yeah right… look at how Yami and Yuugi are always with each other- they're happy together. But Bakura never wants that… and I guess it's fine with me if he doesn't want us to connect like they do."

"Don't say that, Ryou. We all know you want to make peace with your yami." Malik smiled lightly- it looked sort of sincere, but didn't seem like him at all.

"Make peace?" He took a bite of his sandwich, chewed it for a few seconds, then swallowed before continuing, "making peace will not happen no matter how hard I try… it just makes me realize how little he's ever gonna care for me. Instead of encouraging me to make the situation better, Yami's words really just made me question why I try so hard."

"Ryou…"

"No- I'm serious. I never really thought about resenting Bakura before because of what he does to me. But- I guess now, that's what it's come down to." He sighed, looking up at a passing cloud. That's what he thought, right?

*Got a buzz in my head- and my flowers are dead…
Can't figure out a way to rectify this situation…
Don't believe what you said.*

'He doesn't hate me, right…? Malik, you liar…' His head hit the ground in a thump, a foot rolling him over onto his back. Bakura's cold eyes starred down at him. 'Liar… liar… liar… ' A tear rolled down his cheek as the standing man left the room. Ryou sat up, wiping his face. All the trouble over a duel after school.

Ryou stood up, dusting himself off, grabbing his things. Normally he would have been at least a little happy that his yami was happy in hitting him… but right then his mind was pre occupied with how everyone was trying to interfere. Why did they want to? He wasn't necessarily grateful- it only put his mind in more of a whirl and nothing would ever really change.

*You've forgotten how it started…
Close your eyes- think of all the bubbles of love we made…*

The taste of white chocolate lingered on his lips as he starred at the wall in front of him. His eyes looked at the whiteness as if it were hiding something from him. Finally his eyes disconnected from the wall as he looked down at the wrappers of Hershey's White Chocolate scattered on the ground. Ryou slid off the edge of his bed, picking them up. What was the use of eating so many when he knew he was going to throw them up, anyway? Going onto his hands and knees, he reached under his bed to take the remaining wrappers, when his gentle fingers fell onto the cover or a book.

'Hmph..?' He pulled it out and starred at the cover. 'History of Ancient Egypt….? Oh… forgot that I had this down here…' Ryou sat down, setting the handful of full-size wrappers on the ground besides him, flipping open the book. It wasn't that he was curious about the time period, but he wanted know what he could as to somehow not offend his yami with careless words. The young man would keep reading until he finally felt the need to stick his finger down his throat and get rid of all the chocolate in his system.

*And you're down on your knees…
It's too late- oh don't come crawlin'…
And you lie by my feet- what a big mistake.
I see you fallin'…*

Ryou brushed his teeth quickly, spitting out repeatedly the taste of juices from his digestion system lingering on in his mouth. He wasn't disgusted by what he did- he just made sure that no one could ever tell. A reflection in the mirror smiled back at the silver-haired male. 

'Good as new…!' His smile slowly faded, but he did nothing but walk from the bathroom to the kitchen, looking for vitamins. Bakura was sitting in the living room, but he was silent. Maybe he was reading his own cards again? The young man found a few vitamin bottles in the cabinet, taking a few that he chased down with ice water; it was the only way to make sure his body didn't fall apart with the small amount of food he consumed in a day.

Curious as to what his yami was doing, he slowly walked into the living room; Bakura WAS reading his cards- and he was crying over them too.

'What the…?' Ryou took a step back as a tear fell onto the coffee table, and he heard this. Bakura stood, his face turning to face him; the look on his face was scarring the young man.

"Get the hell out of here, Ryou!" Bakura was virtually barking at him, angry that he'd seen even a tear come from him. But the rarity caused Ryou to somehow change, and he could feel it once he stepped forward instead of away.

"Why are you crying..?" He was almost pleading.

"It's none of your fuckin' business- go to your room!" Bakura wiped his face; it looked as if it was returning to normal with his tears gone. But anger was the only thing that could be considered normal.

"Why should I?! I want to know what the matter is!" Ryou was crying out- he wanted to know to try and help; Bakura couldn't take it. With an unbelievable stride he walked up to his hikari, grabbing his collar and shaking him; Ryou's glass cup of water fell on the ground, glass shattering, water spreading in all directions.

"GO AWAY!" Bakura was screaming at the pale face, suddenly throwing him onto the ground. Glass shards cut into the hikari's skin as he hit the ground; cuts on his hands, up his arms. The boy slowly sat up, looking down at his hands where blood flowed freely, clear knifes from his skin. And Bakura stepped away; he was starring at the young man's hands and the bleeding that wouldn't stop. Ryou moaned lightly. It wasn't that he liked it, but that it gave him a high that he only had when he cut himself in honor of his yami. But his yami had done this- and now he was stepping away with a look of regret on his face. He didn't want to do it this time? Ryou was confused. "Ryou… I…"

"No… it's okay…" He was timid in even saying that.

"NO- IT'S NOT OKAY!"

*I can sting like a bee- careful how you treat me…
Baby I don't think I'll accept your sorry invitation-
Close the door as you leave…*

Ryou was careful to stand without using his hands, Bakura was starring at him all the while. Yami's words came up out of nowhere- obligation.

"What the hell was that for, Bakura?!" Ryou suddenly shouted; he looked down at his hands- the stinging was starting to become unbearable.

"Why the hell are you telling me that, you ass?! You shouldn't be talking to me like that! You're not even supposed to be in this room when I'm here!" Bakura was taking the defense- but he had definitely had a surprised face when Ryou shouted.

"Why the hell am I telling you that?! BECAUSE YOU FUCKIN' HURT ME!" Ryou was even shocked at what was coming out of his own lips. How long had he been holding back? "And I shouldn't be talking to you like this? I can talk to you however I like! This is my fuckin' house to- I CAN GO WHERE I WANT!" By now, Bakura was starring in complete shock, but it was quickly gone when he started glaring. The yami took another quick step forward, grabbing Ryou's collar once again. But the hikari didn't shake or pull back; he glared up at the other man. "Get out of my house."

Bakura's grip on the young man's collar slipped away, he stepped back, a small smile starting to come up to his lips. "I'm proud of you, Ryou. You finally spoke up to me."

"Didn't you hear me, Bakura? I said GET OUT." Ryou's words were as hard as his eyes; he stood perfectly still, taking command of what he had.

'What are you doing…? You don't want him to leave…. But….'

*And you cry over me… I can't wait-
I feel you stallin'… And you try to reach me- what a big mistake.
I hear you callin'…*

Bakura's eyebrows contorted in pain, but it was quickly dismissed as he started glaring once again. "Get out? Fine- I'm leaving." He said it quickly and easily, going to the front door. It wasn't like he had anything in Ryou's house. He stole the clothes he wore as a hobby; all he did was sleep there and complain about not getting fed on time.

He stopped at the door, looking back at Ryou with a calculating look on his face, then turned and left, closing the door softly behind him.

"What have I done…" Ryou whispered to himself as he slid to the ground. "But it was for the best, right? It was… he wasn't fair… he hates me- he doesn't take care of me…" He frowned at his own words as he stood up, a new power in his stance.

'Who cares?' He walked into the living room and looked around, glass and blood where he had stood before. 'Just great…' Ryou turned and sat on the couch, he really didn't want to start cleaning that second. But in his position on the couch, he could see the cards Bakura had laid out when he had seen him crying.  Four cards were laying in order of left to right: Rogue Doll, Ceremonial Bell, Crawling Dragon, Dokuroyaiba. Ryou sighed- it wasn't like he could read the cards, but he certainly knew enough about them to know what they could mean… something he inherited from his yami?

All four cards seem to spell out what had just happened to him; he smiled softly. How ironic… The Rogue doll to be painful against the darker side… Ceremonial Bell to show each other's true emotions… Crawling Dragon as the dragon that couldn't fly, but is still so strong… and Dokuroyaiba… the burning pain that would linger forever.

"Oh this is great…" He smiled broadly, sitting on the couch, trying to amuse himself with what he'd just figured out. But the smile slowly faded- a blank expression. And the blank expression carried tears that started to fall freely from Ryou's deep chocolate eyes. He really regretted what he had just done.
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Hope you like! Review please! (and this is ONLY the third track- there's still hope for poor Ryou!)